I Got Laser Hair Removal — This Is What I Wish I'd Known

Whether waxing or shaving is your regular habit, it's true that each produces waste. Plastic and parrafins used in most waxes are not biodegradable and harmful to the environment, and using single-use or even multi-use disposable razors need to be replaced often. In fact, the EPA estimates that 2 billion razors are thrown away annually—many of which end up in our oceans.

Any article I’d ever read about laser hair removal has ended on a high note, always mentioning how cost-effective it is, and friends who’ve had the procedure said it wasn't perfect but shaved significant amounts of time off their grooming routines, especially in the summer. When I realized I was spending nearly $800 annually on hair removal alone, and regularly contributing to the global plastic waste problem, what did I have to lose? The plastic packaging razors come in is bulky and non recyclable. By choosing laser, you're avoiding a plastic-intense monthly routine.

The experience of getting lasered was not at all what I expected. You head into a small room, and on the table they’ve provided two packs of feminine wipes (one for before, one after), a stress ball, and a pair of goggles. Your specialist dry shaves the area you’d like to laser and, surprisingly, this prep took longer than the treatment itself.

Legs butterflied, goggles on, the lasering begins. The machine beeps every time it fires, and after a while the room smells like burnt hair. "It must be working," I thought. I'm lucky—I have an awesome specialist who likes to chat about body hair, facials, and life, so the time always passes quickly.

The laser itself feels like an icy-hot on the skin—for the easy patches, I wasn't certain whether it was hot or cold. On the denser ones, it’s enough to make you jump but for me was never as painful as a Brazilian. She'd soothe the pain with a rubber square resembling a pot holder that was cool to the touch after the toughies, and the pain went away almost instantly.

A little powder and aloe vera, and I was on my merry way. I'd get up from the table and notice I was swollen after every session, and more so after the final two. It's because the laser power is turned up as your hair follicles thin out, so it can be more effective. My specialist is pleased—she said that swelling is a great indicator that we'd successfully killed the follicles.

Laser works best on dark hair against light skin and doesn’t pick up on light hairs on light skin. So if you have any grays or blondes, those are yours to keep.

Lastly, if you decide that hair removal is your jam like I did, you'll be saving yourself from future waxing pain, itchy ingrowns, and the constant effort upkeep requires. Laser hair removal does string, but it's five to 10 sessions as opposed to a lifelong affair. We endure enough pain and nuisance, why should our beauty routines be one of them?