Hair type and colour

Grey, blonde, and red hair

The removal methods that use light are not very effective for people with hair of these colours. The 2 common methods that use light are flashlamp and laser hair removal. Both these methods emit light which is absorbed by the hair's dark melanin pigment. Non-dark hair colours do not absorb enough laser or flashlamp light, and therefore can not generate the heat necessary to be effective.

The methods that are usually more effective are the ones that do not rely on the colour of hairs. A variety of methods can still be used but the most effective one is electrolysis. Electrolysis is slow and can be painful when treating large areas of the body. Other short to medium term methods are more commonly used for large areas, such as the back and legs.

Usually effective

• Creams: choose the most appropriate cream for the body area to be treated, as some products can be harsh on sensitive skin.
• Depilatories: the easiest and most common methods (e.g. shaving), but also provides the shortest term results.
• Electrolysis: slow and can be painful, but often provides permanent results.
• Epilatories: are usually fairly painful (e.g. waxing), so they're not for the faint-hearted.

Not very effective

• Flashlamp: not very effective on these colours of hair due to the lack of melanin.
• Laser: hair removal and dotting can cause skin damage as more of the light is absorbed by the skin due to the lower melanin levels present.

Fine hairs

A consistent problem with most removal methods is that they are not very good a treating fine hair. The epilator (pulling) methods rely on grasping hairs, which is more difficult if they are fine. The light-emitting methods (e.g. lasers) rely on the hair transferring heat to its follicle, but this transfer is minimised if the hairs are very fine.

Usually effective

• Creams: usually effective as they rely on dissolving hairs.
• Friction: this method is ideal for fine hairs, but be careful on sensitive skin.
• Razor shaving: quickly removes fine hair for a short period of time.

Not very effective

• Electric shaving: not effective, as the hairs are difficult to pull and cut.
• Electrolysis: hard to locate the follicle and can lead to scarring.
• Laser: hair that is fine is less likely to be effectively removed, due to the lack of melanin and poor heat transfer.
• Rotary epilators: not effective as the hairs are hard to pull.
• Sugaring: the hairs do not stick as well to the sugar solution.
• Waxing: not very effective due to a lack of adherence to the wax.

Dark hairs

The easiest type of hair to be treated are thick, dark hairs on pale skin. Dark hair absorbs light and so responds well to light-emitting treatments. Also, the follicle is usually easier to see and therefore easier to be treated by electrolysis. However, if the skin is dark then the performance of these methods diminishes.

Usually effective

• Electrolysis: effective on pale skin, as the follicles are easily found.
• Flashlamp: light is absorbed well by the hairs if the skin is pale.
• Friction: will be effective if the hair is not too thick.
• Laser: effective for removing dark hairs if light skinned.
• Rotary epilators: will work well as long as the hair's not too fine.
• Shaving - Electric , Razor: should work well, but only short-term results.
• Creams: may provide patchy results if the hair is thick.