So, Here Are 8 All-Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Body Hair
When it comes to my eyebrows and the nooks and crannies of certain areas down below, you can best believe that I'm gonna go to my wax appointment as if my life depended on it. As far as my legs and underneath my arms, I'm a shaver. Yet the older I get, when it comes to where I put a razor—and also the cream that I put on my super faint mustache every couple of months—I've been on a mission to use it less and less. What's helped me to reach my goal are natural hair removal methods.
Before I share with you what some of them are, let me just say that many of these are most effective if you've got facial hair and/or when it comes to places where your hair isn't super coarse. Also, if you're looking for methods that will get rid of unwanted hair immediately, these aren't those. On the other hand, if you are a patient person, you're consistent with your beauty regimens and you want to fade your hair over time, I've totally got you on that.
The following eight all-natural hair removal remedies can have you on your way to less hair in a few months without any chemicals, expenses or drama. Ready to check 'em out?
1. Fenugreek Seeds
Fenugreek is a type of herb that is really good for you on a few different levels. For instance, if you're a vegetarian or vegan, it's a good source of protein and iron (it's got a fair amount of fiber too). Also, if you're looking for a way to lower your cholesterol, fenugreek has got your back. Thanks to its inflammation properties, fenugreek can help to heal mouth ulcers, chronic coughs, boils and even bronchitis. As a doula, I can personally vouch for the fact that it's helpful if you're a new mommy who's having trouble getting your breastmilk to come (or stay) in. Word on the street is it can boost a man's libido too.
If you drink the seeds in a powder form, it can deep cleanse your skin, reduce blemishes, soften the appearance of dark circles underneath your eyes, slow down signs of aging and even help to prevent hair loss (for instance, if you put the powder into your conditioner and let it sit for 10 minutes on wash day).
Fenugreek also makes the hair removal list because the properties in it can also help to weaken hair follicles. If you mix two teaspoons with a tablespoon of rosewater (rosewater will hydrate and protect your skin while also reducing any redness that you might experience) and let it sit on the areas where you want hair removed for 20-30 minutes, once a week, your hair should appear finer in about three months.
2. Papaya Paste
Papaya is a fruit that's in season, starting early summer and runs through the fall. It's good for you because it is a good source of fiber, protein, antioxidants and vitamins A and C. As far as specific health benefits go, if you eat it a few times a week, it can help to strengthen your heart, improve digestion and fight body inflammation. On the beauty tip, papaya is cool because the enzymes in it can help to decrease breakouts, the lycopene in it can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and, if you mix one-half a papaya with a one-half cup of coconut oil and a tablespoon of honey, it can be a pretty potent hair conditioner too.
So, why does it work at removing body hair? Well, there's an enzyme in papaya that's called papain. When it's consistently applied to your body, it can weaken hair follicles and hinder regrowth.
I already know some of y'all are like, then why would I use it as a hair conditioner? Remember, these remedies require consistent use. Conditioning your hair once a month with papaya is not the same as slathering it on your legs and letting it sit for 20 minutes, a couple of times a week. Anyway, a couple of tablespoons of raw papaya mixed with three teaspoons of turmeric (its chemicals help to slow down hair growth too), applied to clean skin and left on for 15-20 minutes before thoroughly rinsing off, can help you to see a noticeable difference when it comes to having less body hair in around three months or so.
3. Rosewater and Alum
If you've never heard of alum before, the long name for it is aluminum potassium sulfate. It's a chemical compound that is typically attributed to salt. Anyway, when it's used in powdered form, it can do everything from treat a canker sore and help to heal an eye abscess to soothe cracked heels and even naturally aid in alleviating body odor.
Alum is also pretty popular when it comes to getting rid of body hair because of its abrasiveness. You already know how rosewater helps. One half-teaspoon of alum powder mixed with one teaspoon of rosewater needs to be applied to your skin after you shave it. That way, it can help to weaken your hair follicles at the root, making it harder for it to grow back after, say a couple of months or so (you must do this regularly for it to be effective). By the way, you can cop some alum powder at stores like Target or even your local grocery store.
4. Oatmeal Scrub
If you basically want to eat a multivitamin, start off with a heaping bowl of oatmeal. It contains fiber, protein, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, antioxidants and a good amount of different forms of Vitamin B too. The combination of all of these nutrients can cause oats to lower your cholesterol levels, improve your blood sugar levels, relieve constipation and even decrease asthma symptoms in children.
One of the reasons why you should try using oats from a beauty angle is because its nutrients and semi-rough texture makes it the ultimate kind of exfoliant. Plus, it contains a chemical called saponins which can help to deep clean your pores.
Since oatmeal is such a powerful exfoliant, this is why it's an effective way to remove fine facial hair. A tablespoon of raw oats, five drops of fresh lemon juice (the acid can weaken your hair follicles) and the moisturizing properties of one-fourth of a banana is a great combination. Blend everything and apply to your face. Let it sit for 15 minutes and rinse with cool water. Facial hair should get finer in 6-8 weeks if you do this 1-2 times a week.
5. White Pepper and Camphor
Whenever I'm cooking, sometimes I prefer to go with white pepper instead of black. It's less "harsh in taste" is the best way that I can describe it. As far as health benefits go, white pepper is good for you because it contains anti-inflammatory properties that are able to boost your immune system as well as properties that protect your body from cardiovascular diseases, will detox your system and can also increase blood circulation. Camphor? Well, it's an organic compound that is full of antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that are able to relieve skin irritation, reduce pain, treat toenail fungus, soothe congestion and speed up the healing process of acne, hemorrhoids, muscle spasms, earaches and warts.
Believe it or not, if you combine these two things, they can also help to rid your body of hair over time. The texture of the white pepper along with the strong properties of the camphor make for the kind of scrub that works really well if you're trying to reduce the amount of hair that is on your legs (matter of fact, this particular remedy is so potent that you avoid putting it on your face altogether). Simply mix two tablespoons of white pepper, two tablespoons of camphor along with a tablespoon of your favorite carrier oil and apply it all to your legs for no more than 15 minutes (beyond that could irritate your skin). Rinse thoroughly with warm water. If you do this twice a week, you should notice thinner hair within six weeks.
6. Baking Soda and Turmeric
I don't know about y'all but when I was growing up, baking soda was used for three main things in my house—deodorizing carpets, keeping food fresh in the fridge and brushing teeth so that they stayed pearly white. When it comes to what is also known as sodium bicarbonate, there are other bonuses with using it including the fact that baking soda helps to treat heartburn (by putting a teaspoon of it in some water and drinking it slowly; run this by your doctor first); healing pimples (by making it a paste with water and applying it directly onto your pimples; it's an ultimate overnight remedy); relieving itchy skin (by pouring a cup of it into your bathwater); eliminating odor and naturally whitening your laundry (by putting a cup of it into your laundry detergent); getting pesticides off of fruits and veggies (by soaking them in a solution of water and one-fourth cup of baking soda for 15 minutes) and so much more.
Due to the gritty texture of baking soda, applying the combination of one teaspoon of it with one teaspoon of turmeric (along with enough water to make it a paste) and then putting where you want to see less hair for about 15 minutes, can reduce the appearance of hair in 8-12 weeks. (You might want to avoid this on your face. Baking soda can be a little too harsh if constantly used over time.)
7. Basil Leaves, Onion and Garlic
Basil leaves are good for you because it helps to reduce oxidative stress, fight the growth of cancer cells, decrease body inflammation, fight the kind of bacteria that causes respiratory and urinary infections and lower your blood sugar levels. Now put a pin in that. When it comes to the other ingredients in this tip, something that onion and garlic have in common is they both contain a lot of sulfur compounds. Why is this a good thing? For one thing, sulfur is beneficial because it plays a key role in the synthesis of proteins throughout your body. That's why sulfur supplements are oftentimes used to help treat osteoarthritis, dandruff and allergies. On the beauty tip, I am all about sulfur; using sulfur soap is what finally got my pimples under control while evening out my skin tone in the process.
As far as hair removal goes, using onion and garlic on your unwanted hair can help to break down your hair's proteins, so that it's harder for them to grow back. And what about the basil leaves? Not only are they an awesome moisturizer, they're a potent fungus fighter too.
Make a paste out of all of this by mashing up one-fourth an onion, crushing two garlic bulbs and the smashing 5-6 basil leaves and applying it to the areas where you don't want any hair for 20 minutes, twice a week. You will see less hair in a couple of months. And what about that sulfur odor that's left behind? Soaking in a tub that has a cup of apple cider vinegar in it or taking a shower and then putting on some lemon or orange essential oil that's been mixed in with a carrier oil can nip the odor in the bud (no worries, it fades on its own too; it's just annoying until it does).
8. Sugaring
If you've never heard of sugaring before, I guess you can chalk this up to being your something new for the day. Long story short, if you combine sugar, lemon and water and turn it into a paste-like consistency, it has the ability to remove body hair in a way that is less painful than waxing; plus, it can reduce how much hair grows in the areas where you are doing the sugaring process over time.
There are people who apply this hair removal method to all parts of their body, although it should go on record that different parts need different amounts of time (you can "sugar" your underarms in 5-7 minutes while your legs may take 30-45). Another benefit of sugaring is the results can last for 3-5 weeks. For tips on how to make your own sugar paste and apply it, check out this video, this video and this video. Enjoy!
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Different puzzle pieces are creating bigger pictures these days. 2024 will mark a milestone on a few different levels, including the release of my third book next June (yay!).
I am also a Professional Certified Coach. My main mission for attaining that particular goal is to use my formal credentials to help people navigate through the sometimes tumultuous waters, both on and offline, when it comes to information about marriage, sex and relationships that is oftentimes misinformation (because "coach" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, oftentimes quite poorly).
I am also still super devoted to helping to bring life into this world as a doula, marriage life coaching will always be my first love (next to writing, of course), a platform that advocates for good Black men is currently in the works and my keystrokes continue to be devoted to HEALTHY over HAPPY in the areas of holistic intimacy, spiritual evolution, purpose manifestation and self-love...because maturity teaches that it's impossible to be happy all of the time when it comes to reaching goals yet healthy is a choice that can be made on a daily basis (amen?).
If you have any PERSONAL QUESTIONS (please do not contact me with any story pitches; that is an *editorial* need), feel free to reach out at missnosipho@gmail.com. A sistah will certainly do what she can. ;)
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Adrienne Bailon Reveals The Price Of Parenthood After Spending 'Over A Million' On IVF Treatments
Adrienne Bailon-Houghton is opening up the hidden expenses behind becoming a parent.
For PEOPLE, the former Cheetah Girl spoke candidly about how she and her husband, Israel Houghton spent "easily over a million" dollars on their journey to conceive their first child together.
The former The Real host acknowledged that this hefty sum is not attainable for most people, noting, "And that is not realistic for the average person. And I recognize that.”
Adrienne Bailon-Houghton revealed that in addition to enduring several “cycles of IVF,” she underwent numerous other fertility treatments over a challenging six-year period in her journey to conceive her son.
"I only did eight cycles of IVF, but that doesn't include the amount of IUIs I did and every other kind of imaginable treatments that you could imagine for fertility," Bailon-Houghton told the publication. "So it was a pretty tough six years of trying to have my son."
For years, the 3LW singer has expressed her acceptance of waiting for motherhood to align with divine timing, despite the discouragement she faced. In 2018, she shared with her The Real co-hosts, "I've had to come to peace with that it'll happen when it's God's timing, and I believe in that, and I have faith in all of that," she said. "But it can be really discouraging, and it can be really frustrating.”
Upon announcing the arrival of her son, Ever James, via surrogate in 2022, she reflected in an Instagram caption on the challenging journey, emphasizing her gratitude for their newborn amidst years of tears, disappointments, and medical procedures.
"Our baby boy is here & we are so in love! If you have followed our love story… you know that our journey to baby has been very challenging - But God is true to His word and His promises. We have quietly prayed while sitting on this most magnificent secret for the last 9 months," she wrote.
"He is worth every tear, every disappointment, every delayed prayer, every IVF cycle, every miscarriage. Everything. All we feel is joy and overwhelming love & gratitude," she continued.
"Grateful to God, to our angel surrogate and to all of our friends and family who have stood with us for over 5 years on this journey. He's here and we have never been happier to lose sleep! #HappilyEverHoughton 🤍"
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