If the choice is between the devil and the deep blue sea, it can be tough to pick one. Similarly, if you have to choose a definitive winner among waxing and shaving, it can be impossible to decide which one has a major edge over the other! Both are so different and yet help you achieve the same thing – hair-free skin that you can flaunt with confidence!
That said, surely one of them has to be the absolute best method of hair removal. So, which one is it?
Let’s pit them against each other to find the victor amongst the two!
Round 1 – Ease Of Use
First up, let’s see which one of these methods is easier to carry out:
Waxing requires you to apply a thin layer of hot or cold wax on the desired area, which then needs to be removed with the help of a waxing strip. To get yourself waxed, you either have to go to a parlor or book an at-home appointment with a professional. Of course, you can do it yourself, but it’s a pretty messy process.
Shaving, on the other hand, comes with no such complications. You can just whip out a razor in the bathroom, put some shaving cream or gel on and swipe away as you like! Shaving is pretty easy and you can do it at home without any help.
Winner: Shaving.
Round 2 – Hair Regrowth Time
When it comes to hair regrowth turnaround time, both of them have a different story to tell:
With waxing, you can expect to go hair-free for around 4 weeks. Besides, if you do it regularly, your hair will grow back finer and thinner as it’s always pulled out from the root.
As for shaving, your hair does not only regrow coarser but definitely makes a reappearance quicker as compared to waxing. This is because only the surface hair is shaved and it isn’t pulled out from the roots.
Winner: Waxing.
Round 3 – Pain And Discomfort
The degree of discomfort and pain you feel in both processes can vary:
Waxing is painful. Period. When you pull the wax strip in the opposite direction, you actually pull all your hair out, which can cause agonizing pain and leave red, rash-like spots on your skin.
Shaving is not painful at all. That is until you cut yourself by accident or develop an allergy caused by an old, blunt razor. To minimize cuts, always use a shaving cream or gel.
Winner: Shaving.
Round 4 – Time Taken
Both processes take different amounts of time to complete. Find out which one is quicker:
Apart from being a troublesome process, waxing is very time-consuming too. You have to heat the wax to the right temperature, use strips on the desired area, and reheat the wax if it gets cold – definitely not the best option for an emergency situation!
Shaving is super quick. You won’t need more than 10 to 20 minutes to do your legs, making it the most suitable option for the days when sudden plans are made. Besides, there’s no preparation time for shaving either.
Winner: Shaving.
Round 5 – Price
No surprises about which one proves to be more cost-effective among the two:
Waxing is expensive – whether you call a professional at home or get it done at a parlor, or even do it yourself. Waxing supplies are expensive and, besides, if you have it done professionally, you’ll be charged separately for each body part covered.
Shaving requires a razor, a set of blades and a shaving cream or gel – all 3 of which can be purchased at a cheaper price. Moreover, buying a razor and cream are not frequently recurring expenses. And since you don’t need a professional for shaving yourself, you save a ton of money too.
Winner: Shaving.
Round 6 – Suitability For Sensitive Skin
Both of them can cause some amount of irritation, but –
Forget about waxing if you have sensitive skin! The action of ripping the waxing strips can cause a lot of damage to sensitive skin. Also, wax is hot, which makes it somewhat unsuitable for those who have sensitive skin. Waxing also leads to red spots and make your skin looser over time.
Shaving is more or less okay if you have sensitive skin. At least as long as you do it right, which means using the right products and shaving in the right direction.
Winner: Shaving.
Round 7 – Hygiene
Each of them can be unhygienic to a certain degree:
Waxing is more unhygienic of the two, especially if you get it done at a parlor as the products used are common for everybody. Plus, the quality of the products might not be top notch too, leading to further hygiene issues.
There’s no such problem with shaving but if you share razors or use old, blunt ones repeatedly, you can get minor skin infections as that’s not very hygienic.
Winner: Shaving.
Shaving wins 6 out of 7 rounds, which means you can call it the ultimate winner! But if you want to be hair-free for longer, we’d suggest you go for waxing!