As a trans woman or crossdresser, removing body hair can be a big part of feeling your best as a woman. After all, there’s nothing like silky smooth skin to make a girl feel extra feminine!
While a lot of attention is given to facial hair removal, including MTF beard removal, body hair removal is equally important.
Between the legs, chest, bikini area, and underarms, there’s a lot of ground to cover – and that’s where things can get tricky!
In this blog post, I share 7 male to female body hair removal methods to consider, along with their pros and cons.
7 Transgender Body Hair Removal Methods – Pros and Cons
1. Shaving
Shaving is a simple and affordable method of removing body hair that can be done quickly and easily at home. Whether using a manual or electric shaver, it can be one on virtually any part of the body.
Pros:
- Quick and easy hair removal method
- Inexpensive compared to other hair removal methods
- Can be done in the comfort of your own home
Cons:
- Potential for nicks, cuts, razor burn, ingrown hairs, and razor bumps
- Hair regrowth can happen quickly and feel coarse or stubbly
- Requires frequent upkeep to maintain smooth skin
2. Waxing
Waxing is a popular method of hair removal. It works by applying warm or hot wax to the skin and then quickly removing it, taking the unwanted hair along with it.
You could either visit a salon for a professional wax or try doing it yourself at home. If it’s your first time using a home waxing kit, it may take several attempts to achieve optimal results.
Pros:
- Results last longer than shaving
- Hair regrowth is slower and may be finer
- Can be done on large areas of the body
Cons:
- Can be painful, especially for those with sensitive skin
- Can be expensive, especially if done at a salon
- Requires hair to be a certain length before waxing
3. Sugaring
Sugaring is an ancient Egyptian hair removal method that uses a sugar gel or paste made from natural ingredients such as sugar, water, and lemon juice.
The sugar paste is applied to the skin and then swiftly removed with a swiping motion, pulling the hair out from the follicles.
Pros:
- Can be less painful than waxing
- Made from natural ingredients
- Results last longer than shaving
Cons:
- Can be messy
- Can be difficult to find a salon that offers sugaring
- Requires hair to be a certain length before sugaring
4. Laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is popular for transgender facial hair removal, but it can also be used on larger areas of the body such as the underarms, back, legs, and bikini area.
The procedure involves using pulsating beams of light to target and damage hair follicles, inhibiting future hair regrowth.
Pros:
- Results are long-lasting
- Less painful than waxing or sugaring
- Can be done on large areas of the body
Cons:
- Can be expensive
- Multiple sessions are required for optimal results
- Not effective on all hair types and skin tones (especially light hair and dark skin tones)
5. IPL (intense pulsed light)
IPL is similar to laser hair removal, but it uses a different kind of light. Instead of a concentrated laser beam, IPL uses a broader spectrum of light that isn’t as focused.
Because of this, IPL can cover a larger treatment area, but it takes more sessions since the light is less powerful.
Pros:
- Faster than laser hair removal since it covers a larger area
- Good availability of at-home devices
- Usually less painful than laser hair removal
Cons:
- Requires more sessions compared to laser hair removal
- More risk of irritation due to the broader light spectrum used
- Can only be used on lighter skin tones / darker hair tones
6. Depilatory cream
Depilatory creams use chemical compounds to break down hair proteins and remove unwanted hair.
These creams are applied to the skin and left for a short period before being wiped or washed away, taking the hair along with them.
Pros:
- Can be done at home
- Quick and easy hair removal method
- Hair regrowth is slower than shaving
Cons:
- Chemicals in the cream can cause skin irritation
- Results may not last as long as other hair removal methods
- Strong odor
7. Epilator
An epilator is an electronic device used for removing hair from the skin. It works by using a series of small tweezers or rotating discs to pull the hair out by the roots.
Pros:
- Results last longer than shaving
- Hair regrowth is slower and may be finer
- Can be done in the comfort of your own home
Cons:
- Can be painful, especially for those with sensitive skin
- Hair must be a certain length before using an epilator
- Can be time-consuming, especially for larger areas of the body
What about electrolysis?
You might be wondering why electrolysis wasn’t included in this list of transgender body hair removal methods.
While electrolysis is the only method that offers permanent hair removal, it’s best for smaller areas since each hair needs to be individually treated multiple times.
Electrolysis is highly recommended for beard hair removal. To learn more, see my blog post on MTF Facial Hair Removal: Top 8 Ways To Remove Or Reduce Beard Hair.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there are many MTF transgender body hair removal methods that can help you achieve smooth and feminine skin.
I encourage you to experiment to find the best method for YOU!
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is you preferred body hair removal method? Please take my poll and share your experiences in the comments below.
Love,
Lucille
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P.S. If you liked this article, you will love my FREE Male to Female Transformation Mini Course.
All fantastic tips. I love seeing these. What do you do about the arms? Like the forearm, wrist, hands, knuckles. I haven’t even attempted those yet or if I even should. So I guess my question would be, should I shave, wax. ect…. or should I just leave them as is? I have lighter hair so it’s not crazy but I am curious as to what others do and what is recommended.
Hi Rachael, a depilatory cream could work well on the arms since the hair doesn’t grow back as stubbly as shaving.
I use an electric razor on my arms from my shoulders to my knuckles twice a week and makes them look great. I use a 5 bladed woman’s razor on the rest of my body.
You didn’t mention IPL intense pulsed light. I recently bought a Braun Silk-Expert Pro 5 PL5124 IPL Hair Removal Device and have only used it twice so far. Although they caution against it I’m trying it in my face too. We’ll see
Thanks Joanna, I added IPL to the list! I’m looking into the Braun Silk-Expert Pro IPL for myself in fact. How are you liking it?
I wondered why, too. The wands aren’t expensive, but it takes time before hair slows growing.
Tip: do not let the wand get hot. New ones now have a safety device that stops flashes when it gets too hot. Let it cool down. If you don’t, the components will die and then you will have to buy a new one.
Out of a frequency setting of 5, I now run mine on 3, plus add more cool down time. This one has a heat sensor, too. This one has survived.
My legs are my most feminine feature
I’m lucky that I have very little on on my body, but I have to smear depilatory cream all over my body or miss some hairs. I do this once a week
I have used waxing, shaving, Nail, laser to remove my hair over the years since my teens and now in my late 60’s almost all my body hair is finally gone and is staying that way. The picture shows my legs in hose I know but there is no hair visible under my hose and the hose just adds to my legs. Have a great day all who read.
Hi all – all of Lucille’s tips are good advice! Luckily for me, I’m an older trans woman in her seventies. The only items I have to shave is my beard, which is very light and occasionally my underarms. I just literally have no other hair on my body that needs attention! Here is photo of me today at the mall. And also, I’m not wearing pantyhose! I just want to blend in as a normal woman out doing her thing! Hugs, Suzy
Trying again!
Yay! Your photo came through! And you are looking cute as always, Suzy. 🙂
You might want to check out laser hair removal for your underarm.
I haven’t had to shave in over ten years
Tried using a mansraper before saving but too rough on my soft,sensitive skin.N ow use an epilator from Venus once weekly and shave with a Venus razor monthly. Shaving works best around genitalia and glute,abal area..
I have been using an epilator for 20 years. It doesn’t hurt anymore, it hurt a lot at first. Before that I used cream and razor. I’m not preparing for HRT, I’ll stay CD. My boyfriend doesn’t accept hair, so I’m completely hairless. The downside is that you have to wait for that 2mm long hair… but I’m routinely ready and done in an hour. Even in intimate areas…