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Hair Removal Methods For Pole Dancers

Hair removal methods for dancers

Last Updated on February 8, 2023

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Are you a dancer, pole dancer or aerialist who finds hair removal a challenge? Well, we’re here to help. This article will break down and discuss all the different methods of hair removal available to us today,

Hair removal is a challenge that’s faced by both men and women all over the world. What people choose to do with their body hair is influenced by culture, religion, the media, their friends and their own body image.

It’s always your choice what you choose to do, or not do with your body. The information in this article is designed to advise you but we are not medically trained. If you are unsure about using a product or method for hair removal them speak to your doctor or healthcare professional first.

You will learn:

  • Why hair removal is an issue for many people
  • The pros and cons of the different hair removal methods
  • Tips on how to remove hair safely in many different ways
  • Product recommendations
  • Skincare information and how to solve common hair removal problems

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About Hair Removal For Dancers

Do Pole Dancers Need to Worry about Hair Removal?

Not really, but you probably do – which is why you’re on this page. If you choose to remove your body hair, just like millions of women and men worldwide, that’s fine! This page is just for information and is not medical advice.

Advantages of Hair Removal for Pole Dancers

  • You’ll feel more confident attending classes with bare legs if you have smooth skin. It’s a well-known fact that pole dancers require their skin to be on show in order to grip onto the pole. With smooth skin comes increased confidence, meaning that most pole dancers will use some form of hair removal for this reason.
  • You’ll have more confidence to wear more outfits instead of baggy shorts and an old vest. Just think of all the amazing cut-away outfits you can wear, without worrying about pesky body hair!
  • You won’t feel self-conscious about your instructor or spotter judging you for having body hair (FYI – they aren’t judging you). Sigh. So many women worry about this at pole dancing classes. Let me tell you this for sure: pole dance instructors do not care whether you have shaved your legs, armpits, bikini line or any other part of your body. It is your body and you choose what to do with your own body hair.
  • If you have smooth skin, you won’t have the unpleasant feeling of prickly legs or coarse body hair when you’re entwined with the pole. Because no one wants that!
  • You will have a slightly better grip on the pole

Disadvantages of Hair Removal for Pole Dancers

  • If you have sensitive skin, hair removal methods may cause irritation or skin rashes. 
    You may find that you get shaving rashes or bad reactions to hair removal methods, which means that you avoid using them.
  • Skin irritations may be made worse by using chalk or other grip aid products. If you’re totally addicted to grip, using grip-aid products in additional to freshly-plucked or shaved skin may be a recipe for itchy red bumps.
  • The friction of pole dancing on your underarms or legs may irritate any shaving or hair removal related skin problems and make them worse. Also, ouch! Your skin is more sensitive immediately after hair removal, so friction causes by pole dancing could make it more painful.
  • If you shave your body hair, you’ll have the unpleasantness of feeling your own prickly legs when you’re twisted around the pole. Urgh!

Types Of Hair Removal For Dancers To Choose From

When it comes to hair removal, you have many options (shaving, epilating, hair removal creams, waxing, and even permanent hair removal).

Shaving

Shaving is the most common form of hair removal. Both men and women shave various parts of their body. Here are some facts about shaving:

  • Most people start shaving as teenagers
  • Hair begins to re-grow after 24-72 hours since your last shave
  • Shaving removes hair above the surface of the skin

Pros of Shaving

  • It’s quick to shave in the shower.
  • It’s relatively inexpensive to buy razors and shaving gels.
  • You can shave yourself – you don’t need a professional to do it for you!

Cons of Shaving

  • It’s very easy to cut yourself, especially areas like your ankles and knees which aren’t as straight-forward as shaving your shins!
  • Hair grows back quickly and will be prickly stubble. It won’t feel nice after 24 hours since your last shave, so you have to do it often.
  • Most razors are disposable, meaning you have to buy new ones fairly often.
  • Shaving only removes the hair above the skin’s surface and doesn’t pull the hairs from their follicles.
  • Disposable razors are made of plastic, which is not biodegradable and ends up in the sea. Shaving adds to plastic waste worldwide.
  • Not great for sensitive skin. Many people have a bad reaction to shaving, resulting in skin rashes, ingrown hairs and dry skin. No one wants a shaving rash on their bikini line!

How to Shave Properly

You can avoid ingrown hairs, rashes and dry skin by shaving properly. Here is my preferred method for shaving my legs, which could also apply to other parts of your body you may want to shave!

Prepare your Skin

You should prepare your skin for shaving. Shaving is dragging a sharp blade against your skin and most of the time, your skin won’t like it.

Start by exfoliating, if you don’t do this regularly, then you will notice a huge difference almost straight away. If you’re a regular shaver, then you should exfoliate as often as possible.

Next, moisturise your skin with water and unperfumed moisturiser, or an emollient cream such as Aqueous cream. Use this as you would soap or shower gel, lather it all over your skin and rinse off. Your skin should be left feeling much smoother, and therefore give you an easier job with the razor!

Use a Good Razor

Stay away from those single-use razors with just the one blade, the best option is to use one of the modern razors with 4 or 5 blades, such as the Gilette Venus range. You should also lather your legs with some moisturizing shaving gel and replace the razor head as often as you can afford to.

Do not use soap, it will dry your skin out, always use something with moisturizing properties when you’re dragging a razor across your bare skin.

Men’s razors work just as well as women’s razors and are often less expensive (pffft….gender marketing) and hair conditioner will work as a shaving cream if you ever need an alternative!

More Shaving Tips
  • Give your skin a break! Don’t reach for the razor every day and let your skin recover for as long as possible between shaves
  • Find a razor handle that’s ergonomic and comfortable to hold – it will reduce the chance of the razor slipping.
  • Shave down your leg before shaving up your leg. This will prevent irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin.

See also: Pole dancing with psoriasis – what you need to know


Hair Removal Creams

If shaving isn’t your thing, then you can try hair removal (depilatory) creams. These work by using chemicals to break down the structure of your unwanted hair, causing it to become lose from its follicle and then fall away.

It simply works in a “wipe on, wipe off” method and can be done at home.

Pros of Hair Removal Creams

  • It’s very affordable ($3-$20 on the high street) to buy hair removal creams
  • They can be easily used at home with relatively low-risk
  • Hair removal creams work very quickly, in as little as 3 minutes you can have smooth, stubble-free skin!
  • The hair removal affects last slightly longer than shaving, so you can enjoy smooth skin for longer
  • It’s pain-free, if used correctly, and doesn’t carry the risk of nicks like shaving does

Cons of Hair Removal Creams

  • They smell. The chemicals used in this product smell nasty, sometimes products used fragrances to mask this odor, but you may be sensitive to perfumes which could cause irritation.
  • If left on for too long, they can cause chemical burns
  • Many people have a skin reaction to the ingredients used in these hair removal creams

See also: Tips for your next pole dance photoshoot


How to use Hair Removal Creams properly

You can avoid skin irritation, chemical burns or other problems by using these hair removal products carefully and according to the instructions. Here are some tips for you to follow…

Check the ingredients

Before you first use a product, you should check the list of ingredients to ensure you haven’t had a bad reaction to something in the past.

Test on a small area of skin

If this is the first time you’ve used a hair removal cream, or you’re using a different brand to usual, then it’s sensible to perform a skin test before applying it to a large area of skin.

Find a small, discreet area and test the product before using it properly.

Follow the instructions on the packet

Different products vary. Read what the packet says carefully and don’t leave the cream on longer than the recommended time. Ensure you have clean skin to start with and be ready to rinse the cream off with cold water if you start to feel a bad reaction.

Use cold water

When the process has finished and you’ve removed the unwanted hair, use cold water from the shower head (with no soap) to rinse the area well. Using cold water helps close the pores and wash away any residue as well as any stray hairs.

If you develop a rash within a few hours of the process, use some diaper rash cream and more cold water until the reaction settles down.


Epilating

Epilating for hair removal involved using an electronic or battery power device which has several sets of tweezers that rotate to remove the hair from its root.

Epilators have been available commercially for a long time, but modern top-range epilators have extra features, such as different attachments, speeds and settings. Some are even waterproof, such as the Braun Silk-épil 9 9-579.

Pros of Epilating

  • Epilators are affordable, with a range of different products available
  • You can use an epilator at home with ease
  • Epilators last for a long time, so it’s less wasteful than shaving or other methods
  • It’s suitable to do if you have sensitive skin
  • They pull the hair from the root, so your skin will stay smoother for longer than it will with shaving or hair removal creams

Cons of Epilating

  • Depending on what features you want in an epilator, they can be expensive if you choose a high-end model
  • It can be painful, especially at first and if you’re not used to it
  • You may be prone to ingrown hairs after epilating, but this can be avoided with frequent exfoliation
  • It can take quite a long time, the first time I epilated it took almost 1 hour to do one leg.

How to use an Epilator properly

You can avoid skin irritation, ingrown hairs or other problems by using epilators carefully and according to the instructions. Here is a quick guide on how to use an epilator properly.

Exfoliate first

Before you begin epilating, you should wash and exfoliate your skin, using an exfoliating glove and a natural exfoliator, like The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub. This will remove any dead skin cells on the surface of your skin and prepare your skin for epilation while also preventing the chance of nasty ingrown hairs.

Epilation tips
  • Hold the epilator straight down against your skin, at a 90-degree angle
  • Do not press down the epilator, it doesn’t need any additional pressure
  • Move the epilator against the direction of your hair growth (against the grain)
  • Hold your skin taut for the best results
  • Move the epilator slowly, don’t try to rush
  • Clean your epilator straight away after use

Waxing

Waxing is an extremely popular method of hair removal, and extremely effective too. It can also be considered a real skill to use wax well, which is why it’s such a big business for salons around the world!

Pros of Waxing

  • Waxing is highly accessible, and you have the choice of either doing it at home or going to a professional at a salon
  • It’s fairly inexpensive, waxing kits can be bought for just a few dollars either in the form of strips or solid wax
  • After waxing, you can expect 2-3 weeks of smoothness before needing another session

Cons of Waxing

  • It can take a long time to do yourself, similar to epilation, it requires patience
  • It’s painful! It’s a well-known fact that with waxing comes pain!
  • After initially waxing, it won’t feel as smooth as shaving, although it does last much longer
  • It takes a bit of practice to get right if you’re waxing at home, which is why it can get expensive if you’re regularly visiting salons for this service
  • Waxing requires some preparation so you’ll need to set aside some extra time – it can’t be rushed

How to use Wax for Hair Removal

Here are our tips for first-time waxers! Hopefully, it won’t be too painful for you!

Consider visiting a salon for your first time

If you’ve never used wax before, it’s probably sensible to visit a professional for your first waxing experience! You can observe how they work and ask them questions.

Invest in a really good waxing kit

Decide whether you want cold wax strips or solid wax. We recommend solid wax, although strips are useful for ongoing maintenance, if you’re doing a full wax then you’ll need the solid stuff and heat it up.

Look after your skin

As with all other hair removal methods, you’ll have to exfoliate regularly and look after your skin to avoid irritation.


Permanent Hair Removal

Despite shaving, waxing, creams and epilators being extremely popular, none of them are permanent and any form of hair removal requires maintenance and upkeep.

However, contrary to popular belief, these permanent hair removal methods are not so permanent after all. They may cause permanent hair loss, but not in every case and it’s certainly not guaranteed.

Everyone is different, has different levels of hormones and hair strengths. So, never take someone else’s experience as proof of a method being effective.

There are 2 main types of treatments marketed as “permanent” hair removal; Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Laser Hair Removal.

Electrolysis is the only form of truly permanent hair removal.

IPL vs Laser Hair Removal

Without getting too technical here, both of these treatments use different technology to emit light at different wavelengths to reduce hair growth. They reduce hair growth, they don’t prevent hair growth.

Some facts about IPL and Laser Hair Removal:

  • You need to shave the skin beforehand, as closely as possible. Not wax, cream or epilate, it has to be shaved for it to be more effective.
  • Your skin type, hair type and skin color can affect the way the treatments work.
  • Both treatments are available commercially, with prices starting from about $200, depending on where you live.
  • You need several sessions of each treatment. Usually about 6-8 treatments about a week apart (or thereabouts)
  • Some at-home IPL systems (like this one, by Braun) are available, with varying results
  • It may be painful, depending on how sensitive your skin is and your pain threshold. It’s been described as feeling a bit like a sunburn.

Comparison of Different Hair Removal Methods

Method Difficulty Smoothness Cost
Shaving Easy-Medium 1-2 days $3-5 per shave
Hair Removal Cream Easy 5-7 days $3-7 per application
Epilating Medium 10-14 days $30-$200 for an epilator
Waxing Medium-Hard 2-3 weeks $10-$60 per wax
IPL Medium Varies $100 for an at-home treatment or $200 for a set of professional treatments
Laser Hair Removal N/A Varies $200+
Electrolysis N/A Forever $500+

Recommended Hair Removal Products for Pole Dancers

These are products that we know and we’ve used personally and can happily recommend them. Here are our top picks for the best hair removal products:

Shaving Cream

  1. Skintimate Skin Therapy Moisturizing Shave Cream for Women with Sensitive Skin. This will not irritate your pole burns!
  2. Bare Intimate Shave Lotion for Women to reduce razor burn and skin irritation
  3. Coochy Rash-Free Water-Based Shave Cream with Moisturizer

Disposable Razors

  1. Gillette Venus Platinum Extra Smooth Razor with Metal Handle – refillable heads
  2. Schick Intuition Sensitive-Care Razor with Aloe – chunky handle and refillable
  3. Schick Hydro Silk Razor for Women

Electric Razors

  1. Panasonic ES2207P Ladies Electric Shaver, 3-Blade Cordless Women’s Electric Razor (Wet or Dry)
  2. Philips SatinShave Essential Women’s Electric Shaver for Legs, Cordless Wet and Dry Use

Exfoliation

  1. Lilian Fache Spa-X Advanced Waterproof Facial and Body Cleansing Kit
  2. Organic Exfoliating Body Scrub – Cool Cucumber
  3. Exfoliating Bath Mitt Glove

Hair Removal Cream

  1. Veet Gel Hair Remover Cream, Sensitive Formula
  2. Nad’s Sensitive Hair Removal Cream
  3. Veet Fast Acting Gel Cream Hair Removal for Legs & Body

Waxing Kits

  1. Yeelen Hair Removal Hot Wax Warmer Waxing Kit Wax Melts
  2. Hair Removal Hot Wax Warmer Waxing Kit 
  3. Le Chic Warmer Hair Removal Kit

IPL Treatment at Home

  1. Braun Gillette Venus Silk-Expert IPL 5001 Intense Pulsed Light, 300,000 Flashes, Face & Body Hair Removal System with Razor

Epilators

  1. Braun Silk-épil 9 9-579 Women’s Epilator, Electric Hair Removal, Wet & Dry, with Electric Razor
  2. Philips HP6574/50 Satin Perfect Cordless Epilator
  3. Braun Silk-épil 3-3270 Women’s Epilator, Electric Hair Removal, with Shaver Head, Trimmer Cap, & Massage Roller Cap

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