How to be Free of Unwanted Hair in Record Time

Hair. It’s everywhere.

Some of it short and fine. Some of it long and lush.

You have a love-hate relationship with it.

For the most part, you love it. It’s a source of beauty and power. It helps define your sense of style. And sometimes, it even helps keep you warm.

But some of it you’re not so fond of. Too dark. Too thick. Growing in a less-than-ideal location.

Whatever your reason, it’s a perfectly valid one. We’re not here to argue or judge. We’re only here to support and encourage.

You want your unwelcome hair gone? You want it gone today and never have it return? We’re here to tell you that’s an admirable goal. And maybe science will be able to make that happen one day. But for now, you’ll need a little bit of patience.

Not much patience, though. With a little bit of knowledge and a dash of time management, we’ll have you free of that unwanted hair in record time.

Why does some hair keep growing after a hair removal treatment?

When you use light energy to permanently remove unwanted hair, the energy travels down the hair shaft delivering a flash of heat to the hair follicle. Bam! One hair follicle down, never to pollute your skin with unwanted hair ever again.

So why can’t it do that to every hair follicle? Why do some hairs keep growing? Why can’t you rid yourself of all your unwanted hair in one fell swoop?

The problem is that hair growth is more erratic than you might think.

Let’s say you shave your head one day and track the regrowth of your hair. As you continue to observe, making daily notes in your lab book, it appears that your hair grows back at a uniform rate, all one length. Right?

The problem is . . . your eyes are deceiving you. Not every hair is growing.

Understanding the hair growth cycle phases

Hair grows according to a three-stage cycle. The problem is that every hair has its own unique cycle. No two are alike. Just like snowflakes, made of dead cells, growing out of your skin.

As each hair goes through its own cycle, it can grow up to 1.25 cm/month. That’s as much as 15 cm/year. And here’s how it happens.

Phase one: the anagen or active growth phase

This is where the magic happens. When hair gets longer than it once was.

At the very base of your hair follicle, cells are dividing, producing new hair fibers. The follicle burrows into the dermis, the middle of your three layers of skin, to nourish the growing hair, strengthening it from root to tip.

The anagen phase can be anywhere from two- to six-years-long. The average length of your hairs’ growth phase is actually determined genetically. Some people can grow their hair out to amazingly long lengths while others simply can’t. No matter how hard they try. Well, that all goes down to DNA.

At any given moment in time, 85–90% of your hair will be in active growth phase.

Phase two: the catagen or transitional phase

After all those years of sustained growth, your poor old hair follicle needs a bit of a breather.

In the two-week long transition phase, the hair follicle shrinks. At this time, the papilla, the part where the hair shaft connects to the follicle, breaks. No more nourishment for that strand of hair.

Every so often your body will send out a signal: catagen phase is over. This will affect maybe one percent of the hair on your body every time this happens. The follicle contracts to its smallest size at this time. About 1/6 the size of its former glory. This contraction pushes the hair out just a little bit more. One last hurrah of hair growth, even if it’s ultimately illusory.

Phase three: the telogen or resting phase

Maybe 10–15% of your hair is resting at any given time. It stays on you, even if just barely, but it’s no longer truly attached. Its connection has been severed, and it can’t draw nourishment anymore.

The follicle, now officially done with that old hair, is getting ready to make a new strand. As the follicle expands again to allow for this new growth, the old hair is shed in favor of the new one. You may be sad to see it go, but it’s all part of the circle of life. And chances are you’ll have a new shaft coming out of that follicle within two weeks, starting the process all over again.

How will this affect hair removal treatments?

When you use a light-based permanent hair removal device, you can only target hair in the anagen phase. If the hair shaft isn’t firmly connected to the follicle through the papilla, all bets are off. This is why it’s currently impossible to remove all unwanted hair in a single treatment session with any permanent hair removal device.

Factor in the possibility that some of the growing hairs may not have been effectively targeted during the treatment. This will be especially true on bigger areas like your arms and legs.

For these reasons, there will always be some follow-up treatments necessary.

How long should you wait between treatments?

When you start using a personal hair remover, schedule your first three or four sessions two weeks apart from each other. In between treatments, effectively targeted hairs will fall out on their own. You should also notice that your hair regrowth looks patchier after each new session.

After your first few treatments, you’ll be able to put your sessions on a monthly schedule. Soon, you’ll be able to get away with as little as once or twice a year. This is usually to do spot treatments on new follicles, something that happens naturally as you get older.

We find that most women only need about eight regular sessions to achieve their personal hair removal goals. Men’s hair is typically thicker and deeper-rooted. As a consequence, they may require as many as ten or twelve treatments to achieve their desired effect.

There’s an app for that, too

If the treatment schedule seems like it could get confusing, don’t worry. We’ve got an app for that.

The Silk’n Hair Removal app, available for iOS and Android, helps you create a customized treatment plan. It helps you make safe, well-informed choices about your hair removal strategy and guides you through your entire course of treatment.

Master the cycle, master unwanted hair

Your hair is everywhere, whether you’re eager to embrace it or not. But if you’re not happy about some of it, put the power of a personal hair removal device in the palm of your hand. Armed with the knowledge of how your hair actually grows, you can schedule a hair removal treatment plan to rid yourself of unwelcome hair in record time.

Be as hair-free as you’ve always wanted to be — with Silk’n

The Silk’n line of at home hair removal devices let you achieve long-lasting safe and easy hair removal in the privacy of your own home. Use our devices in a continuous gliding motion for quicker treatment sessions with the power to remove your most stubborn hairs and the gentleness required for even your most sensitive areas.

Whatever device you wind up choosing, good luck with your hair removal treatments!

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