We hairy girls have become well-acquainted with pain and suffering. Chances are, we were getting dragged to our first eyebrow and upper lip threading appointment in middle school. We graduated to getting our arms and legs shaved and waxed during high school. And by the time summer before the first year of college came around, we were going full-on Brazilian. What did all of these “milestones” have in common? Lots of tears, random breakouts, and pain.

If you’re anything like me, then you hate hair on your body. I mean seriously, I want every inch of hair removed from my body minus my head and eyebrows. I tried everything from Nair Hair Removal Cream to at-home wax kits but the hair just kept coming back. Fast forward 5 years, I’m out of college making some good ass money, and it was time to invest. And when I say invest, I mean in myself. After a lot of research, I decided I wanted to go down the route of laser hair removal. It’s definitely a nerve-wrecking process for some people who don’t have the facts, so here are my 10 truths about my laser hair removal experience – can you relate? I’d love to hear your experiences!

1. It’s Expensive

Each part of your body you decide to get lasered costs a different amount. My upper lip started at $600 for 6 sessions. BUT, this is how they get you, 6 sessions is not enough to stop your hair from growing back fast. Therefore, you end up purchasing another 6 sessions for better results. Personally, I rather just cough up the extra cash and be done with one part of my body. Strapped on cash? Check out Groupon for good deals. Make sure the place is legitimate. Reach out to me for a great deal and referral code.

Also, don’t get too happy when you see “one free session” – one session will do nothing. But, it is a good start.

2. It Hurts – Depending Where

Upper lip and chin were easy breezy to me. But do not get me started on my full Brazilian. The first time I got lasered down there, I cried. You think it gets better since you are “used to” the intensity – but the less and less hair you grow each time, the more it hurts. It’s a sensitive area and since hair growth is so prominent there, technicians usually have to go over it two times in one session (OUCH!).

3. Shaving Your Face Sucks

The worst thing about laser hair removal is that you have to shave anything you get lasered. That’s very doable for parts on my body but I hate shaving my face. During one of my treatments, I used a hair trimmer, I personally prefer a razor over the trimmer. The trimmer didn’t remove all my hair completely so during treatment I smelt burnt hair – what’s for dinner tonight? Nehal’s hair. Best practice (IMO) is shaving a day before your appointment.

4. Each Part Of Your Body Grows Hair Differently

At the end of your laser hair removal treatments, all you want is RESULTS. Results vary from area to area because each part of your body grows hair differently. As I mentioned earlier, I had double the amount of treatments on my upper lip and chin area to stop it from growing back so fast. But for my bikini treatment, I see a huge difference in my hair growth each time I go in and I’ve only had about 4-5 sessions so far.

5. It Does Not Cause Cancer Or Infertility

This is a myth that brown aunties probably started. Laser hair removal does not cause cancer or infertility – radiation by laser hair removal is so small, it is nearly inconsequential. I don’t know about your mom, but my mom is the type of person to say “you’ll have problems having a baby” for almost everything that is medically approved. Birth Control? Don’t take too much, you’ll have problems having a baby! Laptop on your stomach? No, no, you’ll have problems having a baby. But don’t worry, laser hair removal is completely safe and FDA approved.

6. Talking To Your Technician Helps

I can see how one might think having your legs wide open for a completely random person can be awkward, especially when she’s staring right at your hoo-haw but I can assure you, talking to your technician eases the pain. I’ve found making conversations with my technician and having her talk me through the process lessens the blow. I also had her wipe my tears at some point.

7. No Gym Or Sun For 24 Hours

The heat from the laser stays in your skin for 24 hours so no gyms, sun, saunas, and hot showers. I highly recommend following this rule because you run the risk of creating a lovely warm environment for bacteria to multiply and give you spots

8. It’s Not Permanent

Laser hair removal is NOT a permanent solutions, but it is as close as it gets. In reality, only 70% – 80% of hair will be completely removed. Damaged follicles may still produce hair, depending on the level of damage. If you see good results in the middle of your treatment, feel free to extend treatment to every six months instead of monthly. This way you can save your sessions to when you really need them. Most people say laser lasts them 5 years and then they start getting treatment again, others get one session every year just to maintain it.

9. Ice Is Your Best Friend

When you go to your laser appointment, they ask if you want to ice the area before they laser it. SAY YES. I spend a good 5-10 minutes icing my bikini area because the more numb it is, the less pain. A lot of times they’ll make you ice one half of your body/face while they laser the other.

10. It’s Addicting

I love laser hair removal. I just want to look like a naked mole rat. I’m at the point where I’m getting a few treatments done at once just to have the hair gone faster in those areas. If you have the cash for it, just start on one area of the body and work your way down. The most common areas to get laser hair removal is your upper lip, chin, side burns, underarms and bikini.

Hopefully you’ve learned a thing or two about laser hair removal. Although it’s painful and results can vary from person to person, I highly recommend it to anyone who hates hair and wants a semi-permanent solution. If you’re interested in learning more and getting a good deal for laser hair removal, feel free to email or DM me (@nehaltenany), and I can refer you to an amazing place (great discounts!).