9 Ways to Naturally Get Rid of Facial Hair That Actually Work

How to remove facial hair? According to statistics, hirsutism — also known as excessive hair in unusual areas — affects about 5-10% of women of all ages. However, no matter how healthy we may be, we all have to use tweezers on our faces from time to time in order to look gorgeous. We’ve found that it’s not always necessary to use painful methods of facial hair removal — especially when other less painful methods can be found right in your kitchen!

Bright Side made a list of the most effective remedies for removing facial hair that you can use easily from the comfort of your own home.

9. Green gram + rose water

Using gram flour to remove facial hair is traditional and derives from India. Basically, it is using a paste that has gram flour in it as a dry, base component. The colour of it is a soft yellow and has a soil-like smell. It’s not only great for removing facial and body hair, but it also helps to slow hair growth — after using it, your hair will grow out way slower than if you plucked or shaved it. However, it only works for thin body hair that is located on your arms, legs, and face, and it might not work if you are trying to remove your thick hair, such as on your head.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of green gram flour
• 1-2 tablespoons of rose water
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Place green gram flour and rose water in a bowl and mix them well.
2. Add lemon juice to the paste and then mix the ingredients once again.

Usage:

1. Apply the paste on the affected areas of your skin.
2. Let it sit there for about 20-25 minutes or until it’s completely dry.
3. Rub the mask off with your fingers.

Repeat: 3-4 times a week.

Results: Green gram flour has great exfoliating properties and when coupled with rose water, it helps inhibit hair growth.

Suitable for: all skin types

Be careful when you take off the mask, because if you do it roughly, then it might hurt your skin and you might see some redness.

8. Onion + basil

Luckily, you might not need to go and buy these ingredients — as you might already have them in your kitchen! Onions mashed up with basil leaves can do wonders if you want to remove hair anywhere on your body.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized onions
• 10-12 basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Find the thin, transparent membranes of skin between the layers of an onion.
2. Crush the membranes with basil leaves to make a paste.

Usage:

1. Apply the paste on unwanted hair and leave it there for about 20-25 minutes.
2. Wash it off with warm water.

Repeat: 3-4 times a week for 1-2 months.

Results: Onion is actually extremely beneficial for you as it facilitates hair growth. However, when used along with basil, it gives the reverse effect and helps you get rid of unwanted facial hair.

Suitable for: all skin types

7. Lavender oil + tea tree oil

It’s safe to say that you can use lavender oil and tea tree oil to remove facial hair, but it might take a couple of weeks to see results. Even though it takes time, it might have less side effects in contrast to plucking or shaving, and it definitely includes many vitamins and nutrients that can increase cell regeneration and make your skin glow — that’s why using moisturiser and creams isn’t necessary after applying it.

Tea tree oil derives from Australia, and it has many other benefits than just for your hair. It can be your hand sanitizer, insect repellent, natural deodorant, it can fasten the healing of wounds, and it fights acne — but most importantly, it can soothe skin inflammation. So using it to remove hair surely is safe. While lavender oil comes from the lavender plant, and it is widely used for a calming and soft effect. It also helps with anxiety and insomnia.

Make sure to test some drops on your skin before applying it on your facial hair, as you might be allergic.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of lavender oil
• 4-6 drops of tea-tree oil

Preparation:

1. Mix lavender oil with tea-tree oil in a bowl.

Usage:

1. Apply the mixture of oils on the facial hair with a cotton ball.

Repeat: 2-3 times a day for at least 3 months.

Results: Lavender and tea tree oil have anti-androgenic properties that help in removing unwanted hair.

Suitable for: oily and acne-prone skin types

6. Honey + sugar

Most people may prefer using sugar for hair removal, more specifically, ‘sugar waxing,’ and some don’t even add honey to the mixture. However, applying honey to the mash-up may even cause greater benefits because it has wound healing components, it can treat skin disorders, and it has antimicrobial properties.

This mixture is a great natural remedy because it doesn’t include harmful chemicals and additives like ordinary waxing does, and it can be immediately rinsed after its application. Normal waxing, on the other hand, needs to be taken off with various oils and treatments. It might also be less painful, and unlikely to burn your skin (since it is warm, and not hot).

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of water

Preparation:

1. Put the sugar into a bowl and add honey and water to it.
2. Place the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds until the sugar dissolves and mixes with the liquids.

Usage:

1. Apply the paste to the parts of your face with unwanted hair.
2. Place a strip of cloth over the applied mixture and let it cool for a couple of seconds.
3. Pull the strip in the opposite direction in which your hair is growing.

Repeat: as often as needed.

Results: This peel-off mask removes all unwanted hair instantly and perfectly exfoliates dead skin cells.

Suitable for: all skin types

5. Oatmeal + banana

Oatmeal by itself has great texture and is good as an exfoliant — combined with a banana’s smooth texture, it does great things to your facial hair.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of oatmeal
• 1 ripe banana

Preparation:

1. Take a banana and mash it to make a paste.
2. Blend the oatmeal and the mashed banana in a bowl.

Usage:

1. Apply a generous amount of the paste on the desired areas and rub it in a circular motion.
2. Let the paste sit for 15-20 minutes and then wash it off with cold water.

Repeat: 1-2 times a week.

Results: Oatmeal has a grainy texture which makes it a good exfoliating agent for facial skin.

Suitable for: all skin types

4. Gelatin + milk

Gelatin is considered a protein coming from collagen, which is found in bones and the skin of animals (important for healthy joints). It is made by refining animal parts to divide the collagen from them and create gelatin out of it. It is a yellow-ish powder, and when mixed with boiled water or milk, it becomes sticky. It’s advisable not to use this mixture if you are a vegetarian, as it contains animal compounds.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin powder
• 3 tablespoons of whole milk
• A few drops of lemon juice

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix gelatin with milk and lemon juice.
2. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Usage:

1. After you remove the mixture from the microwave, let it cool off for a few seconds, then apply it directly to your face.
2. Let the mask sit on your face for 5 minutes, then peel it off with your fingers.

Repeat: as often as needed.

Results: The mask is extremely sticky and is able to peel off all the unwanted hairs instantly. It can also help you to get rid of blackheads and dead skin cells.

Suitable for: all skin types except sensitive and acne-prone ones

3. Egg + cornstarch

This natural mask is very gentle and it not only helps with removing facial hair, but also blackheads. When you dry off the egg white, it then becomes a waxy-looking liquid that will attach to your hairs when you apply it. The cornstarch here serves to thicken the steadiness of the mask, and in addition it helps to take out the excess stubborn hair.

The egg whites here are also very healthy for your skin, they nourish it and hydrate it (especially for dry skin). It also helps strengthen your pores since it has Vitamin A. When you finish your own at-home treatment, it will leave your skin smooth, clean, and it will shine like a star, which might sound intriguing for all the women! However, be mindful of your allergies, if you have oily skin, or if you are intolerant to eggs. Also, try to stay in one place during the process, because the eggs might make a mess if you move around too much.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

Preparation:

1. Crack an egg and put the white from it into a bowl.
2. Add sugar and cornstarch to it and stir the ingredients well to make a smooth paste.

Usage:

1. Apply the paste to your face and let it dry for about 20-25 minutes.
2. Once the paste is hard enough, grab it and rip it off.

Repeat: 2-3 times a week.

Results: Egg whites strongly stick to your facial hairs and plucks them as perfectly as store-bought wax.

Suitable for: all skin types except acne-prone and sensitive ones

2. Potato + lentil

Potatoes have existed for a very long time, and derived first from southern Peru and Bolivia. They are yummy to eat, but even yummier for our hairs! That is, when they went to be removed. They have plenty of acidic compounds that act as a bleaching partner, and they can make your hair lighter while also preventing it from growing fast.

While lentils is actually commonly used as a mask for hair removal, and it is very effective. They also have qualities that boost your skin health. When you mix potatoes and lentils, that paste helps to pull out the hair that you don’t want on your face, with no consequences (such as pain or redness).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of yellow lentils
• 1 potato
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of honey

Preparation:

1. Soak the lentils in water overnight.
2. In the morning, run the soaked lentils through a food processor to crush them into a thick paste.
3. Peel the potato and run it through the food processor as well.
4. Take a sieve and pass the crushed potato through it to extract as much potato juice as possible.
5. Mix the potato juice with the lentil paste, and add honey and lemon juice to the mixture.

Usage:

1. Apply the paste to the affected areas and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
2. Once the mask is fully dry, remove it with your fingers. The paste will fall off, taking your unwanted hair with it.

Repeat: 1-2 times a week.

Results: Dried lentils make it easier for your hair to be pulled out while potatoes have natural bleaching properties that help lighten your remaining hairs and make them less visible.

Suitable for: all skin types, but if you have dry skin, don’t forget to use moisturizer after applying the mask.

1. Papaya + turmeric

Turmeric has a golden-like colour, and even though it goes great with curries as an ingredient, it can be used as a lovely beauty routine as well. It may work to permanently remove hair, or make the process of hair growth slower. There was a study conducted where turmeric was placed in the underarms of women for weeks, and it gradually slowed down their hair growth, proving that it works. It has many benefits to your skin, as it might not cause irritation, glows up your skin, and way cheaper than getting waxed.

While raw papaya has an important enzyme called “papin.” It can remove hairs by slowing down the hair follicles and by preventing regrowth if used on a regular basis. When mixed together with turmeric, it can prevent any infections you might have because it contains antibacterial properties.

Ingredients:

• 1 raw papaya
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder

Preparation:

1. Peel the papaya and cut it into little pieces.
2. Mash the pieces to make a paste.
3. Mix the papaya paste with turmeric powder.

Usage:

1. Apply the paste to the parts of your face with unwanted hair.
2. Massage your skin gently at first and then let the mask sit for 15-20 minutes.
3. Wash it off with warm water.

Repeat: 2 times a week

Results: Papain, an enzyme found in raw papaya, disintegrates the cuticle of human hair and causes it to fall out naturally.

Suitable for: all skin types

Bonus: How to remove unwanted hair effectively

• Be patient when trying out home remedies as most of them usually take a longer time to show results.
• Have a steam bath before using any of the remedies in order to open up your skin’s pores.
• After doing the treatment, wash your face properly to keep your skin clean and neat.
• Drink plenty of water as well as fruit and vegetable juices to stay hydrated and get all the essential vitamins for your skin.
• To balance your hormones and reduce the growth of unwanted hair, stick to a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
• If you experience unusual hair growth along with the appearance of certain muscular features like decreased breast size, a deepening of your voice or increased muscle mass, consult your doctor.

What methods do you usually use to remove unnecessary facial hair? Share your recipes in the comments!