Is Hairline Waxing Safe for Your Hair?
By Gillian Fuller. Photos: Getty Images.
While some women are proudly forgoing shaving in favor of embracing their bodies au naturale, others are still removing their body hair in the name of beauty — and it seems no kind of hair is off-limits.
A trend, as seen on Brows By Liz esthetician Liz Lugo’s Instagram account @browsby_liz, involves waxing the hairline to remove baby hairs, define an uneven hairline, or even to change the shape of your face. The video, posted last week, shows a woman getting the back of her neck waxed, removing those fine, wispy baby hairs that aren’t long enough to pull into a ponytail (you know the ones).
Lugo’s video has since been viewed more than 100,000 times, which seems to indicate plenty of people are interested in the hair removal technique. Hairline waxing isn’t new by any means — Kim Kardashian famously lasered off her baby hairs in 2011 (though now “regrets” doing so). DIY beauty blogger Farah Dhukai posted a hairline waxing tutorial to Instagram earlier this month — it isn’t nearly as common a procedure (at least in the U.S.) as eyebrow waxing or bikini waxing and, unsurprisingly, poses its own risks and complications.
To get the full scoop on hairline waxing and to learn if its safe, we spoke to New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco of Wexler Dermatology. Fusco, who works as a cosmetic and medical dermatologist and consults for Unilever Hair, gave us her opinion on the (painful-looking) cosmetic procedure. The verdict? While hairline waxing can be totally safe, it does require taking a bit of extra caution, especially if you've treated your hair chemically within the last 72 hours.
Dr. Fusco says “if done properly, hygienically and regularly,” hairline waxing will temporarily get rid of unwanted hairs — and contrary to popular belief, they won’t grow back thicker and darker (in fact, over time, the hair may even grow back thinner). She also says that, while “there is no ‘danger’ unique to the hairline,” it’s important to exercise caution when waxing the thin hairs around your face, especially if you treat your hair with chemicals. Following any hair removal procedure, Dr. Fusco advises abstaining from bleaching, dyeing, or chemically treating your hair (as in with a keratin straightening treatment), because your skin may be more sensitive after waxing and therefore more prone to irritation. Speaking of irritation: Those with dandruff or sensitive scalps “should refrain” from waxing the hairline, as doing so could worsen any active inflammation or irritation. Bummer.
As for the pain, Dr. Fusco says it’s likely no worse than any other area: A good rule of thumb to follow is the thicker the hair, the more painful the wax. Fortunately, baby hairs are, by definition, pretty thin — so the pain should be minimal.
There is, however, one other risk. According to hairstylist Matt Fugate, waxing the hairline “could possibly backfire on you as you age and your hairline changes.” In other words, if you wax your hairline for 20 years and then begin losing your hair along the hairline, it may not grow back as full as it was before — and it could leave your hair looking sparser than you intended.
Overall, waxing the hairline does seem to be a safe and effective way to remove unwanted hair, at least in the short-term. Of course, before any hair removal procedure, you should perform a patch-test to make sure the wax won’t cause a reaction.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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