What To Know About Tweezing Your Bikini Line

When it comes to hair removal, there are plenty of options for how to proceed: shaving, waxing, tweezing, even threading. But just because some methods work best for certain areas, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be just as effective elsewhere. Take tweezing, for instance. It's a widely popular and effective method for removing eyebrow hairs, but can you tweeze your bikini line? There are some pros and cons to using this technique, so I corresponded with Dr. Roshini Raj, celebrity medical expert and founder of probiotic skincare line, Tula, to find the answer.

From personal experience, I have to say that tweezing the bikini line is an effective, although time-consuming alternative to waxing. Like waxing, it removes hairs from the root, so it takes longer for them to grow back than with shaving. And also like waxing, the more times you choose to tweeze, the less painful it is over time. But the reasons I prefer it to waxing are, for one thing, you don't have to wait for your hairs to reach a certain length before removing them. I mean, of course they'll still need to grow out enough to safely and easily grab them with a pair of tweezers, but you don't have to wait for that quarter-inch threshold.

In addition to having a little more leeway with when you tweeze, depending on your skin type, there may also be less irritation than with waxing. Although each follicle may still become aggravated as its hair is tweezed, all of the spaces in between won't also be subjected to the same redness and inflammation that wax being ripped from your skin can cause. Of course, if you do decide that tweezing your bikini line is the best option for you, it's important to understand the cons of doing so, because there could be some serious issues.

The biggest one, Dr. Raj tells me, is the possibility of infection. "If you are not properly cleaning your tweezers and the area of your skin before and after, then it is possible for the area to get infected." She also notes to be wary of over-tweezing, as this could potentially lead to scarring over time. So the best thing to do, if you still wish to proceed, is to make sure (as with any form of hair removal) that you take the proper precautions and continue to maintain the area. Rubbing alcohol is a good way to prep your tweezers and skin, but after plucking, try mild soap and water plus a post hair-removal treatment to prevent an infection and ingrown hairs.

As for the actual tweezing? Make sure to hold skin taut and pluck in the direction of hair growth to reduce the pain, tweeze in natural lighting so you won't miss any hairs, don't forget to look up every few minutes to keep your neck from straining, and make a playlist or queue up your Netflix — it'll take a while.

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