If you're so over being a slave to your razor or waxing strips, you might want to rethink a depilatory cream. We called Debra Jaliman, M.D., a dermatologist in NYC and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist to see why they're so effective.
"Depilatory creams work by dissolving the hair at the skin's surface," says Jaliman. Your hair isn't pulled out from the root like it is when you wax, so you may find yourself using the cream more often, since the hair grows back quicker. But, the process doesn't hurt like a mother.
Of course, if you've ever used one, you know it kinda stinks—or rather, it used to. These days, depilatory creams smell like tropical blends—or nothing at all. Even better, it's cheaper than laser hair removal, and the ingredients in the formula also dissolves dead skin cells, which result in ingrown hairs, says Jaliman.
Want to take one for a test drive? Just don't use the body formulas on your face, Jaliman warns, since they use a higher concentration of chemicals to remove the hair than facial depilatories do. Another tip: Use it toward the end of your shower—hydrated hair is easier to remove than dry hair, since it's harder and takes longer to dissolve.
For face: Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo, $18.66, amazon.com; for body: Sally Hansen Simply Smooth Hair Remover $10.98, amazon.com and Nair Brazilian Spa Clay Shower Power Hair Removal Body Cream, $12.30, amazon.com.
So, will you be swapping out your regular hair-removal regimen for a depilatory cream?
Carly Cardellino was the beauty director at Cosmopolitan. If you follow her Instagram, then you know she'll try just about any beauty trend or treatment once (the pics of her purple hair are on IG to prove it). But her favorite part about being in beauty is finding the most effective products, and then sharing that intel with others—because who wants to spend money on stuff that doesn't work? No one, that's who. Her most recent discovery: De La Cruz Sulfur Ointment, which will change your blemish-clearing game! Hopefully through the beauty stories she writes—and the experiences she shares—you can see exactly why she's in this business.
