Kayla Young
Leg hair – we all have it, but it can differ from person to person in terms of color, thickness, coarseness, and length. An estimated 80% of women choose to remove it, at least from the knees down.
There are a variety of ways to remove leg hair, from shaving, waxing, and hair removal cream, to epilating, sugaring, and even laser. Compared to other methods, tweezing leg hairs is less messy than most, not to mention the most cost-effective.
Can you pluck your leg hairs? And Is it bad if I pluck my leg hairs?
In short, no, it’s not bad. And when done properly, removing the entire hair from the follicle, plucking can keep it from growing back for up to 6 weeks.
However, plucking does not come without its drawbacks. It’s really the same thing as epilating hair… one follicle at a time.
In this article, we are going to look at plucking leg hairs, its pros and cons, and how to properly pluck.
Contents
Is It Bad If I Pluck My Leg Hair
Plucking or tweezing leg hair is not bad.
As long as you are plucking it properly and removing the whole hair from the bulb, it’s an effective, albeit very time-consuming, way to get long-lasting smooth legs.
The cons of plucking
Though plucking leg hairs is relatively safe if done properly (more on that later), plucking does not come without its drawbacks.
- For a large area, like the legs, plucking hairs one by one is a tedious, time-consuming task.
- This method of hair removal is not painless and will cause at least a little bit of inflammation . When compared to waxing leg hair, which produces the same results, waxing is not painless either. But with waxing it’s all over quickly. Whereas you’ll feel each hair spread out over a long period with plucking.
- If the hair is broken off above the bulb, this can result in the hair growing back, appearing thicker (see below for details).
- If the hair is broken, rather than pulled out in its entirety, it can cause ingrown hairs.
- You have to wait until your hair is long enough to pluck effectively. If it’s too short, you will not get a good enough grip and are more likely to break the hair rather than pull it out.
- Plucking can lead to infection if your hands, legs, and tweezers are not clean.
Does Plucking Leg Hair Make it Grow Thicker?
Plucking hair does not make hair grow back thicker. A hair strand is naturally thicker (and darker) at the base and tapers to a tip at the end.
If you break a hair while plucking, it will continue to grow at a regular rate. But as the tapered tip has been ripped off, the blunt, thicker end of the hair will come through. This gives the appearance of thicker hairs. But that hair is the same hair.
Once that hair is naturally shed (or grows long enough to be plucked again, and provided the entire hair is plucked out), the new replacement hair will be the same as the previous one, with its pointy end.
Only hair that has not been properly plucked will appear thicker when growing out.
How Long Does Hair Take to Grow Back After Tweezing?
Growth rates in different people will be different, but if plucked properly and removing the entire hair from the follicle, it can take up to six weeks for leg hair to grow back.
How to properly pluck your leg hair
If you want to reap the benefits of plucking and minimize breakage, we’ve put together a few tips for you…
1. start with a good pair of tweezers – not the old rusty ones you found in the back of the bathroom cabinet.
2. Clean your tweezers. Like nail clippers, they should be disinfected. Just wipe them with a cotton pad with alcohol.
3. Take a shower or a hot bath before you start plucking. The heat and humidity will open your pores and the hair will come out much more easily.
4. When plucking, pull the surrounding skin taught and grab the hair as close to the base as possible (without pinching your skin!). Make sure your tweezers have a good grip.
5. Don’t just yank the hair out. Pull firmly, but gently in the direction the hair is growing.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is classified as an obsessive-compulsive disorder that affects 1-2% of the population. It’s characterized by the uncontrollable impulse to pluck the hair, most commonly from the scalp, but can include other parts of the body.
If you suffer from trichotillomania, and you are asking – Is it bad if I pluck my leg hair? – the answer is quite different from the answer to those who are asking because they were looking for an alternative to shaving their legs!
First off, no, plucking leg hair does not make you a bad person, but it is bad for you. Repercussions of trichotillomania can affect your health far more than the potential of ingrown hair.
It’s not only your physical but mental health that is affected.
But let’s get real… you should be talking to your doctor or a therapist about this, not getting advice from fluffy skincare and leg waxing blogs!
