Shaving vs. Waxing

It is a common misconception that shaving somehow causes hair to grow in thicker and/or darker. The reason why people often think this is that a human hair is naturally tapered; it’s thickest at the base and thins to a point at the tip. When one shaves, they cut the hair at the base where it’s thickest, and it’s this thick part of the hair that becomes more visible as the hair grows out. When waxing, the complete hair is removed at the root so that as the hair regrows it does so with its natural taper, thus appearing thinner. Repeated waxing over time can cause a slight reduction in hair growth, though laser hair removal continues to be the quickest and most reliable way to permanently reduce hair if long-term removal is the goal.