Caution, dangerous: Sharp knives are safely stored in every household, out of children’s reach. In industry, lasers cut heavy steel plates daily. But we regularly use things like these to get rid of our pesky hair! No wonder that plenty of myths and legends about hair removal persist stubbornly. Today, we clarify once and for all and reveal not only the eight most common myths but also what’s behind them.

Wrong! Hair removal was common as early as the 6th century BC. Findings of the first shaving scrapers, made from stones or shells, date back to this time. In ancient Egypt, another method was widespread, which we know today as “Sugaring”: The historical hair removal paste “Halawa” has an almost identical composition to the sugar paste used in modern beauty salons. Reasons for hair removal back then were – similar to today – hygienic, religious, and aesthetic in nature.

Wrong! Our hair doesn’t grow back faster, thicker, or darker when we shave it. The reason this myth persists so stubbornly is related to the nature of hair removal when shaving. Normally, a hair tapers from the root to its tip. When we shave it, we cut it in the middle – where it’s thickest. As the hair grows back, the thin hair tip is missing. The familiar stubble appears. You can only counteract this by removing the hair along with its root. Then you’ll have smooth skin for a longer time.

Wrong – at least with reputable providers. For permanent hair removal, special laser devices are used that are manufactured and meticulously controlled only for this purpose. The laser beams target the hair follicles very precisely and do not penetrate deeper into the skin. All unnecessary and potentially dangerous wavelengths of light (for example, UV light) are filtered out. However, it is important that the treatment is carried out by trained professionals.

Wrong! In fact, hair grows faster in the warm season than in winter. This is due to increased sun exposure and vitamin D: It stimulates our cell growth and accelerates hair growth (and, by the way, also that of our finger and toenails!). But it’s not just the seasons that cause different hair growth: Our body parts also influence it. For example, a beard hair grows about 2.8 mm weekly, while hairs on our eyebrows only grow about 1.1 mm.

Wrong! 20 years ago, it was still risky to laser dark skin types. This was because the lasers at that time could not distinguish between the color pigments of the hair and those of the skin. However, modern laser generations are tailored to this. With them, almost all hair and skin types can be treated. The Nd:YAG laser, for example, targets the melanin in the hair follicle specifically, without damaging surrounding tissue or pigments. With this special device, dark skin types can also be treated safely and efficiently.

Wrong! Our body hair is as individual as we are. And hair actually grows everywhere on humans – with the exception of the palms and soles of the feet. Otherwise, hair growth varies depending on genetic predisposition, sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker. On average, however, every person has about five million hairs on their body – about 100,000 of which are on the head. This proportion varies depending on hair color: redheads have about 90,000, black-haired people about 100,000, brunettes about 110,000, and blondes about 150,000 hairs on their head.

Wrong! Unfortunately, the opposite is more likely to be true. Because a blunt blade tends to pinch the hair rather than cut it, the risk of injury or skin irritation also increases. The duller the blade, the more tempted you are to shave with pressure. This can easily lead to slips. Shaving is actually safer with a new, sharp blade – by gently gliding over the corresponding area of skin.

Wrong! Admittedly, if you compare the prices of a laser treatment with that of a single shave, you might be tempted to stick with shaving. But if we look at the whole picture realistically, it quickly becomes clear: This approach is wrong. While permanent hair removal with laser takes care of the issue once and for all, we need a razor (or other hair removal methods) regularly: for our entire lives. That adds up to a considerable sum. In the long run, laser treatment is actually cheaper than traditional methods.