If you’re interested in comparing the costs of hair removal, it’s important to know the individual methods. The razor remains particularly popular. There are several reasons for this:

• easy to use
• seemingly inexpensive at first glance
• apparently quick hair removal

But: When you look into the details, it quickly becomes apparent that the razor also has disadvantages. At the latest when you buy replacement blades for the first time, you’ll notice that it’s not so cheap to remove hair this way. Care products, such as shaving foam and skin-soothing cream, also put a hole in your wallet when they need to be repurchased. But costs don’t just arise in terms of finances. Shaving also costs you time. During this time, you could be doing other things. Not to forget: Shaving costs spontaneity. Want to go out in a skirt today because the sun is shining? This becomes difficult at the latest when you lacked time and desire to shave your legs.

In search of alternative methods to shaving, you will come across several options. We have put together an overview for you so that you can better assess how the individual methods differ in terms of costs, effort, pain, and durability. You’ll also learn about the advantages of permanent hair removal and what costs you can expect:

The classic hair removal method can be used on all areas of the body. There are disposable razors and razors where you change the blades when they are worn out. Assuming you always want to have beautiful and smooth skin, shaving costs about 30 euros per month. This refers to both the razor and the care products that should be used to protect and soothe the skin. Over 10 years, you come to a cost factor of around 3,600 euros. Shaving also takes up a lot of time. Up to 5 hours per month are spent keeping the body hair-free. Shaving itself doesn’t cause pain, but it can lead to small injuries and skin irritations. Redness and inflammation of sensitive skin are not uncommon. This is often referred to as razor burn. After two days at the latest, the first hairs show up again and a new shave is necessary.

The Monthly Costs for Shaving Using the Example of Armpits:

For shaving, you need a high-quality razor, which costs you on average about 12 euros. Three replacement blades are priced at around 20 euros. To prevent razor burn, the blades should be replaced every two to three weeks. For smooth armpits, you shave every two days. Including care products, you can expect to have a monthly cost of about 12 euros.

Per year, you come to a price of 144 euros for smooth armpits.

Applying cream, letting it work, scraping it off and being hair-free – what sounds so simple is still quite time-consuming. If you choose this method of hair removal, you’ll be hair-free for up to seven days, but you’ll also need to plan about four hours of time per month. The method doesn’t cause pain, but if you’re allergic to the ingredients in the creams, skin inflammation can become painful. Monthly costs are around 20 euros, and over 10 years, you’ll have expenses of about 2,400 euros.

The monthly costs for hair removal with depilatory cream using the example of underarms:

Since the underarm area is relatively small, you usually don’t need a whole tube of depilatory cream here. After seven days at the latest, the hair removal should be repeated to keep your underarms smooth. You can get a tube from a price of 2 euros. It’s enough for two treatments. This means you need two tubes per month and are looking at a price of 4 euros.

Per year, you pay around 50 euros for hair removal on the underarms with depilatory cream.

Waxing is also very popular when it comes to being hair-free for longer. Warm wax, which is spread on the desired areas, is supposed to remove the hair. The hardened wax is then abruptly pulled off with special paper. This, of course, isn’t pain-free. The durability is about four weeks. You should expect ingrown hairs, which can also become painful. Additionally, the hair needs to be a certain length to be removed in this way. 3 mm is recommended. So stubble time is pre-programmed. Up to 90 euros per month can be incurred if you want to wax several areas of your body. Over 10 years, this also adds up to more than 10,000 euros. The duration depends on which body areas are to be freed from hair by waxing. Three hours per month, however, is not uncommon here.

The monthly costs for waxing using the example of underarms:

If you want to get smooth underarms through waxing, you typically go for treatment once a month. Note that stubble must already be visible again for a treatment to be carried out. On average, you’re looking at 11 euros per treatment.

Per year, you’ll end up with a price of around 132 euros for your underarms.

Waxing is also very popular when it comes to being hair-free for longer. Warm wax, which is spread on the desired areas, is supposed to remove the hair. The hardened wax is then abruptly pulled off with special paper. This, of course, isn’t pain-free. The durability is about four weeks. You should expect ingrown hairs, which can also become painful. Additionally, the hair needs to be a certain length to be removed in this way. 3 mm is recommended. So stubble time is pre-programmed. Up to 90 euros per month can be incurred if you want to wax several areas of your body. Over 10 years, this also adds up to more than 10,000 euros. The duration depends on which body areas are to be freed from hair by waxing. Three hours per month, however, is not uncommon here.

The monthly costs for waxing using the example of underarms:

If you want to get smooth underarms through waxing, you typically go for treatment once a month. Note that stubble must already be visible again for a treatment to be carried out. On average, you’re looking at 11 euros per treatment.

Per year, you’ll end up with a price of around 132 euros for your underarms.

Handy devices for home use that are simply applied and permanently remove hair – that’s how epilators are described. Indeed, thanks to the use of these devices, you’re hair-free for up to four weeks. Then, however, the procedure starts all over again. It’s a procedure not only because of the time involved, which is around three hours per month. Especially the pain is not to be underestimated. Since the epilator pulls the hair out of the skin, this can lead to considerable pain. There’s also a risk of ingrown hairs that can become inflamed. For the device to grip the hairs, they need a certain length. So it’s not possible to remove them as soon as the first stubble appears. In terms of price, you’re looking at around 15 euros per month with the epilator. This includes the costs for the device calculated down as well as care products and energy costs.

The monthly costs for epilating using the example of underarms:

The calculation here isn’t quite so simple, as it depends on which device you choose. Inexpensive variants are already available for 50 euros, if you want to look more in the mid-range, you’re looking at around 150 euros for a device. The durability with regular use is about 2 years. Epilating once a month is recommended for the underarms. With a device for 150 euros, you’re looking at a price of about 6.50 euros per month if you also buy care products.

Per year, epilating will cost you about 78 euros.

Permanent hair removal is possible with the help of light pulses. The overarching term for this method is “IPL”. It’s important for you to know that there are different variants here. In another blog post, we’ll discuss the various IPL methods. To be able to make a cost comparison with other hair removal methods, approximate values can be given. However, with a professional provider, there are no general price lists for permanent hair removal. The reason for this is that each area is considered individually. Every person is different and has different hair growth. The duration also varies, as some people respond to the method faster, while it takes longer for other customers. However, a very big advantage is that you are permanently hair-free after the treatment. Costs start at 60 euros. Depending on the area, you can be involved for as little as about 500 euros calculated over 10 years.

Particularly important: With permanent hair removal, it is possible to carry out effective hair management even in relation to pathological hair growth.

The monthly costs for permanent hair removal using the example of the armpits:

For this calculation, a distinction must be made between the use of IPL devices for home use and professional hair removal by experts. You can get IPL devices for home use for around 500 euros. Keep in mind that the light pulses in these devices are not as strong and therefore the hair cannot really be removed permanently. Here too, you can assume a durability of the devices of about 2 years. With monthly use, this is about 20 euros, so 240 euros per year.

Permanent hair removal by a professional ensures that your armpits need a treatment period of six to eight sessions. The sessions take place every six to eight weeks. Within a year, you’ll then be hair-free and won’t have to worry about your armpits anymore. The cost per treatment is around 100 euros. With eight treatments, you have total costs of about 800 euros. There are no follow-up costs.