Armpit Hair Removal: Removing Armpit Hair, the Gentle Way

Reading time: 6 mins

At work, while sleeping or at the swimming pool, your armpits endure a lot. Whether it’s deodorants, friction or chlorinated water, there are many reasons why your armpits work up a sweat. That’s why it is important that you find the right armpit hair removal method for you, to protect your skin.

But what is the gentlest method for underarm hair removal? Whether you plan on shaving, epilating, or waxing armpit hair, we’ve got you covered with our guide on the different armpit hair removal methods, how to do them correctly, and which methods are least likely to irritate your skin.

Remember, there is no best way to remove armpit hair, only the way that’s best for you! We’re here to help you work out what that is.

Brunette woman in bright and sunny bathroom using Philips device to remove armpit hair.

Shaving armpit hair

When it comes to shaving your armpit hair, you may be wondering whether it’s even possible to do so without some irritation. It is, but only with an electric shaver! A manual shaver with exposed blades can easily lead to cuts in uneven areas like the armpits.

How to get rid of armpit hair by shaving:

Make sure your shaver is always in full contact with the skin to achieve a smooth shave.
Make sure your chosen electric shaver is water-resistant so that it can be used in the shower – a wet shave is a skin-friendly alternative to a dry one.
To shave your arm hair, raise your arm and put your hand behind your head to stretch the armpit skin. Move the shaver slowly against the direction of hair growth.

Woman with damp brunette hair in shower using Philips device to remove armpit hair.

Sugaring, epilating and waxing armpit hair

When it comes to removing armpit hair, we are often willing to go far and endure some level of pain. But is it worth it to have armpit hairs pulled out with the sugaring method or with wax?

The benefit of sugaring or waxing is that they remove the hair with its root, which results in longer lasting results. However, since the hair is pulled out in one move, these methods can also be painful. They can also badly irritate the skin as upper layers of your skin.

Epilating armpit hair is a gentler alternative – better for the skin and armpit hair. When using an epilator on underarms, the hair is being removed quickly and effectively, which reduces the uncomfortable pulling feeling, without damaging skin. Epilation can even grip the finest hair - this way you can enjoy smooth armpits for up to two to three weeks.

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Removing armpit hair with IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)

If you want to know how to remove armpit hair permanently, you’ll be searching for an answer for a long time. However, if you’re looking for a skin-friendly, long-lasting armpit hair removal method you can use at home? Then we recommend IPL.

The Philips Lumea Prestige is a handy IPL device which is about the size of a hair drier. It emits light impulses, which are absorbed by melanin, the pigment in your hair. This way growing hair is being put into its ‘resting phase’ and falls out over time. At the same time, new hair growth is inhibited. Using IPL on underarms to deal with armpit hair can mean hair-free smoothness for up to 6 months!¹

IPL is becoming more and more popular as a hair removal method, because it removes armpit hair gently and painlessly, doesn’t affect the skin, and, with regular treatments, leads to long-lasting smooth armpits. At the same time, you can use it quickly and comfortably: with the Lumea Prestige, you can remove hair from both armpits in only three minutes.²

How to remove armpit hair with IPL:

Choose the armpit attachment of the Lumea Prestige, which has a specially curved design to remove even hard-to-reach armpit hair.

Before treatment, make sure your skin is clean, dry and free from long-lasting deodorants. Remember, in order to use IPL, you need to remove hair from the surface, so it’s important to shave, wax or epilate before you start. Your hair should be as short as possible so the light can penetrate the hair roots under the skin surface more easily.

To remove your armpit hair, turn the Lumea Prestige on, choose the matching light intensity for your skin tone and hold it in a 90 degree angle directly against your skin. Push the trigger to activate the light impulse. After two seconds, you can continue with the next skin area. Gentle hair removal can be this easy!