Family Encyclopedia >> Beauty & Style

Hair removal dictionary #3

Direction of growth

The hair does not grow perpendicular to the skin:it has a natural inclination, which varies according to the parts of the body. On the same area, we can even see two opposite directions of growth (in the armpits, for example). The direction is important for epilation, because it is much easier to pull the hair in the wrong direction (in the right direction, you just risk stretching it).

Clear. This is the natural direction of the hair.

Pushes back

The way the hair grows back depends on the method of hair removal:if it has been shaved, i.e. clean cut, it may appear thicker and darker. If it was removed with depilatory cream, its tip is rounded (soft to the touch). If it has been torn off, it takes several days to reform and come out, usually thinner than before.

Clear. This is the hair that appears after waxing.

Grow cycle

The hair goes through three phases:growth (anagen phase), rest (catagen) and fall (telogen). Depending on the areas and the type of hair, this cycle is more or less long (from 6 to 15 months). It is because the hairs all have different cycles that waxing never really lasts three weeks:we always have hairs that are in the regrowth phase, others that are too short to be pulled out, 'still others who are in formation at the time of hair removal.

Clear. These are the three stages in the life of the hair.

Thanks to Véronique Planchon, director of training for Laurence Dumont.