While the name sounds cute, for most of us ladies, peach fuzz removal tops the beauty and care list. For some, it looks pretty cute, too. Nothing to do with the fruit, of course, but we’d rather be smooth and silky instead of the soft and ticklish.
Despite its innocent look and name, peach fuzz can truly become a source of anxiety, especially when it appears on your face, neck, and navel. With modern cameras zooming into our every imperfection, this is one item on the list we’d really like crossed off, asap! Below, you will learn how to get rid of peach fuzz, as well as how to skilfully hide it with makeup.
In this article:
- What Is Peach Fuzz?
- What Is the Difference Between Vellus and Terminal Hair?
- Why Does Peach Fuzz Grow?
- What Are the Most Effective Peach Fuzz Removal Methods?
- 5 Products That Will Ease Your Peach Fuzz Removal
- What Peach Fuzz Removal Method Doesn’t Work?
- How to Skillfully Hide Peach Fuzz?
What Is Peach Fuzz?
Lesser known by its scientific name of vellus hair, peach fuzz is the small, thin, light-colored and often barely noticeable hairs your body is covered with, which have not been turned into the coarse and dark versions we simply cannot stand.
The Oxford dictionary defines it as “The down on the chin of an adolescent boy whose beard has not yet developed.” That doesn’t sound about right, though, since women are plagued with the same thing.
While men keep shaving it off, and it returns much coarser, women cannot exactly shave their faces or necks. We’re all born with peach fuzz, really. Children are covered in them, just as much as adults – though, the latter quickly have it replaced with coarse, black and utterly annoying versions.
It’s preferred to leave it alone, but if it’s cause for strife, there are a few peach fuzz removal options to try out.
What Is the Difference Between Vellus and Terminal Hair?
In essence, peach fuzz – or vellus hair – is finer, shorter, and almost always lighter in color than the coarser and darker terminal hair. Often, you’d need to get in pretty close to even see it. It’s not the easiest to remove, either, for that very reason.
The difference between the two comes into play as one hits puberty, when the normally clear-looking skin is now covered in the thick and often black hairs that grow so long sometimes you wonder if you can braid down your legs. If one must have hair, at least in most areas, we prefer the vellus. The opposite can be said for the hair on your head, brows, and lashes.
Why Does Peach Fuzz Grow?
Everything we are born with exists for a reason. Every strand of hair, equally so. As such, it’s important to note that peach fuzz is not useless. Arguments as to why you might want to keep it include:
- It helps regulate body temperature
- It allows sweat to evaporate more easily
While it has its positives, it might mar your beautiful headshots, particularly when it exists in excessive amounts.
What Are the Most Effective Peach Fuzz Removal Methods?
Okay, first the why get rid of it. Especially when it comes to facial peach fuzz, there is a pretty major reason to safely remove it. Using peach fuzz removers ensures you have a smoother makeup application.
The defuzzing of your lips, brows, or chin doesn’t have to be a difficult experience, either, despite it not being as easy to get at as the longer, darker, terminals.
If despite its positives, you still wish to get rid of peach fuzz, you might want to stick to some of these tried and true methods. No problems with experimenting a little, but the ones we list are common enough and perfectly easy to utilize in your daily routine.
What you have to consider before you start, though, is that peach fuzz removal can be hindered by the almost invisible thinness of the hairs, though the roots are much easier to pull out.
Dermaplaning
Considered the best choice for peach fuzz removal, this is more skincare than not, polishing your skin along the way. Dermaplaning is essentially the removal of a layer of skin with a scalpel blade, ridding your complexion of the pesky dry skin and, in turn, the equally pesky downy hairs. This is one of the oldest ways of achieving a polished complexion.
The hair will NOT grow back thicker, despite rumors. This treatment should be done once a month, and you might want to use a professional for the job.
Threading
It’s not exactly easy to perform threading on yourself, so an expert will most probably need to be consulted. She will double the thread over and roll over an area of skin with peach fuzz, cutting the strands as close to the skin as possible.
It might be best to prep your skin beforehand, particularly with exfoliating acid or retinol. Avoid heavy creams and perfumed versions, for they only make your threading process harder to perform correctly.
A whole lot of eye-watering should be expected, but this is certainly the oldest, most common facial hair removal technique by both sexes. The pain levels are considered medium to high, but it works best on brows, upper lip, and cheeks. It is also very popular among Middle Easterners.
Electrolysis
For a more permanent effect, electrolysis is a great option, particularly when dealing with the thicker follicles. The process includes the use of heat to stop the blood flow to the base of each hair, after which a pair of tweezers removes the hair. Since the blood supply has been cauterized, there will be no regrowth of the peach fuzz in the near future.
It is a terribly costly option but great if you’re dealing with longer, thicker versions of the vellus hair. This can only be done by an expert in the field and requires great skill, considering that each needle must be pushed into the correct pocket.
Hair Removal Creams
Also known as depilatories, this method is not quite as fast as threading, but certainly effective. The creams are chemically driven, and the best are those meant for sensitive complexions.
While easy to apply on, they can cause possible irritation and must be picked with the utmost care. Follow the instructions as presented, for you run the risk of chemical burns, otherwise.
On the other hand, if done right, the hair will dissolve through the application. You’ll need a gentle moisturizer afterward, and the cream must be washed off thoroughly to prevent burns.
Shaving
The easiest of all peach fuzz removal methods is shaving. With a blade and a mirror, you have it covered, but the results might not be to your liking.
Infection is possible if you accidentally nick yourself, while rashes are also an unexpected and certainly unwanted side effect. Other methods are often preferred, especially since you are likely to see thicker and darker strands with every cut keeping them blunt.
One thing you really should remember – never use razors used on your body to shave your face. The bacteria…
Epilators
Machines that work like tweezers, epilators are great when you want to clear out the hair, particularly the more pronounced of the peach fuzz. Quick and easy, the machine rolls over your skin and leaves you looking nice and smooth.
The pain levels are higher than that of tweezing at medium to high, but it is for larger regions, including the cheeks, as well as arms, legs, etc.
Tweezing
If you prefer to tweeze by hand, by all means, it is considered one of the worst ways to get rid of peach fuzz, as the continued tweezing increases the blood supply to the follicles, resulting in thicker, stronger, and darker strands. It’s also a torturous mission to pluck every single hair that you may or may not be able to see.
Tweezing is best for small areas, like stray chin hairs, or for precision shaping, such as for the brows. The pain is low to medium and perfectly safe to do yourself.
Waxing
One of the least effective against peach fuzz is waxing, which also might be a liability for sensitive skin. The positive is that one doesn’t have to worry about the fuzz reappearing quickly, as most hairs take about six weeks to come into place. That changes with nationality, of course, as certain individuals are prone to quicker hair growth.
To wax, the product is applied to the skin and spread before a strip of cloth or specific maxing paper is added and the wax removed. Aloe vera is the best ingredient to be used when waxing peach fuzz. It may cause irritations, especially if you’re exposed to the sun afterward.
Waxing is best used on not-so-sensitive skin, and it might be best to avoid the face. Furthermore, the pain levels are quite high.
Sugaring
Quite similar to waxing, sugaring involves the use of a gel created from sugar, water, and lemon that is spread on a specific region. Strips of cloth may be used with it, but unnecessary. You can easily roll the concoction about and pull as much of the peach fuzz as possible from the roots.
Sugaring is much safer than waxing, as there is no heat to contend with, but the pain levels are still quite high.
Laser Treatments
In a process using focused light from lasers, the pigment is targeted, and the removal of the hairs is gradual but permanent. It is one of the least effective methods and not generally recommended as a peach fuzz remover. Furthermore, laser treatments are expensive. It may only be considered if the vellus hair is darker and thicker than usual.
Bleaching
Since you might not want to remove the peach fuzz entirely, there is the option of bleaching. It involves blending the fuzz color with that of your skin, effectively rendering it invisible unless under the direct flare of the sun. It is an option, but not recommended, as it doesn’t remove the hair.
5 Products That Will Ease Your Peach Fuzz Removal
Peach fuzz removers are often the temporary solution, but there are a few that are more permanent. While the traditional methods are often recommended, we’d like to take things to a different level. Here are some of the best peach fuzz removal products on the market at the moment.
1. Dermaflash Luxe Anti-Aging Dermaplaning Exfoliation Device
When removing unwanted hair is matched with perfect skin exfoliation, we are all for it, hands down. Sephora offers a great option with this Dermaflash product that is an all-in-one ticket for softer, smoother, and perfectly Insta-worthy face. It is created for all skin types, tackling dullness and uneven texture, fine lines and wrinkles, dryness, and that pesky peach fuzz you want out. A single treatment is enough for radiant, glowing skin, painlessly removing dead skin cells, built-up debris, and those tiny hairs.
2. Finishing Touch Flawless Dermaplane Glo Facial Exfoliator
Available in white and rose gold, this chic and gorgeous non-vibrating exfoliator is impressively low-priced and includes six replacement heads, as well. A top seller on Amazon, it is made for absolute precision. With the bright LED light, you’ll never miss a spot as you tackle that peach fuzz while exfoliating again.
Meant for sensitive skin, it is designed like a professional device used by aestheticians and dermatologists. Suitable for both men and women, this will increase the efficacy of the serums and creams applied afterward, having thoroughly removed the dead skin cells for a more luminous, soft and smooth complexion.
3. Michael Todd Beauty Sonicsmooth Sonic Dermaplaning System
The lavender color soothes your insides, while the system itself works wonders in painlessly removing the dead skin and vellus hairs from your features. Available through Ulta Beauty, this 3-in-1 award-winning device clears up the dirt and debris from your pores, rids your complexion of dead skin cells, and removes all the peach fuzz causing you problems.
At 15,000 movements a minute, using this once a week ensures perfect radiance. Plus, it improves the look of expanded pores, ensuring that flawless effect we so love to create when those selfies are uploaded to social media.
With three customizable speeds and cord-free convenience, the Sonicsmooth is one of the best peach fuzz removers out there. Plus, you get a 2-month supply of safety edges and a 2-year limited guarantee.
4. Finishing Touch Flawless Women’s Painless Hair Remover
In a white and rose gold combination, these sleek, stainless steel, discreet and portable devices glide on flawlessly to remove peach fuzz from the lip, chin, and cheeks perfectly painlessly. Gentle and hypoallergenic, you may use daily if you so wish. The 18k rose gold plating only offers it a more luxurious look and feel. Safe on all skin types and tones, you can pick it up from Amazon.
5. Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle Moisturizing Razor
Here is an option that comes with a bikini trimmer as well, because peach fuzz removers shouldn’t only be for the face. The most affordable on this list, this option comes with two refills and a stainless steel bade, complete with a hypoallergenic moisturizing serum and five curve-sensing blades, which reduce the possibility of irritations and leave your skin smooth to the touch.
In addition, the built-in trimmer can be used for bikini maintenance, the adjustable comb with four settings for a customized trim length. Highly recommended and waterproof! Get it from Amazon!
What Peach Fuzz Removal Method Doesn’t Work?
As mentioned already, a few of the methods are not exactly the best for removing peach fuzz. Bleaching only changes the color, so we aren’t even considering that.
Otherwise, we are looking at either electrolysis or laser hair removal treatments, where the former has trouble getting the electric currents into the follicles, and the latter has trouble targeting pigments in thin, light-colored hairs.
How to Skillfully Hide Peach Fuzz?
When removing the peach fuzz hairs isn’t an option, you might want to opt to hide them instead. This is where the bleaching kits fit in perfectly, ensuring your skin and fuzz match in color.
That’s not the only method, however, as cosmetics also do a great job in concealing your unwanted hair. Foundations that are creamy and blend better are your friends here. Apply with fingertips or a makeup brush (though the former is preferred as your body heat works best for blending), and smooth in the direction of the hair growth.
Photos via @itsstephtoms, Instagram
