One of the most unsightly body hair areas is just above the lips, with some ladies showing off dark and thick mustaches, while others have nice and thin and barely there facial hair, so they do not worry about bleaching upper lip hair or facial hair in general. While some can get away with sporting the thin strands, others have to turn to plucking, waxing, lasers, or the simplest of them all, bleaching the upper lip hair.
In this article:
- Common Ways of Getting Rid of Upper Lip Hair
- What You Should Know Before Bleaching Upper Lip Hair
- Bleaching Upper Lip Hair at Home
- What to Use to Bleach Upper Lip Hair
- How to Bleach Upper Lip Hair Naturally
Common Ways of Getting Rid of Upper Lip Hair
The road to womanhood is certainly not an easy one, and with all the different hormones coursing through our bodies, it is never easy to keep perfectly groomed and taken care of, made to fit society’s ideal. Now, we often wonder as to what is the best choice to make when it comes to getting rid of unwanted hair.
Facial razors can leave nicks and burns, while the hair that grows back appears thicker and more prominent. Waxing is exceedingly painful, and burning your skin is always a possible side effect, not to mention the constant tugging on the skin, which allows for wrinkles to appear sooner, while waxing too often will darken the skin over time.
Plucking and threading are great ideas of getting rid of upper lip hair, but they are also painful and require great hand-eye coordination. Once again, you are also pulling on the skin, though not as bad as with waxing.
Finally, bleaching your upper lip hair sounds like a good enough idea, despite the fact that it is still there. Like in the case of bleaching arm hair, it reduces the appearance though, and there is no pain to worry about.
Last but not least, if you are looking for a permanent upper lip hair removal solution, you might consider electrolysis or laser hair removal, both of which provide excellent results, of course, taking your skin tone and health state into consideration as well.
What You Should Know Before Bleaching Upper Lip Hair
The downfall of bleaching your upper lip hair is that it requires patience and time, with reapplications quite common. It is safe, however, but must be done correctly to achieve the desired results. If not done so, the hair can become too light in color and appear artificial, becoming all the more noticeable under the light.
It might also cause an allergic reaction, so beware and try on a small patch first. Furthermore, leaving the cream on for too long can lead to the lightening of the skin underneath, along with the burning and the irritation. Generally though women with sensitive skin can easily use bleach products on their upper lips as well.
Remember, bleaching upper lip hair does not get rid of the hair strands, but instead merely hides them. It is also a temporary solution, as you will need to reapply on a regular basis.
Note: Those with a darker skin tone should refrain from bleaching the upper lip hair, as even a slight lightening might be seen too easily. If the hair is coarse, bleaching might not be as effective. If the hair began to grow out suddenly, you might be experiencing hormonal changes and will need to consult a doctor before going about bleaching or ridding yourself of the hair.
You should also take care of the skin around the lips, exfoliating often to remove the darker skin pigmentation and keep things fresh.
You should always wear sunscreen for UV ray protection, use skin masks, and if your lips are a little dark where you should be bleaching the hair, you can even out the tone with a paste of honey, lime and almond oil. It is important that you look your best, and that is not always the fault of the hair strands in the wrong places.
Bleaching Upper Lip Hair at Home
Bleaching upper lip hair is best done on women who have light and fine hair. Those with dark and coarser hair should opt for hair removal instead.
Bleaching kits for facial hair are sold at all drugstores, beauty stores and pharmacies, containing the bleach cream, activator, mixing trays, and a spatula. It is an easy process and can be done on your own at home. It is also quite affordable, even when buying a ready-made kit.
In order to bleach your upper lip hair,
- Choose bleaching cream specifically for facial hair that also suits your skin type.
- Mix the bleach with the activator, each found in a different container in the kit, as directed on the box. Separate spatulas should be used for adding each onto the tray.
- Do a patch test on inner arm at least 24h beforehand, in order to check for possible irritations and allergic reactions
- Wash off your makeup and leave only smooth skin that has been patted dry.
- Add the mixture to the areas you want to bleach, avoiding the lips and the nostrils, since they do not need bleach and are super sensitive.
- Do not rub the mix, but apply it gently.
- Wait for about 10 minutes before wiping off a small section to check if it worked.
- If everything seems to be to your satisfaction, wipe the rest of the cream away using a cotton pad, steering clear of the nostrils.
- Rinse over the bleached area with cool water, removing any remaining residue. Cool water should be used only, as hot water opens the pores and increases sensitivity
- Do not bleach after taking a hot shower. Ever.
- Finish by cleaning everything up and throwing away the unused mixture. It is preferable not to keep any of it for a second use unless it will be on the same day.
What to Use to Bleach Upper Lip Hair
Typically, the best-known bleaching kits out there are:
• Jolen Crème Bleach
• Sally Hansen Crème Hair Bleach
One can also opt to use hydrogen peroxide overnight for a fast and easy upper lip hair bleaching session. It does not make the skin darker underneath either, which is a plus. Hydrogen peroxide is a common hair lightening agent, and is sold everywhere for quite cheap. It also has a penchant for thinning out the hair strands and making them fall out on their own.
In order to effectively bleach the upper lip hair with hydrogen peroxide though, you will need to:
- Mix 3% hydrogen peroxide with some water.
- Apply the mix to the upper lip area where the hair is.
- Leave it on for just about 20 minutes before rinsing off with cool water.
- Repeat if necessary to get your desired result.
There are other ways to lighten the upper lip hair as well, though still not on the natural side. The different formulations include:
- Mixing hydrogen peroxide with 10 drops of ammonia, and going through the same procedure listed above.
- Mixing hydrogen peroxide with liquid soap, a couple of drops of ammonia and some Vaseline.Mixing hydrogen peroxide with 5 drops of ammonia and flour.
Note: Hydrogen peroxide will dry your skin out, so make sure you are using it a maximum of once per day, and without going overboard. If you have your desired result here, you are done.
Some ladies have also used dyeing creams to effectively bleach their upper lip hair, applying the mixture for up to 15 minutes to the upper lip hair before washing off with cool water. The skin may also lighten though, and the hair will thin out, which is to your benefit. It is not as recommended for you to use, however.
How to Bleach Upper Lip Hair Naturally
If you are against using chemicals on your face and prefer to go natural when bleaching your upper lip hair, there are multiple options for you to choose from. Plus, you are not likely to get many irritations thus, while your skin stays nice and healthy. Most of the bleaching habits listed here would not work so well on coarse and particularly black hair.
Some of the top ways to naturally bleach upper lip hair are:
- Lemon Juice: Literally, you use a Q-tip to apply the lemon juice to the upper lip, leave it on for 15-20 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water. Use lemon juice to bleach upper lip hair every day for at least a week to see amazing results. However, you can have open pores for this one.
- Lemon Juice and Honey: Honey removes the possible irritation to the skin caused by lemon juice, as well as reduces the redness factor. Furthermore, it softens and moisturizes the skin, leaving it silky smooth. Freshly squeezed lemon should be mixed with honey to make a paste, applied onto the upper lip for up to 20 minutes, and rinsed off, to be repeated daily for a week to see best results.
- Sunshine: Standing out under the sun can easily lighten your facial hair as well, though not as effective as using a specific product on it.
- Tomatoes: Cutting half a tomato and rubbing over the clean skin of the area above your lip will help bleach the strands, after leaving on for just a few minutes. Effects should be immediate.
- Papaya and Milk: We love eating papayas but never thought about using them as a natural way of bleaching upper lip hair. The mixture of papaya and milk forms a thick paste that you should apply to your upper lip hairs, massage it in for about 10 minutes and leave it on for another five before washing it off.
- Wild Turmeric and Milk: There is a myriad of benefits to having turmeric at home, with bleaching upper lip hair seemingly one of them. Two tablespoons of turmeric mixed with one of milk should give you a lovely paste that is applied for 15 minutes and rinsed off. You might, however, notice a distinct yellow tint after this treatment procedure due to the turmeric.
- Chickpea Flour with Milk: Milk, chickpea flower and turmeric come together for a mask that not only lightens the hair strands, but also beautifully exfoliates the skin. You will need to put on the paste and leave it there for 15 minutes before washing off. The alternative to this particular one would be to add in yogurt and some rose water as well for a more wholesome experience.
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