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Hair Removal Options for Travelers

hair removal options for travelers

Dealing with hair removal while traveling can be annoying. Razors and shaving cream can take up a lot of room in your bag, especially on a longer trip. Depending on your normal routine, you might have to make some adjustments for dealing with hair removal while you travel. Here are some hair removal options for travelers, along with some input from the HPLWorld community (join up!).

Shaving

Packing a disposable razor for a shorter trip works fine, but for longer trips you might need to buy more on the road. If you use shaving cream, pack a small can, preferably one that is within the liquids limit, and restock as you travel. As an alternative, you could try shaving with bar soap since it’s solid and won’t count towards your liquid allowance.

hair removal options for travelers
Several traveling ladies say the like this Venus razor because it’s compact and comes with a case.

Several women in the HPLWorld community said they love the Venus Snap with Embrace razor.

  • Andy: “It’s tiny but surprisingly, I find it easier to hold than a regular handle…and I just replace the blades with men’s plain Gillette blades, mainly because they’re cheaper but also because I hate that slimy strip!”
  • Rebecca: “Since it has it’s own case, I don’t have to worry about it cutting me when I put my hand in my bag, and Venus blades are sold pretty much all over (or at least, everywhere I’ve travelled) so if I need a replacement blade, they’re easy to get.”
  • Charley: “I buy a couple of Venus disposable razors and use conditioner instead of taking shave cream.”

Quite a few women said they use men’s razors, either while traveling or on a regular basis, because they’re cheaper and work just as well or sometimes even better than women’s razors.

>>Read about the best toiletries for carry-on travel. (Hint: They’re solids!)

Waxing

Waxing can be a great option since the results last longer. How long you can go between waxings depends on several factors, like which part of your body you’re waxing and how fast your hair naturally grows, but most people can go 3 to 6 weeks. For longer trips, you can get waxed while traveling, though it depends on how comfortable you are in places where you don’t speak the language.

  • Leah: “My hair doesn’t grow that fast, so I wax everything to start and pluck or shave as needed for the rest of the time.”
  • Laura: “I get my eyebrows threaded and wax the other body parts I remove hair from. I have found it a fun experience to do it in other places and experience a place more like I’m living there!”

>>Check out our tips for getting beauty treatments abroad.

Epilating

If you don’t know what an epilator is, it’s sort of like an electric razor but instead of blades, it has a bunch of tiny tweezers that pull out your hair at super fast speeds. Most people can go 2 to 4 weeks between epilating, and many notice their hair grows back lighter and finer after using an epilator a few times…bonus!

For a short trip, you can use the epilator before you leave, or bring the epilator along on longer trips instead of having to continually buy more razors.

hair removal options for travelers
Epilators can be a good option for hair removal while traveling.

Good options to try are the Philips Satin Perfect Epilator and the Braun Silk Epilator, but keep in mind that, like waxing, the discomfort takes some getting used to.

  • Celina uses a Braun epilator: “It has a shaver and trimmer included for urgent times, but it just holds so much longer and you really get used to the pain.”
  • Lu Lu uses this compact travel epilator since it’s battery operated.

Tweezing

Tweezing is best for small areas like eyebrows. And since tweezers are tiny and allowed in your carry-on, they’re easy to travel with. If this is part of your normal routine at home, it’s simple to bring it on the road.

Other hair removal options

Several women mentioned getting their eyebrows threaded. This is where threads are used to pluck hairs from your eyebrows.

  • Shawn: “A friend who spoke the local language better than me helped me make an appointment to have my brows threaded about half-way through my trip…it was a fun adventure!”

Instead of threading or plucking, there are even little eyebrow razors to consider.

  • Jennifer uses this eyebrow razor: “Someone turned me onto these little eyebrow razors awhile back and they’re a lifesaver. I don’t tweeze my eyebrows while I’m traveling anymore, and this takes out the chin stragglers in 1 second. Also lasts for a very long time before going dull.”

Nair is a cream that removes hair. It’s not painful like some of the other options but it’s not exactly travel-friendly for longer trips since it’s a liquid.

  • Rebecca: “I also always Nair my legs, bikini area and face before I go since that lasts longer than shaving.”

>>Find a toiletry bag that’s better than a Ziploc.

Going natural

Traveling brings out the natural look for some of us. If you feel comfortable with it, try letting your body hair grow a little while you’re traveling, or try going longer between shaves. Here’s what some of the ladies from the Facebook group had to say:

  • Tam: “Sometimes I pluck [my eyebrows] before I leave and let them go wild when I am away.”
  • Mari: “Most of the time, I don’t bother with any of it even on longer trips.”
  • Rebekah: “I groom before I go. But while I travel I don’t care. I carry one basic razor per week.”
  • Emily: “I love all my hair, and I also love not having to deal with all the hassle and discomfort of removing it. So, so happy I stopped shaving!”

How do you handle hair removal when you travel?

hair removal options for travelers pin

Written by Ali

Ali Garland is a freelance writer, blogger, and travel addict who made it to all 7 continents before her 30th birthday. She enjoys travel planning, encouraging others to see the world, and packing carry-on only. She and her husband are expats living in Berlin. You can find Ali at Ali's Adventures and Travel Made Simple.

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Travel Resources

HPL Learnables

Handbag Packing Masterclass – Learn to pack your lightest bag ever in this revolutionary packing class run by HPL founder, Brooke.

Creative Ways to Minimize Your Toiletry & Beauty Kit – Practical tips alongside DIY recipes designed to help you pack lighter, smaller & with fewer liquids. (Also included as a bonus to Handbag Packing Masterclass.)


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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maria says

    I recently spent 3,5 months traveling, living in a car and not very often having the opportunity to properly shave. I had brought a ton of luggage so had plenty of razors and shaving cream though.. I just learned to live with being a little furry, and actually stopped caring so much about it after I came home 🙂

  2. Sonja says

    I’ve got a question – is it generally allowed to carry a disposable razor in your carry-on luggage? Has anyone tried to bring it?

  3. Little J says

    There is a powdered product called “Magic Shave” which is mixed with water to create a Nair-like hair removal cream. In powdered form, it can travel easily, outside of a liquids bag. I use this as my “bikini wax” whenever I travel. Works a treat.

    It is traditionally sold for the removal of black men’s beards. There is also a cream from the same brand name. You don’t want that. You want the powder.

  4. Andria says

    If you have pale skin and dark hair, I HIGHLY recommend laser hair removal. I managed to finance mine through Groupons and took care of my lower legs and underarms. I have to go after them with an electric razor once a month for strays, cause I’m too cheap to get a touch-up, but it is easily some of the best money I’ve ever spent.

      • Sonja says

        I have had laser removal as well, and althought it has worked great for my legs and the bikini zone, my armpits are the one place where (after about probably 20 sessions during the last 7 years or so) I still have stubborn hairgrowth, although it is less in quantity and grows more slowly.

        • Andria says

          I’ve had six treatments total on my underarms. They’re still a bit fuzzy if I don’t shave e/o week, but you can’t really see it unless you’re looking for it.

  5. Em says

    Thank you for including going natural in this article. It is so important to reinforce the idea that there is nothing wrong with letting our bodies be how they naturally are.

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