From the tried and true straight razor to hair lasering procedures, here is how hair removal has evolved over the past century.
1920’s: The first women’s razor encouraged the sleeveless flapper dress trend as shaving your underarms became more popular.
1930’s: Some women used painful pumice stones and sandpaper as a means of depilation for leg hair.
1940’s: As the nylon shortage soared during war times, Remington introduced the first electric razors for women to eliminate the need for stockings.
1950’s: The arched brow became essential to the iconic ‘50s look when Marilyn Monroe hit the silver screen with defined eyebrows. Tweezers became a bestseller for women looking to achieve the starlet’s signature brow shape.
1960’s: Waxing becomes the most popular way to remove body hair during the mod era. The painful treatment was a quick fix that lasted longer than shaving and left skin feeling smooth for weeks.
1970’s: “Who wears short shorts?” was the defining jingle of the ‘70s for the new hair removal cream, Nair. The easy apply and wipe away cream became all the rage in the shaving aisle.
1980’s: Salons started waxing more than just legs and underarms. We have Manhattan’s J. Sisters Salon to thank for bringing the Brazilian wax to popularity in the ‘80s, forever changing the way we think about pubic hair.
1990’s: Permanent treatments like laser hair removal started to hit the market. After the FDA approved the controversial depilatory method, women flocked to their dermatologists to get their unwanted hair lasered off for good.
2000’s: As laser hair removal became more popular, it also became more achievable. Beauty companies started creating an at home tool that was more cost effective than a package of treatments at your dermatologist or salon.
2010’s: The pain of waxing fell out of vogue and was replaced with the centuries old method called sugaring, a gentler alternative to remove unwanted hair.
