Waxing:
Never done a salon waxing, but I have done home waxing where you heat the wax in the microwave, spread it on yourself and rip it off. Relatively inexpensive, but a little messy, and a lot messy if you knock the tub of melted wax onto the floor. I've used it on my underarms, chest, and belly fur. I've never used it on the man-parts. No itchy stubble when the fur regrows.
Epilators:
An epilator is a small hand-held electric-powered torture device which has rotating tweezers which rip out the fur. I've been using the Panasonic ES2025 model for the past 5 years or so. I prefer the plug-in version because the rechargeable batteries are never reliable for the long term. Rechargeable batteries never seem to last more than a year or so before they crap out and you have to buy a new one. The plug-in versions are also significantly less expensive.
Unlike the wax, once you buy this torture device, you can use it over and over again. There are no parts to replace.
I use this thing for my underarms, chest and belly fur like the wax. But in addition, I've also used this on my man-parts and around my backdoor. Surprisingly, using it on the man-parts and backdoor isn't all that painful. The most painful area is around the belly button.
If you go this route, my advice is to trim with scissors first and use it with circular motions. If the fur is short, you can control how much fur to remove with each pass. If the fur is long, this thing will grab entire clumps and try to rip everything out at once (learn from my newbie mistake).
It's a little messy. The torture device grips the fur, pulls it out, and releases. So basically, you're dropping the fur all over wherever you happen to be standing. Like the wax, no itchy stubble when it regrows.
Electrolysis:
Technician sticks a needle into the fur follicle, steps on the switch, and zaps the fur. You don't actually feel the needle going into the follicle, but you definitely feel the zap. Electrolysis is the only permanent fur removal method.
There are two versions. One is the galvanic method, which changes the chemistry inside the follicle to produce sodium hydroxide (basically, drano) which chemically destroys the root of the fur. The other method is thermolysis, which uses electricity to heat up the follicle to the point where it's permanently destroyed.
I have no experience with the galvanic method.
I go to this place in Great Neck to get the thermolysis electrolysis.
It's a painful and slow process. To give you an idea of how long it takes, to shape my eyebrows, it took 10 sessions, which are 1 hour each, spread out over a year. At the time, each session cost $80. My eyebrows were done over 10 years ago and the zapped areas have not grown back.
To reduce the pain, you can use a numbing creme. The guy I go to has the creme for sale at $75 for 4 ounces, and the tube will last you about 10 sessions. You spread it over the area about an hour before your session, then wrap it up with cling wrap to keep it from drying out and to keep it off your clothes. Certain body parts are a bit awkward to wrap up. The creme helps, but the process is still painful.
I've had electrolysis done to my eyebrows, cheekbones, the back of my hands, nipples, man-parts, and belly.
Warning: one time, the day after working on my cheekbone area, I contracted a condition called "bell's palsy". It may have been a coincidence of timing or the electrolysis may have caused it; my doctor couldn't say for sure. Bell's palsy is when half your face gets paralyzed due to something irritating the nerve in your face. It lasted for about 2 weeks or so and never happened again, even though I've had the electrolysis done on my face again. What's weird is that after it went away, my boss contracted the same thing.
Laser:
No experience with laser, but based on my old research, laser is not permanent. The fur may disappear for a few years, but it will eventually start growing back. Anyone who tells you that it's permanent is lying and possibly violating the law. Ten years ago, it was illegal to advertise laser hair removal as "permanent". I don't know if the laws have changed since then.
I would guess that laser would be faster because it can zap larger areas of the body instead of one fur at a time like electrolysis. If you can live with having to redo the laser every few years, maybe it's the best way to go. Don't know about price.
