With so many “miracle” hair removal methods out there, it’s hard to keep track of which ones actually work. Between waxing, threading, laser, shaving, sugar scrubbing (you get the picture) — there’s pretty much an option out there for everyone. But as someone who has tried them all and has yet to find success with any of them, and who happens to have a not-so-cute facial hair situation going on (thanks a lot, Eastern European genes), I’m willing to test out literally anything, especially if it's from Asia, where skin care and hair removal are entirely different ball games than they are in the US.
Facial Hair Remover, $4, Etude House
On a recent trip to the mall in Kuala Lumpur, I stumbled upon a Korean beauty store called "Etude House" that was chock-full of every beauty product imaginable. It was pretty much skin care heaven, and had floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with masks galore. There was also an entire section dedicated to beauty tools — including face brushes, bubble makers, and something called "Hologram Hair Essence," which both terrified and fascinated me. After spending hours trying to figure out what I wanted to buy and re-evaulating the current state of my personal beauty regiment, a tool I'd never seen before called the "Facial Hair Remover" caught my eye.
"It works great for getting rid of your mustache," the salesperson told me.
"I'll take it!" I shouted at her before she had a chance to finish her sentence. Like I said, I'm willing to try anything.
Facial Hair Remover, $4, Etude House
Here’s how this "Facial Hair Remover" works: There are two half-moon shaped springs that are meant to be rolled back and forth over facial hair after you cleanse and dry your face. Your peach fuzz gets caught in the springs and is pulled (OK, ripped) out of your skin. It feels kind of like threading, but without anyone yelling at you to hold your eyebrow skin tighter. Afterward, you're supposed to massage your skin with ice (partly because it hurts like hell and partly because it's red AF).
Curiosity piqued, I decided to give the "Facial Hair Remover" (I really do wish it had a cuter name) a try for myself. After 45 minutes of rolling it up and down all over my cheeks, I was left with mixed results. It worked really, really well to pull out longer hair, like sideburns (yes, I have those, and I’m not afraid to admit it) but was totally useless when it came to getting rid of stubble (which, yes, I have that on parts of my face, too).
Facial Hair Remover, $4, Etude House
Considering I am not personally willing to voluntarily let any of the hair on my body grow past the stubble state ever, it didn't deliver the dream results I had hoped for. However, in the areas that it did manage to pull out hair (like on my cheeks), things stayed smooth for weeks.
The verdict? Yes, it works, but only on hair thats at least a quarter of an inch long, a la bikini wax. So if you're down with letting things grow, it's a pretty fantastic solution. As for me, I'll stick with my usual wax/razor/threading combination of hair removal, at least until body hair comes back into style.
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