Now that we’re knee-deep in summer, one part of your beauty routine is probably pretty high up on your list: your high-visibility hair removal approach. You’ve likely asked yourself, “Should I shave? Wax? Laser off all that pesky hair in my bikini line, underarms and legs?!” If so, welcome to Hair Removal 101.

We all know that keeping our bodies hairless in all the right places isn’t always smooth sailing — all hair removal methods, whether it’s waxing, shaving, or laser has the potential for issues like nicks, bumps, ingrown hairs, and…general discomfort. Let’s take a cursory look at the multitude of removal options, and with them, the different levels of pain, commitment, expense, convenience and perhaps most importantly, longevity.

And as always, remember that how much hair you remove, if at all, is up to you and there’s nothing dirty or unsightly about body hair. It’s normal! It’s natural! So, you do you always. But if you do decide to jump into hair removal, these tips will help.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Completely Bare and Bella Verde are STYLECASTER sponsors, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

BELLA VERDE.

Waxing

How It Works: Hot (but not too hot!) wax is applied to the desired area and removed in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling hairs out from the root.
Best For: Legs, underarms, and bikini areas, and great for those with coarse, darker hair that tends to be stubborn.
Pros: Temporarily removes hair at the root for an average of three weeks of smooth skin, which can range from two to six weeks depending on your hair type and thickness.
Cons: Waxing requires some regrowth in order to be effective, as the wax needs at least a quarter-inch of stubble to adhere to. Treatments can be moderately painful, as hair is indeed being ripped out at the root, but it becomes more tolerable over time. Waxing can also result in ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Anywhere from $15-80 for salon waxing, depending on areas waxed and your salon of choice. Or, you can go for at-home options, such as Bella Verde’s Wax Warmer Home Waxing Kit.
Tips: “Don’t drink and wax,” warns Noemi Grupenmager, founder and CEO of Uni K Wax Centers. “Some people come in after consuming alcohol thinking it’ll ease the pain, but alcohol tightens pores, making it much more painful.” Stimulants, like coffee, can also increase sensitivity, so be sure to remember this if you DIY.

Gillette.

Shaving

How It Works: Shaving removes hair from the skin’s surface by cutting it off with a razor.
Best For: Legs, underarms, and those with lighter, finer hair.
Pros: Inexpensive, painless, quick, and easy; and shaving creams used can help moisturize the skin, keeping it soft.
Cons: Regrowth happens quickly, and because hair is cut off at the surface, regrown hair is blunt, not tapered, so it can appear thicker. Razor burn, nicks, and cuts are possibilities, and those who shave regularly can also become prone to ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Razors and shaving cream can be inexpensively purchased at any grocery or drugstore.
Tips: For those who can’t quit their shaving habit, “growth reduction” products promise to help inhibit hair regrowth, thus reducing the frequency of shaving required.

Completely Bare.

Depilatory Creams

How It Works: Hair removal creams use chemicals to weaken the hair follicle, so you can effectively wipe it away.
Best For: Those who want quick, easy, relatively painless at-home results. Depilatories are most popular for facial hair, bikini lines, and underarms.
Pros: Can be done at home, and removes hair just below the surface of the skin, ensuring slower and less coarse regrowth than shaving.
Cons: Chemicals in these products can irritate sensitive skin, particularly in more delicate areas. These creams are infamous for their odor, and can also lead to ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Around $6-$12 for a tube of cream or spray-on depilatory lotion.
Tips: Choose a cream suited for the specific area you’re treating—and maybe light some scented candles in the bathroom to mask the strong smell most of these products tend to have. A solid option is Completely Bare’s Easy Off Foaming Hair Removal Spray, which comes in an easy-to-apply foam that washes off in the shower.

MiSMON.

Laser Hair Removal

How It Works: Laser penetrates the skin to target the hair shaft and inhibit hair growth. It essentially destroys the follicle, meaning it can achieve permanent removal. Typically, the hair in treated areas falls out within 2-3 weeks.
Best For: People with hair darker than their skin—while professional dermatologists can vary the type of laser used, laser targets the melanin in the hair, so it’s not suited as well for people with dark skin or pale hair. The laser needs to be able to lock on to the dark pigment in order to differentiate the dark hair from the skin.
Pros: Great for long-term hair removal in all areas. “It causes no damage to the dermis, so even the most sensitive skin can be treated,” says New York dermatologist Dr. Ariel Ostad.
Cons: Laser hair removal can be painful, with most people describing it as a “snapping” sensation against the skin, as well as a sensation of heat from the laser. Also, it requires numerous visits to a dermatologist for best results. “It is important to go to a dermatologist who can offer different lasers which are customized to the patient’s skin color and hair color,” says Ostad.
Average Cost: $150 to $500 per treatment, with an average of six sessions recommended, depending on the area being treated. Several cycles of treatment are usually recommended to capture the hair follicles at different stages of the growth cycle. Some people require touch-up treatments to maintain, especially on larger areas.
Tips: While it may seem expensive, in the long run, many consider laser removal to be an investment that can pay off. “It is the most effective and cost-effective treatment, considering how much one can spend over a lifetime with options such as waxing or electrolysis,” says Ostad.

Finishing Touch.

Electrolysis

How It Works: Electrolysis uses a fine, needle-shaped electrode to apply an electrical current to the hair follicle.
Best For: Small areas such as the eyebrows, upper lip, and underarms, as it treats each hair and follicle individually, which is time-consuming and can get expensive.
Pros: Can permanently remove hair and is suitable for very fine and light-colored hair, unlike laser, which works best on darker hair.
Cons: When improperly done, electrolysis can lead to scarring or skin discoloration. Treatments can be uncomfortable and cause a “stinging” or “pricking” sensation, and as with laser hair removal, permanent results require multiple sessions.
Average Cost: Around $25 to $150 an hour.
Tips: Dehydrated follicles can be more difficult to treat, so be sure to drink plenty of water the day before, the day of, and the day after your treatment.

Adobe. Design: Cierra Miller/STYLECASTER.

Robyn Dixon’s Mixed Animal Print Sweater

Real Housewives of Potomac Season 6 Episode 5 Fashion

Robyn Dixon was a total animal on the bus pole. But maybe that’s because she was wearing her mixed animal print sweater while doing so. I mean Robyn and the ladies looked like they had so much fun on their way to booming Williamsburg. And I love the little tidbit Robyn shared about a possible baby no. 3??? Congrats to her and Juan if they are trying. And congrats to us on our own little bundle of joy- a Style Stealer of this sweater.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to See Her DKNY Animal Print Sweater

Originally posted at: Robyn Dixon’s Mixed Animal Print Sweater

Many women have experienced a UTI at least once in their lifetime and are familiar with associated symptoms and the traditional methods of treating them. However, because the immune system starts to weaken around age 30, the typical symptoms are subject to change as we age.

As a result, these alternate symptoms can go unnoticed for a while, which in severe cases, can cause the UTI to evolve into kidney stones or sepsis.

What Is Sepsis and How Can It Be Caused by a UTI?

Sepsis is known as a life threatening condition that happens when the body’s response to having an infection is to damage its own tissues. It is known to affect adults that are 65 and older as they are 13 times more likely to be hospitalized with sepsis than adults younger than 65. So what does sepsis have to do with UTIs in older women?

The well-known symptoms of a UTI include dysuria, burning, irritation while voiding, increased pelvic pressure, particles in urine, cloudy or bloody urine. An additional, notable symptom older women tend to experience is sudden confusion. Understandably, diagnosing someone with a UTI, especially if Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia are already a concern, becomes more difficult.

If the infection is not diagnosed when the above symptoms present, later symptoms of a UTI can show up as fever, nausea and vomiting and pain in the lower abdomen where your kidneys are located. If a UTI progresses past these symptoms and is left untreated, it can spread to the kidney and cause pain and illness, which is also known as urosepsis.

Causes of UTIs in Older Women and How to Prevent Them from Turning into Sepsis

Stay Hydrated

There are many ways to help prevent a UTI, but the most effective way to minimize your chances of it turning into sepsis is to hydrate. Dehydration is the most common underlying cause of a UTI as we tend to drink less fluids as we age.

It’s important to focus on increasing your water intake specifically; coffee, tea and any sugar free drink doesn’t count when it comes to hydration. For women 60 and older, it’s recommended that they drink a total of 60 ounces of water per day, which decreases the amount of bacteria in the urinary tract.

When urine is more concentrated, there is an increased chance of bacteria not getting flushed out and making their way up the upper urinary tract and causing a septic infection.

Good Hygiene

Another way to decrease your chances of a UTI turning into a septic infection is to practice good hygiene. For women that experience urgent or mixed incontinence it is recommended that they talk to their provider about how to manage the condition and are changing their leakage pads regularly as wearing a pad all day can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

This can be especially tricky for women who don’t have access to resources that allow them to use multiple pads per day and therefore cannot change them as frequently as they should.

Take Cranberry Supplements

Cranberry doesn’t prevent bacteria from entering the urinary tract; however, it does coat the urinary tract to make women less susceptible to bacteria sticking against the walls of their vagina. While women will often drink cranberry juice to ease UTI symptoms, the more effective way to ingest cranberry is through a supplement in capsule form of 10,000 to 30,000 mg on a daily basis.

Cranberry juice is often high in sugar and does not have a high enough dosage to be preventative. If taking cranberry supplements is not effective, you can also try ingesting dandelion root which has also been shown to prevent UTIs and kidney stones.

Consider Probiotics

A hormonal imbalance, caused by menopause, can also lead older women to be more susceptible to UTIs which is why it’s important to balance out not just your vaginal microbiome, but your urinary tract biome as well.

When going through menopause, your hormones are not as actively stimulated as they used to be, leading to an imbalance which creates a rise in PH and kills off the good bacteria. In order to prevent a hormonal imbalance, you can take over-the-counter probiotics with around 30 million cultures. Refrigerated probiotics will help you maintain a healthy gut and keep your microbiomes in check.

When your body goes through sepsis once, you become more prone to infection as your immune system can become weaker. According to Sepsis Alliance, almost 20% of women who have a UTI will go on to have a second, so if you think you might have a UTI, it’s best to get checked out by your provider as soon as possible.

Making sure to hydrate regularly, practice good hygiene and pay attention to any unusual symptoms down there, will make it easier to get a UTI treated effectively and minimize the chances of it turning into a larger issue like sepsis.

Have you experienced a UTI? Was your provider able to diagnose it early on? What do you do to prevent UTIs after 60? Please share below.  

Now that we’re knee-deep in summer, one part of your beauty routine is probably pretty high up on your list: your high-visibility hair removal approach. You’ve likely asked yourself, “Should I shave? Wax? Laser off all that pesky hair in my bikini line, underarms and legs?!” If so, welcome to Hair Removal 101.

We all know that keeping our bodies hairless in all the right places isn’t always smooth sailing — all hair removal methods, whether it’s waxing, shaving, or laser has the potential for issues like nicks, bumps, ingrown hairs, and…general discomfort. Let’s take a cursory look at the multitude of removal options, and with them, the different levels of pain, commitment, expense, convenience and perhaps most importantly, longevity.

And as always, remember that how much hair you remove, if at all, is up to you and there’s nothing dirty or unsightly about body hair. It’s normal! It’s natural! So, you do you always. But if you do decide to jump into hair removal, these tips will help.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Completely Bare and Bella Verde are STYLECASTER sponsors, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

BELLA VERDE.

Waxing

How It Works: Hot (but not too hot!) wax is applied to the desired area and removed in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling hairs out from the root.
Best For: Legs, underarms, and bikini areas, and great for those with coarse, darker hair that tends to be stubborn.
Pros: Temporarily removes hair at the root for an average of three weeks of smooth skin, which can range from two to six weeks depending on your hair type and thickness.
Cons: Waxing requires some regrowth in order to be effective, as the wax needs at least a quarter-inch of stubble to adhere to. Treatments can be moderately painful, as hair is indeed being ripped out at the root, but it becomes more tolerable over time. Waxing can also result in ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Anywhere from $15-80 for salon waxing, depending on areas waxed and your salon of choice. Or, you can go for at-home options, such as Bella Verde’s Wax Warmer Home Waxing Kit.
Tips: “Don’t drink and wax,” warns Noemi Grupenmager, founder and CEO of Uni K Wax Centers. “Some people come in after consuming alcohol thinking it’ll ease the pain, but alcohol tightens pores, making it much more painful.” Stimulants, like coffee, can also increase sensitivity, so be sure to remember this if you DIY.

Gillette.

Shaving

How It Works: Shaving removes hair from the skin’s surface by cutting it off with a razor.
Best For: Legs, underarms, and those with lighter, finer hair.
Pros: Inexpensive, painless, quick, and easy; and shaving creams used can help moisturize the skin, keeping it soft.
Cons: Regrowth happens quickly, and because hair is cut off at the surface, regrown hair is blunt, not tapered, so it can appear thicker. Razor burn, nicks, and cuts are possibilities, and those who shave regularly can also become prone to ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Razors and shaving cream can be inexpensively purchased at any grocery or drugstore.
Tips: For those who can’t quit their shaving habit, “growth reduction” products promise to help inhibit hair regrowth, thus reducing the frequency of shaving required.

Completely Bare.

Depilatory Creams

How It Works: Hair removal creams use chemicals to weaken the hair follicle, so you can effectively wipe it away.
Best For: Those who want quick, easy, relatively painless at-home results. Depilatories are most popular for facial hair, bikini lines, and underarms.
Pros: Can be done at home, and removes hair just below the surface of the skin, ensuring slower and less coarse regrowth than shaving.
Cons: Chemicals in these products can irritate sensitive skin, particularly in more delicate areas. These creams are infamous for their odor, and can also lead to ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Around $6-$12 for a tube of cream or spray-on depilatory lotion.
Tips: Choose a cream suited for the specific area you’re treating—and maybe light some scented candles in the bathroom to mask the strong smell most of these products tend to have. A solid option is Completely Bare’s Easy Off Foaming Hair Removal Spray, which comes in an easy-to-apply foam that washes off in the shower.

MiSMON.

Laser Hair Removal

How It Works: Laser penetrates the skin to target the hair shaft and inhibit hair growth. It essentially destroys the follicle, meaning it can achieve permanent removal. Typically, the hair in treated areas falls out within 2-3 weeks.
Best For: People with hair darker than their skin—while professional dermatologists can vary the type of laser used, laser targets the melanin in the hair, so it’s not suited as well for people with dark skin or pale hair. The laser needs to be able to lock on to the dark pigment in order to differentiate the dark hair from the skin.
Pros: Great for long-term hair removal in all areas. “It causes no damage to the dermis, so even the most sensitive skin can be treated,” says New York dermatologist Dr. Ariel Ostad.
Cons: Laser hair removal can be painful, with most people describing it as a “snapping” sensation against the skin, as well as a sensation of heat from the laser. Also, it requires numerous visits to a dermatologist for best results. “It is important to go to a dermatologist who can offer different lasers which are customized to the patient’s skin color and hair color,” says Ostad.
Average Cost: $150 to $500 per treatment, with an average of six sessions recommended, depending on the area being treated. Several cycles of treatment are usually recommended to capture the hair follicles at different stages of the growth cycle. Some people require touch-up treatments to maintain, especially on larger areas.
Tips: While it may seem expensive, in the long run, many consider laser removal to be an investment that can pay off. “It is the most effective and cost-effective treatment, considering how much one can spend over a lifetime with options such as waxing or electrolysis,” says Ostad.

Finishing Touch.

Electrolysis

How It Works: Electrolysis uses a fine, needle-shaped electrode to apply an electrical current to the hair follicle.
Best For: Small areas such as the eyebrows, upper lip, and underarms, as it treats each hair and follicle individually, which is time-consuming and can get expensive.
Pros: Can permanently remove hair and is suitable for very fine and light-colored hair, unlike laser, which works best on darker hair.
Cons: When improperly done, electrolysis can lead to scarring or skin discoloration. Treatments can be uncomfortable and cause a “stinging” or “pricking” sensation, and as with laser hair removal, permanent results require multiple sessions.
Average Cost: Around $25 to $150 an hour.
Tips: Dehydrated follicles can be more difficult to treat, so be sure to drink plenty of water the day before, the day of, and the day after your treatment.

Adobe. Design: Cierra Miller/STYLECASTER.

Now that we’re knee-deep in summer, one part of your beauty routine is probably pretty high up on your list: your high-visibility hair removal approach. You’ve likely asked yourself, “Should I shave? Wax? Laser off all that pesky hair in my bikini line, underarms and legs?!” If so, welcome to Hair Removal 101.

We all know that keeping our bodies hairless in all the right places isn’t always smooth sailing — all hair removal methods, whether it’s waxing, shaving, or laser has the potential for issues like nicks, bumps, ingrown hairs, and…general discomfort. Let’s take a cursory look at the multitude of removal options, and with them, the different levels of pain, commitment, expense, convenience and perhaps most importantly, longevity.

And as always, remember that how much hair you remove, if at all, is up to you and there’s nothing dirty or unsightly about body hair. It’s normal! It’s natural! So, you do you always. But if you do decide to jump into hair removal, these tips will help.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Completely Bare and Bella Verde are STYLECASTER sponsors, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

BELLA VERDE.

Waxing

How It Works: Hot (but not too hot!) wax is applied to the desired area and removed in the opposite direction of the hair growth, pulling hairs out from the root.
Best For: Legs, underarms, and bikini areas, and great for those with coarse, darker hair that tends to be stubborn.
Pros: Temporarily removes hair at the root for an average of three weeks of smooth skin, which can range from two to six weeks depending on your hair type and thickness.
Cons: Waxing requires some regrowth in order to be effective, as the wax needs at least a quarter-inch of stubble to adhere to. Treatments can be moderately painful, as hair is indeed being ripped out at the root, but it becomes more tolerable over time. Waxing can also result in ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Anywhere from $15-80 for salon waxing, depending on areas waxed and your salon of choice. Or, you can go for at-home options, such as Bella Verde’s Wax Warmer Home Waxing Kit.
Tips: “Don’t drink and wax,” warns Noemi Grupenmager, founder and CEO of Uni K Wax Centers. “Some people come in after consuming alcohol thinking it’ll ease the pain, but alcohol tightens pores, making it much more painful.” Stimulants, like coffee, can also increase sensitivity, so be sure to remember this if you DIY.

Gillette.

Shaving

How It Works: Shaving removes hair from the skin’s surface by cutting it off with a razor.
Best For: Legs, underarms, and those with lighter, finer hair.
Pros: Inexpensive, painless, quick, and easy; and shaving creams used can help moisturize the skin, keeping it soft.
Cons: Regrowth happens quickly, and because hair is cut off at the surface, regrown hair is blunt, not tapered, so it can appear thicker. Razor burn, nicks, and cuts are possibilities, and those who shave regularly can also become prone to ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Razors and shaving cream can be inexpensively purchased at any grocery or drugstore.
Tips: For those who can’t quit their shaving habit, “growth reduction” products promise to help inhibit hair regrowth, thus reducing the frequency of shaving required.

Completely Bare.

Depilatory Creams

How It Works: Hair removal creams use chemicals to weaken the hair follicle, so you can effectively wipe it away.
Best For: Those who want quick, easy, relatively painless at-home results. Depilatories are most popular for facial hair, bikini lines, and underarms.
Pros: Can be done at home, and removes hair just below the surface of the skin, ensuring slower and less coarse regrowth than shaving.
Cons: Chemicals in these products can irritate sensitive skin, particularly in more delicate areas. These creams are infamous for their odor, and can also lead to ingrown hairs.
Average Cost: Around $6-$12 for a tube of cream or spray-on depilatory lotion.
Tips: Choose a cream suited for the specific area you’re treating—and maybe light some scented candles in the bathroom to mask the strong smell most of these products tend to have. A solid option is Completely Bare’s Easy Off Foaming Hair Removal Spray, which comes in an easy-to-apply foam that washes off in the shower.

MiSMON.

Laser Hair Removal

How It Works: Laser penetrates the skin to target the hair shaft and inhibit hair growth. It essentially destroys the follicle, meaning it can achieve permanent removal. Typically, the hair in treated areas falls out within 2-3 weeks.
Best For: People with hair darker than their skin—while professional dermatologists can vary the type of laser used, laser targets the melanin in the hair, so it’s not suited as well for people with dark skin or pale hair. The laser needs to be able to lock on to the dark pigment in order to differentiate the dark hair from the skin.
Pros: Great for long-term hair removal in all areas. “It causes no damage to the dermis, so even the most sensitive skin can be treated,” says New York dermatologist Dr. Ariel Ostad.
Cons: Laser hair removal can be painful, with most people describing it as a “snapping” sensation against the skin, as well as a sensation of heat from the laser. Also, it requires numerous visits to a dermatologist for best results. “It is important to go to a dermatologist who can offer different lasers which are customized to the patient’s skin color and hair color,” says Ostad.
Average Cost: $150 to $500 per treatment, with an average of six sessions recommended, depending on the area being treated. Several cycles of treatment are usually recommended to capture the hair follicles at different stages of the growth cycle. Some people require touch-up treatments to maintain, especially on larger areas.
Tips: While it may seem expensive, in the long run, many consider laser removal to be an investment that can pay off. “It is the most effective and cost-effective treatment, considering how much one can spend over a lifetime with options such as waxing or electrolysis,” says Ostad.

Finishing Touch.

Electrolysis

How It Works: Electrolysis uses a fine, needle-shaped electrode to apply an electrical current to the hair follicle.
Best For: Small areas such as the eyebrows, upper lip, and underarms, as it treats each hair and follicle individually, which is time-consuming and can get expensive.
Pros: Can permanently remove hair and is suitable for very fine and light-colored hair, unlike laser, which works best on darker hair.
Cons: When improperly done, electrolysis can lead to scarring or skin discoloration. Treatments can be uncomfortable and cause a “stinging” or “pricking” sensation, and as with laser hair removal, permanent results require multiple sessions.
Average Cost: Around $25 to $150 an hour.
Tips: Dehydrated follicles can be more difficult to treat, so be sure to drink plenty of water the day before, the day of, and the day after your treatment.

Adobe. Design: Cierra Miller/STYLECASTER.