Alexander The Great Was A Fan Of Hair Removal

by Judy Hendershot
http://www.linknet-promotions.com

No one is able to accurately pinpoint when the practice of hair removal actually began, but the first known depiction of hair removal dates back to 30,000 BC when men were shown in cave paintings without beards. Generally, it is believed that they used primitive razors made from flint to remove the hair, but because the flint dulled so easily, it often resulted in cuts. During this time, women may have also invented a primitive hair removal cream with harsh substances that usually harm the skin.

By 500 BC, tweezers, pumice stones and depilatories were being used by women and men alike. The first barber shops were also first seen at this time thanks to Alexander the Great who was a huge fan of hair removal. Centuries later, Cleopatra made the sugar hair removal method popular among women. This method was a primitive waxing method that many claimed was only mildly painful.

This was a handy method of hair removal at this time, because women were starting to remove their pubic hair, as it was seen as distasteful. It was a practice that remained popular for centuries and in many different countries worldwide. In fact, some African tribes, brides plucked their pubic hair completely, a long and very excruciating process.

It was the Middle Ages that brought on extreme hair removal, especially among women. It was customary for women to remove all hair, including on the head. Women spent hours shaving and plucking every hair off their body. It was not uncommon for a woman to even pluck out her eyelashes. This was a very painful process.

Razors were still primitive and many people suffered injuries while shaving. In fact, it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that razor safety was first introduced. Jean-Jacques Perret, a French barber wrote "The Art of Learning to Shave Oneself" in 1770. It is the first known attempt at teaching people to safely and effectively shave with minimal damage to their skin. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that razors could actually be considered safe.

Caucasian European women were not generally in the habit of removing their hair, and by the 18th and 19th centuries hair was seen as an asset. This also meant that the women who settled in America did not do it either, and actually, hair removal did not become popular for American women until about the 1920s.

The change in hair removal, for beauty reasons, came when the first truly safe razor was invented by Gillette. When he tried to break into the female market in 1915, he was unsuccessful at first. He started a huge marketing campaign that focused on unsightly and unattractive body hair.

This was reinforced by the change in fashion when women's clothing showed more skin with shorter skirts and sleeveless tops. The change in clothing meant that body hair would be seen, and therefore should be removed. This was reinforced when magazines started promoting the practice of shaving in their beauty sections and their models.

Laser hair removal was first seen in the 1970s, but was not FDA approved until 1995. This change in the removal process provided people with safe hair removal that could be done quickly. It also allowed for permanent hair removal with a few short treatments. It has become the most preferred and effective method of hair removal today, especially for sensitive areas like the bikini area.

Find out more about Chicago laser hair removal. If you desire smooth, hairless skin, visit the specialists at the Lapiel Laser Center.

Article submitted Thursday, May 26, 2011 & read 6 times.

Judy Hendershot is lead writer at Linknet Promotions Inc.

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