Living an eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t have to stop you from looking and feeling your best. Treatments like laser hair removal can help minimize the environmental impact of your grooming routine, while still helping you feel ultra-confident in your skin. Over your lifetime, lasting results from laser can prevent unnecessary landfill waste and energy or water consumption. In this post, we’ll explain why laser hair removal is so eco-friendly, and compare it to other hair removal methods.
A Sustainable Choice for Hair Removal
If you’re unfamiliar with the process, laser hair removal is an FDA-approved hair reduction method with long-term results. Laser works by deactivating the hair follicle and preventing hair growth. It’s safe for all body parts, including the bikini area, underarms, legs, face, and more.
It usually takes a series of consistent monthly treatments for the laser to eliminate most hair. Still, once you complete your treatments, you don’t need to worry about hair removal again beyond the occasional touch-ups. This makes it literally one of the most sustainable laser hair removal options!
Eco-Friendly Reasons to Get Laser Hair Removal
By switching to laser hair removal, here are all the ways you can limit your negative impact on the environment:
- Low-waste: Unlike waxing or shaving, laser hair removal generates very little waste. The treatment itself is done with a laser device that doesn’t have disposable components, so the only items usually thrown away after treatment are the sheet on the treatment bed and the provider’s gloves.
- Long-lasting: The results of laser hair removal treatment can last for life with very occasional maintenance sessions – that means that once you complete your treatments, there is hardly any eco-footprint associated with the hair removal aspect of your grooming routine.
- Water usage: Some hair removal methods can be quite a waste of water – especially shaving, which many people do in the shower while the water is running. With laser hair removal, there’s no real water waste associated with the process.
- No harmful chemicals: Laser hair removal (especially with machines that don’t touch the skin) doesn’t require applying any products or chemicals to the skin. After the treatment, you can use eco-friendly aftercare products to nourish and protect your skin. With shaving, on the other hand, propellants often used in shaving cream can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
How Other Hair Removal Methods Impact the Environment
How does laser hair removal compare to other shaving methods, when it comes to sustainability? Here are some considerations:
- Shaving: Shaving is probably the worst hair removal method when it comes to environmental impact. Over a person’s lifetime, disposable plastic razors cause an immense amount of plastic waste and emissions, but cartridges and shaving aids can also be problematic. Shaving can also waste a lot of water, especially for those who shave in the shower.
- Waxing: With waxing, the main issue is the disposable components, such as the waxing strips and sticks. They must be used and thrown out every few weeks for the rest of your life! It’s worth mentioning that most commercial hair removal waxes aren’t made of real beeswax, and often contain synthetic components. When done professionally, there are even more disposable components like treatment bed covers, gloves, cotton pads, and more.
- Sugaring: Like waxing, sugaring can also contribute to waste from disposable strips, especially if it’s done at a salon where other disposables are needed. That said, DIY sugaring at home with reusable strips can reduce waste. Unfortunately, it can be difficult and messy, which makes it difficult for those who want to maintain their smoothness for the rest of their life
- Hair removal creams: While hair removal creams are less wasteful than using razors, their packaging can still ultimately end up in landfills.
- Electrolysis: Like laser, electrolysis is also often recommended for long-term hair removal. Both are great low-waste options, but keep in mind that electrolysis patients need to undergo more treatments and the appointments take a lot longer. That means more overall electricity usage compared to laser hair removal.
When it comes to sustainability, the bottom line is that laser hair removal has the smallest eco-footprint over your lifetime! Shaving is at the bottom of the list, because of the level of waste it generates and the high water usage, while waxing, sugaring, and other methods fall in the middle.
Book at SEV
Let go of shaving and the massive eco-footprint that comes with it. Laser hair removal is an eco-friendly alternative that has long-lasting results. That means less waste and less impact on the environment. The sooner you start, the sooner you can be hair free!
At SEV, we use the most advanced laser technologies so that our clients can achieve their results faster and with fewer sessions, for a lifetime of smoothness. To get started, book an appointment at your nearest SEV.
