Understanding the True Costs of Different Hair Removal Methods

If you’re curious if investing in permanent hair removal is really worth the cost, we’ve crunched the numbers and have some very interesting data to show you about the real costs of the different types of hair removal treatments.

The appeal of permanent hair removal is pretty easy to understand. You always have the beautifully smooth, hair-free skin you want without ever having to worry about stubble, nicks or cuts, razor burn, painful waxing strips, or messy depilatory creams. However, do these benefits of permanent hair removal really outweigh the cost? After all, razors and waxing kits are a lot cheaper than a permanent hair removal treatment. Or are they?

The truth is, the costs of different hair removal treatments look a lot different when you actually crunch some numbers and look at things over the long term. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about doing the research or calculations for this, because we’ve already done it for you! For this article, we’ve pulled together a collection of sample data to run the numbers and show you exactly how the costs of some of the most popular hair removal methods really stack up against each other.

However, before we get into the data, let’s take a moment to consider the different hair removal methods we selected for this comparison, and why they are so popular.

Temporary or Permanent – Which Makes the Most Sense?

All hair removal methods can be grouped into one of two self-explanatory categories; temporary and permanent. With a temporary solution, such as waxing or shaving, the hair will inevitably come back and need to be removed again and again in order to maintain the desired appearance and feel of the skin. Permanent solutions, such as laser or IPL hair removal, prevent the hair from ever growing back again and keeps the skin smooth and hair-free.

People choose different hair removal methods for a wide range of reasons, such as cost, comfort, treatment duration, and simplicity. As such, each method has a different combination of these factors. For example, shaving is a very fast and inexpensive way of dealing with unwanted hair, but hair grows back in a very short period of time. Waxing, while providing a longer duration between treatments compared to shaving, can be uncomfortable or even painful for some people, and the cost of professional waxing can be high. Permanent hair removal treatments, such as those that use light-energy to remove hair, generally cost a little more up front but have the major benefit of stopping the hair from growing back ever again.

When selecting a hair removal method, it’s wise to consider multiple different criteria such as ease of use, permanence, comfort, and convenience, in addition to cost, in order to figure out which one really is the best choice for you. Let’s take a look at four very common and popular methods of hair removal, and how the costs and benefits compare to each other.

Estimated Costs of Shaving

Shaving is usually the first type of hair removal that we learn about and use as we enter that stage of our lives. It’s easy to see why, too. It costs very little to purchase the things you need, and you can do it yourself in the comfort of your own bathroom. While it certainly does have some well-known downsides, such as rapid regrowth of stubble, and the potential for nicks, cuts, scrapes, razor burn, and irritation, most people overlook these aspects in favor of the overall convenience shaving offers.

However, the long-term costs of shaving show that the dollar value associated with this approach can end up a lot higher than most people would assume. Using some typical averages related to shaving, we can illustrate this using real-world examples.

Assuming an average person keeps up with their hair removal regularly throughout the year to maintain a smooth feel on their legs, they likely would need to shave about every other day. This equals about 180 shaves throughout the course of a year. Using a popular multi-blade razor from one of the most well-known manufacturers as reference, we can assume the cost of the razor is about $20, with a pack of 8 replacement blades costing about $15. Using the manufacturer’s recommended interval for changing blades to maintain optimum performance, the blades would be changed once every 2-3 weeks, resulting in two packs (16 blades total) to be used over the course of a year. In addition, a popular brand of shaving gel costs about $5 for a can, which lasts about a month on average.

Here’s how the estimated cost of shaving for one year breaks down:

• Razor: $20 (one-time purchase)
• Replacement Blades: $30
• Shave Gel: $60
• Total: $110 / year

Using these ballpark numbers, we can see that the cost of shaving over just a 5 year period can be approximately $470. Extend that to a 10 year period, and factor in that at least once during that period you may choose to buy a new $20 razor, and the cost looks more like $940. All of a sudden, shaving doesn’t look much like a ‘cheap’ or ‘affordable’ method anymore, does it?

Estimated Costs of Waxing

Using some general statistics on waxing costs and timing intervals, we figured that in order to maintain the desired appearance on the legs, most people would need to wax at intervals between 3 and 6 weeks. These numbers equate to between 8 to 17 waxing treatments per year. This is actually a pretty big range, so we’re going to crunch both sets of numbers to show the low end and the high-end for reference, as well as compare at-home waxing kits with typical salon waxing treatments.

At-home waxing kits come in a variety of sizes and types, but they generally range from $10 to $50. For this calculation, we’re going to safely assume that one kit is sufficient to fully wax both legs one time. Similarly, we’re also going to use a typical salon full-leg waxing treatment, which comes in at around $75, to compare the cost of getting your waxing treatments done professionally.

Here’s how the estimated costs of waxing come out over the course of one year:

• $10 At-home Waxing Kits

o   At 6 week intervals: $80

o   At 3 week intervals: $170

• $50 At-home Waxing Kits

o   At 6 week intervals: $400

o   At 3 week intervals: $850

• $75 Salon Full-Leg Waxing Treatments

o   At 6 week intervals: $600

o   At 3 week intervals: $1275

Things get expensive fast, don’t they? Stretch these costs out over 5 years and you see the costs rise to $400 for the $10 at-home kits at 6 week intervals, to as much as $6,375 for salon treatments at 3 week intervals. Looking further down the road to the 10 year mark, and you get $800 in costs for the $10 at-home waxing kits at 6 week intervals, all the way up to $12,750 for salon waxing treatments at 3 week intervals. It’s incredible how high the costs can add up over time when you have to keep doing the same treatment over and over and over again.

Estimated Costs of Laser Treatments

Calculating the costs of permanent hair removal treatments like laser or IPL is much simpler, since they really can be looked at as a one-time investment. Even though the treatments themselves are spread out over several months, once the permanent results are achieved, there are no additional costs related to them. For this reason, we’ll be comparing the total cost of permanent hair removal on the legs to the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year costs of the temporary solutions we discussed earlier.

Laser hair removal on the legs is a common procedure, which makes it quite easy to get an even benchmark cost for this method to compare to the full leg waxing numbers we calculated previously. In general, full-leg laser hair removal treatments can range from about $750 to $1000.

It’s important to note that it is recommended that the person continue to shave the legs prior to the laser treatment sessions in order to obtain the best results from each one. However, once the permanent results are achieved after the typical treatment cycle of approximately 12 months, shaving will no longer be required. For this reason, we are adding 1 year of shaving costs, as calculated in the shaving section to be about $110, to the total cost of laser hair removal to have a fair comparison.

Here’s how laser hair removal costs look, including the temporary cost of maintenance shaving:

• Low-End of Laser Hair Removal Treatment on the Legs: $860
• High-End of Laser Hair Removal Treatment on the Legs: $1110

Already you can see that the cost savings potential of permanent hair removal can be very significant. But we’re not done yet! Let’s take a look at how Silk’n IPL hair removal technology stacks up against all these other methods.

The Silk’n Infinity At-Home IPL Hair Removal Device

The Silk’n Infinity at-home hair removal device is unique in that it offers the same type of permanent hair removal results that laser hair removal does, but allows you to perform the treatments yourself, at any time, right in the comfort of your own home. This means that you don’t need to worry about scheduling time-consuming salon appointments, which is certainly a benefit worth noting. There are many other advantages that IPL technology offers over lasers, so for a complete review of how these two methods work, we recommend you visit this article which compares IPL and laser hair removal and reveals their differences.

The Silk’n Infinity costs approximately $399 (at the time of this writing), and comes complete with everything you need for a lifetime of permanent hair removal treatments. It’s ultra-long-life bulb is capable of generating over 400,000 light pulses, which means it never needs to be replaced. The only other factor to consider, much like with laser hair removal, is the need for pre-treatment shaving in order to obtain the best possible results. For this reason, we will add the 1-year shaving cost to these numbers as well for a fair and even comparison.

Cost of permanent hair removal using the Silk’n Infinity IPL Hair Removal Device:

• Permanent hair removal using at-home IPL device: $509

An impressively small number, isn’t it? Considering the costs associated with all those other methods, which continue to grow and grow even after 5 years or 10 years, choosing permanent hair removal with Silk’n sure makes a lot of financial sense. Plus, when you add in all the other advantages that at-home IPL treatments offer over all the other hair removal methods in terms of convenience, comfort, and permanence, there’s really no questioning which approach is the superior one.

Plus, let’s not forget that you OWN this device, and can use it to treat more than just one area of your body. You can treat your legs, underarms, abdomen, bikini zone, chin, and other areas using the Silk’n Infinity without changing the costs at all. Once you have the Infinity in your hands, you’re holding a lifetime of hair removal treatments that you can perform any time you want.

Head-to-Head Costs of Hair Removal for 5 Years & 10 Years

For quick and easy comparison, here’s a reference chart that stacks all the different methods we discussed against each other directly.

How Much is Your Time Worth?

Before we go, we feel that it’s important that we not dismiss the value of your time. Above and beyond the obvious cost savings that the Silk’n Infinity can provide, think about the fact that you’ll no longer need to spend time shaving, waxing, or booking salon appointments. You’ve just regained countless hours of your life that you can spend doing things that matter to you, and we think that’s priceless.

Take the next step towards a better hair removal experience and get your Silk’n Infinity IPL hair removal device today, and discover the difference it can make in your life

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