# Can I Use Nair On My Beard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386 "2002-03-27T15:53:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/1 "2002-03-27T15:53:52Z")
I don’t like shaving, so I’m trying to find alternatives. What would happen if I used Nair or some similar product on my face? Would it work?? If it did, how frequently would I have to use it??? ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/2 "2002-03-27T16:06:01Z")
I once thought about doing this myself. I never got a full “what if” explanation but the upshot was that the skin on the face was far too sensitive. You’d have a red beard. One of the things I do now is shave in the shower and dont use any shave cream or soap whatsoever. I just drag the damn thing across my face and it’s alot faster. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/3 "2002-03-27T16:20:51Z")
I tried it once on a small test area. It had absolutely no effect on me. I believe that men’s facial hair is just too thick and coarse for it to do any good, since it is meant to work on relatively finer body hair. ---
**Author:** ![Doublemint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doublemint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doublemint)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/4 "2002-03-27T16:54:17Z")
I wouldn’t advise it, baby. A former friend tried it and the Nair burned holes in his face. OUCH. Stuff designed for your legs shouldn’t touch your face. There are products out there for beards though, mostly directed at black men so they can avoid ‘razor bumps’ (whatever those are) or perhaps you can try waxing 😃 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/5 "2002-03-28T00:42:55Z")
YEs, you can. Nair for the face: > **[Walgreens: Pharmacy, Health & Wellness, Photo & More for You](https://www.walgreens.com/)** > > Your go-to for Pharmacy, Health & Wellness and Photo products. Refill prescriptions online, order items for delivery or store pickup, and create Photo Gifts. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/6 "2002-03-28T01:52:26Z")
Use this stuff: [http://www.shavesecret.com/](http://www.shavesecret.com/) It’s **fantastic!** One bottle last the same as an extra can of shaving cream. I’ve seen it at Walmart for $2.59 a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Parameter\_928\_178](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Parameter\_928\_178](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parameter_928_178)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/7 "2002-03-28T14:32:44Z")
Several years ago, having thought about Nair and the stuff made for Black guys, I opted for a **real** solution: I quit shaving. I like my beard, especially when that chilly winter wind blows. You can use a hair-clippers to trim it back to stubble every few months and shampoo it along with the rest of your hair in the meantime. Down with razors, I say, **Surreal**! Start looking like a man and quit shaving off that which the Lord and your parents’ genes put on your face. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@rubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubes)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/8 "2002-03-28T16:15:18Z")
I started shaving my head regularly last year, and tried the epilStop spray, that you spray on and wipe away your hair in minutes. It ended up giving me chemical burns to the side of my head. Now I just shave in the shower. ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/9 "2002-03-28T17:06:08Z")
If my husband stopped shaving, he’d look like a werewolf. :eek: It grows all the way up to his eye sockets. [hijack] What _would_ happen if a man waxed his face? Obviously it would hurt, but would it cause damage? how long would it last? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/10 "2002-03-28T18:04:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by miamouse \* > \*\*What _would_ happen if a man waxed his face? Obviously it would hurt, but would it cause damage? how long would it last? > \*\* I have some experience with this, having attempted to use wax (Nads, to be specific) to remove deceased hairs after facial laser hair removal treatments. Yes, it will hurt. No, it probably won’t cause damage. It might not work that well, either; facial hair is rooted more strongly than most other body hair and does not pull out as easily. If you do succeed in pulling the hair out, it will take four to six weeks for it to grow back. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/11 "2002-03-28T18:34:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Yes, you can. > > Nair for the face: > [http://www.drugstore.com/qxp11031/Nair/Cream\_Hair\_Remover\_with\_Baby\_Oil\_for\_Face.htm](http://www.drugstore.com/qxp11031/Nair/Cream_Hair_Remover_with_Baby_Oil_for_Face.htm) \*\* This is the kind of Nair I tried and as I said before, it had absolutely no effect on me. I’m sure it’s designed for relatively fine hair and it’s just not meant to work on men’s beards. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KellyM \* > \*\*I have some experience with this, having attempted to use wax (Nads, to be specific) to remove deceased hairs after facial laser hair removal treatments. Yes, it will hurt. No, it probably won’t cause damage. It might not work that well, either; facial hair is rooted more strongly than most other body hair and does not pull out as easily. If you do succeed in pulling the hair out, it will take four to six weeks for it to grow back. \*\* I once tried plucking a small test patch of facial hairs to test the feasibility of waxing my face (yes, I hate shaving that much). YMMV but for me, they started growing back about a week to ten days later, and I don’t have a particularly heavy beard (I can usually get away with shaving just every other day). I also determined that waxing would hurt like hell. I was surprised to find how deeply facial hair is rooted, like on the order of 1/8th of an inch. ---
**Author:** ![Parameter\_928\_178](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Parameter\_928\_178](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parameter_928_178)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/12 "2002-04-03T14:58:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by miamouse \* > \*\*If my husband stopped shaving, he’d look like a werewolf. :eek: It grows all the way up to his eye sockets. > > [hijack] > What _would_ happen if a man waxed his face? Obviously it would hurt, but would it cause damage? how long would it last? > [/hijack] \*\* Aiiieeee, **miamouse**. Growing a beard doesn’t mean that you have to stop shaving altogether; you can still shave small areas–and usually get away with every few days, no matter _how_ thick your beard is. Until only a few months ago, I used to shave above a nice-appearing beard-line and all of my neck. I finally decided that a shaven neck was destroying my shirt collars and quit shaving it–trading brutally rough-and-tough stubble for some soft fur. 😉 I, too, **Surreal** , like several other posters, have found that shaving in the shower is the least miserable way to do it–I always use hand soap for lather, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-nair-on-my-beard/100386/13 "2002-04-03T16:22:29Z")
Well I tried Nair on my face a few months ago so I could see if I wouldnt need to shave for a couple of weeks. The stuff stinks and burns. I left it on for the full 10-15 minutes and my hair came off, but it grew back in a few days like nothing had happened. I’ve not tried it since and don’t think that I will want to go back to trying it again. I do remember it burned for a good while after I washed it off as well.