While it’s completely normal to have hair on the breast and nipple area, if you don’t want it sticking around, there are steps you can take to temporarily remove breast hair at home. Wondering how to get rid of nipple hair and feeling totally confused? We’ve got you.
To provide a clear picture of how to do so safely, we asked the experts for the low-down on the best at-home hair removal methods for removing breast hair, from waxing and plucking to hair removal creams and even at-home IPL treatments.
Meet the experts on removing breast hair
- Dr. Raj Arora is an aesthetic doctor and the founder of The Face Bible, who also works with Swedish skin-tech brand FOREO.
- Dr. Hana Patel is a London-based doctor, specializing in women’s health, menopause, and mental health.
Your guide to removing nipple and breast hair
Is it normal to have hair around the nipple?
If you have noticed hair in the nipple area, rest assured that it’s totally normal. Many women have hair in this area and it’s often nothing to be concerned about.
However, Dr. Patel notes that although it’s common, it can be upsetting for women to find hair on their breasts. “The amount of hair on the nipples varies, but some women find that the hair becomes long, coarse, and dark, which can be distressing.” Dr. Arora points out that changes in hair growth around the nipple area are often down to hormonal changes, too.
Is it OK to remove nipple hair?
Even though it’s normal to have hair in the nipple area, Dr. Arora tells us there’s no particular purpose for it. “It comes from an evolutionary need whereby bodily hair was important to regulate body temperature, but there’s no particular purpose for nipple hair now,” she says.
If the hair on your chest is getting you down, and you’re wondering how to remove breast hair—it is totally safe to do so. However, you should carefully consider the method you use. As Dr. Patel explains: "Removing nipple hair is generally considered safe; some methods, such as tweezing, waxing, or shaving, can be uncomfortable. In addition, these methods can also increase the chances of ingrown hairs or infection, both of which can be painful.” Noted!
Dr. Arora points out that it’s also super important to make sure you avoid irritating the delicate skin around the nipple area, no matter what method you use to remove breast hair.
What is the best way to remove nipple and breast hair?
Wondering which hair removal is best for this area? There are several options, each with its own benefits and downsides.
- Wax: You can remove hair on the breast or chest area with a sugar wax, hot wax, or wax strips. Some people find sugar wax is more suitable for sensitive skin because it doesn’t stick to the top of the skin’s surface and has exfoliating properties.
- Depilatory cream: Hair removal creams are a pain-free, speedy way to remove hair. They work by breaking down the protein of the hair—AKA keratin—causing it to dissolve and the hair to fall out. It’s a short-term fix, as the hair often grows back in a few days, but if you’re in a rush, it’s failsafe.
- Tweeze: Plucking individual hair from the breast area is a quick way to remove one or two spare hairs, however, as with all methods, you should be extra careful around the nipple area.
- Laser or IPL: A more long-term hair removal solution, laser treatments and IPL use light to heat up hair follicles and stunt re-growth. It’s low-maintenance, and although expensive, results may last longer than other hair removal options. You can have this done professionally, or use an at-home laser or IPL hair removal tool, although extra care is needed here. “Laser hair removal may be a better option to treat hair around the nipples but due to pigment in the nipple it is important not to use laser or IPL hair removal devices on the nipple area as if it hits pigment it can cause skin burns,” explains Dr. Arora. In this case, if you need to remove hair on the nipple area, it’s best to consult a professional.
- Electrolysis: This is a permanent hair removal technique that is done professionally. It may be more painful than other hair removal techniques. Dr. Patel explains: “This is where an electric current is used to stop your hair growing.” As it destroys hair follicles, hair can’t grow back.
Can nipple hair be a sign of a health condition?
You may find nipple hairs annoying, but the good news is that one or two hairs in the breast area are often not a cause for concern. “They usually aren’t a sign of any underlying health issues,” Dr. Patel tells us. However, she does note that sometimes excessive hair growth can be a sign of PCOS.
“This is where your body has elevated levels of testosterone. This can cause excessive hair growth in areas usually associated with male hair growth patterns, such as the chin, breasts, stomach, and thighs." If you’re concerned about any hair growth, always check in with your doctor before removing.
Can I stop nipple hair growing back?
Sadly, unless you opt for a professional (and expensive) method like electrolysis, it’s impossible to stop nipple and breast hair growing back, and at-home hair removal techniques aren't a permanent solution.
There are lots of factors that will determine how quickly your hair grows back, from the method you use to genetics and hormone levels. “Even with longer-term hair removal treatments like laser hair removal, it’s important to understand that permanent hair removal is not achievable in most people,” explains Dr. Arora. “Laser hair removal will lead to permanent hair reduction, but from time to time things like hormonal changes can lead to some re-growth of hair.”
The best nipple and breast hair removal methods, as tested by a health & beauty expert
Our testing process
- Method: I tested a range of at-home hair removal methods on the chest and breast area to bring you this edit, from hair removal creams to waxing kits and even at-home laser hair removal.
- Time: I considered how long it took to do each method (and if it was a fail-safe for those who are time-poor) and how long the results lasted.
- Ease: Of course, when it comes to hair removal it’s unlikely to be pain-free, so instead I considered how easy it was to do each method.
As a health and wellbeing editor, I’ve tested my fair share of products over the years—from sex toys and sleep aids to fitness watches and nose hair removal techniques—all in the name of bringing you the best of the best. I’m not afraid to try something new, especially in the hair removal department. And, while my preference for removing one or two hairs on the breast or nipple area would be plucking, I’ve also tried waxing, in-shower hair removal cream and laser to bring you this edit.
MEET THE TESTER
Ciara McGinley, Freelance journalist and health & wellbeing expert
As a health and wellbeing editor, I’ve tested my fair share of products over the years—from sex toys and sleep aids to fitness watches and nose hair removal techniques—all in the name of bringing you the best of the best.
I’m not afraid to try something new, especially in the hair removal department. And, while my preference for removing one or two hairs on the breast or nipple area would be plucking, I’ve also tried waxing, in-shower hair removal cream and IPL to bring you this edit.
The best at-home nipple and breast hair removal methods
WooWoo’s in-shower hair removal cream is a quick-and-easy way to remove chest hair. It works by breaking down the keratin of the hair on the surface of the skin, encouraging it to fall away. It’s a pain-free waxing alternative, and the vegan-friendly formula is enriched with soothing Aloe Vera and softening Jojoba Oil, so it’s a great option for sensitive skin.
Apply the cream before showering, and wait a few minutes before getting into the shower. WooWoo suggests allowing the cream to settle for three minutes before massaging it into the skin in a firm, circular motion. This then encourages the hair to fall away for smooth results. I found that it needed to sit a little longer than three minutes, especially on coarse, stubborn hairs.
I loved how easy this product was to use, it fit seamlessly into my daily beauty routine and I used it on other areas of the body as well, although it’s worth noting it’s a short-term solution and hair does grow back in a day or two.
My go-to tweezers for grooming, Tweezerman is an award winner for a reason. The brand’s Slant Tweezer features a slanted end that makes it easy to grab small, fine hairs and remove swiftly with a firm and quick pluck. Available in pink and black, this sleek design is perfect for those who are always on-the-go and need to travel light with a multi-tasking grooming product
If you have one or two hairs around the nipple area, plucking with tweezers is a quick and easy, mess-free, no-fuss method. However, if you’re dealing with more than a couple of hairs, you might want to consider another method as plucking more than just a few thin hairs can be rather painful.
At-home laser hair removal or IPL hair removal is quite the investment, but if you’re looking for a low-maintenance, more long-term hair removal solution then it could be worth saving. The Peach 2 from popular Swedish brand FOREO is a sleek at-home hair removal device that can be used to remove hair in the breast and chest area. However, you should always cover the nipple area when using this device to avoid burning the skin.
I first tried out this device on my leg hair with a hefty application of cooling gel. With five intensities and two modes, it’s easy-to-use, pain-free and can be used on larger or smaller areas of the body. However, unfortunately the Peach 2 isn’t suitable for all skin tones and hair types as it could cause burning or scarring.
The device works by using Intense Pulsed Light and T-Sonic pulsations to target hair follicles and stunt re-growth. I’m still in the early stages of testing, as the brand recommends 12 weeks of continued use for the best results, but already my skin feels smooth and I’m eager to see the final outcome.
Best of all, the brand has estimated that at-home hair removal treatments save around 72 days (1,728 hours) of shaving over a lifetime—I’m sold!
Waxing strips are my least favorite hair removal product—anyone else? I struggle to hype myself up to remove the strips, knowing just how much my pale, sensitive skin will tingle. But, in the name of testing a variety of methods to bring you the best products to remove chest hair, I put Estrid’s Vegan Wax Strips to the test. First off, I should note that the brand says these strips are created for use on the face and shouldn’t be used on intimate areas, under the arms or on the head. I stayed away from the nipple area when trying these strips, and focused just on removing hair from the chest area, instead.
Estrid’s wax strips are dermatologist-tested and formulated with lots of vegan-friendly, hydrating ingredients—think aloe, squalene, sweet almond oil and castor seed oil. The kit comes with 20 wax strips and six post-wax wipes to reduce irritation and boost hydration. The strips are easy-to-use, mess-free and work on super-short hairs (even those measuring 2mm, according to the brand). Once I managed to work up the courage to rip the strip, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Light hairs on my chest were gone and my skin felt silky-smooth. The strips aren’t quite pain-free, but the post-wax wipe did wonders for tingling skin and made the experience more pleasant (read: tolerable).
I discovered skincare specialist Sarah Louisa when looking for hacks to treat ingrown hairs. After supporting thousands of clients with ingrown hair removal and prevention methods, Sarah created the Ingrown Hair Tweezers for easy at-home grooming. While I love my Tweezerman Slant Tweezers, they aren’t suitable for ingrown hair removal, so I was intrigued by Sarah’s design. Her Ingrown Hair Tweezers feature a hook to fit open hair follicles and promise not to damage the surrounding skin (which can lead to infection). I had an ingrown hair on my face, and used the Ingrown Hair Tweezers to carefully coax the hair out from the root with ease before removing it completely.
While you should avoid plucking ingrown hairs from the nipple area, for hair on the chest or around the breast, I recommend trying this product. If you meet too much resistance and just can’t quite get the hair out, seek care from a specialist to avoid damaging the skin or causing scarring. Note: you should always begin the ingrown hair removal process with a hot compress to avoid infection and finish with a cool compress.
-
I am blush *obsessed* and this easy multi-use pick always gets me complimentsAs a self-proclaimed blush connoisseur, I swear by ILIA's cheek and lip stick and hopefully, when my work is done, you will too.
-
Emma Chamberlain just debuted the ultimate sexy chic updo—and the wispy look is perfect for fallIf you've been looking for a new, signature hair look for fall, Emma Chamberlain may have just come *through* for you...
