10 Best Hair Removal Creams to Get Smooth Skin, According to Beauty Experts

^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Neha Tandon}

As with other facial products and procedures like dermaplaning, Dr. King says that facial hair removal creams should be highly vetted. Since the skin on the face tends to be thinner than the skin on your body, you’ll want to be extra careful when removing hair there. In fact, Dr. King recommends that you first test a face hair removal cream on a more discreet area of your skin to make sure it doesn’t cause any irritation before you choose to use it on your upper lip or sideburns. Susca recommends this as one of the more gentle options available, and Tandon is just as much a big fan of this cream as she is of the brand’s body cream. “Like a lot of my fellow Indian girls, I’m removing hair from my face pretty frequently—sometimes three times a week,” says Tandon. “When I used this, I actually felt like the hair stayed away for longer than when I use a facial razor, and it definitely irritated my skin a lot less than when I get my hair removed with threading and leave with redness.” She says it feels soothing on the face too.

• Key Ingredients: Shea butter
• Size: 1.3 oz.
• Pros: Comes with calming serum, safe for sensitive skin, formula is dermatologist-tested, pleasant floral scent, comes with spatula
• Cons: Not the most effective on coarse hair

Trust that this isn’t the same Nair hair removal cream you may have experimented with in your teen years. The formula has gone through many iterations and this one in particular has been specifically crafted for the bikini line. One of our testers, Nikita Agarwal, says that she came to this product after moving to a warmer country where she frequently finds herself in bathing suits. Frequent shaving and waxing was leaving her bikini line red and irritated, but this is easier to use, pain-free, and doesn’t leave behind any pesky bumps. “It gives my skin a smooth feel, and it doesn’t have a bad smell, either, like some of the other at-home hair removal lotions I’ve tried in the past.” It contains green tea to help reduce redness and irritation while sunflower seed oil hydrates the skin while helping it to retain moisture. It comes in a small, travel-friendly tube, so you’ll have an easy time bringing it on your next beach vacation with you, too.

• Key Ingredients: Green tea, sunflower seed oil
• Size: 1.7 oz.
• Pros: Pleasant floral scent, affordable, safe for sensitive skin, includes anti-inflammatory green tea
• Cons: Not the most effective on coarse hair

Those with coarse hair tend to have a hard time finding a hair removal cream that actually dissolves their hair and eliminates the need for a shave afterward. That’s why we appreciate this Meltoway cream, which features a more potent formula. It makes a great pick for the bikini line, and the positive reviews are filled with men who like to use this on their entire body too. Despite the budget-friendly price, it also has a lot of superstar skin care ingredients: glycerin, kaolin, and chamomile flower extract to hydrate, exfoliate, and calm the skin at the same time. It comes in three fun scents, too, and we love that it’ll look cute in your shower.

• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, kaolin, chamomile flower extract
• Size: 6.7 oz.
• Pros: Pleasant scent with fragrance options, contains skin exfoliating and calming ingredients, many happy reviewers identify as males with coarse hair, comes in three fun fragrance options
• Cons: Not ideal for sensitive skin or the face

An oldie but a goodie, both Susca and King are fans of this Veet formulation. King loves that it contains aloe vera and vitamin E to soothe and moisturize skin, while Susca appreciates the anti-inflammatory formula. It has thousands of glowing reviews, with people appreciating how the unique gel-cream formula feels on the skin, including people with sensitive skin. Yes, this does have a slight chemical odor that is off-putting for some, but others don’t seem to notice it at all. Given the low price tag, the expert-loved cream is definitely worth a try.

• Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, aloe vera
• Size: 6.8
• Pros: Gel-cream formula feels soothing on the skin, recommended by a dermatologist, safe for use on sensitive skin
• Cons: Light chemical scent may be off-putting for some

A lot of hair removal creams come with a spatula so you don’t have to worry about getting too much product on your hands, but if you want to eliminate that need entirely, you can come to this foam by Nature Nation. The low-mess formula only needs to be left on the skin for five minutes, so you can easily put this on before stepping into the shower. By the time you’re ready to shampoo, you’ll be ready to wash this off and be hair-free. Since you won’t need any extra tools like a spatula, you can easily throw it in your gym bag (no shaving cream required!) too. Just know that some people find the scent a bit off-putting, so you may want to crack a window or leave your shower door open while using this.

• Key Ingredients: Aloe vera
• Size: 7.2 oz.
• Pros: Spray foam method makes this easy to use, works quickly, safe for use on sensitive skin
• Cons: Has a fairly strong scent that some find off-putting

This Glee cream contains a myriad of hydrating ingredients, so it’s no surprise that Dr. King recommends it to her clients with dry skin. Made with sunflower seed oil, camellia leaf extract, and rosemary leaf extract, Dr. King likes that this soothes skin while moisturizing it. It even features a fruity melon scent that reviewers are fans of. Better yet? You’ll only need to leave this on for three to five minutes, so it works super quickly. Just know that this is more effective on longer hair.

• Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, camellia leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract
• Size: 6.8 oz.
• Pros: Recommended and tested by a dermatologist, has a pleasant melon scent, comes with spatula
• Cons: Won’t work as well on shorter hair

Dr. King is a big fan of Nair. She appreciates its use of oils to moisturize the skin, and this is especially beneficial when you’re using a product in the shower. Nair’s in-shower cream does contain argan oil, but it also includes urea—a humectant that helps lock moisture in the skin. Instead of rubbing this off your skin, you’ll simply stand under the shower and let the hair wash off you. Reviewers love the way it leaves their underarms looking extra smooth.

• Key Ingredients: Urea, argan oil, orange extract
• Size: 12 oz.
• Pros: Easy to use in the shower, safe for use on sensitive skin, contains argan oil for dry skin
• Cons: Some find the scent off-putting

^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Neha Tandon}

Susca recommends Woo Woo’s cream to her clients who are about to go on a photoshoot, because they shouldn’t risk razor burn. This is a great option for sensitive skin as it’s fragrance-free and made with moisturizing jojoba oil and aloe vera, she says. In fact, she even recommends this for use on the face because of how gentle the formula is. What’s more is that people rarely complain about the scent of this product, which is practically unheard of with a hair removal cream. Glamour tester Archita Patel loves how this hydrating formula feels too. “It was actually an enjoyable experience to use it on my leg hair,” she says. “I was nervous because I’ve been literally burned by hair removal creams in the past, but this was actually super soothing and felt really nice. It’s a great hair removal option.” If that’s not enough, it even comes with a soothing balm and spatula.

• Key Ingredients: Urea, aloe leaf extract, jojoba seed oil
• Size: 6.8 oz.
• Pros: Pleasant floral scent, comes with a soothing balm and spatula, available in multiple size options, contains hydrating and soothing ingredients
• Cons: