While shaving is a common method of removing leg hair, many people are tired of the routine. Shaving can lead to cuts, ingrown hairs and itchiness caused by skin irritation. The worst thing about shaving, however, is that it needs to be done frequently — shaving only removes the hair follicle, leaving the root free to continue growing. Shaving your legs every few days can quickly become a hassle.

Thankfully, there are several ways you can remove hair from your legs without having to use a razor. All of them are more permanent than shaving. To help you make the best choice, read on to learn more about four common methods of removing leg hair.

1. Epilation

Mechanical epilation was a popular hair removal treatment in the 70s, and it's slowly coming back into fashion. The head of an epilator contains numerous small tweezers and constantly open and close when the device is running. The tweezers pluck hair from the skin, removing both the hair follicle and its root. The number of tweezers on the head of the epilator allows it to quickly remove hair over large areas, making it very suitable for leg hair removal.

The downside of using an epilator to remove leg hair is that it can be painful. The tweezers sometimes pinch the skin while they're removing hair. However, they can be used at home and the results are long-lasting — since both the follicle and the root are plucked out of the skin, hair requires weeks to regrow.

2. Waxing

Waxing is a very popular method of hair removal, especially on the legs. Warm wax strips are applied to the skin, and the wax slowly solidifies and traps the hair follicles inside it. When the wax strips are pulled off, the hair follicles and roots are removed along with it. While many people go to a spa to have their legs waxed, you can also remove hair yourself using at-home waxing kits — this makes it a convenient hair removal treatment as well. Waxing typically lasts for a few weeks before it needs to be performed again in order to remove new hair growth.

Like epilation, the main downside of waxing is the fact that it can be painful. Infection is also a concern when you're waxing your legs, as the wax strips can remove a small amount of skin along with the hair. This can cause breaks in your skin, which will allow bacteria and viruses to enter your body.

3. Electrolysis

Waxing and epilation remove hair, but electrolysis works in a different way. When you receive a hair removal treatment using electrolysis, a tiny needle is used to send electric current directly into your hair follicles. The electric current causes significant damage to the hair follicles, which prevents them from being able to grow new hair.

Since electrolysis causes damage to the hair follicles themselves rather than simply removing hair, it's a permanent hair removal treatment. The downside of using electrolysis to remove leg hair is that the process is quite slow — the electric current can only be applied to one hair at a time. It typically requires numerous appointments with an electrolysis professional to fully prevent new leg hair growth, and the appointments can be expensive.

4. Laser Hair Removal

Like electrolysis, laser hair removal is a permanent form of hair removal. Instead of using an electric current, laser hair removal treatment uses a small, high-energy laser to cause damage to hair follicles. However, laser hair removal treatment can operate on several hairs at a time. This means that it's a much quicker method of hair removal than electrolysis, making it more suited for leg hair removal.

How can you tell which hair removal treatment is best for you? Epilation and waxing are significantly less expensive, but they're both often painful and they need to be repeated every few weeks. If the reason why you're tired of shaving is that you never want to deal with your leg hair again, you'll need to select either electrolysis or laser hair removal. Of the two, laser hair removal is a better option to use on your legs — the procedure is better for removing hair from large areas of your body compared to electrolysis.

Regardless of whether you choose electrolysis or laser hair removal, they both need to be performed by professionals — if you're interested in more information, schedule an appointment with a hair removal treatments clinic in your area.