Let’s admit it — hair removal is a pill! And, while every method of doing so comes with its own downsides, I recommend some of the best hair removal creams for people who simply cannot stand to torture their skin with yet another waxing, shaving, or epilating session! With these babies that I recommend, you can at least be sure of one thing — the hair removal won’t be as painful and agonizing as the former alternatives (more on the benefits below)!

Hair removal creams, also known as depilatory creams, comprise a rich, emollient consistency that makes them glide smoothly and evenly on small and large skin areas alike. They typically contain salts or the pure form of thioglycolic acid, which works by weakening the keratin bonds of the hair, which makes them weak enough to get easily scraped off (a study conducted by the Investigative Journal of Dermatology). This helps dissolve pesky body hair in the cream formula while you leave the product on, as a revolutionary method of hair removal. 

In surgical procedures, depilatory creams are extensively used in place of razors for convenient and painless hair removal in certain skin areas. And, while this method may not work for everyone, several researchers and skin experts deem it safe. Now, without further ado, let’s jump into the following product recommendations.

• 1
  Best Overall

  Veet Gel Cream Hair Remover

  Buy on Amazon

For just about 9 dollars, you get a great quantity of this product, which is an incredible deal for your pocket as well as your skin. This hair removal cream has been dermatologist-tested and is labeled safe for sensitive skin. Unlike other cheaply made alternatives, you don’t need too much of this product to get the job done — one thin film of the cream on the targeted skin region can do wonders! Besides, the product works in just about 5 to 8 minutes and delivers smooth, hairless skin. 

Key Ingredients: Urea, vitamin E, and aloe vera

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 13.5 fl. oz

Quick Tip:

If the hair on your skin is very thick, you may want to keep the cream on for 8 minutes instead of the suggested 5 minutes. After scraping the product off with a spatula, take an exfoliating cotton towel, dampen it, and run it over firmly but gently on the skin area to get off any excess hair. Follow this by rinsing and then moisturizing the skin.

2

Best for Scalp Hair Removal

SoftSheen Carson Razorless Extra Strength Cream Shave

Buy on Amazon

This hair-removal cream for the face by SoftSheen Carson is a godsend for men who find razors too harsh for their skin. As this cream-based formula contains the goodness of shea butter, it helps maintain skin’s softness and reduces its dreaded sandpaper-like feel. Within 5-7 minutes, the cream works its way to melt the hair strands — be it in the beard or on the scalp — and the skin comes off clean with a single swipe of a damp cloth. This is one of the best body hair removal creams that is particularly effective for those with coarse beards as the formula helps alleviate skin irritation in the hair removal process. 

Key Ingredients: Shea butter

Skin Type: Not specified

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 6 oz.

3

Best Applicator

Nad’s Facial Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

While I wouldn’t recommend this cream so much for facial skin, it is a good investment and a decent hair removal cream for areas such as the armpits, bikini line, or the pesky growth on the fingers and toes. Formulated with the goodness of sweet almond oil and calendula oil, this cream not only facilitates the hair removal process but also soothes and nourishes the skin (research by the International Journal of Cosmetic Science and Scientia Pharmaceutia). You don’t need a spatula — just a damp cotton towel to scrape this product off after use.

Key Ingredients: Sweet almond oil, calendula oil, and vitamin E

Skin Type: All 

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 0.99 oz.

4

WooWoo Tame It! In-Shower Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

A great pick to remove excess hair from intimate areas, this depilatory cream from WooWoo is dermatologist-tested and mildly scented so that your skin experiences no irritation when using it. To top that, the formulation of this product is clean and free of parabens, mineral oil, or any parching alcohol that can abrade the skin or trigger lesions. With this product, the hair removal process feels less tedious and time-consuming as you walk out of the bathroom as you’ve simply had a longer shower. 

Key Ingredients: Aloe vera and jojoba oil

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 1.7 oz

5

Best for Really Fine Hair

Sally Hansen Hair Remover Kit

Buy on Amazon

Bursting with the goodness of skin-friendly ingredients such as aloe vera and chamomile, this depilatory cream kit by Sally Hansen stirs in nourishing benefits in the icky and tiresome process of hair removal. This product ensures that your skin doesn’t get dehydrated and parched in the process, as it replenishes it with essential moisture. A feature of this product that I truly appreciate is its ability to reduce oxidative damage in the skin, by leveraging the properties of willow herb and pumpkin extracts (research by Molecules and Cosmetics). 

Key Ingredients: Aloe vera, chamomile extract, apricot oil, vitamin E, soluble collagen, saw palmetto, willow herb, and pumpkin seed extract

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 2 oz.

6

Best to Prevent Irritations

Uttes Intimate Area Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

As a cruelty-free product, this depilatory cream does not feel cruel to one’s skin either. It is formulated with nourishing, skin-identical ingredients such as squalene and allantoin that help maintain skin balance and strengthen it to resist any irritation. This makes it a good hair removal cream for private parts in addition to other skin areas. Having used this product, I noticed that it didn’t tingle or burn my skin and left it almost the way it was, just with lesser hair! 

Key Ingredients: Squalene, glycerin, and allantoin

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No information

Quantity: 4.1 oz.

7

Nair Baby Oil Body Cream

Buy on Amazon

A feature about this product that made me immediately add it to my list of recommendations is that it comprises a very lean formulation, free of parching alcohols and harsh chemicals. It contains the goodness of baby oil to quench and soothe the skin, so it doesn't get irritated in the process of hair removal. Cherry on the top — you can count on this gem to soften your skin and improve its appearance, which is the bottom of most hair removal processes.

Key Ingredients: Cocoa butter 

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 9 oz.

8

Best to Restore Skin Health

Epify Sensitive Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

The ingredients infused in this organic hair removal cream are quite impressive as they help balance and restore skin health post melting away pesky body hair. This dermatologist-tested product is formulated with sweet almond oil to nourish the skin. Moreover, this product protects the skin from bacterial infections and oxidative damage. A major product USP is that it takes only about 30 seconds to a minute to remove unwanted hair, which makes it a keeper!

Key Ingredients: Sweet almond oil

Skin Type: Sensitive

Fragrance-free: No

Quantity: 8.45 fl oz

9

Best to Remove Thick Hair

Eliaglow Hair Removal Cream for Intimate Area

Buy on Amazon

Most verified reviewers of this product, specifically those who have sensitive skin, seem quite impressed with its prowess of being gentle yet effective. This hair removal cream for men and women harnesses calcium thioglycolate to break down the keratin structure of the hair, thereby resulting in painless hair removal. The addition of skin-friendly humectants and emollients in this formula aids in replenishing and balancing the skin, so it doesn’t get irritated in the process. 

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, petrolatum, and allantoin

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No information

Quantity: 4.0 oz.

10

Best for the Bikini Area

Bikini Zone Crème Hair Remover

Buy on Amazon

As this hair removal cream is specially formulated for private parts and the bikini area, you can trust it to not only remove tiny hair strands easily but also to be gentle on the skin. What I personally love about this product is that its soothing prowess is three-fold, harnessing the skin-nourishing properties of green tea, aloe vera, and chamomile. Besides, this cream also has impressive moisturizing qualities which further seal the deal!

Key Ingredients: Green tea, aloe vera, and chamomile

Skin Type: Sensitive

Fragrance-free: No information

Quantity: 2 oz. and 6 oz.

Quick Tip:

Trim really long body hair with a scissor/trimmer before use. After hair removal with this cream, cleanse your skin thoroughly with a glycolic acid-infused body wash and moisturize generously after patting it dry.

11

Neomen Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

Joining the club of hair removal creams that are also soothing for the skin is this precious product from Neomen. It is impressive how well this depilatory product breaks down thick and coarse hair in a jiffy — something that would take more than an hour to wax off at the salon. Hence, I highly recommend using it in large body areas, such as arms, legs, and even underarms. What more? You get a decent quantity for the price and the application is mess-free.

Key Ingredients: Aloe vera, vitamin E, and baby oil

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No information

Quantity: 3.7 fl. oz.

12

Best for Quick Results

Veet Professional 2-Minute Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

This hair removal cream for women is one of those products that one uses between waxing or shaving sessions to remove pesky growth, without having to spend too much time on it. The product works well as it requires barely 2 to 4 minutes to break those hair strands down. This dermatologically-tested depilatory cream not only gives you smoother, hairless skin, but it also hydrates it for better skin health. Hence, it is the perfect product to go for when you’re planning to wear an outfit that flaunts your beautiful skin.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No 

Quantity: 13.5 oz.

13

Best Antioxidant-rich Formula

No Hair Crew Intimate Hair Removal Cream

Buy on Amazon

Among the most gentle items in the No Hair Crew’s product range is this hair removal cream for the intimate area. The product comprises fascinating moisturizing capabilities in addition to the goodness of rosemary and ginseng extracts. These ingredients help renew the skin and fight environmental aggressors, which the skin is often vulnerable to during the hair removal process (studies by Antioxidants and the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology). After usage, the product leaves the skin smooth and silky. 

Key Ingredients: Seaweed, sunflower seed oil, ginseng root, and rosemary leaf

Skin Type: All

Fragrance-free: No information

Quantity: 100 ml

Now that you’ve seen our recommendations for the best hair removal creams, scroll away to learn how to shop for a product that meets your needs.

1. Ingredients

Depilatory creams should include the primary ingredient that helps dissolve the tight bounds of proteins, lipids, and water in the hair. Some of these actives include salts of thioglycolic acid such as calcium thioglycolate, potassium thioglycolate, etc. as well as the chemical in its purest form to break down hair bonds and melt them in the cream-based formulation, for easy extraction.

While these ingredients may dominate the hair removal cream you invest in, prioritize other inactive but important ingredients such as aloe vera, calendula, green tea, licorice, allantoin, centella asiatica, etc. to soothe and hydrate the skin. If ingredients such as mineral oil and petrolatum don’t work for your skin, you can choose to avoid them. However, considering hair removal creams are temporary, rinse-off products — the exposure to these contents shouldn’t do much harm as long as you’re not allergic to them. 

2. Sensitive Skin Suitability

Prioritize a product if it explicitly claims on its label that it is sensitive skin-safe or recommended to be used on facial skin or intimate skin areas over generic depilatory creams. This is an important precaution to take to prevent any side effects or skin reactions.

3. Application

Many hair removal creams are notoriously messy when it comes to application, and many people avoid using them for the same reason. Hence, look for products that come enclosed with an ergonomic spatula for easy application. Also, the cream consistency should be optimal, so it also becomes easy to remove. 

4. Duration

Some products take a long time to show results while others show quick results. Prioritize products that dissolve the hair quickly and efficiently, over others, especially if your skin isn’t the sensitive type.

Once you have found your favorite product, it is important to learn the right way to use it, so you can make the best of it.

Chances are that depilatory ingredients may irritate the skin with prolonged exposure, hence, it is important to do a patch test before use. Once you know that the product works for your skin, follow these steps for efficient application to get the best results.

Step 1: Take a generous dollop of your favorite hair removal cream and smooth it out with the back side of the plastic spatula on the targetted skin area. Cover the area entirely with the cream. Ensure your skin is clean and dry when you apply the product. 

Step 2: Wait for the instructed duration mentioned on the packaging/manual of the product. The average duration for these products to work is 4 to 10 minutes. Ensure that while you’re waiting, the applied product shouldn’t come in contact with water, liquid, or any other product and should stay untampered with.

Step 3: After you’ve waited, take the spatula and scrape the product off from a small skin area and test whether the hair is coming off clean or not. If not, you may want to continue waiting a bit longer. If it is coming off clean, start scraping the product gently and firmly from wherever it has been applied. Go against the direction of hair growth in the first round. 

Step 4: If there continues to be some residue, take it off by wiping the skin firmly with a damp cotton towel.

Step 5: After you’ve wiped the skin entirely, get in the shower and thoroughly rinse off any product residue. 

Step 6: This step is optional, but highly effective in preventing ingrown hair. Use a glycolic acid-based body wash and lather on your skin. Allow the lathered cleanser to settle on your skin for about 2 to 4 minutes before you rinse it all off. 

Step 7: After patting your skin dry and stepping out of the shower, apply a generous amount of moisturizer on your skin.  

Let’s scroll away to understand the benefits of hair removal creams.

1. Painless Procedure

Compared to tormenting hot wax getting poured over and ripped off the skin, or notorious blades leaving painful razor burns, the process of hair removal through depilatory creams is quite painless. Think: a fluffy cream surfacing your skin and then getting gently scraped off in some time! Easy peasy! It is a good idea for people who are quite sensitive to the former procedures. 

2. Quick Results

The average waiting time for a depilatory cream to work on hair removal is 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the product. The overall process, in a specific skin area, would take about 15 to 20 minutes, including application, spreading, scraping, rinsing, etc. This process is a lot quicker than waxing and is a great alternative to shaving as that requires precision and more effort.

3. Smooth Results

Hair removal creams are usually formulated with moisturizing agents, which help nourish the skin a bit and prevent chemical burns in the process. This enables them to leave you with smooth skin if used properly.