Tips & Tricks for Managing Hirsutism

If you’re looking for a way to manage hirsutism, you’ve come to the right blog! Not only are we going to go over helpful supplements to help battle hirsutism, we are also going to talk about a super affordable method of hair removal. 

The fact is 99% of American women voluntarily get rid of their hair. If you’re suffering from PCOS and have excess hair on your face and neck, keep reading! 

A common PCOS symptom is excess hair growth on your face, neck, and back to name a few. This is caused by higher-than-normal levels of androgens, including testosterone. Though more hair may be growing in unwanted areas, balding or hair loss may occur to head hair. Women with PCOS often have these  effects because of male hormones called androgenic alopecia. Other causes can be from the reduction of estrogen levels happening during menopause or from thyroid disorders. 

How to fix your hair:

When you’re trying out the following suggestions, don’t forget to eat balanced meals and to still exercise regularly (even walking helps). Making lifestyle changes when you’re not taking care of your general needs isn’t as affective as it can be

Hair removal can be unpleasant and sometimes expensive but there is an affordable DIY method for you to try, but first… balancing your hormones is a great place to start.

Helpful Vitamins:

Zinc: Studies show zinc helps improve ovarian function which in turn reduces androgens and increases progesterone. One study found that zinc significantly improved hirsutism in as little as two months.

DIM (diindolylmethane): Studies have found that DIM can help block androgen receptors naturally, it is derived from vegetables (kale, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli). DIM has been shown to inhibit an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen and has been found to help manage hirsutism. You can also eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, and your stomach acid will break down a compound called indole-3-carbinol to produce a new compound called DIM. While you can get your source of DIM from cruciferous vegetables alone, you’d need to eat several servings every day to reap the benefits of a DIM supplement.

S’moo: S’moo babes also use S’moo to manage hirsutism and have been talking about how they have seen less hair growth on their face and arms. How does S’moo work? It is a combination of seven vitamins, minerals and herbs that help get your hormones balanced so that you’re not overly producing androgens.  It even has your daily dose of Zinc!

But I want my hair gone now! 

Studies have found that hirsutism can take a long time to improve, possibly 6-12 months so if you’d like an affordable DIY hair removal process to manage hirsutism, this is the one! It’s called sugaring and though the technique has a learning curve it can cost you as little as $5 and a few hours of your time. The result is 3 weeks of no hair. Plus less hair growth the longer you sugar. I’ve been sugaring for 5 years and have seen a 50% reduction overall from sugaring alone, once I started S’moo, I saw another 25% reduction. 

All it takes, is sugar, lemon, a candy thermometer and a mason jar. 

Sugaring was considered an ancient Egyptian art, a hairless body was extremely popular. Their method involved sugar, water, and lemon, the paste was applied in the direction of the hair growth, covered with a piece of muslin cloth and pulled off when cooled. 

This sugaring method we use, doesn’t need water or muslin cloth.

You can also get sugared professionally to help help manage hirsutism though it can add up and you can buy sugar paste instead of making it but it is about $20 for a small amount. Instead you can do it yourself (it might take a little practice but it will be worth it in the end). 

When I first started, I made a huge mistake not having a candy thermometer! Once I had that, I was able to save thousands of dollars by making my own sugar paste and doing my own sugaring.

Here is the secret recipe. 

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice 

1. Place the sugar and Lemon juice in a medium sauce pan. 
2. Start with medium to high heat 
3. Constantly stir this mixture and watch your candy thermometer 
4. Once your candy thermometer hits 260 degrees remove from heat. 

Let this cool and warm up a mason jar. You can warm up a mason jar by adding water to it and placing it in the microwave for two minutes. Remove carefully, pour out the water and dry well before pouring your warm sugar paste into the jar. 

You’re done. 

You have sugar paste. We don’t recommend using this right away, as it will be too hot. When you are ready to use it, place your jar without the lid into the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up enough for you to spoon some of the sugar paste into a bowl. The amount needed will depend on what you’re sugaring. An upper lip will only need a tablespoon or two, a leg might need about a 1/4 cup. You’ll be able to get more if needed and you can reuse your sugar paste as you go. Warm up your sugar paste (which is now in a bowl), for ten second intervals. Until the sugar paste is about the consistency of molasses (this is part of the learning curve as if the paste is too cold, it will not work as well and if it’s too hot it will be very unpleasant on your skin).  

Your Ready To Sugar:

Make sure your skin is clean (free of lotions) and it sometimes helps to add some corn starch or baby powder to your skin and rub it in, just a fine layer of dust to help the hair separate from your skin. 

When you apply the paste apply it against the hair grain with your fingers (I usually try to use only one or two fingers), work it into the hair. Then you can work up an edge of the sugar paste and pull it in the direction of your hair growth. Then repeat! We reheat our sugar paste every time it isn’t spreading on super well. If you have a lot of hair like we do, the harder the paste, the more painful it is to spread, so just put it in the microwave for another 10 seconds (be careful, it holds its heat well) and after a min, start again. 

Though this video has a slightly different recipe and doesn’t use a candy thermometer (which I’m not kidding, is a life saver) it does show you the general idea so check it out if you need a visual.  

* Caution * please be very careful. Sugar paste holds heat and can badly burn you. 

Medical Disclaimer

This content is strictly the opinion of S’moo and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither S’moo nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.