5’Oclock shadow is the facial hair that gives the skin the appearance of a slight beard. While it is pretty popular with men because of its bold yet decent appearance, it is a whole headache for women.
Imagine being happy about finally getting rid of the facial hair in the morning and seeing a beard or mustache shadow on the face in the evening. Sounds frustrating, right? However, this is what many women with thick and fast hair growth face.
So, are you also one of those women who is sick of the 5’Oclock shadow and want to avoid it at every cost? Well, worry no more as we are going to talk about why it occurs and how to remove it.
Additionally, you can find some information on How to Get Rid of Mustache Shadow: Easy Methods & Tips specifically as well.
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: What is a 5’Oclock Shadow?
- Part 2: Why do Women Get 5 O’Clock Shadow?
- Part 3: How to Get Rid of a 5 O’clock Shadow on Woman Naturally?
- Part 4: How to Get Rid of a 5 O’clock Shadow on Woman with Makeup?
- Part 5: Does Waxing Get Rid of the 5 O’Clock Shadow?
- Part 6: What are The Other Ways to Get Rid of the 5’Oclock Shadow?
What is a 5’Oclock Shadow?
5’Oclock shadow refers to the shadow of unwanted hair in the places where they have been trimmed. Its name is derived from the appearance of the hair at 5’Oclock in the evening when they have been cut in the morning. However, it might not be exactly at 5 pm but anytime a few hours after a fresh shave.
Removing the hair with a safety razor or electric trimmer only cuts the hair at the level of the skin surface. The hair shaft is much longer than that, rooted deeply in the skin, and growing continuously at a given rate.
When the shaft is trimmed and not plucked, it keeps growing and comes out of the skin a few hours after the removal. This hair appears in the form of a shadow on the chin, upper lips, or sideburns.
Why do Women Get 5 O’Clock Shadow?
The subspecialty of 5’Oclock shadow is mainly dependent upon the rate and density of the hair growth. So, the factors that make hair grow super fast and thick give rise to a 5’Oclock shadow.
These are given as.
1. Hormonal Status
The hair follicles are stimulated by hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and androgens. If the concentration of these hormones is high in the body or there is a fluctuation related to puberty, pregnancy, or post-menopause, the rate of facial hair growth increases.
2. Genetics and Hereditary
Genetics plays the most important role in determining the texture, type, number, and speed of unwanted hair on the face in addition to the body. So, if the women in your family get a 5’Oclock shadow, genes are to blame.
3. Unsatisfactory Shaving Technique
While all women can shave, many of them won’t be doing it right. Therefore, improper shaving is one of the preventable causes of the 5’Oclock shadow on women’s faces in contrast to hormones and genetics.
Some factors of improper shaving include using the wrong type of razor on the face, not shaving close enough to the skin, missing lubrication of the face, and not pampering the skin before and after the shave.
4. Inadequate Skincare
If you suffer from hyperpigmentation because of the lack of proper skincare, the 5 o’clock shadow becomes more obvious in the hyperpigmentation areas.
So, lack of moisturization leading to dry skin, inadequate cleansing leading to clogging of pores, and not wearing sunscreen leading to skin damage can all make the 5’oclock shadow look worse than it is.
Also, find out how long it takes for skincare to work here.
How to Get Rid of a 5 O’clock Shadow on Woman Naturally?
The discussion of the causes of the 5’Oclock shadow might have disappointed you as treatment might be difficult. Fortunately, that is not the cause. You can get rid of it naturally.
The options are given as.
1. Turmeric and Milk Paste
Turmeric is known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and hair follicle inhibiting properties making it an effective treatment for 5’Oclock shadow. So, mix it in milk to make a paste and apply it on your face regularly to treat the unsightly shadow.
Additionally, it also has skin-lightening properties which when combined with milk deal with hyperpigmentation and make the 5’Oclock shadow less obvious.
2. Sugaring Wax Mixture
Sugaring is a homemade paste made by heating sugar, water, and lemon juice. It was used traditionally to remove the unwanted hair from the roots. When the hair is removed from the roots, the hair growth never occurs for a few days.
Therefore, it is helpful to eliminate the 5’Oclock shadow in women.
3. Lemon and Honey Moisturizing Mask
Honey and lemon masks can be used to target a few causes of the 5’Oclock shadow including hyperpigmentation and dry skin. This mask moisturizes the skin from the inside out and makes the razor glide smoothly allowing a close shave.
Additionally, less hyperpigmentation means an unapparent 5 o’clock shadow.
4. Gelatin and Milk Peel-Off Mask
Gelatin and milk can be mixed and heated together to form a peel-off mask. Not only does this mask remove the white and blackheads from the skin but also plucks the unwanted hair from the roots giving you a smooth beard and shadow-free skin.
5. Improve Your Bad Diet
The best natural way to slow down hair regrowth is by improving your diet. Unhealthy fast and processed food can affect the hormonal status in the body while nuts and organic food help in balancing the hormones and reducing hair growth.
How to Get Rid of a 5 O’clock Shadow on Woman with Makeup?
If you want to get rid of the 5 o’clock shadow as fast as possible and are preparing for an event to attend in the evening, makeup can be your best bet. It can be used to kill two birds with one stone as hides the recently sprouted hair and helps you makeover for the event as well.
For this, color correct your skin. If you have redness, use a green color corrector. However, if it is only the bluish shadow of the hair, a peach or orange-colored corrector can suffice. Apply the correct on the areas with the 5’Oclock shadow, blend it nicely, and wear your makeup as normal above it.
Also, find out the latest tiktok makeup trends here.
Does Waxing Get Rid of the 5 O’Clock Shadow?
Waxing is an effective and tried and tested method to get rid of the 5’Oclock shadow in women. Let us think about why the 5 o’clock shadow occurs. Because of the fast regrowth of the newly shaved blunt hair ends, right?
Waxing removes the hair from the roots and gives mild damage to the hair follicle during this time as well. As a result, the hair takes a few weeks to grow back, the rate of regrowth is reduced, and the hair becomes finer as well.
Therefore, waxing can get rid of the 5’Oclock shadow. But remember that the whole process of slowing the hair regrowth might not be as fast as you imagine.
What are The Other Ways to Get Rid of the 5’Oclock Shadow?
Natural methods of removing a 5’oclock shadow are time-consuming. Therefore, here are some other methods of hair removal if you want to get rid of 5’Oclock shadow.
1. Waxing as the Go-To Method
Waxing works best for a 5 o’clock shadow. Both stripped and stripless wax can be used on the face on areas with a 5’oclock shadow to remove the hair from the hair.
When there is no hair, there will be no shadow of the quickly growing beard as well.
2. Threading/Tweezing for Small Sections of Hair
If you only get the 5’oclock shadow in a small area of the skin like the chin, eyebrows, or upper lips, plucking the hair with a tweezer or thread can be helpful.
While threading is commonly done at a salon, you can easily use the tweezer by yourself. Beware of breaking the hair strand or poking your skin during this time.
3. The Easy on Pocket and Tough on Hair – IPL Hair Removal
How about we eliminate the hair follicle that makes the hair grow fast and give rise to a 5’Oclock shadow? IPL hair removal with an effective IPL hair removal device can be used for this purpose.
For example, the Ulike Sapphire AIr3 IPL hair removal handset eliminates the hair follicles in a few weeks and gives you hairless smooth skin without the concern of a 5’oclock shadow.
4. Goodbye to Hair with Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the method to destroy a hair follicle no matter how strong it is and how thick hair grows from it. This long-lasting method of hair removal is best for women who can take the pain and afford it as well.
5. A Seamless Shaving Technique
Last, but not least, start shaving properly to prevent the 5’Oclock shadow. Prepare your skin well, use a sharp razor, and shave closely so that you can at least a day before the hair becomes visible on the skin.
However, the initial problem of the fast hair growth stays the same. as shaving does not affect the rate of hair growth.
The Final Verdict
5’Oclock shadow is considered a handsome feature of the beard in men but it shatters the self-confidence of women because of its manly look. It appears a few hours after shaving the skin and is caused because of fast hair growth by several factors like genes, hormones, and more.
Therefore, you need to slow down the hair regrowth to get rid of the 5’Oclock shadow from the face in women. For this, methods like waxing, tweezing, IPL hair removal, and electrolysis can be used.
Lastly, let us not forget the impact of natural remedies on reducing hair regrowth rates.
