Facial Fuzz Busters

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Talk about a hairy situation: a recent poll conducted by Kelton Research shows that about 18 million American women are more stressed out by removing facial hair than their finances. The same study shows that an incredible 80 percent of women would be willing to give up their favorite things—including sex for 30 days and…gasp…chocolate!—if it means they won’t have to deal with an unwelcome mustache ever again.

Although factors beyond our control like genetics and hormones play a big role in how much facial hair we have, the good news is that there are plenty of easy ways to remove facial hair right at home.

Why skip the salon? Getting rid of unwanted hair at home is not only cost-effective, but there’s also the privacy factor, notes Polly Blitzer, beauty expert and founder of BeautyBlitz.com.

“When you DIY, you can do the deed without anyone knowing your business, and you have complete control over the end result,” Blitzer says. Mona A. Gohara, M.D., assistant clinical professor of the department of dermatology at Yale’s School of Medicine, says another benefit is having to worry less about germ transfers.

“We often see bacterial, fungal or viral infections when instruments were not cleaned properly at a salon or spa,” she says. Shudder.

MORE: Body Hair Removal Tips, from Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen