When shaving takes too long and waxing is too painful, sodium hydroxide helps to provide a useful alternative to removing unwanted body hair. Sodium hydroxide is an ingredient used in many depilatory creams. A depilatory cream works by dissolving the hair, allowing it to be washed or wiped off the skin. The sodium hydroxide in these creams works by increasing the pH level to speed up the reaction that causes the hair to dissolve. The use of sodium hydroxide in this way allows many popular creams to claim to work in as little as three minutes. With results that can last up to twice as long as shaving, this can give you better results for much less effort.

Clean the area to be depilated with a gentle, antibacterial soap.

Make sure the area to be depilated is fully dry, then apply thick layer of the depilatory cream

Allow the cream to sit on the skin for no longer than 10 minutes. Check every three or four minutes for hair removal by wiping away a small area of cream with a cloth or sponge.

Rinse the cream off using your cloth or sponge to wipe it off; the hair underneath should come away. Rinse your skin to ensure no cream is left behind.