Many women find hair that grows on their upper lip annoying and take steps to stop it from coming back. Two types of hair exist on people. The first is vellus, a short, fine, soft hair that occurs on the back, face and chest. This hair helps the body regulate its temperature. The second type is terminal hair, which is heavier, darker and coarser, which can grow on the chin and upper lip. Sometimes the hair overgrows due to hormonal imbalances. Steroidal medications can also accelerate hair growth. If no medical condition or treatment slows the growth of upper lip hair, women can employ techniques to keep the hair from growing back, but it takes time and some treatments are expensive.

Obtain an epilator or a pair of tweezers to pluck the hair from your upper lip. It takes time to remove all the hair and it does grow back, but eventually the hair roots and follicles receive enough damage so they stop producing new hair. An epilator removes more hair at a time, compared to the tweezers and both processes can be painful. You may also notice a slight swelling or redness of your skin. Cleaning the area before plucking and sterilizing the tweezers or epilator reduces the risk of infection.

Apply facial wax to the mustache area. This is a special kind of wax and over time, it's an effective way to control hair on the upper lip. Melt the wax and test it to be sure it's not too hot for your face. Apply the wax in strips with a wooden craft stick in the direction the hair grows. Normally the hair grows down, but you could be an exception. Once the wax hardens, pull the wax off the area in strips by rolling your top lip down to make the skin taut. It may also help to pull your skin taut horizontally by using your thumb and index finger to pull the skin back. Pull on a corner of the strip to remove it. It will be painful and your upper lip can turn red. Apply a cold compress to reduce the swelling. Continue until you have removed all the wax. Eventually your hair starts coming back thinner, and like plucking, the root and follicles die.

Consider laser treatment or electrolysis. These treatments require specialists trained in the equipment that kills the hair follicles by using electricity or laser beams. The treatments can be expensive and you may need a number of treatments to completely eradicate the hair from your upper lip. Getting a referral from a physician can help you choose someone with the proper training and credentials.