A Deep Dive into Pilaten Hair Removal Cream by Baisidai

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Pilaten Hair Removal Cream by Baisidai

Pilaten Hair Removal Cream by Baisidai is a relatively gentle depilatory product that is intended to treat armpit and leg hair. It comes in 10g foiled plastic pouches, which is enough for one entire treatment of armpits and legs.

Baisidai is a cosmetics company founded in 2016 by Hong Kong entrepreneur Ricky Cheng. Their cosmetics products are sold worldwide and are particularly popular in Southeast Asia.

Who’s It For?

Pilaten Hair Removal Cream is ideal for people who wish to conveniently remove unwanted armpit or leg hair without having to use a razor. Shaving with a razor always comes with the risk of a cut and subsequent infection.

In addition, using a razor can “scalp” hair follicles and produce the dreaded chicken skin effect and lead to swelling and discomfort, particularly in underarm areas. Pilaten Hair Removal Cream can remove underarm hair in as little as 5 minutes of treatment, so it is also a good choice for people who are impatient for good results.

What We Like About Pilaten Hair Removal Cream by Baisidai

This product works very quickly. The manufacturer claims it works in 3-10 minutes after application, but we have seen it take down black armpit hair in 5 minutes with no apparent skin irritation.

Baisidai also claims that Pilaten Hair Removal Cream also contains a pore contracting agent that assists in hair presentation for better chemical contact with the hair shaft. We identified that ingredient as allantoin, a common cosmetics additive (see our explanation below). The strong smell of the cream is because it includes a thioglycolic acid-base as the main active ingredient (although it is only 5% of the cream).

Most users find that the cream works in about five minutes, others claim it takes as much as 15 minutes. However, in each report, the cream functions as a depilatory agent as advertised and leaves skin hair-free.

What We Don’t Like About Pilaten Hair Removal Cream by Baisidai

Pilaten Hair Removal Cream does have that rotten egg smell, but that is to be expected from a thiol-based depilatory cream. There are also some reports of the product leaving stubble that must be shaved afterward.

In addition, some people with very fair or delicate skin may experience light chemical burns after using the product, particularly if they have fair skin and dark hair.

Some users with fair skin and very thick, dark hair experienced chemical burns after using the cream. They also reported having to leave the cream on their skin for up to 20 minutes, which is the reason for the adverse reaction.

Remember that the keratin that makes up your hair is almost the same keratin that makes up your skin, just more chemically-crosslinked to make it stiffer.

There are also some reports from users that the cream does not work for them at all when they tried it on armpit hair. Here’s likely why: Although the instructions on the package say to use the cream prior to showering, most people fail to understand that it just means to ensure the skin is dry.

If you have not showered and have a deodorant layer applied to your armpit, keep in mind that deodorants work by reducing the pH of the skin in the applied area (making it more acidic). Unwashed skin has a protective layer that dermatologists term the “acid mantle”, which is a pH 4.5-6.0 acidic layer of sebum (oil) and sweat.

After you wash your skin, that acid mantle layer is removed. Applying deodorant to your armpit replaces that lost acidic layer, drops the pH, and results in reduced bacterial growth and odor.

Since Pilaten Hair Removal Cream produces an alkaline reaction with the hair (see below for more details), applying the cream to your armpit with a layer of deodorant will simply neutralize the reactants and stop any chemical reaction from occurring (meaning, no breakdown of the hair).

So, despite the instructions on the package, we recommend starting out with clean skin that is free of soaps, deodorants, and lotions. Yes, even in everyday life, a knowledge of chemistry is helpful.

PROS

Excellent for fine and light hair
Works quickly
Minimal stinging

CONS

Takes more time with thick or dark hair
Can produce skin irritation in sensitive people

What’s Included?

Baisidai Pilaten Hair Removal Cream comes in two different packagings. Why there are different containers for the cream may simply be a matter of transitioning from one packaging form to another, but the cream can be purchased in either small pouches or a larger tube.

Pilaten Hair Removal Cream can be purchased in boxes with 10g, foiled-plastic pouches. Box sizes are offered in packs of 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 60, 80, 90, or 100 pouch kits.

One thing that would be a nice addition to this packaging that is missing would be some form of inexpensive palette and spatula. That would be very useful in laying out the product and would assist greatly in even the application of the cream.

Something like a small plastic or plastic-coated paper card with a plastic or wooden spatula would suffice. It would not have to be large: the palette could be the same size as the pouches.

The second way the cream is sold is in a large, 100g or 200g tube. Sold in this form, the tube comes in a small box that includes a blue plastic spatula applicator.

See Related Topic: Illuminage Precise Touch Hair Removal Review

Overview Of Features

The ingredients of Pilaten Hair removal Cream are the following: Water, glycerol, allantoin, xanthan gum, thioglycolate, and calcium hydroxide. Since this goes on your skin, you might want to know what each ingredient does and whether they are safe for your skin.

Glycerol is a viscous clear polyol comprised of a short, 3-carbon chain with attached alcohol groups. It is used commonly as a humectant to prevent drying out of the product and as an emollient for moisturizing the skin.

Allantoin is a uric acid breakdown product (a glycolic acid diureide) produced in most mammals and some plants (such as Symphytum). In cosmetics, it is used to moisturize the skin and also produces a keratolytic action on skin and hair follicles.

Treatment of skin with allantoin increases interstitial water and aids desquamation of the skin and promotes a more erect presentation of hair shafts, which is why it is used in Pilaten.

Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide thickening agent and chemical stabilizer. Its general purpose in cosmetics is to increase viscosity and acts to ensure smooth spreading of the cream, maintaining an even distribution of ingredients without settling issues.

Thioglycolate is the active hair removal ingredient of Pilaten Hair Removal Cream and facilitates a chemical reaction that alters the structure of the hair shaft. Thioglycolic acid chemically attacks sulfur bridges (cystines) in the keratin protein polymer of the hair shaft.

Cystines, which as cysteine dimers, are chemical crosslinks in proteins that help to maintain their structure. When you cook an egg white, the protein in the white (mostly albumin, but there are others) is denatured by unraveling the protein structure, which begins with breaking the sulfur-sulfur bridges.

After reacting, a dithiodiglycolic acid is produced as a byproduct along with free (unbound and chemically-reduced) cysteines. With the sulfur bridges broken, the keratin polymer becomes unstable and the hair will appear brittle and undergo shearing within a few minutes.

The calcium hydroxide in the cream is used to balance the pH of the reaction and maintain it close to a pH of 12 (about the same as household bleach). That means the reaction is very alkaline, so diluting the reactants and products with water afterward is important to stop the reaction and prevent chemical burns

Using water will bring the pH down towards neutral and the more water you use to wash off the cream, the better.

How to use
Prior to showering (we actually recommend the skin is clean and soap-free, first), apply the cream evenly to the desired area for hair removal. Allow the cream to sit for three to eight minutes (or longer, up to 20 minutes for very thick hair).

After treatment, rinse the cream and loose hair away with either a clean, wet towel or moist cotton cosmetics pads. Rinse the treated area thoroughly with warm water and do not use soap (it can react with the product).

Make sure the area is washed thoroughly to prevent long-term exposure and skin irritation. If desired, apply a posttreatment moisturizer to the skin.

Treatments can be repeated after two to three weeks. Pilaten Hair Removal Cream should never be applied in skin areas where there are open wounds.

Expected results
You will typically see good results after about five minutes of treatment if you have dark hair (perhaps less time if you have lighter hair). For people with very thick hair, a longer treatment of 10 or even up to 20 minutes may be necessary for good results.

When the reaction is completed, hair and cream can simply be wiped away, leaving hair-free skin in the treated area. Since this is a chemical reaction, copious amounts of water should be used to clean the treated area and stop any additional chemical reactions.

This will ensure good results and reduce the chances of having a chemical burn.

Review Summary

The take-home conclusion from our review of this product, Pilaten Hair Removal Cream by Baisidai, is that for most people it is an effective depilatory agent. Using the cream as directed and taking proper precautions, treatment should be effective and worry-free, causing no burning or itching.