How Long Does It Take Leg Hair to Grow Back?

Did you remove your leg hair and wonder when it would regrow next? Maybe you’ve noticed a seeming competition between your head and leg hairs, in which case your head hair seems to be trailing your leg hairs. How can this be, and what can you do?

Whatever made you ask this question or find yourself reading this article does not matter. Once this is an issue you want clarity on, you are sure to find the most accurate answer here. That said, hair regrowth, regardless of the location on the body, is like the proverbial different strokes for different folks; there is no one-answer-fits-all. It depends on certain factors, which are not constant for everyone.

Because of this variation, some people may find out that their leg hair grows back within a month or less, while others wait for two months or more to record their hair’s pre-removal state. Let’s consider the three determining factors of leg hair regrow waiting time.

Table of Contents:

Part 1: 3 Factors That Determine When Your Leg Hair Will Regrow

Part 2: Can You Speed Up Leg Hair Growth?

Part 3: What If You Want to Elongate Your Hair Regrowth Time?

3 Factors That Determine When Your Leg Hair Will Regrow

1. The Hair Removal Method You Used

Whether male or female, it’s becoming trendy to remove leg hair these days. For females in particular, a hairless and smooth leg is everyone’s prayer. However, hair regrowth after a removal session depends on the method used. 

Broadly speaking, all removal methods can be classified into three, based on how close to the skin they get rid of unwanted body hair. Some methods, for example, depilatory creams, shaving, and trimming only remove hairs close to the skin surface. Their action is synonymous with cutting off the branches of a tree while the stump remains firmly connected to the soil. Depending on some factors, which we will touch on after this, you can witness a regrowth in two weeks or less.

The second broad category of hair removals are those that go deep into the skin to remove unwanted hairs from their follicles. Examples include waxing, epilation, sugaring, plucking, tweezing, and threading. As you may expect, all these methods come with a degree of discomfort. However, since the removal is deep, the regrowth time is usually more extended than the first category. The timeline can fall between four and six weeks, and the more you stick to any of these methods, the slower your hair regrows.

The third category is those that destroy the hair follicles, causing long-lasting or nearly long-lasting hair removal. Methods in this category include lasers, Intense Pulsed Light (IPLs), and Electrolysis. You won’t get an immediate result with any of them, but once it starts working, it can delay hair regrowth for months, if not forever. Electrolysis damages the hair follicle in such a way that regrowth is next to impossible.

2. Your Hair Growth Cycle

Medically, hair grows in four stages – Anagen, Catagen, Telogen, and Exogen. Each of these stages takes some time, which is not the same for all people. The last stage, exogen, is when old hairs fall off to give place for new ones. So, let’s assume you used a removal method that cuts hair close to the skin surface, the growth stage might begin from catagen or telogen. That’s because you aren’t starting from scratch.

However, for a method that penetrates the skin, regrowth often begins from scratch, and the speed with which it will transit to the next phase depends on the person’s age, overall health, prevailing environmental conditions, and nutrition. Consequently, if you feed well, rest, and are young, you will experience faster leg hair regrowth than someone without these things. 

Have you noticed that when you get enough rest and eat a balanced diet, your hair becomes darker and fuller? It’s because there’s a connection between your hair growth and overall health. Chronic stress and lack of adequate rest can significantly delay leg hair regrowth or the quality and quantity of the regrowth.

3. Genetic Makeup

What makes two people practice the same thing (about hair removal/growth) but end up with different results? The answer lies in their genes most time. You will notice that human hairs vary in thickness, volume, and color. These variations are brought about by an individual’s genetic makeup. And, of course, hairs of different colors and thickness grow differently from others without it.

But that’s not all about how genes determine regrowth. Genes are in charge of regulating how each growth phase transits to another and the frequency of such. As such, if your genetic makeup is such that slows down these processes through its regulatory mechanisms, your leg hair may not grow back quickly. Also, if due to certain medications or lifestyle choices, you have suffered DNA damage, it may affect how quickly certain body metabolisms will proceed.

Can You Speed Up Leg Hair Growth?

It’s possible to aid how quickly your body hair grows back if needed. Of course, from the discussion we’ve had so far, you can already see that by imbibing a lifestyle of good nutrition and adequate rest, your leg hair and other body hairs will grow very quickly with impressive volume, thickness, and color.

However, apart from this natural method, some essential oils and supplements are also capable of speeding up hair growth. They achieve this by supplying nourishment to the hair roots and instigating hair growth factors. Many probiotics, biotin, and iron-rich supplements have also been established to aid hair growth.

Please note that hair growth and prevention of baldness are not the same. There is currently no consensus on whether it’s possible to cure baldness with any natural means.

What If You Want to Elongate Your Hair Regrowth Time?

The best way to keep your leg hair from growing fast quickly is to adopt a removal method that goes deep into the skin. This way, you are sure that before another strand will surface, it will take a while. Unfortunately, most methods that deliver this result are painful, except for IPL, which offers the most reliable and sustainable pathway to achieving this. 

If you choose a premium IPL device like the Ulike Sapphire Air 3 IPL Hair Removal Device, you are guaranteed an almost nearly painless removal and speedy result. Within two weeks, you will notice at least a 64% reduction in the volume and thickness of your leg hair with only a once-a-week treatment. By the eighth week, your leg is already smooth with no rashes, wrinkles, or cuts. The device is FDA-cleared and comes packed with a patented Sapphire cooling technology that prevents discomfort during treatment. As long as you continue the maintenance treatment, you can rest assured that you won’t experience a quick regrowth of your leg hair.

Wrapping Up

Prescribing a definite time for when your leg hair will grow back is not easy because of the factors we’ve mentioned in this article. Depending on your genetic makeup, lifestyle practices, and hair removal method, you can fall between the early birds (two weeks) and the late ones (four weeks and above).

It’s best to add that hairs on your legs, especially as a man, are OK. They sure have their functions, and it’s nothing to worry about if they grow well. Instead of removing them outrightly, you can trim and groom them to your taste. However, if you must remove them, consider a long-lasting, nearly painless, and effective method like the IPL.