I have recently heard of a terrifying fact about hair removal in India. It is that the ladies here used to remove their hair just by putting ashes of burnt wood. I don't know the whole procedure but one thing that i know is that there were no wax sheets or even lubricant. I just wonder how painful it could be.

God that sounds terrible, are you sure about this!

From the sounds of it seems like it maybe something done many many years ago, i doubt it very much that it would be done in India anymore!

That sounds very strange doesn't it.

I am not sure what hair removal benefit this would even have. I think I will just stick to my lady razor!

Do you mean hot ashes?? If they used it when the ashes cooled off, it would be messy but not painful, but if we are talking about putting hot ashes on your legs, all I can say is Ouch!!

I have heard about it guys. And its not hot! From what iv known, the ashes from some particular wood were mixed with some liquid or fluid and this serves to soften the area where the hairs would be removed including the hairs themselves. That way, plucking them off would be an easy task.

I am not quite sure that I understand how that could be done but is sure sounds painful. How does one remove the hair with burnt wood ashes? Does this suppose to burn the hair off? Excuse my ignorance but I just can't seem to picture it in my mind.

I was just thinking maybe the its not the hot and newly burnt wood ashes because that would really be painful. What if the ashes were mixed with other solutions and become clay-type after which you can apply it to soften the hair before removing/plucking. Just a wild guess

I'd say they use it for softening, because as far as i know tradition hair removal is done by threading, which is rubbing two pieces of thread together over the hair and it pulls them out like tweezers - I had it done to me once - never again!! razor or waxing for me thanks!!!

I've heard about using hot ashes for hair removal too and not just in India. I think women from a few countries use this technique. I also don't think that the ashes are hot but more like warm. Also, I belive it's the ashes that scrub the hair away and not the heat. The women just need to make the ashes. I might try it if I knew what I was doing. It sounds interesting and might be a great way to remove hair.

That's one weird method of hair removal. I didn't know ashes can be a hair softner. I bet this is what they call hair removal cream.

Wat? Yup!! i can't believe that people do such a horrible things for such a simple hair to remove it, it sounds very bad to hear also, and Jessika, you said that this is done in India but i never heard of it anytime, when it is done & in which place particularly it is done? Now a days, technic is advanced and i think not in these days.

This is very old method which our grandma's maybe used. I think this is the worst and terrible method as it be more painful and sometimes creates red spots over the skin.

Is that true, i cant believe that... it will hurt thier face. May be they will collect ashes and make it cooled, then mix up with something and apply it over thier face to remove the hairs.