Pumice stones have been a source of personal care since ancient times. Over time, these stones have been replaced with modern tools and skincare products. That is why, very few people are now aware of the existence of such materials and their benefits.
These porous stones work as exfoliators. Furthermore, people also claim that they can provide permanent hair removal results. So, do they work? Are these claims true? Let’s unveil the truth and learn about pumice stones’ benefits, side effects, and usage together.
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: What is A Pumice Stone?
- Part 2: How to Use A Pumice Stone?
- Part 3: Benefits of Pumice Stone
- Part 4: Side Effects of Pumice Stone
- Part 5: A Better Solution: IPL Hair Removal
What is A Pumice Stone?
A pumice stone is a volcanic rock that is formed when lava in an erupted rock cools down. This porous and rigorous stone is a mixture of lava and water that is usually used for skincare. It is spongelike in appearance and lightweight with an abrasive nature.
How Pumice Stone Works?
A pumice stone is mainly used as an exfoliator to remove dead skin cells from the body and bring out fresh cells to make skin smoother. Its rough and porous texture rubs against the body and removes all the debris and dead cells along with it.
Nowadays, it has also been a popular hair removal tool and there are claims that it can remove hair above the skin’s surface. However, there is no scientific reasoning behind the working of pumice stone for hair removal till now.
How to Find the Right Pumice Stone
Here are some tips on finding the right pumice stone easily:
- It is easily available in nearby grocery stores, drug stores, and even on online platforms. You can identify this greyish/black stone from its porous nature
- While choosing the stone, go for the one with medium-sized pores as the larger pores might be too abrasive while the smaller ones might be too gentle thus rendering the treatment ineffective
- Synthetic pumice stones have chemicals infused in them. Therefore, buy the stones that are 100% natural
How to Use A Pumice Stone?
Let’s learn the step-by-step procedure of using pumice stone for hair removal.
Preparation
- Wet the Pumice stone: Before using the stone, keep it in warm water for a couple of minutes. This helps the stone glide smoothly over your skin and reduces irritation
- Soften hair: While aiming for hair removal, ensure that your hair is soft so that it can easily be removed. For this, you can take a warm water shower or wet the specific area with warm water
- Apply soap: The area must be clean before letting it come in contact with the stone. This is done to minimize the risk of any skin infections. So, clean the area with a soap and then start using the pumice stone
Use
Let’s move forward and learn the right way of using the stone:
- To minimize friction between your skin and the stone, you can either use a soap or oil and lather it on the area where you need to use the stone
- Once you have made sufficient lather, start rubbing the stone on your skin in small gentle circular motions
- Start from a side so that you can keep track of the parts you have done and the parts you need to move towards
- Continue the process until you have covered the entire area. However, if you feel any uncomfortable or painful sensation, immediately discontinue it
- At the end, rinse your body thoroughly and ensure that there is no soap or oil left on the body
Aftercare
- Moisturize Your Skin: Pat dry the skin and use a gentle moisturizer to hydrate your skin. While choosing the moisturizer, make sure that it has no harsh ingredients, is scent-free, and is suitable according to your skin type.
- Wait for 3 Days Before Next Use: Using the pumice stone regularly can provide you with favorable results but using it daily can cause skin irritation and even bleeding. Therefore it is essential to schedule a 3-4 days gap before using the pumice stone again.
- Clean the Stone and Store it Safely: You just cannot throw the stone anywhere after using it. Clean the stone with soap, brush, and warm water, and then dry it before storing. To prevent bacterial contamination, keep it in a dry place.
Benefits of Pumice Stone
Cost-friendly
There are different types of pumice stones available in the market. Some have infused moisturizing ingredients, some are completely natural, and some are produced synthetically to suit different skin types. The cost varies depending upon the type but they can be found between $3-20. However, they can work for a long time so no one will have an issue paying this price, right?
Easily Available
You do not have to fish around several places and online sites to find the stone. It is easily available in almost every nearby drugstore, general store, or cosmetic store. An easy availability facilitates the users to go and choose the size, type, and pore width of their requirement.
Good for Fine Hair
Other hair removal methods might not work as well as a pumice stone works for fine hair. For example, you are at risk of cutting your skin while trying to shave fine hair or a wax might not stick well with your hair. At such times, a pumice stone can be your savior.
A Great Footcare Tool
Pumice stone serves as a useful tool for hair removal but it can also help in softening the callus that usually forms around your heels. The callus is your skin’s reaction to continuous friction. With pumice stones, you can soften this callus, achieve smooth skin on heels, and wear whatever shoes you want.
Effective Against Ingrown Hair
Ingrown hair is formed as a result of the build-up of dead skin cells or the breaking of hair in between hair removal. These little bumps are painful and itchy. To treat these, you can use pumice hair in gentle motions to exfoliate the skin and reduce the formation of ingrown hair.
Side Effects of Pumice Stone
Skin Irritation
Since pumice stone has a rough nature and you need to rub it against your skin continuously, it can cause skin irritation. On top of this, if you are not applying the right pressure, skin irritation can lead to damage to healthy cells and bleeding.
Unsuitable for Sensitive Skin
Unfortunately, pumice stones are not useful for sensitive skin types. Some synthetic pumice stone manufacturers claim that the stones can work for sensitive skin. But, only buy them with proper research or reviews from people who use them. In addition, you should never use these on sensitive areas like bikini lines.
Time Taking
Although hair removal with pumice stones is easy, it is time-consuming. Imagine you want to remove hair from your whole body. It will take you hours to complete full body hair removal. Even if you decide to do it, it is going to be tiring. Hence, it is recommended to use pumice stones on smaller areas only.
Skin Infection
Skin infections do not occur with pumice stone hair removal if you are careful about its usage and storage. Unfortunately, people do not take thorough care of their stones, and keep them in their bathroom where they can be contaminated with bacteria or grow fungi. These when used on the body without cleaning lead to skin infections.
A Better Solution: IPL Hair Removal
Using a pumice stone can be a bit risky and the method is not even compatible with every skin type. People use this method with expectations of achieving permanent results. However, there is no certainty or scientific evidence behind the duration of results or how it can help achieve permanent results.
Then, how can one attain long-lasting or permanent results within budget? At-home IPL hair removal is the solution. For instance, you can try the Ulike Sapphire Air3 IPL device. How is it better than pumice stone? Let’s see:
- A pumice stone irritates your skin while the sapphire ice-cooling technology of Ulike Air3 provides a cooling sensation during treatment
- Pumice stone hair removal is not safe but the Ulike handset is FDA-cleared making it safe to use
- Pumice stones cannot be used on the bikini area or underarms while the Ulike Air3 IPL device is useful for all the sensitive areas of the body
- Unlike pumice stones, there is little to no risk of skin infection with an at-home IPL device
- Hair removal with the stone is time-consuming. In contrast, the thumb-free auto-glide mode of the Ulike IPL handset lets you complete full body hair removal within 12 minutes
- Also, do not worry about ingrown hair because you can remove these ingrown hair with Ulike IPL device as well
Conclusion
A pumice stone is a coarse material that, when rubbed on the skin, can exfoliate the dead cells and remove unwanted hair as well. These stones are cheap and easy to use. However, they can be a bit painful and irritate your skin.
Therefore, you can try IPL hair removal to achieve long-lasting results. Unlike pumice stone hair removal, the results after IPL are definite for most people.
