I know what you are thinking. Is Christine really writing about the Epilator, that torture device that so many of us are afraid of using? Yup, and it really is not as bad as everyone thinks.First, what exactly is "epilation"? Really, it's pulling each hair out from the root. That's exactly what you do when you wax, except the epilator is basically a rotating collection of tweezers that grab each hair. Since the hair below the skin is also removed your skin will be hair free and smooth longer than with shaving. Over time your hair will grow back finer and weaker.
For me, removing hair below the skin surface is very appealing. I have very pale skin with darker leg hair. I can see the hair below the skin when I wear shorts, which I hate! I also tend to get cold, and with goose bumps I swear that the hair comes out! I get stubble a few hours after shaving because of this. Removing hair below the surface is just the answer I needed for these problems.
The epilator is pretty easy to use. I run my hands up and down my legs to "rough up" any little hairs so they will be easier to grab. The hair can be pretty short actually, as small as 0.5 mm long (you need 2-5 mm for waxing by comparison). Braun includes some Soothing Wipes which they developed with Olay for pre-treatment. I'm not sure that these actually helped me at all. Run the epilator against the direction of hair growth to remove.
The epilator comes with a huge array of heads to use, each pivot by 15 degrees to make them easier to use, they lift the hair up to be grabbed and there are even heads to be used in sensitive areas like the underarm area. I especially liked that on the epilator itself there is a "SmartLight," which was basically a very bright light that really showed me where the hairs were.
I'm not going to lie to you. This process definitely hurts. At first it hurts a lot and it takes a few treatments to get used to it. The pain does lessen with treatments, and it is helped quite a bit by epilating after a bath or shower (so skin is softer) and by holding down your skin. In the end, the pain is well worth it though, you will be surprised by how much hair is removed. Even with short subtle it looks like you have removed quite a bit of hair.
My skin did have a bit of irritation after epilation, really it looked like each hair follicle was red and irritated and would just hurt if touched for about an hour afterwards. But, with a bit of cream or lotion (I liked my Cetaphil cream for this) the irritation was better and even without cream the irritation was gone within the hour.
I did not achieve perfectly smooth legs with this process. If I was planning to wear shorts or a skirt that day I did need to shave a few missed areas to have the perfectly smooth legs that I want. However, my legs definitely stayed smoother longer when epilated and I will continue to use it as with each use it hurts less. I loved not having subtle a few hours after I shaved just because I was cold!
The newest version of the epilator is available this month, the model numbers are 7280 and 7681 (the difference is added caps in the 7681 for facial and underarm hair). If you have the same issues I do, I really do recommend using the epilator in combination with shaving, I know I'll be using this more often!
This thing made me sweat and cry, personally. NOT a pretty combination:(
ReplyDeleteI definately have the same problem!! How long does it take to use?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on how long the hair is and how big of an area you're treating. I did my lower legs the other day and it took 20 minutes, but it probably would have been less if the hair was a bit longer because I had to go over a few areas a second time.
ReplyDeleteYou are very brave to do this. I've been thinking for years whether or not I should resort to this kind of hair removal. I go back and forth because not so much of the pain it cause but particularly because my skin is sensitive to anything abrasive. It seems the other device you're testing , No! No!, is also not pain free. But I can't wait to hear the results. But for now, I will stick to my depilatory. I do wish they would come up with better (pain-free) hair removal device that doesn't leave any stubbles.
ReplyDeleteOne thing i can't stand is having to administer the pain myself. Hvae you asked a friend to do it as maybe it would take away the extreme feeling of pain. I have to get my waxing done by a professional who is very fast as i can't stand the pain for long!
ReplyDeletedoes the epilator make alot of noise??
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about getting an epilatore to work on my face as well as my legs. Is the Braun Epilator good to use for unwanted facial hair?
ReplyDeleteIt makes a lot of noise, yeah. Used s similar zbraun machine since I was 14 (so for 6 years now) about once a month, more often is REALLY unnecessary for me. Skin stays smooth, only towards the end of the month tiny short light hairs come out.
ReplyDeleteRemember the amour of pain really depends on when you do it in your emtrual cycle, try to time the epilation process to 2-3 days from the beginning of your period. Then the pain barrier is lowest, so you will fell less discomfort. Also they have new models that work equally well underwater, so you can actually use it while you're bathing. Maybe that's something for you!
Christine, I hate the stubble that shaving leaves too. I don't think the Olay wipes do much other than smelling nice. It does make a lot of noise. It sounds like a grinding noise. You are right epilation doesn't leave you completely smooth because very tiny stubble is missed. However, it seems to grab hairs that waxing would miss especially because the head pivots 15 degrees. I don't like this model on the face. It is too bulky.
ReplyDeleteThe Braun Epilators can do everywhere on your body.. Literally everywhere! They come with different attachments to get the awkward bits, best epilators out in my opinion :) Love the blog!
ReplyDeleteSophia x x