At Home Electrolysis

[bellanocturn]

Hey ladies. I need some help. I'm new here, I tracked down the best transgender forum I could find so that I could ask this question.

What is the BEST at home hair removal by electrolysis product that you can recommend? Or the top few?

I've been trying to get hair removal going professionally for years. I dont think laser is for me (I have blonde roots beneath my coarse facial hair, so laser is out), and I cant afford regular electrolysis visits (I make barely 200 dollars a week, even full time working, and this was the only job I could find in six months of looking.)

But I'm out, and full time, and living with having to shave my face -- AGAINST THE GRAIN (god, ow) --- every time I want to leave the house is just painful beyond belief. I cant even leave the house on days I dont work because my face needs time to heal so that the razor bumps go away.

I cant live like this any more. I have to find a more permanent solution. Even if I have to do it myself for hours a day for months before I see results, I need to get STARTED.

The only product that I have heard of that seems affordable for me (ie - less than 100 dollars) is the One Touch system. But is there anything else I should consider that is KNOWN to work?

thanks!
~Bella

[Renate]

Sorry, there is no real home solution.

The problem is that all effective electrolysis solutions use a needle to get electricity to the follicle root.
In the hands of an untrained person or someone using inferior equipment or trying to do it to themselves there will be scarring.

Don't use anything with needles.
That rules out those cheapy pen home electrolysis units as well as the more expensive professional units.

Another solution uses tweezers. This has the advantage that it is impossible to scar yourself.
The disadvantage is that it is much less effective than needle electrolysis.
It's not even worth trying out on your face.

If, and only if, you meet the following conditions, try out Finally Free

• You have $100 to blow
• You are not going to use it on your face
• You're going to use it on body parts
• You have much, too much time on your hands, probably in front of the television
• You are willing to spend over one minute per hair
• You have very low expectations of efficiency of hair removal

[Melissa]

I know I had read about a good one and even bought it, but I'm not able to do at-home electro because my skin is too sensitive and scars (I tested on an inconspicuous spot on my legs first).  However, professional electro works just fine on me.

[bellanocturn]

Well, as it is I live with a cake of makeup on my face to cover shadow and razor bumps -- which, by the way, make me look grotesque and HURT all day long -- and I've already gone the route of tweezing my ENTIRE face (which does work, it's just a pain to deal with as it grows back in) and since tweezing my whole face takes FOREVER (and hurts like hell) ANYWAY, I'm going to try an at home unit.

And I KNOW One Touch works, because I've read countless reviews that say it does work -- if you have craptons of time and patience. And well, I have the time, because I ... cant leave the house on my days off without A) having stubble or B) ripping an entire layer of skin off. And basically, since my life has devolved to this point where I cant go out of the house without either scraping a layer of skin off to get at the stubble and dealing with razor bumps for the rest of the day or going around looking like the bearded lady, I have no choice.

I CANNOT afford professional hair removal.
I CANNOT put this off any longer.
I CAN wear makeup every day for the rest of my life to cover a scar. Or 10.

I was just hoping someone had a 'better' suggestion than One Touch. : (

[Kate]

And I KNOW One Touch works, because I've read countless reviews that say it does work -- if you have craptons of time and patience.

Yup, worked for me. But even after countless hours of using it (wifey used it on me actually), we only managed to clear a few patches.

Kate

[bellanocturn]

If I can marginally clear my upper lip and chin area enough to where I can just twease easier for a while, that's improvement enough for now.

[bellanocturn]

*shrugs* I'm open to alternatives, but no one seems to have any. Professional treatment is NOT an option.

[Dora]

I CANNOT afford professional hair removal.
I CANNOT put this off any longer.
I CAN wear makeup every day for the rest of my life to cover a scar. Or 10.

I was just hoping someone had a 'better' suggestion than One Touch. : (

You are going about this wrong IMHO. Cheap hair removal home units will not do the job. This includes the new laser home products that are now showing up on the internet. You will spend the money and in the end up more frustrated then you are now.

Attack this problem the same way you would before going on HRT or to select a SRS surgeon - Take it to the next level and do your homework before jumping in.

I am in a similar position financial wise so I researched the options on the HairTell forum and decided on buying a professional electrolysis system. I picked up a Gentronics machine on ebay for $400.00 and bought a couple of books on electrolysis on Amazon. It isn't rocket science but you do run the very real risk of permanent scaring so take the time to learn how to use it. Read the books, and read everything you can on the HairTell forums. Then when you have the machine, practice insertions until it is second nature. I practiced on my legs for hours before trying it on my face. Also note that body hair you can reach is pretty easy to do, but your face requires doing it backwards in a mirror.

It's a slow long process and you will need loads of patience and time. If you don't, stop now and wait until you can afford it.

Dora

PS. Tweezing/waxing is a bad idea. Hurts like hell, is temporary, and you can end up with more hair then when you started.

[ceecee]

Some success is possible. Basic electrolysis can be accomplished using a 9 volt batter, some resistors and a professional stylus/needles. (The one touch and its derivatives work in theory, its just the needle to too big and the machines are not durable) You may wan to throw in a ohm meeter. I won't go into details, because if you really want it, you will research it yourself (start at hairfacts.com). You must have a high pain tolerance. You can only do areas you can reach, fortunately the worst areas are reachable, the mustache and chin. It is a tedious and long process and will require research and the acquisition of some basic electronics knowledge. You must have a steady hand and the patience not to turn you face into the moon. Overall, not impossible, but difficult...and...you will still need to use a pro for what you can't get at it. I tried this approach for maybe 40 hours and I did manage to largely clear my upper lip. If I had stuck with it, I might have cleared everything I could reach before I hit 80 years old.

Later I used a better approach, purchasing a used professional machine on eBay. I lucked out and got a decent machine for $100, but there is one particular bidder out there that usually scoops up all of the big deals. Also, I wound up reading a couple of electrology textbooks and invested enough hours to probably get certified as a professional via a program.

In the end, I did a series of professional laser treatments and now have about 45 hours of professional electrolysis. Though my beard is visible removed, I probably have about 30 hours left before it feels as smooth as I want. The effect of laser is highly personal, for me it got about 1/3 of my hairs. In the right market, you might find a good electrolysist for as little as $65/hour. There are still plenty of vultures charging upwards of $120/hour though. Ask any potential professional, be they laser or electro, "How many other trans clients have you cleared?". Don't mess with anybody that doesn't immediately and confidently provide an answer you are comfortable with.

There are no silver bullets. The One Touch is great for 100 hairs, maybe a 1000 if you are really patient. (if you are average, you hve upwards of 20,000 hairs) ALL, 100%, EVERY of the other home devices are hoaxes, don't be taken in. New devices are just repackaged hoaxes. Save your money for the pros.

Been there, done that,
CiCi

[Kate]

PS. Tweezing/waxing is a bad idea. Hurts like hell, is temporary, and you can end up with more hair then when you started.

You eventually end up with LESS hair, as tweezing slightly damages the follicles. But it's a minimal effect.

An alternative would be to purchase a mechanical epilator. I can't begin to describe the pain in epilating your entire face, but it can be done. It's temporary, but much more effective than simply shaving.

My problem with it (besides the agonizing pain) was that the ingrowns and irritation looked really bad...

Kate

[bellanocturn]

Thanks. Sounds like spending the 40ish dollars for a One Touch system is the best way to go in the short term. Yes, yes, I run the risk of scarring. I'll just have to be extremely careful.

And I have a very high tolerance for pain now after 5 years of viciously mutilating my face just to go to work in the morning. My razor blades run red, heavily red, by the end of a work week. I buy insanely large amounts of anti-razor bump treatments and exfoliating scrubs and moisturizing/healing facial creames to try and cope with this problem. The sad thing is that I'm not even heavily hairy, except on my chin and moderately on the upper lip. It's just that when my hair grows in it is unbelievably coarse and dark. (which is bizarre because I am naturally blonde.)

My week generally goes like this. I have a day of work and I shave carefully and gently against the grain (if I dont I get stubbly by the end of the day) and try to leave the skin as undamaged as possible, use anti razor bumps lotion and moisturize properly, apply makeup, go to work, come home and exfoliate and then use anti razor bumps lotion again before bed. The next day the shaving is less easy, but doesnt really hurt (except around my chin), and although I visibly have razor bumps by the end of the day, they dont HURT, and arent too noticably. By the third day my lip and chin regions BLEED as I shave and the makeup that I HAVE TO WEAR in order to be semi passable at work shows that my chin and lip regions are swollen and bumpy, so when anyone gets close the can start picking 'something' up about me. By the fourth day shaving feels like a knee scrape on concrete  --- except over the course of like 20 minutes instead of 1 or 2 seconds, and I look like I have a bad rash on my skin all day long - not passable. Clearly feminine, but also clearly a transwoman who shaves. I can't even work a 5th day in the same week, I make my boss give me 4 x 10 hour shifts so that I can stay home like a great lifeless putz for the 3 days I have off until I heal.

I feel like a social leper, a pariah, because I cannot leave my house on my days off. PERIOD. I cant come in to work on my days off. If my bosses accidentally overschedule me I have to swap shifts with someone.

I mean, I dunno. Maybe laser WOULD work for me, at least nominally. My hair isnt naturally BLEACHED BLONDE (more of a sandy colored light light brown/blonde, my eyebrows are the same very light hue, but my facial hair grows in very dark dark dark -- dunno if that makes a difference) but I REALLY hesitate at the idea of spending 1200 dollars to FIND OUT, when I can buy One Touch and get started for less than 50.

I'll try ANYTHING. Not without some research first (as I am doing now), but ANYTHING would be an improvement. Even if, in the end, 500 hours of at home electrolysis only gets me as far as having ... LESS bloody work to do on my face every day, I'll take it. 45 hours of professional electrolysis costing 65 dollars would be more money than I would make in half a year. If I could find a better job that would hire ~ME~ or a professional electrolysist who charged around ... 15 dollars an hour, that would be a solution I could consider.

But honestly, being super maximondo careful and spending 15 minutes on ONE HAIR just to make sure I dont scar and actually GET IT is still ... one less hair. And 1+1+1+1+1+1 (etc) eventually equals SOME dfference. I'm not heavily hairy on my face. My father never was and even when I let my facial hair grow out when I'm not working it's not like I have tons of hair on my face.

BTW --- has anyone tried Vaniqua?

[Kate]

Consider using DermaBlend as makeup. It'll cover *anything*, so maybe you won't have to shave so close and damage your skin?

As far as laser goes: the darker the hairs, the better it works. If your facial hairs are "very dark dark dark," it should work fine.

For what it's worth, my hair too is naturally dark blonde (or very light brown), yet I had very dark facial hair.

Kate

[Kim6]

I found a very cheap electrolysis kit that actually works.  The trouble is that except for the front of the face... doing your own electrolysis is really difficult.  Also you risk scarring yourself up.  I would recommend biting the bullet and paying to have your electrolysis done by a competent professional (not all are).  I didn't think I could afford electrolysis myself but some things just sort of take care of themselves after you get into it.  Imagine how many children would be born if people waited till they felt like they could afford to have children... not many.

So I just treated electrolysis like a medicine I needed in order to survive and found a way to pay for it but if you are interested in a very cheap home electrolysis kit that actually works (one I have spent countless hours using myself)... do a search on Ebay for "one touch electrolysis".  I would provide a link but the rules on this board cause me to pause for concern.  After I used the "one touch electrolysis" for a while I upgraded to the "clean easy deluxe electrolysis" which has a sort of built in timer.  I realize not providing a link and just search terms might cause you to end up with the wrong product but if you have any questions you can PM me.





Posted on: November 09, 2008, 04:51:48 am

Thanks. Sounds like spending the 40ish dollars for a One Touch system is the best way to go in the short term...

<snip><snip><snip>

has anyone tried Vaniqua?

On Ebay if you watch the auctions you can get a One Touch System for like ten bucks or less, I paid less.  I think I paid six bucks and I used mine with batteries for a while but then bought a voltage converter.

Yes, I wasted money and time on Vaniqua and it kinda works until you stop using it and then you realize that all that money you spent (40-60 dollars a month) only provided you with temporary relief from facial hair and it is a pain to use.  Looking back 40-60 dollars for an hour of electrolysis would have put me light years ahead of what I wasted on Vaniqua per month.

Remind me to read all the posts before I enter mine.

PS I wrapped electrical tape around the contact on the "pen" it self (home electrolysis) and then I would dip my finger in a small cup (dose cup from Pepto Bismol) into which I had placed a cotton ball, a little water and some salt.  The salt water helps you to make a superior connection  using the base contact so that the home electrolysis kit will actually function as it was designed to.  Also sometimes despite getting the probe into the follicle... you may have to rotate it around a bit before it makes good contact, perhaps it has to do with sebum in the follicle insulating your body from the probe.  The reason I insulate the contact on the pen is because it is too easy to touch it by accident and you want that probe placed properly before you give it the juice, otherwise you have a much higher risk of scarring.

[bellanocturn]

How long does the 'hairlessness' of this creame last? How soon can you reapply -- does the hair have to grow out for a few days first, or ...