Long story short: I know someone with very steady hands who is very well-practiced in being precise. I have a lot of confidence in her ability to use an electrolysis machine and avoid scarring.

I know there are some electrolysis machines you can buy to do it yourself at home. Could anyone recommend some of the better ones, maybe on Amazon?

As far as i know, none of the DIY systems work.  Best to stay with the Professionals.

none of those works unless she has a professional grade electrolysis unit and she is licensed electrolysis.

If she isn't licensed i dont care if she used to diffuse bombs as a hobby...i wouldn't let her get near my face. Steady hands isn't the only way to stop scarring. There is a reason why people must take classes and get certified before using an electrolysis machine.

Unless you want to take that very high chance of her leaving potmark scarring and permanent redding on your face then go for it

Electrolysis is a bit like dentistry,tattooing and hairdressing.Don't DIY best leave it to the experts,even in the hands of a professional electrolysis can leave scarring and skin damage.Save the money you would buy a home electrolysis kit and put it toward having it done professionally

I haven't tried it, but I've heard that this works:
http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Easy-Deluxe-Home-Electrolysis/dp/B002QXLM3I

The downside is that it's very slow (think hundreds and hundreds of hours potentially to do an entire beard) and if you do it wrong you could leave permanent scarring.

The more expensive ones than this machine aren't necessarily any better and may be a lot worse.

Here's the first review of it from amazon:

QuoteUpon using this product I found it EXTREMELY time consuming, irritating, somewhat painful, and left me covered with teeny scabs for a week post-treatment. I sold this item within a month of purchasing it. Here I am many many months later, returning to say that the area that I treated has about 50% less hair growth than before and I'm actually considering purchasing this again to finish up treatment. It's a tough call. This machine has alot of cons, scabbing being the biggest issue for me, but this is one of the only machines that seems to deliver permanent results at such an affordable price. I just can't afford laser treatments and extra body hair makes me miserable. I think by writing this review I came to decision. It's worth it, but only by a hair. ;]

It could be done with a professional level machine but without throwing some money at it your only going to get a basic model at best. Even with a machine that works it does take some practice and you'll need to understand what it is that your trying to do. There are some good books out there but reading a book isn't going to make you able. At some point you'll need to start treating and removing hairs and here's where it gets tricky. You could do some damage if you're not very careful and thing is you might not realise it till some time after, it might not necessarily be obvious at the time... Some people who call themselves electrologists don't actually know how to  remove hairs properly so be careful who you listen to. If you're in the UK I might be able to help you with a machine. I started off with it and did some DIY myself. It's a sterex machine so a long way from being comfortable for face work as far as I'm concerned There are still people out there using them to torture people. I didn't do any face work with it, just chest and I did cause a couple of scars but no pitting. There's a lot to learn and you'll need some supplies. Needles sharps box, after care, sterile wipes etc etc oh yeah and probably the most important thing. Some good magnification. Mine cost me £1500.00 so brace yourself because all in all it's an expensive endeavour. When and if you do start practising having got all your bits and pieces and information together the legs are are a good place to start. Bear in mind though that the legs are a whole different ball game to the face, they're a good starting point but facial hair is totally different, more energy, deeper and the face is the last place you want to be getting it wrong.... So all in all to re cap It can be done but it's not gonna be easy, far from it....

I did it 20 years ago. Perfect results and didn't take that long, perhaps three hours a day for three months. You have to be careful that you follow the hair shaft (large magnifying mirror) I found that by doing it myself I could tell when I'd hit the exact angle as it wouldn't hurt much at all. Generally didn't manage to zap the follicle enough to pull it out without a little tugging but it still killed it.

No chance with the top lip as it was just too painful but I used another model for that, can't remember which one but it had  a pad with conductive gel and that worked well too.

I used the amazon model that someone posted above

I have one of the "Clean and Easy" home electrolysis units. I thought it worked alright. If you buy one make sure to get extra needles. They bend so easy. My biggest struggle once I had done an hour or so was doing it to myself.

Doing it on yourself is going to be impossible in certain, if not most areas and ideally you'll need a partner, someone with similar needs ideally. Be prepared to spend a lot of time together....

Seems like very high risk for very little saving.

Would you get a BA from a friend who was a nurse with steady hands or pay for a surgeon who knows what they are doing?

See this useful link:

http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/hair/zapdiy.html

Caroline

Thank you all for the replies, especially the candid ones.