It's time that I start doing something about hair, and shaving just won't cut it (pun intended).

Reccomendations on epilators? I have tried doing research, but... User reviews just... Leave something to be desired. :p If someone can offer a reccomendation, it would be appreciated.

Quote from: Sarra on July 27, 2005, 12:11:28 AM
It's time that I start doing something about hair, and shaving just won't cut it (pun intended).

Reccomendations on epilators? I have tried doing research, but... User reviews just... Leave something to be desired. :p If someone can offer a reccomendation, it would be appreciated.

Hello Sarra,

When you say "shaving won't cut it", are you refering to facial hair, leg hair, or under arms?  It makes a difference.  If it's facial hair then an epilator will be of no use unless you are talking about peach fuzz, but they can be effective on other parts of the body.  However, the only method for permanet hair removal for the face, if that's what you're looking for, is either laser, or electrolysis, which is quite a bit more expensive, and a lot more painful.  I've tried a couple of epilators on my legs in the past but ended up discarding them and returning to the old leg waxing.

Presently, like a lot of others I'm getting electrolysis done on my face.  It's slow and painful, but it will be worth it in the end.  I did try a laser consult and the technician advised against it as she couldn't guarantee the results for my colour of beard.

I hope this was of some help, if not, I'm sure that there will be lots of advice on the way 

Take care,

Steph

Epilators.  Not recommended for your face.  It is like high speed tweezing and can lead to ingrown hairs and funky curvature of the hair making electrolysis a bit more painful when you start.  I would recommend shaving and then Vaniqa but if you can afford vaniqa you can afford laser or needle electrolysis.

On other body parts it may hurt the first few times and after that, not so much if used on a regular basis.  I really do not recommend it to thin out pubic hair though as it may catch up a bunch of hair and get stuck.  Don't laugh, an ex of mine had to help her friend scissor out enough hair in order to remove the contraption. 

YMMV of course.

Quote from: LostInTime on July 27, 2005, 12:41:21 PM
It is like high speed tweezing

It IS high-speed tweezing.  I have a Braun Silk Epil that I haven't used in quite awhile, but it works as well as you could expect from what you are doing with it.  There are some recommendations in addition to not using it on face or pubic areas. 

1. Keep the skin tight while in use.  Loose skin that gets caught in the tweezers does not feel good.

2. Work against the direction of hair growth.  That makes it easier for the tweezers to grab the hair.

3. Set the epilator on the lightest setting.  If it is too high, there is a greater chance of the hair breaking instead of getting pulled out.  This leads to ingrown hairs with their ugly bumps.  (This will happen anyway, but you want to reduce it as much as possible.)

4. Same thing for speed.  Fast means more broken off hairs.  And more pain, but that's a personal preference.

5. If you have an area of coarse, stuborn hair, tweeze instead of epilating.  It just works better, though takes longer.

BTW, as far as I can tell, the pain does not decrease with practice.

I have an online friend who used his wife's epilator on his face due to being intoxicated. :p After seeing the pics of the aftermath, I'd rather not even think about that.

It's for the legs and my body hair.

I'm thinking about buying a home electro kit, or a home laser kit, but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for that yet. I cannot afford professional electro, so that is not a question.

As far as pain goes, YMMV.  Everyone I have spoken with tells me that the more they used it, the less it hurt.  I barely have any body hair so I do not use such things.

Sarra, most of the home kits are no more than slightly electrified tweezers and have close to zero impact on hair growth.  Save up for some proper electro.  I had the laser done, six sessions, for less than $1K USD.  It hurt like hell to pay it but it did clear out most of the dark hair.

Quote1. Keep the skin tight while in use.  Loose skin that gets caught in the tweezers does not feel good.

Keeping the skin tight is good advise when using an epilator, especially if you are going to use it in the genital area. Those things can bite like a Tasmanian devil.   




Edited by Stephanie Craxford to fix the quote tag.

Ouch that would hurrt 

I've had a few misadventures myself with various hair removal gizmos near the genital area.  They can really get your attention when that happens. Thankfully no scars though  yet   We really have to be careful using any type of hair removal device down there, one move in the wrong direction could mean a mad dash to the ER, and you wouldn't have to worry about GRS    Hmmmmmmm, wait a second........

Steph

I use the Silk-epil eversoft by Braun and have been very pleased with it (everywhere except my face that is).  It does a fair job and has lasted a long time.

I started out using it every day (ouch) it did hurt at first, but now that the hair growth rate has slowed and is finer, it isn't a problem and I do it about once a week.

Sarah

Hey. Thanks for your post. I've been reading reviews and discussions about epilator. It is because I want to try using it. Some people said it hurts a lot but you find a good result. I think I want to have one. =)

Quote from: Sarra on July 28, 2005, 02:39:13 PM

I'm thinking about buying a home electro kit, or a home laser kit, but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for that yet. I cannot afford professional electro, so that is not a question.

I've used the Tria Laser pretty successfully on my hands and arms.  It is a long process overall (4-6 months) and each treatment takes a long time (45 min or so) because the active area for each pulse is pretty small.  I could cover both my arms with a full battery charge. However I barely need to shave my arms and hands at all anymore.

J.

I'm using the Phillips Satinelle, and it does an ok job.  When you first start using an epilator, it feels like peeling your skin off (at least it did for me).  After a while, it still hurts, but not as bad.  Oh, and using it on your face REALLY hurts.  I just touched it to an area under my chin and realized it was a bad idea.

I use the Braun one as well. Works great on legs. Ok other places but it likes to grab skin on underarm and bikini area. Mostly good though and I would never touch my face with it.



Ella

Quote from: Christy82 on June 27, 2015, 08:27:31 PM
I'm using the Phillips Satinelle, and it does an ok job.  When you first start using an epilator, it feels like peeling your skin off (at least it did for me).  After a while, it still hurts, but not as bad.  Oh, and using it on your face REALLY hurts.  I just touched it to an area under my chin and realized it was a bad idea.

Ouch for face... Aya
Ouch underarms (trad shaver blade for me there)
I have a Braun (over 5 YO now) has been great, only use for legs and arms (the latter I don't really need to use now, but I do as I hate arm hair, even if it is lighter and downy'ish)
Must update soon and will stick with Braun silk epil 7 or latest at time of purchase, my old one tends to drag and slip a bit now, getting a few broken hairs rather than extracted ones...

Katy xx

I use the Phillips Satinelle.  I like the built-in light for seeing fine hairs.  I bought the set with a bunch of attachments, but now I don't really use them.  So if you go this route you may want to get the version that has the same epilator, but no extra attachments.

A wonderful piece of advice I read was to get professionally waxed prior to using the epilator. The epilator hurts when it has a lot of hair to remove.  That's why the pain is slim to none once you've been regularly using it for a while.  If you wax first, wait a couple weeks then start epilating weekly (or according to your hair growth).  This will keep the necessary hair removal to a minimum at any one session.  It will be a breeze compared to starting from scratch with very hairy legs!

Kim

I've been using one on my legs for about 10 years and will never go back.

This is what I brought for myself a few weeks ago, bloody thing is now on sale:
http://www.shavershop.com.au/online-store/ladies-hair-removal/epilators/braun-skin-spa-epilator-7569.html

Its the 5th one i've brought, so hey last about 2 years.

Now for the best results, you need to get a professional waxing first. That way you'll have all your hair removed.
The thing with body hair is it grows at different rates, a few days after a waxing you might find a few hairs, a week you'll have half you hair back, or so it seems.
What I did, was the day after the waxing was started using the epilator, I spent maybe 5 minutes tops on my legs, nothing, I did that every few days and have ever since.
When I do get a hair, I barely feel it.
Its been a good 10 years, all of my close friends are now doing it and are always hair free.
The trick is, like shaving, just quickly go over your legs every few days, have a shower first, use a good lotion afterwards and exfoliate at least twice a week.
I mix raw sugar with my shower wash, it leaves your legs a lot softer.

As for using it on the face, I started blockers before I had much growth, I did have a few really young hairs which I waxed. maybe once every month I'll use it on my face, I might get something once a year.

I really believe its this is the best option for hair removal. Bt you've got to spend up front, go get waxed, then spend and get a good unit, cheap ones don't last and you just end up spending more in the long run.