You heard the wonderful stories about epilating from different people, you also heard some horror stories about epilating from others. After listening to different conflicting stories you wondered, what is real truth and what is folly, does an epilator hurt or better yet, do epilators hurt?
The question of epilator pain is difficult to answer but I will give it my best go, in order to help you as much as possible.
I have to go by experience, and when anyone asks, do epilators hurt, I tell them that epilating hurts a lot and hurt more in some places on the body than others. The legs are more bearable while the underarms and groin are the most painful.
However, the truth is everyone feels pain differently and have different levels of sensitivity to pain in the skin.
For some people epilating hurt like hell and for others, it is quite bearable. You may fall at one of the extreme end or somewhere in the middle.
Why do epilators hurt?
Epilating your body does carry with it a certain level of pain. Different areas of the body have more nerve endings and therefore are more painful when you epilate.
However, certain factors cause you to feel more pain, some you can control and others you have to live with.
Things you can control
- The quality of the epilator that you use
- The length of your hair
- The body part you are epilating
- The use of numbing cream
- Following manufacturers guidelines to reduce pain
Things you cannot control
- Your skin’s sensitivity and pain tolerance
As you can see there are many things in your control. Therefore you can take steps to reduce pain.
How to reduce the pain that you may feel
A good quality epilator.
It is important you get a good quality epilator that may more efficiently pull hair out. Some have technology that you massage the skin while epilating.
Yet others have features that will indicate when you are applying too much pressure on the device. It is for this reason I use the Braun Epil 9. You can use it in the shower or not. You can get anyone that you like, just do your research.
Length of your hair
Trim your hair to the required length suggested by the epilator manufacturer.
For the Braun Epil 9, you can epilate hairs as short as 0.5mm. If the hair is too long it may cause the epilating device to stuck.
The body part you epilate
Certain parts of the body are more sensitive to pain than others. The legs and arms are more bearable. While the mon pubis area is quite painful. It is like a 7 or 8 out of ten on the pain scale.
If you can’t bear the pain then epilate the parts of the body that is less painful for you.
Products you can use.
If you are so sensitive and do not like pain. Consider using a numbing cream. It will deaden the skin a bit so that you can epilate more comfortably.
Skin sensitivity
I am a real wuss when it comes to pain. You can ask my mom, she will tell you. However, I found epilating to be quite bearable.
That being said, different people have different tolerances to pain. You will have to try it to see how painful it is for you.
If you try it and do not like it, consider sending the product to me. Remember, I am a little skint, still living at home.
When you epilate you are prone to having little red bumps on the area but it will disappear after a few hours. As you epilate more the pain will decrease.
Tips on how to make your epilator hurt less.
There is no dancing around the fact that using epilators to remove hairs hurt.
However, there are a number of things that can be done to reduce the amount of pain you feel. Stay with me a little longer and let me share this information with you.
#1 Exfoliate your skin
It is important that you get rid of all the dead skin cells, dirt and grime that is on the skin before you epilate.
Doing this reduces the chances of infecting your skin with bacteria that could potentially cause breakouts or ingrown hairs.
You can use the Salux washcloth the exfoliate your skin along with the AHAVA Mineral Exfoliator to slough away the dead skin cells.
#2 Get your hairs to the right length
There are many ways to do this. You can use the trimmer head attached to the epilator and try the hairs town to the right level.
Alternatively, you can save 2 to 3 days prior and then epilate. It is thought that this make epilating more pain-free by allowing your shaved hair to grow to the level of the manufacturer’s recommendations for their epilators.
#3 Warm-up your skin
Consider taking a warm bath or shower before you epilate. Warm water will open up your pores and make it much easier for the hairs to leave the hair follicles. Cold skin or skin with goosebumps will make epilating painful.
If you are going to dry epilate, make sure you dry your skin thoroughly before epilating.
It is easier to warm up your skin while you epilate wet – in the shower or bath. The constant water flows also help to reduce pain.
However, it causes the epilator to not be as effective as it could be because the hairs lay flat instead of perking up.
#4 Apply numbing cream to your skin
If you have low pain tolerance, a wuss like myself, try using a numbing cream to take the edge off the pain.
Use the numbing cream as per the manufactures instruction. I find leaving it on for a half-hour works wonders.
#5 Keep your skin taut
Loose skin makes epilating more painful. Plus there is a risk that the epilator may not grab the hairs as efficiently as it could.
It is recommended to hold the skin taut and epilate slowly, giving the epilator time to pull the hairs out in its path.
#6 Use a good epilator
It goes without saying that you need to get yourself a good epilator. A poor quality one will only serve to make epilating more painful.
The modern epilator comes with improved technology that helps to reduce pain.
The Braun Silk-épil 9 Flex 9-300 Beauty Set epilator comes with SensoSmart technology that alerts you when you pressing too hard on the device. Clever.
#7 After epilator care
After epilating, especially if you have thick dark hairs you may be prone to ingrown hairs.
The Tend Skin for ingrown hairs is here to help you out. When you apply it may sting a bit but not really a bad sting.
Conclusion
Yes, the answer to the question, do epilators hurt is easy. Yes, epilator does hurt when you use it. However, the pain will decrease with frequent use.
How much pain each person feel is hard to decipher as each individual sensitivity to pain is different. The process of epilation is a great way to keep stubborn hairs away.
Don’t overlook epilating because of the pain that may or may not feel. The tips detailed above are some of the basic ideas that you can use today to reduce the pain you might feel while epilating.
