OMG, how to epilate? You desperately wanted to remove unwanted body hairs that grow in places you dare to mention. Who wants to be the sibling of a werewolf on a full moon? No one, unless you are really unique, you go you.
There are so many choices of hair removal techniques out there, from tweezing to epilating with an epilator, but you wondered, Is epilating the hair removal method for me? Is it? Is it really? I don’t know.
You may sigh at the thought of getting rid of those unwanted hairs once again. But we have to do it, the beauty industry relies on us to do it, to play our path to make the earth a smoother place.
They tell us, there are many options, to remove hair safely, choose the one we like but do we really?
Yes, we’ve got a few options but which one will you choose? Oh yes, shaving. Nah, quick to get rid of these pesky hairs but in two days they are back peeping at us again through the skin, giving those 5’oclock shadows and feel like a cheese grater or the back end of a hedgehog.
Ah, waxing is better, thank god. Oh no, waxing is just too expensive if you go to the salon, but wait you can do it at home. Yes but, not really, it is just too messy.
I have an idea, what about using depilating creams? Great idea but the results are back in no time. You can not use that product in a closed room without it reminding you of those chemical reactions in your science class when you felt that you might die from the chemicals.
I guess the best option is to use a mechanical epilator. However, mention the word epilator in a conversation and I can bet you someone will gasp for air. They all remembered the early version of the epilation machines which, according to some, was a torture machine fitting of a place in a Freddy Krueger movie.
You cannot really put any blame their way for thinking in that manner. The definition of an epilator will scare the living daylight out of you.
Close your eyes and imagine this. I am going to use a machine on you that will sound like a little vibrating machine, with multiple tweezers on a rotating head, that will take how of your hairs and rip them out from the hair follicles.
I don’t know about you but it sounds like a scene from a horror film, Freddy Krueger are you listening. Never mind, it sounds worst than it actually is. The epilator is quite handy, I share this little guide on how to epilate. Want to know how to use an epilator without pain in a step by step way? Go to the page.
How long does it last?
With all the different methods that you could choose, why choose this one. The manufacturers of the mechanical epilators promised that you will have up to four weeks of smooth skin on average.
You can expect four weeks but remember, some will get hair-free skin for 6 weeks and for others the period will be much shorter. It depends on a lot of factors including your hair growth cycle, your genetics (some people are just really hairy) or whether you have a hormone imbalance.
All things being equal, you can expect no stubble after epilating. At least four weeks of hair-free skin – oh yeah, shout from the rooftop. That is not the only benefit, you can expect softer and thinner.
On occasions, some people, after years of epilating, do not regrow hairs in the areas that were frequently epilated. The good thing is that you will have fewer hairs to epilate and the bad is that your skin may have patchy hairs on your skin or hairs that regrow in a thinner lighter color.
Does Epilating hurt?
Yes. Epilating hurt like crazy the first time you do it but as you continue doing it you get used to the pain and it may become somewhat pleasurable – we are all different. If you have never epilated before, the pain is similar to tweezing or getting waxed.
The more you epilate your pain threshold will increase and it will become bearable – from an oh my god with tears in the eyes pain to just an ouch. Everyone is different so you have to just give epilation a chance.
How long does hair have to be?
The longer your hair is the more painful the epilation process will be. You can expect epilators to grab hairs as short as 0.5mm, which is four times shorter than waxing can, so you don’t have to have your skin looking like the back of a hedgehog – unless you want to, of course. It may be a new look. I don’t know.
The moral of the story is that if you are going to epilate, do so on shorter hair, it is much less painful. Some recommend that you consider shaving your hairs first if it is too long and then epilate as soon as the first set of hairs reach the appropriate length.
How to epilate: What parts of my body can I epilate?
You can epilate hairs from anywhere on your entire body. Maybe you want to go totally hairless, I don’t know. Just like when you did your tattoo, if you have one, you will experience varying levels of pain.
The legs below the knees are bearable, the underarms and thighs are medium, just like ouch. While the face and pubic hair areas are like oh my god with tears.
What should you do before you epilate?
You got to prepare for the occasion. Start with a clean epilator. It should have been cleaned from the previous use but, if you did not it is time to. You will be pulling hairs from the root therefore your skin will be vulnerable. Gliding a dirty epilator over open hair follicles is a recipe for disaster and this can cause infection.
Brush the hairs from the machine, detach rinse and dry the epilator head. If it is a corded epilator make sure it is unplugged first, obviously. If the head is detachable, detach it and do the cleaning. Also remember, that water and electricity are not friends if you mix both that can join together and kill you. You can sanitise the head with surgical spirit – soak a cotton ball and rub it over the device’s head.
Exfoliate before you epilate
If you don’t exfoliate expect ingrown hairs. It is as simple as that. make sure to scrub the area gently a day prior to epilation to rinse away any dead skin cells, which might block new hairs from growing through the skin.
After exfoliation, thoroughly dry skin before beginning the epilation process. Unless your and about to use a wet/dry epilator which is waterproof and specifically designed for use in the bath or shower.
Have a warm shower or bath prior to epilating. Having goosebumps is your enemy before you epilate. Goosebumps indicates that the skin is contracting, which means that the skin will be holding on to the hair follicles making epilating more painful.
What about after epilating?
Now that you finished epilating the part of your body with unwanted hairs, what do you do next? If you are a hygiene freak like myself, clean the epilator with the provided brush, if you wet epilate, wash rinse off the epilator head and get rid of all the epilated hairs, dead skin cells and grime.
Don’t forget your skin, it may become a bit dry after epilating so moisturise it to keep it nice and supple. The best moisturisers are the ones that are unscented and non-pore blocking. I love the ones with a bit of aloe vera. I just love it.
Don’t be shocked or surprised after your first epilation session. The first time you epilate you may develop strawberry legs – little red bumps on the skin where the hairs were epilated. It is nothing to worry about, as a matter of fact, it is quite normal and will disappear after a few hours to a couple of days.
In order to avoid the blush on your leg while you are out, do your epilation before your big day out. Always give your skin an opportunity to rest. Stay away from direct sunlight because it may serve as an irritation.
Do not forget to exfoliate often to avoid ingrown hairs. Do this every few days.
Which epilator is best?
The market is flooded with a plethora of epilators. There is one to suit every pocket from the really cheap one to ones you might have to sell an arm and a leg for (expensive ones). You can buy a stand-alone epilator or the ones that come with many different attachments that may help with exfoliation and massaging of the skin.
There are even some with extra epilators that focus on different problem areas like the face, bikini line and the eyebrows. The best one is dependent on you, what do you want it for, how often will you use it, what is your problem area. Do you need to special attachments, if you purchase the one without the attachments you can get a better deal?
The best epilator depends on your preference, your budget, the features you like to futureproof your device and how you plan to use it. If you prefer to epilate in the shower, less painful there if it is your first time, get the epilator with the wet-dry feature.
Have problems with facial hairs, get the epilator with a combination of epilators (facial and body epilators) in one package. Be mindful of your budget, but do not worry too much about the cost because a good epilator can last for years.
The one I am using now is the Braun Silk-Epil 9 9-985 SkinSpa SensoSmart epilator with separate Facial Hair and body hair Removal epilators for Women (men can use it also). It comes with the following attachments and features, Facial Cleansing Brush, Womens Shaver, Wet & Dry feature, it is Cordless and includes 7 other extras.
It has a feature that I really like, the SensoSmart. This feature ensures that I do not apply too much pressure on the epilator while epilating, the epilator’s sensor flashes red if you apply too much pressure on the device while epilating. Isn’t that amazing?
You do not have to choose the same one as I did. The one I selected for myself is top of the line and is a little bit pricy (expensive) but you can shop around until you find one that is perfect for you with all the features that you like.
Features you may like in an epilator beauty kit
- Cooling heads – which reduces pain
- Exfoliating brushes – helps to lift hairs that would otherwise pierce the skin and form ingrown hairs
- LED light – so that you can see the hairs in the poorly lit bathrooms
- Extras – Bikini epilators – to epilate the bikini area and Facial epilator – aims to get rid of the soft facial hairs, included as part of the package.
- Wet/Dry feature – Wet epilators – for epilating in the bath and Dry epilators – for epilating out the shower or bath use (only works of dry skin).
- Multiple head attachment – comes with a shaver head
BRAUN EPIL 9
Review of the Braun Epil 9
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Which question(s) would you like me to answer first? Comment below.
Can epilators be used underarms?
Can I do a Brazilian with an epilator?
Can I use an epilator on my pubic hair?
Can use a normal epilator on your face?
Can you use deodorant after epilating?
Do epilators cause ingrown hairs?
Do epilator work on facial hair?
Do epilators damage skin?
Do epilators have side effects?
Do epilators hurt?
Do epilators make hair thicker?
Do epilator stop hair growth?
Does epilating cause breakouts?
Does epilating facial hair make it grow back thicker?
Does epilation cause chicken skin?
Does epilation cause ingrown hairs?
Does epilation cause strawberry legs?
Does epilation reduce hair growth?
Does epilator make skin rough?
Does epilator reduce hair growth?
Does using epilator darkens the skin?
How bad do epilators hurt?
How do I prevent ingrown hairs after epilating?
How do you epilate painlessly?
How long after epilating can you exfoliate?
How long do epilator results last?
How long does hair need to be for epilator?
How often do I exfoliate my legs?
How often should you epilate your armpits?
How often should you epilate?
How often should you epilate?
How often to epilate?
How to epilate your face?
How to treat red bumps after epilating?
How to use an epilator on pubic hair?
How to use an epilator on the face?
How to use an epilator properly?
How to use epilator without pain?
Is an epilator better than waxing?
Is bleeding after epilating normal?
Is epilating bad for your skin?
Is epilating facial hair bad?
Is epilating good for sensitive skin?
Is it better to epilate wet or dry?
Is it painful using an epilator?
Is it safe to epilate armpits?
Is it safe to use an epilator on the face?
Is the Braun or Philips epilator better?
Should I moisturize after epilating?
Should you moisturize after epilating?
What do you put on skin after epilating?
What hurts more waxing or epilating?
What is the best women’s epilator?
Which epilator is best for pubic hair?
Which epilator is best for underarms?
Which is the best epilator for facial hair?
Why are my legs bumps after epilating?
Why do I get bumps after epilating?
Why do I get bumps after epilating?
Conclusion
This was a short guide on how to epilate properly. Hope you find it useful. Epilation can be a bit painful but the results are amazing. Let me answer some of the questions that you may have about epilation. Let us grow our epilation tribe.
Reference: Mayo Clinic | Cleveland Clinic | lovely skin stuff
