Thread: Epilator...

Ok... So I just discovered what an epilator is. My mom let me use hers this weekend.

Does anyone have any experience and/or suggestions on one that doesn't hurt too much? The one I tried this weekend was pretty cool, but it hurt like a beyotch!!!

Thanks, ladies!

heh. i got one of those. still try to convince myself that i'll use it regularly. and every so often i give it a shot, but never get more then a wide strip done down one half-leg. hurts like friggin' hell!!! always end up finishing with wax or shaving. lol.
"they say" it hurts less as you get more and more used to using it over time, but i just can't seem to get passed that part.

so yeah. looking forward to answers on this one ^^

My sis-in-law had one. Her experience wasn't good. Her hairs would grow underneath her skin!!! So I didn't do it......

There's no cure for it except getting used to it. I've been using one for 20 years now on my legs and I have little hair growth there now, though not sure that is because of the epilator or age making hair thinner or a combination of the two. It doesn't bother me at all now (and hasn't for ages). I have never gotten brave enough to try it on underarms or bikini line though!

I don't think there's a way to create a device that yanks your hair out by the roots but doesn't hurt. The ones that don't hurt just don't work.

I use a small one, and that makes it easier to take, but it also takes longer. I'm thinking of getting a bigger, more powerful one so I can just get it over with faster!

I have an epilady and yeah, it hurts! Not the 'stinging' that is described in the directions (insert eyeroll here). With time the hair does become sparser and finer, like over weeks/months and exfoliating is key in keeping the ingrowns at bay. I like not having to deal with appointments for waxing or exposing my hoo ha to someone I don't know very well. Works for me!

I've used one for over a decade now, and the trick is to KEEP using it! Sometimes I get lazy and just shave for a bit - I lose my tolerance to the "Owie" then.

If you're going to start, I'd suggest just tackling a small(er) section at a time. Say, one lower leg. Shave or wax the rest as you normally would. Then, when it's time, you can add to the area you expose to the epilator. It's what I now do when I've been away from it for a while.

And different people find different places more painful. I don't mind doing the bikini line, but the armpits just plain hurt!

Good luck!!

I bought one and am too chicken to try it...I'm terrified of wax pain too...
eep.

I got one a few years ago with a "starter" head which has fewer tweezers. That was a good way to get used to it and now it hurts a lot less.

I still use the starter head on my armpits, way less painful that way as it's yanking out fewer hairs at a time.

It also has a "massaging" attachment which reduces the pain. I don't have to use that on my legs anymore so can get them done pretty quick.

The skin looks disgusting straight afterwards. All red and lumpy. I use a lady aftershave spray to help calm it down.

Don't epilate straight after showering!!!

You need to exfoliate (but not straight after) to help control the ingrown hair problems. For me that happens with waxing too, didn't become any worse with epilation.

Having said all that I'm too chicken to use it on my bikini line, it's a visit to the professional waxer for that ...

I'm terrible with brand names today, I think mine's a Braun X-cel or something??? The interchanging heads are what makes it really good ... I think they've got a kit which also includes a narrower head which would also be less painful.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I don't think there's a way to create a device that yanks your hair out by the roots but doesn't hurt. The ones that don't hurt just don't work.

wax works great, and personally, i find it way more tolerable than this torture machine. i think it might be the fact that it's hot (and, just gets it all over and done with soooo much faster).

There's a commercial here for an epilator you can use in the shower. i'm wondering if that would be less painful, as the hot water might make it more tolerable. (or how about underwater in a hot bath?) But something tells me that *something* isn't going to work here. maybe less efficient or whatnot? (since hair is more elastic when wet, maybe they'll snap rather than get pulled out?) i donno. has anyone ever tried this one?

I've been using one on my legs for over 25 years, yes the first few times I used it it hurt a bit, but remember to pull the skin tight the hair comes out cleaner. It doesn't hurt at all now, hasn't hurt after the first few times, but even the first few times I found just gouing for it, my legs became kind of numb to it after a few minute, so less painful. You just have to push through the first minutes on each leg. Have never tried underarms or bikini, was too chicken. But I wouldn't be without it for my legs. Yes the hair does become more sparse over time and takes longer to grow back as well. I have never had an ingrown hair problem or chicken skin either. I just use a body moisturiser on my legs after using the epilator.

As long as I can remember I've always used an epilator... (after a short bad cold wax experience!)

Some advices for the very sensitives : do it after a good hot shower and think about moisturizing as often as possible...

AH! and about the hairs underneath the skin : scrub (exfoliator) and moisturize.

I've also heard about an apilator going under the water, so you can use it in your shower ;)

What's the best brand and model? I would love something that would last longer than shaving, but be less messy than home waxing and less of a pain than booking appointments for salon waxing. The pain doesn't bug me (at least, in theory), but I'd want to make sure it really WORKED.

I have an older braun silk-epil and use it irregularly but still like it. (I admit - I am lazy!) I affectionatly call it the hair ripper-outter. I am very, uh, furry and the hair growth is down to about half what it was before. It takes getting used to - see above comments - and I can get everything but the inner thigh stuff unless I am feeling very brave. My eyebrow wax lady recommended putting hydrogen peroxide on my legs after to prevent ingrown hairs and that works well. Since my hair is so dark and my epil skills aren't that great (and I am lazy) I'll epilate twice within three or four days to get as much as I can (ie first part of summer weather), then do a quick shave to make sure I got everything. Then epilate regularly to keep everything in check. Definitely easier when you have less to yank out!

I like the Braun because I can change out to a razor head to to clean up and get the more personal hairy bits.

I have a Braun, I think, and I love it. It really is just a matter of building up a tolerance to it because it does get easier, faster and less painful the more you do it. Although I don't get them often, you do need to exfoliate to prevent ingrown hairs, but then again, I have to do that with shaving and waxing too.

I use mine on my legs, armpits and bikini line about once a week. Sooooo much better than shaving everyday.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I don't think there's a way to create a device that yanks your hair out by the roots but doesn't hurt. The ones that don't hurt just don't work.

LOL! Yeah, I knew that no matter what, it was going to hurt. I was hoping that one brand might be more......"gentle" than another.

Has anyone used theirs on the chin area? I get these awful dark "whiskers" that bug me.

I also have darker hair on my upper lip, and I've always been afraid to bleach it, because I'm afraid that it will be more noticeable if it's lighter (I have a weird skin tone).

I've been using a Brauns silk-epil for the past 12 years. If you use it once every 2-3 weeks, it's not that painful. I only do my legs, my machine came with a very specific instruction to not use it on the armpits/bikini area. Does anyone know if you can use a regular epilating machine, or if I need a special one for armpits/bikini line?

I love epilating and hate shaving, so I do my armpits with a tweezer. There must be a faster way to do this.

I found that starting out/getting back into the routine with not-too-long hair felt less unpleasant. I.e., I shaved, and let it grow back a bit and then got the machine out.

electrolysis girls! done by a professional. Expensive but worth it.

ha-ha..O Gawd, (laughing at myself) I remember when they first came out, and yes I was dumb enough to try it on my underarms...for the love of God, what the hell was I thinking???!!!!???

Wellllll....I got brave and did my underarms a couple times.

Hurt like the devil the first couple times but it does get better. The only reason I don't do it more often than I do (like once a month) is because I hate stubble there regardless of the hair removal method. Works great though!

Hydrocortisone cream really helps with inflamed hair follicles and the related itchiness.

try doing a Brazilian with one of those :)) hehe, hurts like hell. but you get used to that also ;)

I don't think anything can beat waxing... done it for several years now and I don't find it very painful at all as long as you keep the skin taut- and when you've done your own Brazilian, nothing scares you! There's a strangely enjoyable satisfaction you get from seeing the bald bits take over the furry bits...and even better when you've left your *ahem* bikini line alone for a while, so when you whip it off it looks like half your crotch is attached to the strip... yep, waxing's the thing. Bald legs and entertainment value in one go!

I'll have to look at the brand of my epilator, cuz to me it doesn't hurt one bit... (on the other hand, my tattoos didn't hurt either :p)

I only need to use like once a week, not that often actually when I think about it... It grows back so slow and so thin that sometimes I even forget I need to get it out ;) I use it for my armpits as well, it's so easy!!!

I use this - [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Braun-5270-Silk-%C3%A9pil-Xelle-System/dp/B000EZYKTS]Amazon.com: Braun 5270 Silk-épil X'elle Body System Epilator: Health & Personal Care[/ame]

I love it! I can't even feel the epi on my legs, it doesn't hurt at all, but I don't have a lot of leg hair. I also use it for my underarms - my hair is very dark and shaving just doesn't cut it, and I can't wait long enough for my underarm hair to grow out to wax since I dance every weekend.

I can't lie, it hurts when using it on the ole pits, but it's gotten better over time. And 4 minutes of pain is worth a week of smooth pits.

I don't think I could use it on my bikini line though! Youch!

Originally Posted by Marianna

try doing a Brazilian with one of those :)) hehe, hurts like hell. but you get used to that also ;)

Seriously? It's OK to do that? Oooh. I'm thinking more and more seriously about this now.

Judging by how successful these work according to the comments, I might have to look into one of these... I hate shaving! Apparently, Braun's the way to go.

well, of course it hurts to do a bikini line or Brazilian, but the more you do it the less it hurts. Is it possible that the nerve endings get damaged, so they're not so sensitive anymore?
I really don't like waxing. First, it hurts when I put on the hot wax. Or at least it's very uncomfortable. Then ripping it off hurts again. And if you want to give up in the process because you feel you had enough, you can't, otherwise you'll look weird. For example, if you do your arms.
With an epilator you ca go section by section, more and more each time, so you can stop if you want.
I feel that it takes less time, and easier to reach areas :)

mine is called Silk-epil, by Braun. I bought it for $50, over a year ago, and it works great. It has a safety guard, which you can take off (I did) and has 2 settings. I think I bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Ive got a phillips one and I friggen LOVE IT! It doesnt hurt at all when I use it. Ive been waxing for years tho and epilating since 2006.

It has saved me an absolute packet thanks to the fact that I dont have to go waxing anymore.

My phillips has this vibrating head so it numbs the skin and doesnt hurt as much. Plus it has two settings.

I probly do my legs and arms every 3-4 weeks although you can do it less than that. You can do it as soon as the hair peeps through the skin. My arms have barely any hair now.