Epilators, anyone?

Nat242 · 09-30-2007, 12:07 AM

I didn't know whether this belonged here or in off topic, so sorry if it seems out of place...but it is a 'beauty' issue!

I was wondering - who here uses epilators to get rid of leg hair? I get poor results from shaving and only do it when I have a show or am planning on wearing a short skirt. I'm fed up with shaving, it irritates my skin, doesn't give me a smooth leg for longer than a day, etc. etc.

I don't have the money to go and get a professional wax regularly, and although I've done it at home, it's so messy and time consuming and again, I get poor results (particularly on the backs of my legs

)

So who here uses epilators? I know that it's going to be painful but if it works I can handle it. I hope

Can anyone recommend a brand? I'd rather get a good one than just the cheapest.

Thanks!

Nat242 · 09-30-2007, 12:09 AM

P.S. I wish I could say goodbye to hair removal completely, but living in a hot climate as well as belly dancing makes that difficult. The fact that I have very fair, almost transparent skin and coarse, black leg hair makes my present look very unappealing...I wish I'd never picked up a razor, at least the hair would still be soft and light. Sigh.

nasila · 09-30-2007, 12:16 AM

those things still exist?? Ahhh! Run!!

Nat242 · 09-30-2007, 12:18 AM

You don't exactly fill me with confidence, Nasila

nasila · 09-30-2007, 12:24 AM

Sorry, I can stand tattoos and childbirth, but ripping hairs out like that is hell!! I'd do a home wax kit or plain ol' bleach...even pay to get laser removal before picking up one of those things again. OUCH.

*Shira* · 09-30-2007, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nat242

I was wondering - who here uses epilators to get rid of leg hair?

I've tried them on two different occasions, several years apart. The first brand I tried was Epilady. I don't remember the brand name of the second one I tried several years later. At the time I bought the second one, I thought, "Well, it's been several years since I tried it - maybe the technology has gotten better, or maybe my ability to tolerate it has improved." Wrong on both accounts.

I found the epilators to be harsher on my skin than shaving. I don't know whether this is true of other people or not, but on me they raised a lot of little red bumps, whereas shaving has never done that to me.

I also found the epilator to be extremely painful. I can take quite a bit of pain (just ask my rolfer), but the situation has to make me feel as though it's WORTH that pain, and for me, the epilator did not.

sabrinabellydancer · 09-30-2007, 01:39 AM

hi nat,
i asked my relative, who is an esthetician and spa owner.

she said to be careful with epilators because they don't remove the hair in the direction of growth [like a professional wax job]. the result can be bad, where the hair is ripped from the follicle in such a way as to damage it. causing red bumps, pain and even tiny bruises surrounding the hair where the tissue has been harmed.

also, she said cleaning the coils of the epilator so they are free from bacteria is an issue because the next time the equipment is used, it can transfer bacteria into the follicles causing more trouble.

she said you should look into the stripless wax, which may be easier to manage at home. or try the pre-waxed strips which are much less messy. http://www.sallyhansen.com/product.cfm?product=147

she also mentioned threading, which will remove the hair at the root for long lasting smoothness. check indian and middle eastern beauty salons for this service. some people master this and can do it at home.

hope this helps

habibiyaeini · 09-30-2007, 01:42 AM

I had an Epilady, it was horrible.

Now i have been using a new one. Its phillips brand I think. its red. I will find a link to it after. Its freaking awesome. I use it once every 2 weeks on the lower leg. The hair only has to be a millimeter long and it gets pulled out by the root. Its way better than shaving. I swear the hair has been getting less and less. And I swear it doesnt hurt anymore. I cant feel a thing. Im not joking about that.

I have been waxing since I was 13 and am now 35. I reaken its better than waxing because you dont have to wait until the hair grows long enough.

I will use my epilator for ever more, until I get lazer. I love it.

The down side is the little red dots but I had them from waxing so it doesnt bother me much. Also it takes time. Say 10 minutes each leg depending how chunky your legs are.

Going off to find the link....

habibiyaeini · 09-30-2007, 01:54 AM

Gawd, I cant find it on the net. When I get home I will write down the correct brand and number and look for the link again.

Nat242 · 09-30-2007, 02:06 AM

Thanks for the link, sabrina. I've considered these in the past, and I doubted they'd work for me, because the hair on my legs grows in radically different directions - sorry if that's too much info - which complicates waxing for me. I will give it a shot if epilating doesn't work for me. In my stubborn head I think I could better accept the complications of waxing if I knew it was the only option. The info about cleaning is useful, too, I'll make sure I find out the most thorough way to clean it because - well, yuck.

Habibi Yaeini, you have me on the edge of my seat. Thanks for your response, I can't wait to find out what brand you use.

Shira, I'm sure you're right - I'm determined to try the epilator and I think I can manage the pain if it yields a nice result. I really wish more people had encouraging experiences!

jilyan · 09-30-2007, 02:20 AM

I just bought a Braun Silk Epil Xcelle model 5595 last week and have had a couple of goes with it. I've been really pleased with it so far. From reading reviews it's seems to me that the technology has improved a lot over the last few years.

It was certainly no more painful than waxing and gets hairs that are half a millimetre. I've tried it on my legs and my arms (I hate having hairy arms!!) and did a little bit of bikini line today. No probs so far. My skin came up in red bumps afterwards but that calmed down fairly soon. Waxing does that too.

Mine has a "massaging" attachment which helps reduce the pain factor. Also a head with less tweezers on it for while you are getting used to it. I think I'd also like one with a narrower head.

I clean it after each use with anti-bacterial stuff. It's easy to clean.

sabrinabellydancer · 09-30-2007, 03:10 AM

good to know that there are better quality epilators out there now, with more sanitary cleaning options.

looking forward to links posted. i must check them out too!

Nat242 · 09-30-2007, 04:00 AM

Thanks Jilyan! I see you're in Australia. What store did you buy it from?

jilyan · 09-30-2007, 04:56 AM

I got mine from Priceline. They are having a promotion at the moment. I have a Priceline card so I get a voucher every quarter depending on how much I spend. I'm pretty sure Myer has them also.

Nat242 · 09-30-2007, 04:59 AM

Thanks!

abigail · 09-30-2007, 07:35 AM

I LOVE my epilator! I use it on my legs & underarms.

I also have transluscent white skin (super-sensitive) and coarse dark body hair (really resists removal). If I shave I get ingrown hairs and skin rashes, and the regrowth is actually painful.

Body sugaring worked very well for me (did it myself), and I did that for a long time, but I have a curious toddler & not a lot of time on my hands anymore...

Decided to try epilating when I could no longer find time to sugar, and there's no going back for me!

Mine is a Braun 5318 SilkEpil SoftPerfection (I'm in Canada - models may vary) & it has multiple tweezers on a rotating drum instead of the old coil type (which I also had years ago & wasn't nearly as effective). It's very easy to clean with rubbing alcohol.

I found it hurt significantly more the first time than subsequent times (I had let my hair get a bit unruly, so the initial session was pretty painful). I touch up every 1 - 2 weeks; 2 whole legs + underarms takes about 45min total.

I've found that for my skin/hair combination, regular (for me, daily) exfoliation is necessary to prevent ingrown hairs.

This is my first post - I find it so amusing that it's about hair removal, not dance!

Hope this is helpful!

habibiyaeini · 09-30-2007, 08:08 AM

This is the one I've got

http://www.body4real.co.uk/product.p...247035e89&js=y

I dont know why but all the links that came up were from the U.K. I actually bought mine in Syria when I went last year so I dont know if its available it Oz. I hope so because if mine ever breaks down I want to buy the same one again.

It has a vibrating head which helps with pain because it vibrates the skin while the hair is being pulled out overiding the hair pulling pain.

It has a shaver head also but I never tried that.

Souzan · 09-30-2007, 09:55 AM

Well, ladies, one the only things you can look forward to with menoapuse is that your arm, underarm, and leg hair sort of disappears. And what is left is soft and light. I rarely have to shave my legs anymoe.

But the downside is that you start growing hair in places that you didn't have it before. So I've been dealing and occassion chin hairs. The chin hairs are easy to pluck out with tweezers, but the mustache is another thing. I used to bleach it, but the older I get the heavier it has grown. So I started waxing at home. But last night I used Sally Hansen upper lip cream and it worked like a charm-no stinging, no bad odor, and no red bumps. So I also tried it on my "sideburns". I've always had longer sideburns that most women, but now that I am older the hair has grown short and fluffy around my ears and sticks out. So I took it off and the result was amazing.

I haven't used hair removers for ages because they were so nasty. But I am impressed with the newer formulas and will keep on using them.

Souzan