Right from the start I want to tell you that there are many benefits of epilating and I’m going to be totally biased since I’ve been epilating for the last 10 years.
Joke aside, I hope my post will clearly show the benefits of using an epilator.
Even so,
I will also talk about the cons of using an epilator.
You need to know what you’re getting yourself into.
As always, there are pros and cons. But I believe that the pros beat the cons by far.
Contents
Epilators I Recommend
1. For Face: Emjoi e18
If you’re only looking for a facial epilator, the Emjoi e18 should be your first consideration. With its 18 tweezers it’s powerful enough that it can even be used on the underarms and the intimate area. However, I must warn you that epilating facial hair is painful. Consider waxing if you don’t handle pain too well. Or even facial razor as a completely painless option.
2. Body & Face (Corded): Philips Satinelle BRE235
With the Satinelle BRE235 Philips has managed to create one of the most affordable epilators that can be used on the entire body but also for facial hair removal thanks to the sensitive area cap that comes with this model. It’s a corded, very basic epilator with 20 tweezers. It’s a bit slow and it doesn’t have a built-in light but if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, this one will be great.
3. Body & Face (Cordless): Braun Silk Epil 7561
The Silk Epil 7561 only works on battery, you need to charge it for an 1 hour and get to use it for 40 minutes. That’s the only disadvantage for this epilator. Other than that, it’s absolutely fantastic and one of my favorites, even after so many years. A complete epilator the way this price range deserves.
Top 7 Benefits of Epilating
If you’ve visited my blog before you might already know why I like epilators:
- they’re easy to use in the comfort of your own home whenever you feel like it
- they’re cheap
- the devices last a long while, the majority exceed the life granted by the 2-year warranty
- they remove hairs from the root so you get smooth skin for at least 2 weeks
- in the case of some epilators you just need one device to remove hairs from the entire body and face thanks to the caps that come with them
- they’re for everyone – men and women
- and for every budget – you can get an epilator for as cheap as $30-$40, the most expensive ones not exceeding $100 by much
- some models have so many accessories: caps (facial, efficiency cap, and for the sensitive area meaning for the underarms and the bikini area)
- they’re not messy, just choose a towel or blanket that you’re going to use only for epilation and you can lay it wherever you want in the house, I prefer on the bed, I like things being comfortable
Epilating Benefit 1. Smooth Skin for at Least 2 Weeks
When it comes to epilation benefits, this is one of the biggest.
I remove a big part of my body hair because I love it.
I love how silky smooth the skin feels, I love the way my body looks without any hairs on it.
When you’re using an epilator, the hairs are removed from the root so it takes longer for them to grow back.
At least 2 weeks of smooth skin can be expected, up to a month.
The same happens when you wax.
No more vacations where you have to worry about unwanted hair, unless it’s a one month vacation.
You can get at least 2 weeks in which time you don’t have to worry about your body being hairy.
Epilating Benefit 2. In Time, Hairs Grow Back Thinner and Fewer
This is one of those epilation benefits that can be debated and you’ll soon find out why.
I used to have black coarse hairs with strong roots.
However,
If I let only 2 weeks pass between my epilation session, the hair that grows back is thinner.
And fewer hairs grow back.
I am completely aware of the fact that if I go without epilating for several months, the hairs will be just as thick and coarse as they would normally be.
And just as plentiful, I am a very hairy person in reality.
Even so,
I don’t care about that because I never let more than 3 weeks pass even during the winter when I get really lazy.
The reason that it hurts more if there are more longer hairs to be epilated.
Epilating Benefit 3. Epilators Can Be Used on the Entire Body
An epilator can be used to remove hair from all over the body – legs, arms, underarms, back, belly, chest, and bikini area.
Even a cheap epilator, like the Philips Hp6401 can be used efficiently on the entire body.
Some epilators can even be used for facial hair removal because they have a facial cap.
Such a simple accessory easily transforms them.
However,
I should warn you about something.
Removing facial hair from the root can cause breakouts.
You need to take care of your skin, especially if you have acne prone skin or if your skin is really sensitive.
If you are not sure how your skin will react, buy some facial wax strips before getting an epilator for face.
If the wax strips don’t cause anything except some redness that passes in a few hours, an epilator shouldn’t either.
Or you can continue waxing for a few months and then get an epilator.
For very sensitive skin, I recommend threading in the beginning.
Quite a few epilators even come with shaver and trimmer attachments.
Epilating Benefit 4. Epilators Are Cheap
For me,
This is the second most important among all these epilation benefits.
The first is the smooth skin that lasts for a couple of weeks.
If you think about it, this is one of the most convenient methods from a financial point of view.
You pay for a rotatory epilator once and then use it for at least 2 years.
That’s not bad for a product that can cost as low as $30 – the Philips Satinelle HP6401.
Usually, even the best epilators don’t exceed $100.
An exfoliating product and a moisturizer are the only expenses that you’ll be making for many years to come.
Epilating Benefit 5. Epilators Don’t Make a Mess
There’s no big mess left after epilation.
All you need is a towel or a blanket and you’ll be making no mess at all.
Epilating Benefit 6. Easy to Clean
An epilator doesn’t require too much attention.
All you have to do is clean it using the cleaning brush and wash the epilator head.
Even if it’s not washable, if you let it dry for a couple of days, it will work perfectly on your next epilation session.
Epilating Benefit 7. No Side-Effects
Generally,
When using an epilator correctly, there should be no side-effects, except maybe a little redness.
This depends from person to person and how sensitive the skin is.
It’s best to epilate at night.
When morning comes your skin should be flawless.
Keep the skin taut to reduce the pain and the risk of pinching the skin.
Epilating Cons
Compared with all these advantages, there are so few cons:
- epilation is painful because hairs are removed from the root (similar to waxing)
- only about 95% of hairs are removed, the really tiny and fine ones are not all grabbed by the tweezers
- it’s not as fast as shaving or hair removal creams
Epilation Con 1. Pain
It’s the biggest reason that stops some women from trying to remove their hairs by using an epilator.
Obviously,
It hurts when hairs are removed from the root.
Just like waxing hurts.
I’ve written a detailed post on coping with the pain caused by an epilator, you can read it here.
Removing hairs from the root is painful but it definitely becomes better with time.
My first epilation session was painful.
The only part of my body that didn’t hurt so much that it made me sweat, were the legs from the knees down.
From the knees up, the skin is more delicate and it hurts.
So,
If you are using an epilator for the first time, I recommend starting with the lower legs.
Doing my underarms and the bikini area with an epilator was atrocious.
There was a little blood and a great deal of pain but the next day, after the irritation and redness disappeared from all over my body, I told to myself that this is it:
I’m sticking to epilation.
Epilation Con 2. Ingrown hairs
Shaving and waxing cause ingrown hairs, too.
It’s not a side-effect that should be mentioned only when talking about epilators.
Fortunately,
Ingrown hairs can be prevented and there are some great products that help with that.
To sum it up, everything is reduced to exfoliation.
You need to exfoliate almost daily (use a body scrub/exfoliating gloves) in order to prevent ingrown hairs.
Epilation Con 3. Time-consuming in the beginning
I know that for the first few months epilation can seem a time-consuming hair removal method.
However, in time, you could do your legs in about 30 minutes or so.
That’s not so bad.
The idea is:
Give epilators a chance, discover all these epilation benefits by yourself, and you might never go back to using other hair removal methods.
