There’s no big secret that epilators cause pain but we’re here to learn how to make epilating less painful.
Is there a way to epilate without pain? No. You can make it less painful but there’s no way to epilate without pain as far as I’m aware. The idea is to get used to the sensations, just like we get used to waxing.
These are devices that remove many hairs from the root through the rotation of their tweezers. Basically that means ouch.
The idea of this post is to share some of my epilator tips in the hopes that you can avoid swearing and promising yourself you’re never going to use an epilator ever again for as long as you shall live.
I definitely think that you will find some useful information among all my rambling.
Nevertheless, if you still feel like giving up on epilators, then you should. Having soft smooth skin has its pain boundaries.
If my tips on how to make epilating less painful still do nothing for your experience, then you might consider a painless method to remove unwanted hairs, like shaving or depilatory creams.
If you’re still not sure about what to do, make sure you read my step by step guide on how to epilate properly, it might help you try again and then reach a decision. Are you sticking to epilation or not?
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How to Make Epilating Less Painful: Quick Tips
There’s no point to sugarcoat it.
Epilation is painful, I know from my personal experience, since I switched from shaving to epilators. Going from years of painless hair removal to something really painful was hard but I’m glad I pulled through.
It’s a totally different deal for those who have previously waxed not shaved.
That’s why I think that the most important tip that anyone can offer is that you just need to bear the pain in the beginning until your body gets used to it.
I will go in detail about each tip on how to make epilating less painful throughout the rest of this article. For now, let’s succinctly see what’s the deal:
- Take a shower before epilating
- Exfoliate
- Hold the skin taut
- Try a wet & dry epilator
Here’s How to Make Epilating Less Painful
The one thing that comes to mind that I wouldn’t advise anyone doing it is using a cooling glove before epilation, with the purpose of numbing the area.
The pores tighten and many hairs end up being cut and broken at the surface.
You can use the cooling glove after epilation. Also, don’t forget to use a moisturizer after each session.
Tip 1.) Take a hot shower before epilating
Take a shower in order to get the pores opened in case you have a dry only epilator. Or jump in the shower together with your epilator if you have a wet and dry one.
Well, you might want to think about your water and heating bills because you’re going to be under hot water for an hour maybe. It depends how much hair you want to remove.
You can fill your tub with hot water and then top it off when it starts getting cold. That could work better. You’re still going to prune by the time you’re done.
Tip 2.) Exfoliate
Exfoliating is a step prior to epilation.
If you exfoliate properly, the dead cells are removed, which helps a lot in minimizing the number of ingrown hairs that you are going to have.
You should continue to exfoliate almost daily if you want no ingrown hairs.
You can either use an exfoliating glove or a scrub or simply pour kosher salt into the shower gel, which will act exactly as a scrub.
Body scrubs are amazing, they leave the skin feeling silky smooth, I just love that sensation. A really affordable body scrub that comes in a large quantity and it’s also one of the most popular is the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub.
If you are looking for a good chemical exfoliator that’s a lot more effective at preventing ingrown hairs that scrubs are, I recommend trying the Tend Skin Care Solution.
The exfoliation process has a second role:
It makes the skin less oily, which prevents the hairs from becoming flat so, as a consequence, less passes are necessary and the risk of getting ingrown hairs is reduced.
Tip 3.) Holding the Skin Taut Reduces Epilation Pain
Now, you are ready to handle that epilator and getting hairs removed from the root.
Hold the skin taut, it will help with making the pain feel less intense. One hand holds the epilator, while the other one holds the skin taut.
For the underarms, just pull your arms up over your head and stretch them as much as you can.
Tip 4.) Try a Wet & Dry Epilator to Minimize the Pain
The best solution if you don’t have a high pain threshold is to get a wet and dry epilator. It means that you can use it under the shower, too.
The pores open so the hairs come out together with their root much easier.
I’m currently using the Braun Silk-Epil 9, more specifically the 9561 model. But you can use any model from the 9 series as they are all pretty much the same. Only the accessories(and various colors) differ. That’s why there are so many models but the epilator is the same for all the Braun SE9 series.
For some women, the downside might be that the hairs become too soft and they start being cut by the epilator at the surface of the skin instead of being plucked.
Get through the pain in the beginning, the best tip is to use a wet and dry epilator if you can’t cope with the pain, and then, in time, you may get used to it and the pain won’t be a problem anymore.
Another thing that helps with reducing epilation pain is getting an epilator that has a higher number of tweezers.
How does that help?
Well, the number of passes needed to remove absolutely every hair is reduced, which also reduces the irritation risk.
With the number of passes reduced, the duration of an epilation session is reduced, also.
Again, it’s a very good thing buying an epilator with more tweezers, as long as it’s within your budget. At the moment the maximum number is 72 tweezers, which belong to the Emjoi AP-18.
How to Make Epilating Less Painful: You Get Used to It
Frankly, the best advice that I can give you about how to make epilating less painful is that you get used to it. It’s only very painful in the beginning but in a few months, it gets better.
There’s no epilation without feeling any pain at all. There are no instructions for how to epilate without pain.
Only in time you get used to the pain. The skin becomes used to epilation and the hairs grow thinner and less dense.
One last tip:
Focus on something else. Watch a movie, listen to music or an audiobook, it will take your mind off the pain and it will make time fly.
How My First Epilation Went Down
The pain caused by an epilator can be indeed extremely awful for women who have been using shaving as the only hair removal method, like I did.
I was in the exact situation and even after all these years I still remember my first epilation. If it weren’t for TV shows to distract my attention, I would have given up that first time I used an epilator.
Thankfully, I didn’t.
How did I pulled through?
What made me go through my first experience of using an epilator, besides having my mind distracted by TV shows, was the thought that I was going to have smooth skin for at least two weeks, and, as I saw hairs being removed from the root and as I felt portions of my skin free from unwanted hair, I knew I could put up with the pain.
So, getting back to what I was going to say about women who’ve only shaved before, I recommend having a beauty salon waxing.
Just that one time.
Then let the hairs grow for up to two weeks and then use your epilator to remove those hairs that have grown. The hairs won’t be that many so the pain won’t be that bad.
You can epilate again after a week and a half.
I recommend starting to epilate once every fortnight or even once a month, during winter. Be warned, in a month’s time the hairs will grow back plenty so the pain will be more intense.
How to Soothe the Skin after Epilation
Soothing the skin after epilation is crucial. The skin is irritated and it needs a good deal of proper soothing.
How do you do that?
For the body, it’s very simple – you use a nourishing body cream, a soothing rich moisturizer or body lotion. You massage the moisturizer into the skin and the redness will be completely gone by next day. If you’ve been using an epilator for a few years, the redness will be gone in just a few hours.
When it comes to using an epilator for facial hair removal, the aftercare can be a bit more complex for those who are prone to breakouts. If you’re interested in knowing what it implies, you can read my post on post-epilation care tips.
I will just recommend a few moisturizers that you can use but anything works, basically. Usually, the body is not as demanding and complex as our facial skin.
All these moisturizing lotions that I briefly review here don’t clog the pores. Their ingredients are perfect for all skin types.
1. CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin
This is one of the most affordable moisturizing lotions. CeraVe doesn’t only produce some of my favorite facial cleansers and vitamin C serums but it also has wonderful moisturizers.
You have two options to choose from: 12 oz and 19 oz.
The price is cheap for both and the quality is one of the best, which is why I chose to recommend this moisturizing lotion first.
The objective of this body lotion is exactly what you should be looking for: it sooths and moisturizes the skin, while at the same time ensuring that you have a healthy strong skin care barrier.
The four ingredients that stand out are simple and effective: their famous 3 essential ceramides for strengthening the skin care barrier and hyaluronic acid for maintaining the skin moisturizer throughout the day.
2. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion, 18 oz
If the above CeraVe moisturizing lotions sounds good, this will sound even better.
And the price is just as affordable, these body moisturizers are just too good and too cheap, exactly what we want.
This one is also focused on nourishing and soothing the skin with a very interesting list of ingredients.
This is actually a moisturizing body lotion with an active ingredients, which is not something you see often: 1.2% dimethicone – it’s described as a skin protectant, it’s a good moisturizer that creates that silky feeling.
The other interesting ingredient is avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, which helps with the skin barrier to prevent it from loosing moisture and turn dry. It’s an ingredient that sooths, that can help restore the skin’s pH.
It can also reduce redness and calm the skin irritation, which is exactly what we’re looking for in a body lotion to be used after epilation in order to sooth the skin. It is pretty perfect. And it’s unscented.
3. bliss Body Butter, 6.7 oz
Unlike the above two options, this one comes in a much smaller quantity and it’s a bit on the expensive side but that’s to be expected from bliss.
I don’t like small quantities when it comes to my body lotions because I moisturize my entire body daily, which means that I consume body moisturizers faster than toothpastes.
But it’s a very nice option for those who are only looking to sooth their skin after epilation and don’t have the habit of using a body butter daily.
The fresh smell, which is to be expected from a lemon and sage body butter, is what many users love this body butter for. But it also has the ability of making the skin feel like silk.
Since it’s a body butter, it’s a bit thicker than the above body lotions so, you will need to massage it a bit more until it’s completely absorbed by the skin. But it’s always nice to massage the body after epilating, to deeply sooth it and care for it.
It has a very long list of ingredients that include dimethicone, shea butter, coconut oil, soybean oil, vitamin E in both forms, hyaluronic acid, and a few plants extracts. It’s definitely full of moisturizing ingredients and I really like the addition of vitamin E, it’s an excellent antioxidant.
How to Make Epilating less Painful: What’s The Bottom Line?
Using an epilator under the shower opens the pores, which reduces epilation pain.
The greater the number of tweezers, the less passes are necessary, which also reduces pain and irritation, at the same time.
However, also getting a more gentle model like the Philis BRE235 can serve as a good advice in this article on how to make epilating less painful.
Scrub or exfoliate the skin before using the epilator to remove dead skin and avoid getting a lot of ingrown hairs.
Don’t forget to hold the skin taut for reducing pain.
Oh, and just remember: don’t be afraid of epilators.
These are not scary devices created with the sole purpose of making women feel pain. Their purpose it to give you smooth hair-free skin for at least two weeks and that’s all you need to remember in those times of pain.
Well, that’s about as far as my guide on how to make epilating less painful goes, I hope you were able to learn a few helpful things.
