HairChick.com

Sleeker, Silkier, Smoother - Hair Free Days With Epilators

Link to this Article | Print this Article

Hairchick.com - Epilators
Sleeker, silkier, smoother - hair free days with epilators. And to tell the truth - a lot of pain! Hairchick gives you the lowdown on epilation.

Copy & paste the above code onto your website to link to us. We appreciate it!

Epilators, or mechanical epilators, as they are sometimes called, are strange little devices that hold certain nostalgia for me - they were my first foray into the world beyond shaving. Basically, these are electrical machines that look much like electric razors, except that they have rows of coiled springs instead of razors. The idea is that you turn the epilator on and run it over your skin. The coils grasp the hairs and rip them out of your skin, leaving you in considerable pain but with very smooth legs that will stay smooth for a few weeks.

When your hairs are at least 1/4 inch long, you're ready to use the Epilator. As with waxing, you may need to go over areas more than once to get perfect smoothness. If you have sensitive skin, you should avoid using the epilator on under-arms and face areas. On the plus side, this is far less messy than waxing and it's pretty fast. If you travel a lot, taking along these little machines is easy (many now come with travel pouches). Your hair will grow back thinner and sparser. Most ads for epilators claim that the pain gets less intense with use, but I think it still hurts. Everyone I know who uses these things still says it hurts, even after years of use.

Ouch! That hurts!

Unfortunately even the most effective and longer-lasting methods of hair removal do entail at least some degree of pain. You will need to find a reliable line of attack to deal with pain, since you will experience more or very much more of it, depending on how securely your hair is attached to your skin. A good way to deal with pain is to go over an area with ice. It is important to use an epilator on dry skin (since it is an electrical device), so here is what I recommend:

  • Take an eyebrow pencil and divide the area to be shaved into four-inch sections.
  • Take some ice cubes in a baggie and run them over one section until the area is slightly numb, then very thoroughly dry the skin and your hands until no water moisture remains.
  • Immediately run the epilator over the dry and numb area of your skin. Repeat for the other areas.
  • This is the most effective way of getting rid of epilator pain, but it is time consuming and messy, so when in a rush, you could just pop a pain pill (Tylenol, Aspirin, or Advil will do the trick) a few minutes before epilating.
  • Once you are done, soothe irritated and puffy skin with cool water. As with all hair removal methods that involve ripping hairs out, avoid sunscreens and moisturizers right afterwards, as these will clog pores and make irritated skin even redder.

Is the Epilator for me?

If you like the effects of waxing but don't like the messiness or the salon visits, then YES, it sounds like the epilator is for you!