What is an epilator?
An epilator is a small, handheld device that removes unwanted body hair by pulling it out at the root. Unlike a razor, which trims the hair at the skin level, an epilator pulls the hair out of your body at its source. It is more like tweezing, but instead of going hair by hair an epilator pulls out multiple hairs at once.
What are the benefits of epilating?
Since epilating yanks the hair out by the root, you will not need to epilate every day, as you do with shaving. You can go as many as three weeks between epilating without seeing any regrowth. Epilating can also remove even very small, fine hairs that waxing cannot remove. It’s a cheaper option than regular trips to the salon for waxing, as well as buying shaving cream and razors regularly.
And since you only need to do it once a month or so, and can do it in the comfort of your home, you save a lot of time over either waxing or shaving. Epilating is also a more environmentally friendly solution than disposable razors, and doesn’t have the chemical smell, or burning sensation, of chemical hair removers.
What types of epilators are there?
There are three types of epilators. There are spring type epilators that have metal coils; when you flex the springs over a section of your hair, the coils latch onto your hair and pull it out. These are manual-use epilators that do not require electricity. Rotating disc epilators are mechanical and work in much the same way as spring type epilators.
The most common type of epilator is a mechanical tweezer-style, which utilizes many small tweezers on a rotating head; these epilators work exactly like tweezing your hair, but en masse.
What are the benefits of the different types of epilators?
The most thorough and easiest ones to use is a tweezer-style epilator. Spring and rotating disc versions have a tendency to miss hair, especially fine hair, and break hair off rather than pull it out at the root. Tweezer-style epilators will not miss small, fine hair, and are better at pulling hair from the root.
Note that when looking for a tweezer-style epilator, you should see out models that have more tweezers; more tweezers mean better, faster, more thorough epilation.
Can I use them on all my body hair?
Most epilators are designed for use on your legs, but they can be used on any part of your body. Higher-end epilators will come with dedicated, removable heads for different parts of your body. For example, an epilator might come with a precision head for removing upper lip hair, or a sensitive area cap for your bikini line.
You don’t necessarily need these attachments, but they are very helpful when epilating sensitive or hard-to-reach spots. They will also help you epilate smaller areas of hair in comfort, without worrying about snagging your skin.
Can I use an epilator in the shower?
It depends, some epilators can only be used on dry skin, while others can be used either wet or dry. Typically, if an epilator is rechargeable and can be used with or without being plugged into the wall, it means you can use it in the shower, while corded ones can only be used dry due to safety reasons. Corded, dry-only epilators tend to have more powerful motors, while rechargeable wet-or-dry epilators provide less speed and power.
What should I look for in an epilator?
When shopping for an epilator, keep an eye on how many tweezers it has, whether the epilator has a light, and whether or not it provides speed options. The more tweezers an epilator has, the better it is and the faster you will be able to see results, since more tweezers means it can remove more hair at once.
A light is a very good feature on an epilator, because it can help you spot sections of hair on your body that were missed and still have hair. You may want to purchase an epilator that has speed options, as well, so that you can have more control over the epilation process. In general, speed is an important feature, as you want a fast epilator that can remove hair quickly, minimizing the amount of time you need to spend on the process and the pain from pulling your hair out. You should also seek epilators that have ergonomic designs, especially if you are planning on epilating your armpits. You will want to be able to easily maneuver the epilator around the curves of your body.
What is an efficiency cap?
Many epilators come with something called an “efficiency cap”: an efficiency cap is a removable head that helps you epilate quickly and get more hair out at one time. It’s a great feature that makes epilating easy and thorough.
How much does epilating hurt?
How much epilating hurts depends on your pain tolerance, as well as the quality of the epilator you buy. Many have compared the sensation to getting a tattoo, while some have said it is on par with waxing in terms of pain. It’s hard to say exactly how much epilating will hurt, because each individual has their own pain threshold.
Suffice to say, many women epilate regularly, and do not find the pain enough to stop doing so. Epilating will hurt the most the first time, a little less the second, and so on. The pain becomes more manageable over time. Epilating also hurts more on different parts of your body; most women report that the pain from epilating their legs is much more manageable than epilating the underarms.
Are there ways to minimize the pain?
You can minimize the pain of epilating by exfoliating your skin thoroughly beforehand; this will slough off dead skin that can make the epilating process slower and thus more painful. Epilating after you’ve showered, or in the shower, will also help reduce the pain.
Will epilating irritate my skin?
Epilating can irritate your skin; it is a rough process, so you can expect some redness and irritation after epilating, especially after the first few times. Typically, though, this will go away within a few hours or overnight at the most. It leaves your skin less irritated over the long run than regular shaving.
