Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Hair removal: Epilating

I decided to write this review mostly because of how obscure this topic is:

Epilating.  Some of you have heard of it, others of you have no idea what I'm talking about.  Epilating is the act of removing hair by pulling it out by the root with a mechanical device that is easier described as a lot of tweezers that rotate.  This is not a pleasant way to remove hair, but it has its ups and its downs, so let's talk about those, shall we?

Pros:
Epilating, once you have the device, is very cost effective.  The epilator itself is about $33-$70, depending on brand, features, and speeds, and should last you several years (or at least mine has lasted that long).  The one I have has a trimmer, so it can cut longer hair (or to keep some hair at a constant length), an epilating head, and two clip-ons that you use with the head; one is for quick work, the other helps raise the hair, and massage the skin, so it's better for beginners.  Mine also has two speeds: destroy you fast, and really destroy you fast.  Since you buy the device once, you can do this as many times as you want, without having to think about cost, unless your epilator dies.

The hair that is removed comes back more slowly, and "finer."   I say "finer" because in actuality, the hair is just as thick, it just comes out tapered.  This is like waxing, so however long it takes your hair to come back after that, this is similar

For those of us who have "shadow" as soon as you shave, this is a must have.  I suffer from the dreaded "pit shadow," and even if I don't have time to do the rest of me, I still try to keep up with my underarms.

Cons:
This is painful.  Some claim that epilating is just as painful as waxing, others more, others less.  I say it is less painful, mainly because no heat, no stuck skin, and no ripping all out at once.  Also, the more you epilate, the easier it gets.  At this point, I don't really feel it all that much (I still feel it, mind), and since hair comes in sparser, there's less to get every time,so less pain.

This takes time.  A lot of time.  You start, and watch a show, and you might still be epilating when it is done amount of time.  Granted, on the other hand, it takes less time than shaving every day or two, if you add the time up.

You need a power source, and the epilator is not water proof.

It does not remove all the hair.  Shocker, really, but what really does?  I epilate once a week or two, and then shave when I'm done to get the rest that I missed.

You need to clean it when you are done.  This is the same with razors, though, so *shrug*.

So there you have it.  Epilating, the not-so-heard-of art of hair removal.  Do I suggest it?  That's a matter of preference, now isn't it?  I think it is great, but my mother despises it (she says it's too painful).  If you are interested, I say try it, or at least look into it more.  Oh, and Braun, the maker of razors, make some decent epilators.

2 comments:

  1. it is a bit painful but i think u get used to it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Yumeko: I got used to it pretty quickly. There are a lot of factors involved, like how much hair, but it does get easier.

    ReplyDelete