Update on epilating

I suppose I had better add a couple of words on the downside of epilating.

First of all there is a tendency for tiny red spots to appear where the hairs have been plucked. These disappear after 24 hours. Use of an antiseptic wipe after epilating should reduce the tiny infections that case these spots.

Secondly there can be in-grown hairs, where some of the new hairs fail to break the surface and grow just under the skin. This is not really a problem, though they could be visible if your hair is very dark. The solution is to scrub the skin regularly with a loofah or something similar to remove the dead layers so that the hairs are released.

Lastly I have found a problem with itching. There is nothing to be seen, but patches of skin itch badly enough for you to want to scratch them. It is best not to, because this brings no relief. The itching is less when you are wearing tights. I don't really know the answer to this one, so any suggestions gratefully received.

Don't let that put you off. By comparison shaving gives better short term results, but they are very short term. Epilating lasts much longer, the regrowth is finer and, not needing water, you can do it in the bedroom.

Geraden

I started having my legs waxed around 4 1/2 years ago. The main reason for doing this, is that I was exceptionally hairy and I do a lot of running and road cycling - it was very uncomfortable to wear tight fitting sprint shorts or cycling shorts/tights. In fact I do the same on my arms, underarms and back - the reason for this is that I also wear a wet suit most Sundays in the summer whilst I'm out jet skiing off the South Coast. I now epilate my legs about once every 2 weeks. It is now a lot easier and the hair is around 90% reduced in growth rate, very fine and the ingrowing hairs/red lumps are almost non-existant after 4 1/2 years or so. The only itchyness that I USED to get was after 7 days, regrowth would start and it would be itchy to sit down say when say driving - this would go after a day or so.

You must exfoliate regularly - try the gloves that the Boby Shop sells for a few £'s. But don't over do it - about once every 3 days should be OK otherwise your skin will go sore. In fact epilating will tend to roughen the skin when you're doing it, much the same as waxing as the dead top layer is removed.

Hence my advice is stick with it, it should/will get easier and the pain will virtually go to zero.

This is much, much better than shaving in the long run.

There is however another home "light based" device that Radiancy have been promising to market in the UK for sometime now but is hasn't yet happened called "No! No!" - stands for no pain, no ingrown hairs, no mess no etc., etc.

If you visit www.my-no-no.com then you can see the product. It is available in Spain and some other Countries but I don't know when it will come to the UK. I've e mailed them several times and the answer has always been - "sorry but the product isn't avialble in the UK yet". As to if it works, well who knows. If it does become avialble it'll be around the £100 mark but it does have wearable parts called "hot baldes". If I hear any more I'll post it.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Keith

I have been using an epilator for years and I will be the first to say what a wonderful device they are. I just recently switched to .... After doing a little research I found that ... has beeen around for 20 years and actually invented the first epilator.

The way they work is that they have a head lined with tweezers that open and close. In the process of opening, they grab the hair, clamp down, and pull the hair out by the root. Very similar to tweezing your eyebrows, just a lot faster. And similar to tweezing your eyebrows, it hurts the first 1-2 times max. The pain factor drops drastically. I called ... to get more information about epilators in general and found some useful information that I decided to pass on:

If one promises themselves not to ever shave and stick with the machine, the user notices a drastic drop in hair growth. I asked how this was possible. Basically, each hair root only has about 7-8 hairs in its lifetime. If the hair is pulled from the root each time, the hair root eventually dies and the hair stops growing back. That is why users who have been using for years barely have any hair left on their legs.

I was also curious how this machine was different than waxing since information on the web on waxing is everywhere, but not so much on epilators. They explained to me that with waxing, you have to let the hair grow out long so the wax can grab the hair and remove it. With epilators, as long as the hair is half a millimeter long, it can remove it. It is also cheaper because the machine can be used over and over again and lot more handy. No longer will the user have to go to a salon, but can be used in the privacy of their own home.

I found this information so interesting I decided to share. I recommend this to anyone who is sick of shaving and/or waxing and wants to be hair-free for 3-4 weeks!!

Hope this helps! Sarah

Edited by Geraden: this comment reads like an advertisment for a particular product. It has been edited to remove commercial references.

Sarah, thanks for the info. I've never heard of roots only having 7-8 hairs in a lifetime. I guess time will show whether or not that is true.

Geraden. thanks for the review. Your epilator looks basically like mine and seems to produce the same results. I didn't realize that leaning the epilator made a difference. Mine comes with a guard of sorts that encourages the user to hold it upright. I'll try to remove the guard and lean the epilator both ways to ensure that I've tried your technique. I'll reply to this journal entry.

I find it interesting that your epilator comes with 3 attachments. Mine comes with a shaver that is similar to what we use on our faces, and the regular epilator.

Does yours come with 2 or more speeds? If so, then what advantages are there to the different speeds? Mine has 2 speeds. I get the impression that the slower speed is more thourough, and the faster speed misses some of the hair. I don't know what to make of it.

-- Sincerely, and with thanks, Eugene T.S. Wong