Best epilators (and facial epilators) for less painful hair removal
Spring is less than a week away, which means it won't be long before tights are no longer required. But before you bare your legs, have you considered epilating?
As hair removal methods go, epilating is having a revival as it offers cost-effective, mid-term hair removal at home. While painless practices - like shaving - require regular (often daily) maintenance, more painful practices - like waxing - come with long regrowth period in between appointments, epilating sits somewhere in between. But how painful is it? And, how far has epilating come since it was first introduced? We tested the latest on the market to find out how they perform now.
Epilators offer many of the benefits of shaving (convenience and super-smooth results) with a few added benefits. Because they pull hair out from the root, results last longer. Most companies say a single session will keep you hairless for four full weeks while long-term epilator users claim they can go months without a touch-up.
Of course, while epilating has come a long way, it is not completely painless. At the beginning, it can feel as uncomfortable as waxing, but the main benefit of epilating is that it's easy to do and you can epilate in the comfort of your home.
In my weeks of testing the newest epilators, I have found there are a few smart ways to not only make epilating less painful. These are my top tips for a smooth epilating experience.
6 ways to pain-proof your epilating routine
Epilate wet: Many of the epilators listed below have wet and dry options. While the dry is convenient at any time, soaking or showering in warm water will soften the skin and hair for easier removal.
Take a painkiller: If you have never epilated, an over-the-counter painkiller will take the edge off and help you figure out which angles and attachments work best for you.
Trim your hair: If you are getting ready to epilate an area which hasn't seen much hair removal of late, trim hairs beforehand. Many epilators come with trimmer attachments to assist - the shorter they are, the easier the tweeze.
Exfoliate: Whether you're using an attachable exfoliator head or a scrub, exfoliation not only results in the best epilation but lessens the chance of ingrown hairs. By removing dead skin you give the epilator's tweezers direct access to hair and the best 'canvas', so to speak, to heal after epilation.
Clean your epilator: Most come with a small and dense cleaning brush to sweep out any stray hairs after use and doing so will maximise its life span. Thankfully, most Wet and Dry epilators can be cleaned by being turned on and held under running water.
Go cordless: With so many fantastic epilators on the market, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to epilate any and everywhere you choose.
Here's our 6 best epilators to invest in now
1. Philips Satinelle Prestige Wet and Dry Cordless Epilator
The Satinelle is the creme de la creme of epilators.
At base level, it is a fantastic hair removal device. Out of its eight complimentary accessories, six work to effectively and comfortably nix hair on the legs, body and face (with customisable heads for the underarms, bikini area and upper lip) in or out of the shower.
The other two - an exfoliating brush and rollerball massager - simply prep and prime the body.
While no epilator in existence has yet to master painlessness, the Satinelle Prestige is as close as it gets. The ergonomic, S-shaped handle makes the whole process feel more luxurious than it should and its textured ceramic surface (which grabs hair four times shorter than wax could) rotates 2200 times per minute to make epilation relatively effortless.
Without a cap, the extra-wide head also grabs more hair at once than any epilator I've tried.
For epilation, my favourite cap is the skin stretcher (which is especially useful for sensitive underarms where skin could benefit from being held taut) but there is quite literally no cap I wouldn't use (which can't be said for all epilators and their sometimes gimmicky attachments). It is a phenomenal all-in-one device.
2. Braun FaceSpa Pro Epilator
I was pleasantly surprised by Braun's FaceSpa - it is, hands down, the best facial epilator on the market. Though I'd typically opt for trip to the waxer over home plucking, this 'Pro' device took less than a minute to sort out unruly brows (including hairs so small I couldn't see them!) and let me do so while I was still in my pyjamas, waiting for coffee to brew.
As its name might suggest, the 'Spa' is not built on the epilator alone. Two additional attachments - a cleansing facial brush and skin toning device - work with the epilator to not only keep skin clear and smooth but better apply your daily skin care.
Out of everything I've tested, it is the only facial epilator worth its name. So many facial hair removing devices shave or aggravate these hairs - doing more harm than good in the long-run - while this is a trustworthy all-in-one.
Tip: Image Ormedic Balancing Facial Cleanser works incredibly well with the cleansing brush head and its ingredients actually work to prep skin for epilation (especially the high concentration of anti-inflammatory Arnica Montana and soothing aloe). If you're looking to reduce pain or inflammation on sensitive areas like your upper lip or chin, this exfoliating and moisturising cleanser is a fantastic natural aide.
3. Panasonic ES-ED96 Wet and Dry Epilator
Firstly, it is incredibly easy to get your pluck on with this epilator. It does the job fast, bends around the body with ease and comes with a wide range of handy beauty tool attachments.
Secondly, it is regularly half price on Amazon so could easily be the bargain of the bests.
The eight-in-one epilator's most unique attachment is its 60? Flexible Pivoting Head - it follows the natural contours of the body to provide optimum epilation that you don't really have to think about. As its a dual disc epilator, it also has 48 tweezing discs rotating at any given time meaning it is virtually impossible to miss hairs as you move it along the skin.
Attachment-wise, its Facial Cleanser (which has extremely fine and soft bristles) and Body Scrub attachment both use the device's sonic vibration to cleanse more effectively than they would otherwise, but do so gently. Beyond the expected extras (a gentle cap, smaller cap for sensitive areas, shaver, and bikini comb) there is even a foot care head to assist at-home pedicures.
The brand encourage the use of shower gels and creams on exfoliators and epilators to soften the pinch of the pluck (even creating space to drop them in). I've found Trilogy's Exfolitaing Body Balm pairs with the Body Scrub attachment for the best pre-epilator exfoliation. The balm uses a rich blend of rosehip oil, sweet almond oil and beeswax to nourish and protect skin while seed powder gently buffs and refines skin texture. All in all, it means a much more comfortable exfoliation and smoother skin.
4. Braun Silk epil 9 SkinSpa
There is a lot to love about the Silk-epil 9 SkinSpa. And a lot I found redundant.
As a wet and dry epilator, it is fantastic. Braun's 'MicroGrip' tweezer technology works to pluck hairs as short as 0.5mm out in a single stroke and skin ends up salon-smooth in minutes. With a 40 per cent wider head to previous models, it is by far the best of Braun's body epilators to date.
My reservations simply come with the attachments. While the electric shaver and trimmer work well, there is a 'deep body massage' head, 'gentle body exfoliation' head and 'deep body exfoliation' head which fall short. I believe the brushes might do the circulation-boosting things they claim if you applied significant pressure, but they do little on their own.
With that said, it is still a winning epilator. The Smartlight highlights every hair in its path, I have epilated out of the shower without flinching, and I haven't had to go over a single patch of skin twice.
5. Magnitone London PluckIt Travel Epilator
This frill-free mini epilator is incredible value for money.
Though it has fewer tweezing discs than its more expensive competitors (32 versus an average 42), they rotate over 30 times a second and pick up a lot of hair, fast. Each disc is also treated with Biomaster antibacterial protection to help prevent irritation and infection.
The pocket-sized PluckIt device simply has two speed settings and two SuperGlide heads (Regular and Precision) for using on the legs, underarms and bikini line.
Though I would prefer a more powerful device for full-body epilation, this USB-charable epilator has travel tool written all over it.
Available in both baby blue and pink.
6. Remington Cordless Wet and Dry EP7035 Epilator
Remington's cordless epilator is on par with a few of the aforementioned - with a few niggles.
This crowd-favoured epilator is undeniably good. Its light is strong, its tweezers precise, and its extras - which include a dense exfoliating head and a pedicure attachment - are effective and useful.
My issue is the noise. Which was loud enough to cue a "you epilating again?" shout from my partner in another room.
Of course no epilator is silent and,beyond the noise, the EP7035 does exactly what it says on the box. The seven-in-one even comes with a soothing aloe vera-loaded massage cap which gets to work the literal second hair is removed, which I loved.
Epilator advice from Nurse Jamie
As queen bee of the glitterati's faces, skin care expert Jamie Sherrill (or Nurse Jamie) has worked with the likes of the Kardashians, Ruby Rose and Jessica Alba - not only to get their celebrity skin camera-ready but to ensure it remains as healthy as possible.
When it comes to keeping skin healthy after at-home epilation, Jamie advises:
1. Because you're plucking hair from its root, protect any epilated areas from direct sun exposure for about two weeks. If outside, make sure to use a sunblock.
2. Cleanse with a mild cleanser.
3. Pick a moisturiser designed for sensitive skin (keeping the area moist will alleviate the dry feeling without causing further irritation also making it easier for the bulb of the epilated hair to find its way out easier).
4. If you shave in between sessions epilations wait about a week and do not press too hard. In all hair removal practices its tempting for patients to "try to dig the dead hair out with a razor" - please resist this temptation.