How to use the epilator?
Epilator is a practical and indispensable device for home hair removal. It is distinguished by its ease of use, accessibility and efficiency - the legs (and other treated areas of the body) remain smooth for up to 2 weeks. How to use the epilator, you will learn right now.
Types of electric epilators
The main task of any epilator is to remove the hair with a bulb, and according to the type of impact, the cars are divided into:
- tweezers;
- disk.
Each of them removes several hairs in a single pass over the skin, but they do it in different ways. The disk model has several pairs of disks that rotate and simultaneously close and open during operation, reliably grabbing hairs - usually up to 32 pieces in one area. Tweezers differ in the number of tweezers - they can be 20 or 40 (the latter will work more effectively), and their essence consists in pulling out the hair with the same tweezers.
Experts say that the most popular - tweezers. With them, the procedure is faster (if we talk about a large number of tweezers). However, they believe that disk models are more efficient in coping with vegetation. There is no strong and prolonged irritation (if the rules of using the epilator and preparation for the procedure are followed).
Epilators have several methods of pain relief - blowing with cold air, cooling with a special bag or vibration during work, which well distracts from unpleasant sensations. The speed of the instruments also varies: one, two or three. Optimal are two-speed models, more advanced - three-speed.
The working head in almost all modern models is removable. If not, take such a device is not recommended. During work, hairs and skin particles get into the device, they must be removed from the head after the procedure. If this is not done, skin irritation, pore blockage, infection of the dermis cannot be avoided.
Electric epilators vary in power type:
- from the network;
- from the battery.
Devices with a battery can take with you on a trip or do hair removal not at home.
Epilators may have:
- Backlight - it allows not to miss thin hair.
- Additional nozzles to work with a bikini area or armpits.
- The ability to use in the shower, which allows to reduce pain during the procedure.
Advantages and disadvantages of hair removal
Epilation - The surest way to get rid of unwanted vegetation, the effect of the procedure is temporary and usually lasts 2 weeks. Its essence lies in the deformation of the hair follicle and the removal of the hair with the bulb, because of which its further growth is disturbed - the hair will be thinner, softer, it will lose pimento. Hair removal epilator has a lot of "for" and quite a bit "against."
It should start with the advantages of the device:
- Ideal for home hair removal on any parts of the body.
- Long-lasting smooth effect - lasts about 2 weeks. Each procedure of hair removal entails the further growth of thin and light hairs - the structure of the hair is broken.
- Easy to use. It is easy to make epilation with a machine - rather slowly drive it over a certain part of the body.
- It does not require long preparation - it is enough to connect the device to the network and start working with it (unlike sugar or wax hair removal, when it is necessary to warm up the composition and maintain its temperature constantly).
- Reasonable price for the procedure. Of course, the cost of the machines varies, but even among them you can choose the best price-quality ratio and not spend money.
- Almost absolute the absence of serious contraindications (these include diseases of the nervous system and skin surface injuries, fungal and neoplasms).
Epilator hair removal has its disadvantages:
- Unpleasant (and even painful) sensations during epilation - especially in sensitive areas of the bikini, armpits. It is not very pleasant to use the device for the first time and several times after using a razor - removing thick hairs from the root becomes problematic, but it is easier every time.
- The appearance of irritation - it occurs due to slight damage to the skin. Proper preparation and care after the procedure can avoid it.
- Do not use on face.
- Growing hair, which occurs due to a violation of the direction of growth. The hair loses its height and starts growing down.
- Long process. Epilation on the legs or arms can take a couple of hours, because it is necessary to go through every inch of the body at an average pace. To drive an epilator quickly is not very efficient. Hair just strains.
As with any type of hair removal, removal of unwanted hair with an epilator has advantages and disadvantages. To make the procedure quite pleasant and effective, you need to prepare for it. How - you will learn about this in the next section.
Preparation for the procedure
Before the procedure it is recommended to take a shower or a bath in order to clean the skin and slightly steam it. Steamed skin is more likely to "give" hairs from the root, and the bulb becomes easier to get out of the pores. You can use a body scrub: abrasive particles will remove the layer of "dead" cells and ensure effective operation of the device. They will protect against hair ingrowth and irritation.
If the epilator can work in water, like Braun “Silk-épil 7 Wet & Dry” waterproof, then the procedure can be performed right in the bathroom - this is less painful. Returning to the classic "dry" devices, it is worth noting that before the procedure it is necessary to wipe the skin with an antiseptic - Miramistin solution, chlorhexidine, peroxide or any other.
Recommendations for using the device at home
Consider the following tips:
- It is recommended to hold the head during epilation against hair growth - this is how they are removed along with the bulb.
- Before the procedure, the skin needs to be cleaned - take a bath or shower, use a scrub or a hard washcloth to remove the cornified cell layer. In addition, abrasive elements additionally raise the hair.
- Before epilation, you can not lubricate the skin with oil or cream - this will ensure that the tweezers or discs glide over the skin, and those will simply not catch the hairs.
- Shaving the hair before epilation is not recommended for about a week (the optimal length of hairs is 5-7 mm).
- If the hair on the site is more than 7 mm, they will have to be cut. The machine will not be able to remove them qualitatively along with the root, but will simply separate them at the base.
- After the procedure, you can treat the area of the body with a soothing lotion (without alcohol) and apply a light moisturizing cream.
- It is necessary to use a gel or cream that slows down hair growth.
- It is recommended to start the zone treatment at the lowest speed, increasing the rate of the head operation gradually. This will allow the skin to get used to new sensations and reduce pain.
After epilation, almost all women notice irritation in the form of small red spots on the body - this is quite a normal skin reaction. They will pass by themselves (it will take from several minutes to a couple of hours) - provided that you do not scratch or rub your skin.To remove unpleasant symptoms, treat the area with a decoction of herbs or tonic (with aloe vera, chamomile). The epilated area can hurt for several days after epilation - treatment with a healing cream (“Bepanten”, “Panthenol” and any light children's cream) will help to get rid of unpleasant sensations.
Rules for processing individual zones
There are certain recommendations that should be considered. So you can avoid unpleasant surprises.
Legs
They have the largest area, which means that the procedure will take about 1-1.5 hours. Epilation of the legs is necessary against hair growth, in the direction from the bottom up - from the ankles to the knees. If you stretch the skin before treatment with the epilator, the effect will turn out to be even better - during the stretching, the hairs “detach” from the surface, and it becomes easy to remove them along with the bulb.
When treating the legs, hold the epilator head perpendicularly and do not press on it - it should touch the skin, but not grab it with tweezers or discs.
Armpits and bikinis
The skin in these areas is most sensitive. Before treatment, it is important to ensure that the skin is dry, and especially in the armpit. It is also recommended to stretch the skin in order not to grab it accidentally with tweezers, discs and effectively remove all hairs. When working with armpits, it is necessary to keep the epilator against the growth of hair - from the bottom up, but here the hairs can grow unevenly, therefore, with the final treatment, walk the head in different directions.
Processing the bikini area begins with the pubis - hold the device head perpendicular to the skin surface and move it upwards. Reviews in the network suggest that hair removal from the pubis is quite possible because of their growth (from top to bottom), and this is less painful. It is important to ensure that the hair is removed completely, and not in small pieces - then it just breaks off.
When working with the labia, it is necessary to drive the head of the epilator against the growth of hair, stretching the skin with your fingers and holding it in its place so that the tweezers or the disc does not catch the adjacent areas.
How to reduce pain?
When purchasing an epilator, choose models that reduce the pain from the procedure: some can “blow” on the skin during treatment or vibrate strongly, others are bundled with a small cooling glove, which is previously held in the freezer and applied to the skin until epilation. Will help reduce discomfort from the process of "popular" methods:
- Stretch the skin with your free hand; second, guide the epilator over a slightly stretched area. First, on the stretched skin, the hair is gripped better, and secondly, the pain noticeably recedes.
- Start the procedure for removing hair from the legs - especially if you are doing this for the first time. When processing more delicate places, choose a “starting point” with a smaller amount of hairs, moving to the thickest part. If you are talking about a bikini, start working from the upper pubic area and move down.
- Make a small compress of ice - attach a tissue bag to the treated area of skin, wait 2-3 minutes and begin a painless epilation process. If the kit includes a special cooling glove, do not neglect its use - it really saves from pain.
Pain during epilation is absolutely normal. The fact is that the hair bulb closely “cooperates” with the nerve endings in the hair follicle. When the bulb comes out, there is a slight pain sensation, resembling a mosquito bite. When there are several mosquitoes, the sensations are even more painful, but they can be fully endured - especially when processing the legs and arms (including the second one).
A breakdown of one procedure for hair removal of the legs into several will help to reduce pain - process 10-20 cm of skin on one day, if the pain is really so unbearable.
Practical advice
The following important recommendations exist:
- The first time experts recommend to carry out the procedure on their feet, because the device was invented to process this particular zone. Begin acquaintance with the shin, get used to the sensations and go to the area of the armpits and bikini.
- Do not remove all the hair at once on the first procedure or when processing the sensitive area, stretch the “pleasure” for 2-3-4 days (if necessary) - so that the skin gets used.
- When buying an epilator, stop looking at models with a removable head (medium or high price category). The advantage of this or that device may be additional nozzles or cooling elements, which will significantly reduce pain.
- For the intimate area, choose a special attachment or a separate epilator (usually it comes complete with the main one, as in Philips “HP6549”).
- Before the procedure, carefully inspect the skin for damage. With significant defects, this area of the body will have to be ignored, as are areas with varicose veins, a noticeable vascular mesh.
- It is recommended to use the epilator on completely dry skin (except for special models for epilation in water).
Properly selected epilator - the key to quality hair removal. What to look for when choosing, see the following video.