Many myths and rumors surround the topic of epilation – for some, the very thought of this type of hair removal is painful, for others, epilation is practical and commonplace. In the following, we will shed light on the darkness, answer the most important questions in detail and prepare you for epilation in the best possible way with valuable tips.
Definition: what is epilating?
If you’ve never come into contact with the subject before, you might be wondering: what happens during epilation and what exactly is it? Epilating is basically about removing unwanted body hair from the skin at the root. This is done with the help of an epilator (epilator for short), which uses many small tweezers attached to a rotating roller to “pluck” the hairs from the skin one by one. The advantage of this type of hair removal is the long-lasting result that can be achieved by removing the hair at the root. This means smooth skin for weeks!
What do you need for epilation?
A special epilator is necessary for epilation. There are dry epilators and devices that are suitable for wet and dry use. These waterproof epilators (wet epilators) are usually operated wirelessly with a rechargeable battery. Dry epilators usually use cables with a power supply, so a power outlet is required for use. Depending on the application, epilating also requires various skin care products, such as scrub or body lotion – more information on this can be found below.
Areas: Where can you epilate?
Usually, the epilator is used in the following areas:
- Armpits
- Legs
- Bikini line (intimate area)
- Face (for a lady’s beard)
Most often, the epilator is used on the legs. But also under the armpits or in the bikini area can achieve good results. Somewhat less frequently, the application takes place on the face. However, those who want to remove their light fuzz above the upper lip (also called a lady’s beard) can of course also do so by means of epilation.
6 tips against pain when epilating
Weeks of smooth skin sounds almost too good to be true – and in fact, the method has a catch: depending on the individual pain threshold, epilation can be experienced as uncomfortable to very painful. What helps against pain during epilation? Find out what you can do to make epilating not hurt so much here:
- Preparation: already a few days before epilating, the skin can be prepared. By exfoliating and then providing moisturizing creams, the skin becomes supple, which reduces the pain of hair removal.
- Hair length: longer hair also means greater pain during removal – so always epilate hair as short as possible (5 mm is the upper limit). It may help to shave the area to be epilated about a week before, so that the hair is not too long.
- Type of epilator: often the question comes up “Which is better: wet or dry epilating?” In fact, wet epilating is slightly less painful. While showering or bathing in warm water, the skin becomes softer, the pores open and release the hairs much more easily and painlessly. In addition, even small hairs are captured better, so the result is better.
- Timing: for dry epilation, the question arises: is it better to epilate before or after showering? If you epilate dry skin, it is advisable to take a warm shower or bath before. This causes the pores to open, making it easier to remove the hair. But dry well before epilating!
- Accessories: Often, various attachments are supplied with the epilators – including so-called massage attachments. These are simply plugged additionally on the device and thus improve the blood circulation of the epilated skin, which can significantly reduce the pain during and after epilation. Some manufacturers also supply a cooling pad or a cooling glove for prior and final cooling of the skin.
- Repetition: epilating hurts less each time. The first application is the most painful, because the largest number of hairs must be removed. Since hairs take different amounts of time to grow back, less hair needs to be removed the next time. In addition, the skin gets used to the treatment, so after some time epilating without pain is also possible.
Where does epilation hurt the most?
In general, the thicker and longer the hairs are, the more pain also causes the removal. Specifically, this applies especially to the hairs of the bikini or intimate zone and under the armpits. In addition, the skin here is much more sensitive than in other parts of the body.
Epilate correctly: What do you have to consider when epilating?
The following tips on the correct use of the epilator should also be observed:
- When epilating, tighten the skin with your free hand so that the hairs stand up and epilate evenly and without pressure.
- It is also important to pace yourself when epilating. Even if it is uncomfortable, you should make as slow movements as possible, so that really all the hairs can be captured.
- To prevent pimples after epilating, you should always epilate against the direction of hair growth and at a 90-degree angle to the skin.
- If you decide to remove hair under water, especially in the shower, it is important that the skin always remains wet. In the bath, the skin and the epilator should always be slightly below the water surface.
- In the shower, the use of shower gel can help the epilator better capture small hairs.
- When dry epilating, make sure that the skin is dry and free of grease or cream residues.
- When is the best time to epilate? For both methods (wet and dry) applies that especially beginners should epilate in the evening. The skin is still strongly irritated, especially in the beginning, and can thus recover well overnight.
The care afterwards – What soothes the skin after epilation?
When epilating, hundreds of hairs are torn from the skin with small tweezers – no wonder that the skin often reacts irritated. But what to do about pimples and redness after epilation? And when do pimples and red spots go away after epilation? Red spots after epilation can hardly be avoided. Often, these skin irritations disappear overnight without your intervention. However, if you want to help a little and avoid a rash or inflammation, applying an antibacterial after-shave cream is recommended. A mild, moisturizing and preferably anti-inflammatory cream or lotion can also help the skin after epilation. What kind of cream you use is a matter of taste. Skin care products with chamomile extract, argan oil or aloe vera (for example, after-sun products) serve this purpose and can be used as a precaution after each epilation. It can also be helpful to cool the stressed skin after epilation – for example, with a cold pack or (doubly effective due to the anti-inflammatory effect) a chamomile tea bag cooled in the refrigerator.
Why do legs itch after epilating?
Itching of the legs is usually due to irritated skin caused by epilating. However, too dry skin can also be the cause of itching. In any case, the unpleasant itching should be under control by providing sufficient moisture.
What to do about ingrown hairs after epilation?
Ingrown hairs after epilation are caused by incorrect epilation. The hairs are pulled out too far up, or rather the entire root is not removed. The hair then does not grow back properly, but remains under the skin surface, where it can lead to inflammation. Ingrown hairs can be avoided by regular use of scrubs before and after epilation.
Epilating compared with other methods of hair removal.
Epilating is just one of many hair removal options. But which is more painful, which lasts longer and which is better for the skin? Find out how epilating compares to other alternatives here:
- Waxing or epilating: Which is more painful? Pain sensation is something very individual – but many women find the short jolt of waxing less painful than the long-lasting pain of epilating. And which lasts longer? There is little difference in the sustainability of the two methods: In both cases, the hair is pulled out along with the root. Therefore, the hair grows back at about the same rate.
- Sugaring or epilating – which is better for the skin? In sugaring, the hair is removed from the skin by means of a sugar paste along with the root in the direction of growth.The procedure is comparable to waxing, but is considered slightly less painful and more gentle on the skin.
- Shaving or epilating – which is better? This is a matter of taste: shaving is faster, especially with wet shaving more thorough and (provided you do not cut yourself) painless – however, the result does not last long, because the hair quickly grows back stubbly. And what is healthier? This cannot be answered in a generalized way. Epilating irritates the skin more – but it is necessary less often.
- Depilatory cream or epilating: Which lasts longer? Depilatory cream is a chemical product that is applied to the skin to dissolve the hair. The sustainability is slightly longer than shaving, but is far from reaching epilating.
When will the hair grow back after epilating?
When the hair comes back after epilation varies from person to person. However, approximately the duration is three to four weeks. How often you need to epilate, therefore, depends on the speed of hair growth. However, the hair should already have grown back a bit before you reach for the epilator again – the minimum length for epilation is about 0.5 mm, depending on the device.
Does more hair grow back after epilating?
No, dermatological tests have proven that. It is rather the opposite: at the beginning you may not notice a big difference, but after a few applications it may well be that the hair grows back finer and sparser, because the hair roots are weakened by the frequent plucking. So rather less hair will grow back.
Why does hair grow back even though it is removed at the root?
The hairs are removed at the root, but not with the root. Therefore, they grow back after a few weeks.
Epilating during pregnancy
The rumor that you should not epilate during pregnancy because the baby will feel the pain is just that: a rumor. Only in the breast and intimate areas should you refrain from epilating during pregnancy, because in pregnant women these areas have more blood flow and therefore problems such as bisecting veins and bruises can occur. In addition, these areas are more sensitive to pain in pregnant women.
Epilating for men
Men can epilate just like women. Even though there are hardly any epilators specifically for men at the moment – epilation works exactly the same for men and women.
