I was talking to one of my friends and was surprised that they didn’t even know what an epilator is. Are epilators good? Have you even heard of an epilator? Most of my friends sort of have heard of an epilator but none of them actually know how to use one. When I say epilator, most people around me cringe. Isn’t that some medieval torture device used in prisons? If you have heard of one that’s great but why aren’t epilators more popular? Now that is summer, I see a ton of ads about shaving, why don’t the big brands advertise epilators. Is it considered taboo to use one?
Your Legs They Feel Different
Let’s start at the beginning. The word epilator has gotten a very bad rep from the beginning. In 1988, the first epilator was introduced to the world by Epilady. It was a revolutionary idea that used a fast rotating coil to trap each hair, pulling it out at the root. It was actually designed by two Israeli engineers and was quiet successful. The company actually made 200 million in 3 years. Back then it was marketed as a luxury product and sold in department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. It sold 1500 units in its first week. It was heavily marketed on TV as “better than shaving” and “easier than waxing.” One commercial starts off with two women walking down the street. One woman turns to the other and says, “Honey, your legs look great.” She lifts up her leg, saying “It’s My Epilady Ultra.” A man begins to quiver “So Smooth” as he pours his champagne on someone’s head. The camera backs out as people and even a police officer stop their vehicles to gather around to watch her epilate her legs.
The commercial never once mentioned that it hurt so imagine the surprise of women when they actually used it. I was talking to a friend and she tells me that year everyone and their mom got the Epilady for Christmas. On Christmas day, everyone charged their unit all day because they were so excited to use it. It took 16 hours to charge the epilator. The wait seemed painful, but they would really find out just how painful it was. It seemed like such a promising idea until people used it on Christmas day.
Remember Steve Carrel’s famous chest waxing scene in the 40 year old virgin. From the North Pole, Santa could probably hear all the women screaming the worst obscenities in their bathroom that day. The few men who tried the epilator confirmed it was indeed a devilish device. It is not that it didn’t work, it’s really that it hurt so much. From that moment epilators have been associated with a torture device.
But the memory lives on. While some women threw their Epilady classic coil epilator in the trash, somewhere buried in the bottom of your mom’s bathroom cabinet or drawer is the original Epilady.
Why Epilation Is Good
The hair removal industry has changed so much since the original Epilady has come out. More people are waxing and removing hair than ever before. On newer models the coil based system has been replaced by a rotary epilator system. The original coiled based system used to pull the skin up with the hair. As a result, the instructions state the epilator was only designed for the legs and not for areas with folds and creases like the underarms and bikini area.
Modern epilators look like an electric razor except the head is fitted with tweezers that spin around. As the tweezers rotate around, the epilator pulls the hair out of the skin from the root. The cool thing is that the skin looks so much smoother because you are pulling the hair out at the root. Cutting it just on the surface leaves the skin looking dark because the hair is still under the surface. It works very similar to waxing. You can think of the tweezers as little wax strips. The results last much longer than shaving. My hair doesn’t grow back for at least 2 weeks. Over the long run it is much cheaper than shaving if you think how much replacement razors costs. It can get very expensive. Going to a beauty salon is super expensive. You can save money by buying at home waxing kits, but you do have to learn to use them correctly and they are messy.
You can remove hair on just about any part of your body including the arms, legs, bikini area, and face. Unlike the original Epilady, modern epilators can be used for epilating the underarms and epilating the bikini area. There are some specially designed epilators for removing facial hair.
The best thing is that you don’t have to shave for a whole 2 weeks. It just stays hairless. If you like that idea, consider getting an epilator.
Why Epilation is Not For You
Epilators are not for everyone. Even now, it is pretty painful at first. If you have a low pain tolerance or hate the thought of battling ingrown hairs, epilators are probably not for you.
Like the original Epilady, many women are unable to get through the first time because they have never removed hair from the root before. They are unable to get used to the stinging sensation each time a hair is removed.
The weird part if you are able to get through the first couple of sessions, it is actually not that bad. When I first epilated, I was only used to shaving and I nearly gave up after the first try. Only after the 3rd or 4th session did I realize epilators are good for me.
If you are super scared, I recommend waxing first or even tweezing out the hair. If you have waxed before, it is much easier to get used to the process of epilation. Once the skin gets used to letting go of the hair, I believe epilation becomes much easier than waxing or shaving.
If you are tired of shaving, it’s worth giving epilators a chance if you think you can get through the first couple of times.
Have you tried an epilator? Are they any good? Do you prefer shaving or waxing? Let us know.
I was just given an Epilady Classic, and I love it! But then again, sugaring is my usual method of de-fuzzing my legs, so hair-pulling’s easy for me. 20 mins later, my legs are ready for summer, and there’s no cleanup to speak of. Keep the Classic in production, folks!