You Gotta Keep 'em Epilated!

[Guest Anna_SF]

Hi Ladies,

I received my emjoi epilator today. I was getting tired of shaving and I haven't tried waxing so I cannot comment on that. I read on Amazon a good way to start: shave a few days before so the hair is short and not a full epilation, hot shower to loosen the pores. no lotion, etc. and hold the skin taut. And keep at it for a few days to build up a tolerance.

I knew it was going to be a bit of a shock - you can watch epilator videos on youtube and see the shock. It's loud and has 72 heads spinning like crazy. I initially tried it on my forewarms. It was a little bit of a shock but wasn't just terrible. I sort of felt like I would scream once it was done but I really only felt the tugging on the sides of my wrists. I got a reddish rash like thing that faded after about 1/2 hour. I did it on my underarms [which were also semi short] and it was less painful than the forearms, which I did not expect.

If you have have 8-10 hours of electrolysis then you know that it hurts less when they are working in one area consistently and it's the same sort of thing. I kept with it and the pain got less.

Then I moved to my legs. I started with the calves and it was similar - sharpish pain but not unbearable. The pain wasn't too bad on my knees. I haven't tried it behind my knees yet. I then moved to the tops of my thighs [by the knees] and it was the most sensitive and hardest to keep at. I did a little on my inner thigh and it wasn't as bad as the tops of my thighs.

After 1/2 an hour I soaked my arms in warm water and did it again - it was a bit of a shock but only hurt on the sides of the wrist. I put on aloe afterwards and my arms started itching, so next time I won't apply any lotion afterward. I'll probably do my legs some more tonight - try and get most of it that is showing. It did not pinch my skin.

Overall I think it's a workable solution for me. I'll post an update in a week or two to let you know if I can keep it up, the pain level/tolerance, and any ingrown hair issues.

[MaryEllen]

If it's any consolation, it gets less painful with time. A word of caution, though. Keep the skin tight, especially around sensative areas. These things can bite like a Tasmanian Devil. Take it from one who has been bitten.

MaryEllen

[Guest Anna_SF]

Quick Update:

I took a long hot shower a few hours after my initial session: Underarms and forearms were more sensitive after the hot shower. The legs were better - I don't know if the hot water caused the hairs to be pulled easier (which is was supposed to) but since more hairs were pulled it did seem about the same. I did get the courage to try the backs of my knees and it was fine. It's the sensation of the pulling that makes it feel like my skin is caught but I didn't have any problems. I wore hose on Monday and I have to say they did feel smoother than razor and nair/veet treatments. (but I'm not the best shaver either, so I wouldn't count what I say too much.) The thing that I did not expect was that my arms looked thinner.

I did a 1/2 hour session this morning on my arms, legs and bikini zone! It took as long as a good shaving session. I did not shower beforehand. It was sensitive on the inner knee (not the back, but the inner sides). Not so bad on the calves, thighs. The back of the thigh was a little pulling but I think it was hairier there. Once a spot has been hit a few times there are less hairs to be pulled and less pain. The hard part is some hairs just don't wanna go and I tried 4-5 different directions!

Then I moved up to the bikini zone (wearing underwear is clutch here). I did swift strokes underneath and it wasn't too bad. the top part and where the legs meets the torso was fairly ouch-ey and its red now but the pain subsides quickly. It's a messy process because all the hairs with the sticky roots fly all over, so I keep a vacuum handy. But since I like to wear mini skirts and bikini's I do like the cleanliness of the look. i think it helps get rid of dead skin.

The irony is that now my body is hairless my face is all stubble as I have to grow it out for electrolysis on my upper lip. There is about 1/2 as there used to be so I have to grow out the rest so the electrologist can work on other parts of my face and chest, if time.

Upon reflection, I think the hot shower would have been a good idea. I can see quite a few hairs - say one for every square inch. That's not bad but shaving usually didn't leave any. I'll probably epilate on Friday.

Take care,

Anna

[Guest Anna_SF]

Hi Girls, -- update 4.25 --

The pain level dropped significantly from the initial try. I'm able to do my underarms completely without flinching. And even most of my bikini zone. I did 1/2 hour on Friday and 1/2 yesterday. The only problem seems to be getting hairs that run in every different direction. Like shaving it just takes time to develop the right technique. The knees are difficult to do. At this point I'm more concerned with getting over the pain. I will continue to do it every three days or so to get used to it then probably ease off. I have not see an increase in ingrown hair. I'm not quite ready for bikini summer yet. It was a better investment than my home electrolysis kit, which sits way in back under the bathroom sink.

Au Revoir,

Anna

[Guest Elizabeth K]

I have been using one on my legs for about ten years - noisy but effective. I suggest using about once a week, it keeps the skin from getting so red. I believe in epilators and have worn out three!

Good news:

HRT drops the usage down to once a month and the hair is so sparce and so fine, it takes about a forth of the time to finish. This is so good!

The finish job is sooooo smooth.

After you depilate, you can still shave. The dead skin layers are taken off that way. BUT be sure there is no remaining redness or raised bumps before you start.

Bad news

Momma Sally is allergic to 'epilators' and will run run run away at their sound!

Be carful not to overheat the epilator, it makes it wear out faster. I have to replace my ejore about every 2 or three years. But if you go online, you can buy just the head part from the factory.

Be careful in spreading bacteria. Always do the bikini line and back of the legs near your rear, last. Sanitize with rubbing alcohol after you finish and clean up. If you get red areas thet don't fade in 20 minutes, apply a multi-spectrum topical antibiotic.

DO NOT use on your face - it is tempting, gosh - but it can really burn you!

Keep the skin tight, especialy under the arms and near sensitive folds on your legs - I have had some very sensitive skin grabbed by those steel teeth - YIKES

Hair needs to be at least 1/8 long to grab - so between treatments, it can get a bit bristly.

FUN

Lizzy

[Guest Lizzie McTrucker]

That Epilady sounds like a modern torture device. lol!

(and I loved the thread title. I got the reference immediately)

[Guest Jean Davis]

Hey Anna

I've been epilating for about a year now and I just love it. I found that after a couple of weeks my hair got finer and it was a lot less painful to use. There is only one area that I still have troubles with and that is the swell of my back around the belt line. Ouch! That's a touchy area for me.

Also I found that if you use lotion the day before you plan on epilating it helps with everything. Perhaps you could give it a try and see if it helps you.

LUV

Jean

[Guest Anna_SF]

Hi Ladies, -- May 1st Update --

First of all, thanks for the tips. I don't think I was doing it quite right as I wasn't as smooth as I expected. And thanks for the word about bacteria - I had not even thought of that but it's good advice.

I think I made a mistake in the early runs by going over areas in multiple directions. I think it was causing the hairs to get pulled and cut but not plucked. It's hard to just go in one direction as going against the grain caused the hairs to be epilated - I could feel it. I epilated on Thursday after a hot shower and had allowed the hairs to grow out for 4 days. This time I stayed in one direction (for the most part). Alas, I did notice some ingrown hairs and razor bumps (short ingrowns) yesterday. Mostly in the area where I went against the grain of the hair growth. I was able to slow down and deal with the pain. I am going to try the sugar scrub (sugar, olive oil and lavender oil) to exfoliate. And use witch hazel. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Smiles & smooth gams,

Anna

[Guest Anna_SF]

5.23.10 Update

My legs were looking awful a few weeks ago, so i shaved and allowed them to grow out for 2 weeks. The bumps bled (when i shaved) and I looked just awful, thankfully it was quite cold.

In the meantime I bought a Japanese exfoliating washcloth $1.50, exfoliating body wash, alpha hydroxy, and Eucalyptis oil. I epilated my arms and used the alpha hydroxy, witch hazel and that reduced the ingrowns to almost nil. I also exfoliated every day and only used pure aloe vera on my arms at night. So, I am taking another swipe at my legs. I took a hot shower, and exfoliated but allowed myself to miss hairs and not go over the same spot. Most of my hairs were about 1/4 inch or longer and seemed to come out fairly well. My legs seemed a little stubbled afterward, so there may be an issue of the hairs breaking. Afterward I used witch hazel. about 8 hours later I used aloe before bedtime. My legs were a lot less red but there is still that feeling of stubble. This morning they were in much better shape than last time.

I will keep up the regiment of exfoliating, witch hazel, alpha hydroxy and eucalypytis oil and hopefully will epilate next Sunday afternoon. The next few days will be the clincher if the ingrowns come back. One has to exfoliate fairly hard to break the skin over those ingrowns. One got infected last time and was gross but is ok now. I think I way over epilated and the hairs were too short to begin with. It's a lot more involved than shaving.

Anna