Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Epilating woes!


Guest Misaka

Recommended Posts

Guest Misaka

Hi! I hope you don't mind, I'm typing one handed to give me SOMETHING to distract me from this epilator. Bought one from boots, and it arrived today, I used to shave my legs but havn't for a couple of days so the hair is just on the verge of long enough to get picked by an epilator and.. Oh GOD the pain! It burns like the fire of a thousand suns! Apparently it gets better with each time you do it, but WOW. From someone who doesn' event have particularly thick leg hair, just.. wow. I didn't realise they even made pain in this flavour. I've gotten to just above the knee on one leg. I've downed the best part of a bottle of red, and as many Neurofen as I can safely take and it's not getting any less painfull. The part that iv'e done doesn't even feel that smooth compared to having just been shaved : ( Hopefully after a couple of weeks of doing it it'l be smoother?

Everyone says it gets better with time, and well, I hope so! I'm a bit of a wimp and not that resistant to pain :D Is there anyone here who uses them full time who can convince me it's worth doing carrying on? :D Does it REALLY get better or is that just what they say to con you into more pain?! >_< Also does anyone know anything you can do (obviously safe and legal please! :D) to make it hurt less that doesn't involve wine? :D

Link to comment
  • Root Admin

Yeah, the epilator has got to be one of the most evil, inhumane torture devices ever invented. It does get less painful over time. I've used one for several years and now I hardly feel anything as the hairs are being pulled. Not all hairs grow back at the same rate so when you feel some stubble coming back in, go over the area again. The less hairs that have to be pulled, the less painful it will be. The more you use it the less painful it will be. About once a week keeps me pretty well cleaned off. One word of caution. If you intend to go up around your privates, keep the skin taut. These things can bite like a rabid honey badger.

MaryEllen

Link to comment
Guest carolynn2fem

Yes Misaka it is worth it. being using one for ten years. I used to have to do it once a week. now its like every 2-3 week. I wish i could get the same results on my face. maybe in a couple more years.I've only used from the ears down for the last 2.

Link to comment
Guest Misaka

Hehe, thanks :D I'll bear that in mind! I think I'm going to stop, I've got.. some? most? part of? one leg done. The other can wait untill tomrrow, I can barely see straight and I don't want to smell of booze for work tomorrow! The worst part is how LONG it takes, I avoided waxing because I've heard it's very sticky and messy etc but it has to be better than this? Literally, I got back from work, took a bath, and started. This was at like 6pm, it's now half 11 UK and i have one leg done. Having to keep taking breaks because it hurts so bad slows it down so much!...

Still, soldier on! Must.. be .. pretty!

Link to comment
  • Root Admin

It will go quicker once you've done the first clearing. Don't give up. It'll get better. :)

MaryEllen

Link to comment
Guest The Avatar

So, once upon a time... I decided to epilate my face. (I'm have thick mexican hair BTW)

It took eight hours, six packs of bubblegum, and two $80 epilators. Halfway through I went to Target (or Tar-jay as I sometimes call it) with a bloody face and, in a Kurt Hummel/Tim Gunn like fashion, said to the cashier:

"The machine broke halfway across. I'd like a refund."

That was one of those struggling with transition mental break down moments for me.

The wounds cleared up after about two weeks. Until then, I just enoyed being a valet and saying:

"Here's your car Ma'am" with a bruised and bloody (But hairless) face.

What I learned: Never take an epilator to the face.

Even if you get all the hairs off it doesn't work out the way you think it will. You also get ingrown hairs.

Link to comment
Guest Melissa~

So, once upon a time... I decided to epilate my face. (I'm have thick mexican hair BTW)

It took eight hours, six packs of bubblegum, and two $80 epilators. Halfway through I went to Target (or Tar-jay as I sometimes call it) with a bloody face and, in a Kurt Hummel/Tim Gunn like fashion, said to the cashier:

"The machine broke halfway across. I'd like a refund."

That was one of those struggling with transition mental break down moments for me.

The wounds cleared up after about two weeks. Until then, I just enoyed being a valet and saying:

"Here's your car Ma'am" with a bruised and bloody (But hairless) face.

What I learned: Never take an epilator to the face.

Even if you get all the hairs off it doesn't work out the way you think it will. You also get ingrown hairs.

-and I can tell you even a complete clearing comes right back. It seems like there are always new ones just waiting to break out of their little follicle prisons and pollute my face. It really does take numerous complete clearings with follicle destruction to get the face done.

Link to comment
Guest carolynn2fem

Yes You are right. I dont often go for a complete clear cut but thinning out the forest feels much better than thick grouth.

Link to comment
Guest Robin Winter

Yeah, the epilator has got to be one of the most evil, inhumane torture devices ever invented. It does get less painful over time. I've used one for several years and now I hardly feel anything as the hairs are being pulled. Not all hairs grow back at the same rate so when you feel some stubble coming back in, go over the area again. The less hairs that have to be pulled, the less painful it will be. The more you use it the less painful it will be. About once a week keeps me pretty well cleaned off. One word of caution. If you intend to go up around your privates, keep the skin taut. These things can bite like a rabid honey badger.

MaryEllen

2w3uhib.jpg

Too true lol.

Link to comment
Guest otter-girl

These things can bite like a rabid honey badger.

MaryEllen

MaryEllen! Thank you for making my SO and I laugh til we nearly died. :)

Shilo. Please dont epliate the cat! It wont like it. :)

Hugs

Rachel

Link to comment
Guest Apany

I just try my new epilator today. I stopped when I needed to recharge it. I've only done 80% of a leg. Mind you it's the first time I try this method and before I came on the forum I had the same question as Misaka. I never thought it will be that painful. I wax half a leg once when I stopped because it was really inefficient. The pain was really bearable but it's nothing compare to the epilator. I even bought one who is suppose to be less painful... I guess I don't support the pain as well as I thought (sigh). I found a site with some good tips, I which it will be really helpful for my second leg. I don't know, I might try to drink some alcool because my skin becomes a little numb at a point. OH why my endorphin or my andrenaline don't kick in when I need it...

That being said, the epilator if it become less painful each time I use it, it will be really money and time efficient. Right now it just take forever because of the pain. I thought it will be a good idea to use it on my chest and belly but I not sure it will be a good idea anymore. I will see after I finish my second leg.

Link to comment
Guest Misaka

Yeah, alcohol doesn't help, just so you know :D

I tried waxing today because I just couldn't take the pain from epilating. Waxing is SO much easier, its very messy though so i wont do it agian but hopefully now most of hte hair is gone, "maintainance and touchups" wont be so painfull!

Link to comment
Guest carolynn2fem

Hi Apany

The pain realy does decrease each time you use it. You will see a big differnce is the level of pain between now and 6 months from now. I'd say just stick with Your legs for now and add more area as time progresses. your skin will feel 10x smoother over using a blade.

I prefer the NON battery models and buy them from bed bath and beond for about 80 bucks. over the course of a year I would spend 80 dollars worth in mach 3 razor blades to just shave my legs, cost wise it was the same.

Link to comment
Guest Apany

Today, I reach the breaking point, no more epilator for at least a week or maybe two. I was doing my arms when my brain wasn't able to handle this horrible torture anymore (was beginning to shake). At least I've done my two beautiful legs full of red spots and blood... SEXY! I waxed last week a 1/6 of a leg and I noticed when I passed with the epilator at this spot it wasn't as painful. So, next week or the other one should be easier and "enjoyable" to do. Took me the whole weekend to finish them (3 days).

The fact I'm hairy like a monkey doesn't help either. I think this device wasn't made for ppl like me, but at least I passed the first test. Sigh finaly... For the rest of my body, I will try to wax it or see a professional to do it. After, 2 or 3 time, I might be able to use to epilator on those body part without to much pain.

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Maria22222

I'll admit that it does take a few uses to get accustomed to an epilator, but it get's easier every time. You have to make sure the hair isn't too long. That will cause pain. I also brush some baby powder on before I epilate and wipe my face down afterward with witch hazel. Yes, my face. I've been epilating it for six years and am very happy. I have very few hairs left and they come out easily. It's no different than using an electric razor for me nowdays. I epilate my whole body and even down there, although very carefully. Ha ha. It's great going for weeks without having to do any removal. The hairs come back softer and thinner every time too. I wish all my hair was gone (other than up above), but can live with this as the alternative. My two cents.

:P :P :P :P

Link to comment
Guest For the Quinn

I rely on waxing and my epilator for a good bit of my torso hair removal, and overall it does a pretty good job, and I've learned to tolerate the pain. However, no matter how much I exfoliate, shower, and apply alcohol beforehand, I always end up breaking out with 100s of follicle pustules on my sensitive skin, which is less than fun and takes several days to abate. <_<

Any suggestions on what else I can do to prevent these breakouts? Thanks!

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   10 Members, 0 Anonymous, 183 Guests (See full list)

    • Mmindy
    • missyjo
    • VickySGV
    • Susie
    • Carolyn Marie
    • Abigail Genevieve
    • MaeBe
    • EasyE
    • Evelyn J
    • Cavetowns_fkin_awesome
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.6k
    • Total Posts
      768.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,021
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Tami
    Newest Member
    Tami
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Bebhar
      Bebhar
      (41 years old)
    2. caelensmom
      caelensmom
      (40 years old)
    3. Jani
      Jani
      (70 years old)
    4. Jessicapitts
      Jessicapitts
      (37 years old)
    5. klb046
      klb046
      (30 years old)
  • Posts

    • Abigail Genevieve
      It was hot that August day, even in Hall J.  Hall J was a freshman dormitory, and Odie had just unpacked his stuff.  He sat on the edge of his bed.  He had made it. He was here, five hundred miles away from home.  His two roommates had not arrived, and he knew no one. His whole life lay ahead of him, and he thought of the coming semester with excitement and dread.   No one knew him.  No one. Suddenly he was seized with a desire to live out the rest of his life as a woman.  With that, he realized that he had felt that way for a long time.  He had never laughed when guys made jokes about women, and often he felt shut out of certain conversations.  He was neither effeminate nor athletic, and he had graduated just fine, neither too high in his class to be considered a nerd or low enough to not get into this college, which was more selective than many. He was a regular guy.  He had dated some, he liked girls and they liked him.  He had friends, neither fewer than most nor more than most.   Drama club in high school: he had so wanted to try out for female parts but something held him back.  He remembered things from earlier in his life: this had been there, although he had suppressed it. Mom had caught him carrying his sister's clothes to his room when he was eight, shortly before the divorce, and he got thoroughly scolded.  They also made sure it never, ever happened again. He had always felt like that had contributed somehow to the divorce, but it was not discussed, either.  He was a boy and that was the end of it.   Dad was part of that.  He got Odie every other weekend from the time of the divorce and they went hunting, fishing, boating, doing manly things because Dad thought he should be a man's man. The first thing that always happened was the buzz cut.  Dad was always somewhat disappointed in Odie, it seemed, but never said why.  He was a hard man and he had contempt for sissies, although that was never directed at Odie. Mom always said she loved him no matter what, but never explained what that meant.   Odie looked through the Freshman Orientation Packed.  Campus map.  Letter from the Chancellor welcoming him.  Same from the Dean.  List of resources: health center, suicide prevention, and his heart skipped a beat: transgender support.  There was something like that here?   He tore off a small piece of paper.  With sweating hands he wrote on it "I need to be a girl." He looked at it, tore it up and put the different pieces in different trash cans, even one in a men's room toilet the men on this floor shared. He flushed it and made sure it went down.  No one had seen him; he was about the first to arrive.   He returned to his room.   He looked in the mirror.  He was five-ten, square jawed, crew cut.  Dad had seen to it that he exercised and he had muscles.  No, he said to himself, not possible. Not likely.  He had to study and he had succeeded so far by pushing this sort of thing into the back of his mind or wherever it came from.   A man was looking back at him, the hard, tough man Dad had formed him to be, and there was absolutely nothing feminine about any of it.  With that, Odie rejected all this stuff about being trans.  There had been a few of those in high school, and he had always steered clear of them.  A few minutes later he met his roommates.
    • EasyE
      yes, i agree with this ... i guess my biggest frustrations with all this are: 1) our country's insistence to legislate everything with regards to morals ... 2) the inability to have a good, thorough, honest conversation which wrestles with the nuances of these very complex issues without it denigrating to name-calling or identity politics.  agreed again... i still have a lot to learn myself ... 
    • Abigail Genevieve
      It's been bugging me that the sneakers I have been wearing are 1) men's and 2) I need canvas, because summer is coming.  WM has a blue tax on shoes, don't you know? My protocol is to go when there is no one in the ladies' area because I get looks that I don't like, and have been approached with a 'can I help you sir' in a tone than means I need to explain myself, at which point i become inarticulate.   But I found these canvas shoes.  Looking at them, to see if they would pass as male, I realized they might not, and furthermore, I don't really care.
    • Abigail Genevieve
      My wife's nurse was just here.  It is a whole lot easier to relate to her as another woman than to negotiate m/f dynamics and feel like I have to watch myself as a male around her.  It dropped a lot of the tension off, tension that I thought entirely internal to myself, but it made interactions a whole lot better.     I read your post, so I thought I would go look.   In the mirror I did not see a woman; instead I saw all these male features.  In the past that has been enough for me to flip and say 'this is all stupid ridiculous why do I do this I am never going to do this again I am going to the basement RIGHT NOW to get men's stuff and I feel like purging'.  Instead I smiled, shrugged my shoulders and came back here.  Panties fit, women's jeans fit.  My T shirt says DAD on it, something I do not want to give up, but a woman might crazily steal hubby's t-shirt and wear it.  I steal my own clothes all the time.    But she is here, this woman I liked it when I saw her yesterday. and her day will come.  I hope to see her again.
    • April Marie
      So many things become easier when you finally turn that corner and see "you" in the mirror. Shedding the guilt, the fear, the questioning becomes possible - as does self-love - when that person looking back at you, irrespective of what you're wearing, is the real you.   I am so happy for you!! Enjoy the journey and where it leads you.
    • MaeBe
      I'm sure even the most transphobic parents would, too. What does it hurt if a child socializes outside of their family in a way that allows them to understand themselves better? I have encountered a handful of kids do the binary, non-binary, back to binary route and they got to learn about themselves. In the end, there may have been some social self-harm but kids are so darned accepting these days. And really, schools aren't policing pronouns, but the laws that are coming out are making them do so--and in turn requiring a report to a parent that may cause some form of harm to the child.   If the kid wants to lie to, or keep secrets from, their parents about their gender expressions, what does it say about the parents? Perhaps a little socialization of their thoughts will give them the personal information to have those conversations with them? So when they do want to have that conversation they can do so with some self-awareness. This isn't a parent's rights issue, it's about forcing a "moral code" onto schools that they must now enforce--in a way that doesn't appreciably assist parents or provide benefit to children.   So, a child that transitioned at 5 and now in middle/high school that is by all rights female must now go into a bathroom full of dudes? What about trans men, how will the be treated in the girl's restroom? I see a lot of fantasy predator fearmongering in this kind of comment. All a trans kid wants to do in a bathroom is to handle their bodily functions in peace. Ideally there would be no gendered restrooms or, at least, a valid option for people to choose a non-gendered restroom. However, where is the actual harm happening? A trans girl in a boy's room is going experience more harm than a girl being uncomfortable about a trans girl going into and out of a stall.   How about we teach our children that trans people aren't predators who are trying to game the system to eek out some sexual deviancy via loophole? How about we treat gender in a way that doesn't enforce the idea that girls are prey and boys are  predators? How about we teach them trans kids are just kids who want to get on with their day like everyone else?
    • Adrianna Danielle
      I hope so and glad he loves and accepts me for who I am
    • EasyE
      It is sad that we can't have more open and honest dialogue on these types of topics because there is worthy debate for sure. But instead we have become a country where the only goal is to seize political power and then legislate our particular agenda and views of morality.   Remember as you read my thoughts below, that I am transgender. OK? I am pro-trans. I am trans.   But my middle school aged daughter would be extremely uncomfortable using a school bathroom also used by a biological male, as would nearly all of her friends. That side has to be considered. It's not invalidating to a trans youth's experience to take that into account and hash out what is for the common good of as many people as possible. This is reality - one person's gender expression makes others uncomfortable, in all directions. And there is disagreement on the best way to handle these types of things.   Why can't we talk about these things openly, without the inevitable name-calling that follows, and let all sides have their input and work up suitable solutions? (I bet the kids, if left alone, would work up the best solutions)... Instead, we go straight to trying to pass laws, as if we need more of those!   And why wouldn't we want parents to know if their child has decided to change their pronouns? That's a big deal and parents are right to raise that as a concern. I certainly would want to know. Not that we need to legislate this, but I would have a hard time with school administrators who try to hide this from me. They are out of line. This is my child. Whether you like my viewpoints or not, I am the parent. Not the school.    Again, I am pro-trans. I am trans. At the same point, I recognize that validating a transgender individual's gender identity doesn't trump everything else in society. And sometimes I see that creeping into these discussions. Plus, we fight a losing battle if we have to have others' validation. We are never going to get it from everybody. Ever. Not even Jesus got it and He is God himself!   This country can be very beautiful as we each exercise our freedom to be who we are and let others do the same. But my freedom ends where yours begins and vice-versa. That requires self-sacrifice. Sometimes we have to fall back out of respect for others. Sometimes we have to let the parent be the parent even if we disagree with their politics.   My cry in the wilderness is just can we please have more open, honest dialogue where both sides try take the other's views into consideration and quit automatically going the legislative route to criminalize the other side's viewpoints.   Sorry for the rant but sometimes all of this wears me out... deep sigh... 
    • RaineOnYourParade
      Bite by bite, acrobatics in abdomen
    • Abigail Genevieve
      Yesterday when I put that shirt on I saw a woman looking back out of the mirror at me.  Usually I have looked and been very frustrated because I see a man where there should be a woman.  I was expecting to see a man wearing a woman's shirt, but it was a woman wearing a woman's shirt.   On the spectrum between intersex and trans, I am more thinking I am a lot more intersex than trans, and it is only a matter of time before my wife says "you need a bra" and then "you look like a woman!" She told me whatever I want to do is fine with her, she loves me no matter what, and I am thinking that there may be a lot more for her in this than she could possibly expect. I'm not pushing it with her.
    • Petra Jane
      We have been asked to post this study.   I'm an undergraduate university student in my third year completing a BSc in Anthropology. I'm working on my dissertation, looking at languages with grammatical gender (e.g. languages like Italian and Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine). I'm curious if this affects/bothers people with gender identities outside the typical binary of male and female, like non-binary or transgender identities. Using this forum, I would be very grateful if anyone could answer the 5 questions I have put together in a Google form, they are open-ended questions, and you can be as brief or detailed as you want/comfortable with! All responses will also be kept anonymous. As you can probably guess, I came to online forums because finding participants in person is difficult. Talking about gender identities, I understand, can be very personal, so this online anonymised format can be safer. :) If anyone is also particularly interested in this topic, it would be awesome to message one-on-one and do the Google form survey. Having one and one interviews would also be good research! But NONE of this is compulsory, and only if anyone is interested and doesn't mind helping me out and can do so. Institution Supervising Research Study University of Kent Web Address for Study Participation https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdS9zU_dt3RR1V8-3s_0EnDl6w-jsS6-WOZO41uWeqUP0q_YQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
    • Ashley0616
    • Ashley0616
    • Ashley0616
    • Ashley0616
      @Mia MarieI found this    Here are critical resources to help transgender seniors face the challenges of growing older - LGBTQ Nation   As far as financial aid I came up empty. :( I'm sorry. I can only imagine what you are going through. 
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...