Sunny bank holidays, warm evenings spent on the terrace of a bar and with summer just around the corner, there are more and more opportunities to have to get your legs out! It was only this weekend that I first braved using my epilator since last summer... and oh boy was I nervous! I really didn't need to be though so I thought share in this post my top tips to, well, just getting on with it!
I've had my Braun Silk Epil 7 Xpressive Pro
for a year now, and even though I conveniently forgot about it over winter, I really do think it's brilliant! I'd been considering an epilator for some time before taking the plunge and purchasing, this, my first ever epilator, pretty much after reading a rave review by the fabulous Lollypop26 - please return to blogging Laura!!
I'd persevered with shaving all my life but shaving rashes and virtually constant regrowth was slowly wearing me down. I was having to shave nearly early everyday in the summer to try and achieve the silky smooth look. My poor little legs weren't liking at all and would be covered in red bumps after a couple of days shaving in a row. I decided to try various hair removal creams, even though the most sensitive formulas would burn my legs! Swiftly moving onto waxing. A home kit was a disaster, taking off more skin than hair. Getting waxed at a salon wasn't much better either, my legs would come out in the THE BIGGEST and most painful rash that would last days... and I'd still have patches of hair that needed shaving!
An epilator was my last option (other than laser removal, which I'm not quite ready spend the cash on) and it's one that I'm definitely sticking with. So, on with my top tips!
★ The first time you ever epilate it's going to take time. Make sure you've got an evening to yourself where you can occupy the bathroom without any distractions.
★ Shave your legs a few days before. The longer your hairs are the first time you epilate, the more it hurts! I think this is because the epilator tweezer has to grip the hair, then it tugs and finally it pulls the hair from it's root :-S I've found that a millimetre or so is probably the perfect length.
★ Make sure the epilator is fully charged! This may seem like common sense, but trust me, you don't want to epilate on low power. Yes, the noise of a fast whirling epilator is quite intimidating but it's like ripping off a plaster, you don't want the tiny tweezers slowly dragging out each hair. Ouch!
★ Exfoliate your legs beforehand, and keep it up afterwards. Epilating is renowned for leading to ingrown hairs so I try to exfoliate, very lightly, every time I'm in the shower.
★ The Bruan Silk Epil can be used in water. I found for the first couple of times epilating in the bath worked best. A calm atmosphere relaxes the mind and helps eradicate any nerves. A nice softening bubble bath softens the legs and helps the epilator move with greater ease. Most importantly, the heat of the water itself acts as pain relief.
★ Get a good cream to apply to your legs while epilating. Nothing too thick as you don't want to clog up the head, but anything that softens and helps the epilate glide over the leg will definitely help.
★ Don't start with the ankle! For some reason this is most sensitive part of the leg. Not good for a first timer!
★ Try to go as slowly as you can bear. Racing the epilator up your leg is only going to prolong the experience, and ultimately the pain. The tweezers won't be able to grab the hairs properly if you're rushing so you'll end up having to go over the same spot numerous times. This alone could lead you to give up!
★ I've got very sensitive legs. After epilating for the first time I did have a slight red rash and my legs tingled for a few hours after, but believe me this was nowhere near as bad as waxing, where the tangling lasted for days. Make sure you've got a soothing cream to hand, I use a simple Aloe Vera gel. You don't want anything that could clog your pores though as this could lead to ingrown hairs.
★ Persevere! Yes it hurts first time but I can promise you, it does get better! For me, after only the third attempt I had hardly any pain. After that third session I have to say, I barely even felt the hairs being removed! Absolutely amazing for someone with sensitive legs like me!
I really hope that this guide helps anyone of you who are considering epilating for the first time, or any of you who have perhaps tried it before but gave up.
If you have any questions on epilating do contacting me and I'll to try give you advise where I can.
If you have any tips that worked for you, let me know in the comments below!
