So many of you know the struggle of having great skin… underneath overgrown hair. Not only do you have to go through extra effort to make it look smooth, but you also have to choose from a range of hair removal techniques as well. It can be understandably exhausting!
However, choosing the right method isn’t too difficult. Shaving and creams don’t last too long, and waxing can be a little too sticky.
Eventually, we are left with one option — epilation. Epilation is an interesting technique, and you can learn how to make epilating less painful.
Before we delve into that, we want you to have a clear concept of what epilation is, if you only have an idea about it so far.
What is Epilation?
Epilation means removing your hair by pulling it from the roots. For this hair removal technique, you will need an epilator, an electrical device designed especially for pulling hair out efficiently.
Using an epilator is extremely convenient because it pulls several hairs out in a go, reducing the need to go over the same patch repeatedly. As effective as epilation is, several myths about it keep surfacing.
Some Common Myths and Facts about Epilation
Since you will come across these epilation myths whenpreparingfor an epilation session, we want to address them here to save you time.
1. Myth 1: You Will Get Thicker Hair
The best part about this myth is that it exists for each hair removal method and is incorrect about all of them. None of the hair removal methods cause hair to grow back thicker, least of all epilation.
Epilation pulls the hair from the root, which means its tip will have to be thin to break through the skin and emerge on the skin’s surface again. Therefore, your hair will come out looking just as thin as it did after your waxing session.
2. Myth 2: Epilating Causes Ingrown Hair
Epilating does not cause ingrown hair unless you make very obvious mistakes. The hair removal itself is a safe procedure, but your skill and technique may affect what happens to your hair.
Trying to epilate too fast or angling the epilator incorrectly are the key reasons behind ingrown hair.
Instead of opting away from epilation, it is better to revise your technique and keep at it. Ingrown hair is a general problem with all hair removal techniques when any of them are not performed with the right expertise.
3. Myth 3: Pregnant Women Cannot Epilate
This myth may have something to do with advising women not to epilate during their menstrual cycle, however, it is a myth.
Epilating is not more harmful than any other hair removal method. If you are epilating during your pregnancy, just make sure you have a comfortable sitting position.
The process is completely safe so long as you make sure you are in a safe and comfortable spot.
4. Myth 4: Epilating is Bad for the Skin
You will be surprised to find just how misleading this myth is. Epilation is not bad for the skin. Your skin will typically become smooth right after epilation.
However, just like with everything else, you need to continue moisturizing your skin to ensure the smoothness remains.
5. Myth 5: You Cannot Use an Epilator in the Shower
Thanks to technological advancement, this statement has now become a myth. You can now easily buy wet/dry epilators in the shower as well. So, you can easily clean yourself up while you are taking a relaxing bath!
These are some of the most common myths you will encounter when searching for information about epilation. Now that we have busted them, let’s move on to the main topic.
How to Make Epilating Less Painful
All hair removal methods that pull hair out from their roots are slightly painful in the beginning and become merely uncomfortable the more you use them. The same rule applies to epilation.
Knowing how to make epilating less painful relies on you understanding that the method isn’t supposed to be too painful, to begin with. And you can use the following tips to reduce even the little amount of pain your feel from it.
1. Keep your Skin Taut
As with waxing, keeping your skin taut helps reduce the pain you feel when the epilator pulls the hair out from various body parts.
This is especially important for the fleshier and more sensitive areas because you will have to use one hand to tighten the skin there while you hold the epilator in the other.
Keeping the skin taut will prevent hair pulling, which is the main source of pain. The tighter the skin is, the less painful the hair removal will be.
2. Epilate after a Hot Bath
Hot baths help open up the pores a little, making it easier for your hair to get pulled out. Therefore, epilating after a hot bath will hurt less and be less uncomfortable compared to other times.
Make sure you give yourself time in the shower/bath as well so your skin has enough time to let the heat loosen the pores before you use an epilator on the hair.
3. Exfoliate the Skin before Epilation
Exfoliation is a generally recommended practice a few days before any hair removal technique that pulls hair out from the root. It helps rid the skin of impurities that might be filling up the pores.
It is also good for the skin because it scrubs off some of the dead skin, leaving your body feeling soft and smooth.
Make sure you exfoliate 2-3 days before your epilation date to give your skin time to heal from getting thoroughly scrubbed.
4. Use a Wet/Dry Epilator
A wet/dry epilator can be used in the shower despite being an electrical device. Using it will help you make your epilation less painful because you can use it while you’re taking the pore easing hot bath. Epilation also hurts less on wet skin, which will make this option even better.
5. Trim your Hair
Trimming your hair or shaving them a few days before epilation is the best way to reduce the pain. The longer the hair is, the more the epilator will have to pull before managing to remove it. The extra pulling makes the process painful.
Therefore, always make sure that you epilate your hair soon as they reach a particular length or opt for shaving a few days before.
We will recommend the former because mixing up two hair removal styles is usually not recommended.
6. Epilate Regularly
Epilating regularly will damage your hair roots or weaken them, helping you reduce your regular hair density.
The reduced hair density is extremely convenient because, with time, you will need to epilate fewer areas of your body and feel less pain every time.
7. Don’t Epilate Right after Consuming Caffeine
Caffeine energizes the body and increases its sensitivity in the process. If you will be epilating or heading for an epilation appointment soon, make sure you avoid consuming either coffee or soda.
Both have a copious amount of caffeine and make your body more receptive to pain compared to usual.
Leave about 6-7 hours between your last caffeine intake and your epilation to ensure it doesn’t feel as painful.
8. Use Pain Killers
If you are extremely sensitive to pain, you can use over-the-counter pain killers to dull out the sensation. Make sure you take them 30 minutes before epilating so it has had the time to get into the bloodstream and take effect.
However, we would advise you to only take this step if the others are not reducing the pain as much as you need them to.
9. Use Epilator on Slow Speed
Lastly, make sure you’re using your epilator at a slower speed. Unlike waxing, where you need to strip away the wax strip quickly to reduce pain, epilation is less painful in a slower setting.
If you are new to epilation, start epilating on the slowest speed your epilator offers on the least sensitive area, your lower legs.
Using a low epilation settingwill help your body adjust to the feeling, and it will be easier for you to switch to a faster speed. If you have the time, you can also continue using it at a slower speed.
Caring for Your Skin after Epilating It
As a final note, we wanted to give you a few care tips for your skin post-hair removal.
- Moisturize your skin as much as you can.
- Avoid trying other hair removal methods in between.
- Exfoliate often, as epilating doesn’t remove the dead skin layer as waxing does.
- Take things at a pace you find comfortable. You don’t need to hurry to manage it all together.
Wrap Up
We hope you enjoyed reading through our tips on how to make epilating less painful and will be putting our advice to good use. If you are looking for more informative reading on hair removal, check out our other blogs are well.