- Your benefits as a Premium Member
- 10% off items
- Free shipping from £10.00
- Help & Contact
Hair removal tips for smooth skin
The prospect of silky smooth skin in four weeks is the stuff of dreams. Epilation can be the method to fulfil this dream. But how does epilation work and what do you need to look out for in particular? Here you’ll find all the tricks and tips to make effective and painless epilation possible.
31 January 2024 • 4 min. reading time
Table of contents
How does epilation work? What you should watch out for
Epilation involves removing body hair roots and all. By comparison, a razor only removes the visible part of the hairs above the skin. This means stubble reappears extremely rapidly. As epilation removes the hair together with its root, you can enjoy smooth skin for longer. As a rule, the hairs take up to four weeks to grow back.
To achieve an equally smooth result and care for your skin, you should take the time to implement the following steps:
Step 1: Prepare for epilation
As a first step, use a peel to remove dead skin flakes. Regularly using a body peel makes the hairs easy to reach and means the epilator can pluck them better. However, this should not be done on the same day as the epilation, as the skin will be too stressed and skin irritation is possible. Therefore, after the last peel, at least 24 hours should pass before you use the epilator.
Body scrubs
Step 2: The epilation
You can get some things wrong with epilation. For everything to go well, you should stick to the following advice:
The length of the hairs: Unlike with waxing, the hairs should not grow too long before epilating. The optimal hair length for epilation is 0.5 mm to 5 mm. A good option is to shave the hairs first and then epilate the hairs three to seven days later.
The epilation direction: So that shorter hairs can also be captured by the epilator, the hairs should be epilated in the opposite direction of growth.
The angle: The epilator should be moved upwards in the opposite direction to the growth of the hairs. In this way, the shorter hairs are pushed upright and the result is even smoother.
Stretching: If the skin is stretched while epilating, the hairs are removed in the best way possible. In difficult areas like the armpits, for example, this is especially important.
Patience: You should allow sufficient time for the epilation procedure. If you epilate too quickly, the hairs break off and grow back quicker. In addition, there is also an increased risk of the hairs growing inwards.
Timing: The evening is particularly well-suited for epilation. On the one hand, this is because the skin at this time of day is not particularly sensitive and on the other, it is possible for any possible skin irritation to regenerate overnight.
Regularity: To begin with, skin should be epilated once a week for about a month so that all the hairs in every growth phase are removed. Then it’s sufficient to epilate around every two to four weeks.
Step 3: Skincare after epilation: avoiding ingrown hairs
As the skin, especially on the legs, does not have so many sebaceous glands, it is often very dry in these areas. The stress of epilation removes additional moisture. For this reason, after epilation the skin should be supplied with sufficient moisture through a body lotion.
In the period after epilation, also make sure to use a body peel regularly. A flannel or a special exfoliating glove can have a good peel effect. The skin remains smooth and ingrown hairs can be prevented.
Tip
To avoid ingrown hairs, everything that keeps the skin smooth and elastic is your friend. So make sure you use regular peels and rich body lotions. Body brushes for dry brushing can also help.
Epilating the bikini zone – what you should know
The epilator can also be used in the intimate area. Unlike the legs, epilating here is, however, considerably more painful. This is because, on the one hand, there are more nerve ends here, and on the other hand, the hairs lie closer together here and are sunk deeper in the skin than on the rest of the body.
If you would like to epilate the intimate area, you should cleanse and moisturise the relevant areas well in advance. During epilation, the skin areas being treated should always be stretched with two fingers before the epilator is used. In between, the irritated skin can be cooled down with a cool bag. After the hair removal, we recommend that you apply an anti-inflammatory cream to prevent spots after epilating. You should also use an exfoliating glove regularly on the skin here to prevent ingrown hairs.
Pain-free epilation – is that possible?
Despite the numerous benefits of epilation, many women decide against it out of fear of pain. This can be effectively minimised through various measures. The pain is always the worst the first time you epilate. This is because, on the one hand, the skin is not used to the treatment, and on the other hand, very many hairs are removed in one go. In addition, the hair roots are always fairly thick at the start. The more often the treatment is carried out, the finer the hair roots will grow back. If the treatment is carried out regularly, the pain also lessens. So once the first treatment has been done, it’s always better afterwards. Some women even report painless epilation.
To make the first treatment less painful as well, you can follow the following tips:
- Shower or bathe before epilating: The hairs become soft from warm water while showering or bathing and can be easier to remove.
- Epilate in the evening: If you epilate your skin in the evening, it has all night to recover. In addition, we are usually more relaxed in the evening. Some women also report that the epilation is more comfortable after a glass of wine.
- Create comfortable conditions: Pamper yourself during the epilation with a hot chocolate and put on your favourite music. This makes the procedure immediately more pleasant and the pain fades into the background.
Takeaway
Epilating hairs has many pros and cons: if you are very sensitive to pain, you should possibly look at other methods of hair removal. But for a super smooth and long-lasting result, epilation is almost unbeatable. Once the treatment has been done, you can enjoy four weeks of smooth skin. With every epilation procedure, the hair regrowth is finer and the pain considerably less.