Hair Removal With Epilation

Let’s talk about hair removal. We all do it, men and women alike. Today’s society and media represent both men and women, hair free, airbrushed and clear skinned. For me growing up, looking at these magazines, tv shows and now social media, I have always been hair conscious! I am quick to compare myself to these “real life images”!! I have freckles, on my face body, I have scarring all over my body which on olive skin looks dark and uneven. I have dark and thick hair growth pretty much everywhere! Even as I write this I can feel the negativity I have towards my skin and body. As I’ve grow older, everyday I try to show my body self love and accept it for all the wonderful things it does and the way it looks. My body has been through a lot and at times I forget about the hormonal imbalances, anxiety, depression, regular medication for chronic migraines and fibromyalgia; oh and how can i forget the two pregnancies that nearly killed me. My body is amazing and even at the age of 30, I still need to remind myself of these things but the positive is still being here and living a normal life.

Over on Instagram and here on my blog I have spoken a lot about the struggle I have with my skin and my body as well as how it effects my mental health. This post is one I wanted to share to demonstrate that it’s ok to want to change your body and in this case, hair removal, using an effective method that also helps with my confidence and self love of my body.

As I am someone with olive skin, dark haired and mediterranean; you can imagine the difficulty I have had over the years especially using hair removal tools like shaving, hair removal creams and even waxing. That was until around 7 years ago when I discovered a epilator. When I was working at Boots, the electronics lady I worked with (a lovely lady called Lesley) told me all about them, so I invested in one and after trying it on and off using for years I have been using one solid now for nearly 3 years and the results are incredible! Now hair removal is one less thing for me to worry about and I can feel confident that I can get my legs out and enjoy the sunshine without having to cover up ingrown hairs that cause spots and scarring.

As easy as a shaving razor is and I have used some great ones in the past, I don’t have the time to shave every few days and during the summer months this is a real struggle. With epilation I am able to go up to 3 weeks without needing to do anything. This is the perfect thing for me especially when on holiday.. anyone else tried shaving on holiday and ended up with red and irritated skin? Yes me too!

BENEFITS OF EPILATING

• Reduces hair growth and thickness (some areas don’t even grow back anymore)
• Prevents ingrown hairs
• Hair removal is needed less often
• Easy and convenient (especially once you get used to using one!)

QUICK AND EASY STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL EPILATION

Here is a quick step by step guide to start your epilation journey today. Be patient and allow some time to get into the swing of things because trust me once you do, you’ll never look back!

STEP 1 – Prepare the skin

My first time epilating, I decided to split it into two sessions as it took nearly two hours. Yes I know thats a long time but trust me it is so worth it! This is only the first time after that you get quicker and quicker. Now it only take me 20 minutes max to do two full legs.

I left the hairs on my legs to grow to under 1cm long. I make sure to exfoliate beforehand and let the skin dry after a shower or bath but when the skin is still soft and the hair follicles are still soft too.

Now I will be honest, if this is your first time then it will probably be a little painful, but you will get used to it pretty quickly and then feel nothing. In preparation of the skin you could apply a thin layer of numbing cream like Dr. Numb, a local and topical cream that reduce the immediate feeling pain by gentle numbing. This is a perfect product to accompany your epilating routine, especially as you get used to using a epilator. Some epilators even come an ice pack you can use to numb the area but I found that this was less effective and didn’t really work.

STEP 2 – Epilate Away

Give yourself some time and sit somewhere comfortable. Start with one half of one leg, I usually sit on the floor with a towel underneath to catch all the hairs that fall. If like me you have thick and dark hair, try doing half a leg at a time until your hair growth is reduced then you will be able to do it all in one sitting.

Start from above your ankle, holding the epilator at a 90 degrees angel and work your way around the shin and the calf and work up towards the knees. Always go against the hair growth and a slow and steady pace to make sure you don’t irritate the hair follicles and you don’t miss anything. Then if you want to do the upper part of your legs continue upwards.

STEP 3 – Moisturise

Once you have finished, don’t forget to give your legs a little love and gentle moisturise them with a hydrating body cream or a product like aloe vera to calm any irritation or redness.

TOP TIPS FOR EPILATING

1. Invest in a good quality epilator, in 10 years I’ve had two Braun ones (best brand in my opinion!)
2. Shave your legs up to a week before hand to allow an even growth, when you first start.
3. Do not rush as the first time can be a little painful, do it in a couple of sessions if it helps until you get used to it. I don’t feel any pain now!
4. Try underarms and bikini areas once you get used to it as these areas are more sensitive and can be painful if you are not used to an epilator yet.
5. If you do leave it too long between sessions, shave and go again. Ive done this if I’ve needed too. Don’t feel bad if you need to shave in between, life can be busy, this is also a good tip for going on holiday. Pack a razor to use to tidy up if need be but trust me you won’t need to do much shaving anymore!

Before you know it you will be a professional and you can go longer in between hair removal.

Epilating has helped me feel more confident with my hair removal and allows me to get my legs out with confidence. This method is so much more effective for reducing hair growth, preventing ingrown hairs and is much more gentle than a razor. This gentle hair removal method has allowed the skin on my legs to repair after years of scarring caused my shaving/ ingrown hairs. I wold recommend epilating to anyone and everyone! For more beauty related advice and tips check out these posts!

Have you tried epilating before?

Pinar xo

*this post contains PR gift