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Epilators
6 Best Epilators That Give You Super Smooth Skin (And Won’t Cost You As Much As Laser Treatment)
Advanced Hair Removal Devices
Melanie Rud is a Chicago-based writer with 10 years of experience covering beauty. She covers all things skin care, from ingredients to acne advice.
Alyssa is a beauty trade writer covering makeup, skin care, fragrance, hair care and more. He constantly researches the market and spends hours testing products to find tailored recommendations for readers. Although she loves all things beauty, she has a special affinity for makeup and finds immense joy in discovering effective and confidence-boosting products.
Our favorite epilator is the Remington Smooth & Silky Deluxe Rechargeable Epilator. It’s affordable, easy to use, provides long-lasting results and helps with thinning hair between sessions. If you’re looking for a multipurpose tool to invest in, we recommend the Braun Silk·épil 9 Flex Epilator, FaceSpa Beauty Kit. And if you want a product specifically for the face, choose the FaceSpa Pro Facial Epilator Kit.
Shaving, waxing, and brushing may be some of the most talked about methods of hair removal, but they’re not your only options. Think of epilation as an assembled, electronically powered version of tweezing using a small device known as an epilator. “Epilators use rotating tweezers on a rotating wheel that grab multiple hairs and pull them out by the root,” explains Dr. Stacy Chimento, board-certified dermatologist in Miami. This process takes much longer for the new hair to grow back. And the hair that grows back is thinner than before, says Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. You can do it from head to toe, whether it’s on your face, bikini area, legs – you name it.
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Chimento points out that it’s not the most comfortable (it can even be painful), especially in areas like the face and bikini area, where the skin is more sensitive. To maximize results, “try to shave one to four days before application, as you want the hair to be neither too short nor too long,” advises Chimento. We put more than a dozen highly rated options to the test over the course of six weeks, rating each one based on ease of use, convenience, efficiency, and features, and below we’ll share the ones that impressed us the most.
Target areas: arms, legs, underarms, back, bikini | Speed settings: 2 | Number of tweezers: 40 | Type: Wireless rechargeable battery
We recommend that epilator beginners start with an affordable option to see how they get on with this type of hair removal before investing in a potentially more expensive tool. It is budget friendly and efficient. Admittedly, the first session felt like hundreds of hard punches and kicks against the skin, which was quite uncomfortable, although we’re happy to report that it became less painful with each session.
It effectively removed hair, giving smooth skin and hairless results that lasted for almost two weeks. It was a little red and itchy on my legs, where the hair was particularly thin, although it worked beautifully in my underarms – even eliminating the five o’clock shadow that often appears after shaving. It can be used on wet and dry skin, which is super comfortable, and when used on warm, wet skin, we felt that the discomfort was slightly reduced. Two speeds are available, so you can choose the one that suits you best. It also has a massaging cap and precision head to help target small or hard-to-reach areas.
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You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on an epilator, but this tool has several accessories like a shaving head and a massage pad that add value. Apart from the additional attachments, the main head is flexible, making it easy to maneuver over the skin and use on curved body parts. The epilator’s state-of-the-art SensoSmart technology, which allows it to be used in the shower or bath, applies exactly the right pressure and is a real game changer.
As with most epilators, we found it to be quite painful – think burning and stinging – although these sensations subsided quickly after use. It did cause some redness and swelling, which is also not uncommon with epilators, but it was effective in removing the hair. And when the bumps subsided, the results were soft and smooth. It also has two speed settings so you can use a more intense one on less sensitive parts of your body and a gentler one where you are more sensitive.
There’s no denying it, epilation is uncomfortable and even painful for most people – at least at first. People with sensitive skin may find it quite unbearable. In testing, we found that this option was the least painful, but still got the job done. That’s not to say it wasn’t uncomfortable, it certainly was, but it was more tolerable than most of the options on the list, thanks in part to the sensitive skin it comes with. The design is lightweight and ergonomic, making it easy to glide over the skin and thoroughly remove hair for smooth results that lasted for about two weeks.
Target areas: arms, bikini, underarms, legs | Speed settings: 2 | Number of tweezers: 32 | Type: Wireless
Epilators: Benefits, Risks, How To Use And More
We love a multi-purpose product, especially when the price tag is higher. This Phillips epilator does what it promises – it effectively removes hair with results that last up to four weeks. It also has additional features such as an exfoliating brush, a callus remover and a hair clipper. Like other epilators tested, it was painful during the hair removal process and caused some bumps, especially on the legs, but it did a thorough job of removing hair that didn’t grow back for a few weeks. One of our testers who experienced puffiness from this tool said that if she applied a cool compress to her skin immediately after using it, it helped to reduce the puffiness quickly and keep her skin feeling nice.
As for the extra features, they’re nice to have, especially if you have time for a full skin care and hair removal routine. The exfoliating brush helps to smooth and prepare the skin for the removal process, and the callous smoother helps to achieve a softer overall result. The initial setup can feel a little overwhelming with so many attachments in the box, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to use.
If you want to take a break from shaving, dermaplaning and waxing your face, this facial epilator is worth considering. The compact design is perfect for targeting small areas such as between the eyebrows and above the upper lip. It’s light and easy to maneuver, and we were pleased with how well it removed hair. While it wasn’t nearly as painful as the other options on our list, it did cause some redness and bumps to be aware of if you have sensitive skin. Although the results were no longer lasting than waxing, we understand that this tool can remove hairs that are shorter than what can be waxed. Bonus points for the cleansing brush that gently exfoliates the skin before epilation.
Target areas: legs, underarms, bikini, chin, upper lip | Speed settings: 2 | Number of tweezers: 72 | Type: Plugin
Epilator Skin Damage
We recommend taking this tool with you on your travels if epilation is your hair removal method of choice. It has a cord so you can easily plug it into a wall outlet no matter where you are. It is easy to use and effectively removes hair, especially on larger areas of the body such as legs, arms, bikini area and underarms, thanks to the double heads, which include 72 tweezers. It’s not ideal for small areas like the upper lip and between the eyebrows, but considering how well it works on most areas, that’s not a big deal for us. We did experience pain, swelling, and mild irritation during testing, but these side effects disappeared quickly and the result was smooth, hair-free skin. This effect lasted much longer than shaving or waxing – we could go as long as two weeks between sessions.
Contributor Melanie Rudi has over a decade of experience in the beauty industry, writing for some of the biggest magazines and websites. Since waxing is her preferred method of hair removal, she drew on expert input, consumer reviews, and her own past experience with epilators to compile this list.
Alyssa Kaplan is an experienced beauty writer and product tester specializing in cosmetics. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied marketing and product development in the cosmetics industry and fashion business marketing. Alyssa has been a trade writer since 2022 covering all things beauty.
Contributors also chatted with experts to discuss