Reduced-pain epilating (for beginners)

[sareca]

Ok, so I've decided I'm done with shaving every 3 days. Done! I brought an epilator. A braun silk-epi to be exact. Anyway, I couldn't imagine just goin' at it. I'm SO not that girl. :) So I searched online until I found some advice I thought would work. Unfortunately, I can't find the site now, but the guy (yes, guy) recommended the following for beginners:

Start with the beginner head (epilators come with two heads).
Epilate as long as you can stand it then shave the rest.
Repeat the same thing every week until you can't find any new hairs.Here's how I changed it...I brought the numbing spray from Sally's and it helps a lot! Make sure you give it 2-3 minutes to kick in. I spray then wait 3 minutes and spray again and wait 3 minutes. It doesn't make it pain-free, but BOY does it take the edge off (meaning my eyes don't water). Anyway, I started last week. I sprayed twice, used the epilator, then shaved the remaining hair. The spray made it possible for me to start with the "advanced" head instead of the beginner one. Anyway, today I epilated my legs again. It was my second time. It was SO much less painful than the first time. I even got the courage to do my underarms. :eek: It sucked, but I did as much as I could stand and shaved the rest. I KNOW next week will be better. As for my legs, only the hairs that I shaved last time (about half) had returned. The epilated hairs were still gone. I thought it would take months to get all the hairs epilated but I pretty much got them all today. I didn't even have to shave when I got done. :yay:

HTH

[RZILYNT]

I have no knowledge of epilating but does it at some point stop you from having the need to epilate or shave after so many uses?

TIA

RZ~

[jrae]

You can also take Tylenol 30 min before. They recommend this before you go for a wax so I imagine the same would help before epilating. Only the bikini area hurts for me.

[sareca]

I have no knowledge of epilating but does it at some point stop you from having the need to epilate or shave after so many uses?

TIA

RZ~

The hairs are supposed to come in thinner and thinner until they just don't come back anymore. A friend of mine doesn't shave or epilate anymore because she says the hairs are so fine and thin you can't even see them. But she also said it took almost 10 years to reach that point. :eek: It would be great if they didn't come back at all, but right now I'm just wanting 3-4 weeks between shaves.

[sareca]

You can also take Tylenol 30 min before. They recommend this before you go for a wax so I imagine the same would help before epilating. Only the bikini area hurts for me.

That's a good tip. :up:

[sareca]

:update:

Today was my third time and I barely felt a thing. I thought it would be months (or years) before I didn't need the spray. With the spray I felt almost nothing. I kept looking to make sure hair was dropping. It was dropping alright. I did one leg with spray and one without. There was definitely a difference, but the leg without the spray was less painful than either leg with spray the first time. :eek: I still have very little hair and I didn't have to shave afterwards. I'm going to continue with once/week until I don't see anything at all.

There really was very little hair this time. So little I could have skipped it this week, but I want to keep the schedule up until there's none.

[Skyqueen737]

I used to use one for my legs and pelvis. The first time it was uncomfortable, but I just took the pain. Then eventually the area numbs out. I now only wax cause I'm lazy!