Epilators Review

Review by Q:

This epilator is the easiest on I have ever tried.

It removed the hairs with ease & least discomfort. I didn’t feel “much” pain as far as epilators go. By that I mean, I expect some pain as removing hair from the roots by any means is a painful process. It removed the hairs very well, even short hairs.

One thing I really liked about this is the Smartlight which shines a light on the area you are epilating/shaving & you can see what you are doing (I just wish it was a bit stronger). It claims to create an almost daylight condition (I’d say somewhat).

As expected, my skin was a bit red & swollen but this soon went (this depends on your skin’s sensitivy & areas used but this happened on my underarsm & legs).

I will use it on other reas & will upate here!

However, I wouldn’t use it on my face as a beautician told me although apilation is ok to use on face, it leaves ingrown hairs which can look stubble, so I wouldn’t advise using it on face.

It has 4 different caps for the main epilator head:

-bikini & underarm

-face

-High-Frequesncy Massage System (which massages) & is the least painful one (I’d say can used for large areas)

-EfficiencyPro cap for fast epilation & maximum contact with the skin.

It also comes with a main shaving head which is excellent for:

-trimming long hairs prior to epilation (OptiTrim comb) to ideal length

-it can also be used as a shaver

-trimmer (for example for bikini area).

The epilation head claims to possess “CloseGrip Technology for extra efficiency especially for short hairs” (I found this to be correct & it did remove short hairs quite well) & that the “40 tweezers always keep close contact to the skin to remove hairs as short as a grain of sand” (I found this sometimes worked, due to the tautness of the skin & the positioning of the hair; for example on my legs where the skin is straight & taut, this worked, but on face, this was more difficult to achieve).

Another plus point for this product is it can be used in the shower (on wet skin), even under running water! You may even use shower gel to make the skin moist & smooth.It can then be washed & cleaned under running water.

One thing I am a bit annoyed with, for cleaning you use the little brush & clean out the hairs from the appliance & then dip the brush in alcohol to disinfect it but I contcted Braun to ask what kind of alcohol I should use & they said they only recommend their own cleaning alcohol (which costs £7 inc. p&p which I wouldn’t pay for a bottle of cleaning alcohol).

The product itself is white, has a nice shimmer on the bottom part & is easy to hold & handle.

Overall, an excellent product & I don’t regret getting it.

Review by V. Wilkinson:

I’ve always been a fan of epliators and this is the third one I’ve owned, and it’s fantastic! I read a review on here that said they’ve come a long way in the last couple of years and it’s definitely true.

I personally don’t find it painful (though I do find waxing completely unbearable) but it is uncomfortable the first few times you epliate and it takes a while because the hairs are thick. After the first few uses they grow back so much finer, paler, and there’s fewer of them – I usually find I only need to epliate every two to three WEEKS. My last eplilator was cordless, which was great because I could do it over the bath instead of in my bedroom, which I always thought was a bit gross…. However the charge only lasted 20 minutes and started to lose power after about 15, and it made a hideously loud grinding noise! It didn’t glide as smoothly as this one or fit as comfortably in your hand. This one’s not much quieter, but the noise is far less frightening! The best thing about it is being able to use in in water, and being able to apply products such as shower gel to the skin – the difference this makes is amazing. It means a much smoother glide and more effortless results, and is infinitely more painless, and you can wash it so it gets a proper clean. The selection of heads it comes with, including a trimmer, is brilliant – they really have thought of everything! And the smartlight is nothing short of genius!

My previous epilator doesn’t charge anymore and I haven’t been using it for about a year, but I’m not a fan of shaving as it leaves my skin dry and I have to do it every day. I suffer from ingrown hairs and find that contrary to what you often read, the epliator MINIMISES them – I hardly get any whereas I get a lot from shaving. I was reluctant to buy this product because of the hefty price tag, but it’s worth every penny. If you’re a fan of waxing this would surely save you a fortune, and it removes the tiniest of hairs.

Highly recommended!! (but remember to buy a plug adaptor!)

Review by Bod:

I bought this epilator because I was sick of shaving every other day and wanted a longer solution. I was not disappointed in it as it does last for a couple of weeks and when hairs re-grow they are sporadic and fine so are not as noticable as the stubble you get from shaving.

There is some pain but at least you are controlling it and the more you use it the less painful it becomes. I did not try it after bathing because I found if the legs were damp it seems to stick on the skin and I have had to use talc to dry the skin out so it will glide better. With the roller attachment it is possible to use on the underarms and bikini line but this can be painful.

The only downside with epilating is that I think it cuts some hairs instead of epilating them as I find blunt growth a couple of days after whilst other epilated hairs take longer to grow and are finer, for this I have knocked a star off the rating. Some hairs do tend re-grow under the skin and cause irritation but of course this can happen with any hair removal.

Tips: do it on an old towel and shake out the hairs outside. When doing underarms work from the sides to the centre in small strips (because of the pain) and check in the mirror as hairs are easily missed. Stretch skin when epilating in softer areas (underarms/groin area) as the skin can get pinched between the epilator and roller causing pain and leaving marking (also why I have given it 4 stars).

I cannot compare this with other epilators as this is the only one I have ever used but I am very pleased with it and recommend it.

Review by Ms. D. Hodge:

Braun Silk-pil Soft Perfection 3170 Epilator

Okay so i bought this Epilator because i needed a replacement for the one i had been using, because it was battery powered and that was very annoying. So i bought it mainly for the fact you could plug it in at the wall. It arrived today and i thought i’d give it a quick whirl. When i turned it on it frightened the hell out of me because the one i am used to doesn’t go as fast as this one and i didnt really want to put it on my leg… but i braved it. SOO glad i did!! Its virtually painless to me!! I don’t know if this is because the one i was using before built up my tolerance to it or just because this one is fab!? but either way i definately recommend it i think its brilliant!

Review by Julie Drury:

Cant quite believe how good this epilator is, I was sceptical at first but it really does take out the shortest hairs, because it is rechargeable it is far easier to manouver (no cables to get in the way). Im not going to lie it still hurts the same as any other epilator, the light does help you spot any missing patches. All in all a great investment. A++

Review by Jay:

What a fantastic epilator! This is my third and by far one the best epilators I have ever used. Gentle and efficient i’m delighted with it. Pricey but worth every penny, I totally recommend this epilator to first time tryers as it’s is totally painless. Braun Silk-épil Xpressive Pro 7381 Wet & Dry Body System Rechargeable Epilator

Review by Mrs. S. Barker:

I remember my Mum having an epilator when I was a kid, and my god was I aware it was painful! Having problems with the results of shaving, and just wanting something better than waxing (and more private) I decided to give this a go (much to my Mum’s horror).

First of all, you MUST by a 2-prong adaptor. This an oversight really for not only Amazon (the product description should tell you this), but also for Braun (who really should supply one). I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t have a shaving socket in their bathroom (much to my surprise).

Secondly, if you’ve not epilated before, this *will* hurt. You get used to the legs very quickly. I decided to do my underarms too. Oh good god it hurt. Seriously hurt! I kept the skin taut but as a newbie still made mistake. My eyes were beyond watering and I caught the skin more than a few times. I’ve stuck with it and now there’s no pain *at all* and is incredibly quick and painless to use (please remember this, it does get so so much better!). So much so I now don’t use any of the caps provided at all

The biggest problem I have with this is the charge – not a problem if you have a socket in the bathroom I guess. for me, it tends to run out fast, but then maybe I’m too thorough or go too slowly. I tend to find if you rush it, the hairs snap and you don’t get a clean result.

All in all a great system to use, and one I’ve been recommending to friends and family alike, just don’t forget that adaptor!.

Review by Alessi Lover:

I’ve just used this and was pleasantly surprised with not only the results but also the epilator itself. Easy to use, easy to clean and super results.

A very important point though this item needs charging for 1 hour before use, then it remains charged for 40 mintues.

Having used one of these quite a few years ago (and another make) I was quite pleased at how nicely shaped it is for my hand, not bulky at all, the older versions were bigger, heavier and more fierce looking, similar to mens razors. Also the packaging it comes in is a modern funky girlie pink and not some standard razor like box.

One point to note is the noise of this, very noisy not one of those jobs you could do without anyone else in the upstairs of the house not hearing. That aside though it does the job it is intended for and well at that. Now if you thought that your legs would or could end up looking like the model’s legs on the outside of the box of this epilator, well think again, they will not have a few more inches added onto them nor a lovely tan, but one thing for sure you will be left hair free with not a cut in sight.

The kit comes complete with wipes for your skin, (to make your skin less sensitive) now I didn’t use these, silly though this sounds but I had applied some fake tan a few days ago and didn’t want it to streak or go blotchy with using these (they probably don’t do this but was being cautious).

Now I have sensitive skin and was more than a little cautious using this, but can honestly say no bad effects. (A little sensitivity rash but not much and that soon cleared up).

I tried it out underarms first and it was tricky to use at first, to be honest I did think ‘can I really carry on with this as a rash did appear’, not alarming though as the instruction booklet does point out that this can happen when you first use it due to skin sensitivity. No I braved it and no nicks in sight, nor blood. It is a bit like anything new you are a little wary, and I thought that at least if it didn’t work or went horribly wrong then at least no one would see under my arms, or in the really worse case if my legs went wrong it is still cold enough to wear thick tights and hide any damage done. This little kit comes complete with a set of head pieces for underarms and legs also a trimmer and shaver, so in fact all the body is catered for with this, yet it takes up hardly any room nor weight.

Another point is when you look at the booklet on first using you have to go from page to page looking at the instructions for the numbers of various parts to then the diagram of the epliator (they really should be across the page from each other to make life easier). I know I kept looking at the instructions before using it just to make sure that I knew what I was doing, I didn’t want to put the wrong head on and use it on the wrong part of my body).

Now the legs, these were much easier to do, just remember to keep the skin taught, as it really is easier to do this way. I did end up with a small amount of redness, but put some body lotion on and after about half an hour I was left with silky smooth hair free legs. A godsend for the summer months, if like myself you like using a fake tan or even have a natural tan as it will not be ‘shaved off’ like it would using a ladies disposable razor, as with this you do not need to shave as often. Using it now I feel as though I have the confidence to carry on using this and feel confident for wearing more swimsuits this summer.

The bikini area, well not as bad as it sounds actually, not by any stretch of the imagination as painful as waxing, and again no cuts like from disposable razors.

Well I can say with all honesty that this product is certainly worth its value for money. It does what it says and I feel like I am left with an all over silky smooth body.

It does comes with a two pin shaver plug so an adapter is needed if not using in a shaver socket.

And all with no silly wire to get in the way, so you are not restricted as to where you can use it.

Review by fairy cupcake:

Never liked waxing, gave this a go, still hurts a bit but not too bad, doesn’t catch all the tiny hairs, but cost less then waxing!! Quick, easy and instant and leaves your legs silky smooth – for a first machine ideal

Review by amandajwhoopi:

very disappointed with this epilator, bought it in order to have a better result than shaving, but it ended up pulling and snapping most of my hairs rather than removing them, meaning it was painful without the desired effect of having smooth legs! left me with itchy stubble and the added shaver head wouldn’t cut hairs!! returned this for a refund, absolutely rubbish.

my mum used the same model herself and agreed it was useless. don’t buy!!!!

Review by helen:

after finishing all my work and exams in my first year at uni, i decided to treat myself to a bit of retail therapy and wanted to get something other than a new outfit for a change…

after getting bored of shaving, i bought this product in boots yesterday having pondering the idea of an epilator for a few weeks, willing to leave my stubbly days behind.

when i got back to our flat, my purchase was met with interest and slight horror. surrounded by friends, we turned the epilator on, which was quite a shock in itself – it is quite lawnmower-esque!! having never even been for a wax, i was expecting pain and braced myself, but was then pleasantly surprised at my lack of screaming! no, it wasn’t painless, but it was bearable and more like a short, sharp feeling. i proceeded to epilate the rest of my legs, and was left with little red spots everywhere. i’d been told to moisturise afterwards, which i did whilst admiring my handiwork.

when i woke up this morning, the spots had disappeared and i am left with smooth, hair-free legs with no stubble appearing overnight, and if it does what it says on the tin, it should hopefully stay like this for a month!

very very pleased with this, and i recommend it to all. if me, a waxing-virgin can do it without screaming, then so can you!

Review by Shady Tree:

I’d never used an epilator before but having been a convert to waxing for some years now I thought I’d give this a go to see how it compared in the pain stakes.

I was pleasantly surprised. If you’ve only ever shaved before and have never had your legs waxed it may seem a lot more painful, but compared to waxing I actually found it surprisingly pain free to epilate my lower legs with this.

The reason I only gave the epilator four stars out of five was that I expected it to be cordless, i.e. only plugged in for recharging, but it does have to be used plugged in. This isn’t a major issue though but would have made the product even better.

The epilator comes with optional attachments: a shaver head, a precision head in case you want to epilate very small areas, i.e. your upper lip, and an “efficient” head for faster epilating (I didn’t need to use this).

It also comes with a cool gel pack, designed to be put in the freezer, which you can slip inside a soft glove to cool your skin before epilating. I think you’d need this if you’d never been waxed before but I didn’t need it.

I tried the epilator in daylight but it has a handy “smart light” on it if you’re epilating in the evening or poor light. The epilator has two speed settings, Optimal or Soft, and being a bit of a chicken I started with the “Soft” setting which is slightly slower. You place the epilator at a 90 degree angle to the area you’re going to epilate, switch the epilator on, and move it slowly against the direction of hair growth (i.e. on your lower leg, you start near the ankle and move slowly upwards).

It’s reasonably noisy but I really expected quite a painful experience and it really wasn’t that bad; much more bearable than waxing and even less painful than plucking your eyebrows.

That said, I haven’t yet been brave enough to try it on my bikini line but I’ll try that another day!

After epilating my legs felt perfectly smooth with none of the redness associated with waxing so I’d definitely use this again. I was surprisingly impressed.

Review by Andrea Carlton:

This product is brilliant for removing hairs on legs. I only wish I’d purchased it years ago. Removing hairs from underarms is quite painful though, I haven’t tried it yet with the ice pack. Would definately recommend to anyone who normally gets waxing done.