Author: Heather McClure

I have a nice variety of hair types on my body for some reason, from thick, coarse, dark hairs in some areas (including my head) to finer, blonde hairs on my thighs. This has given me the chance to see how different hair removal types work for different hair types. And I’ve had quite a bit of practice using epilators to pull out my fine hairs.

Do epilators work on fine hair? Epilators work for fine hair. In fact, most epilators work better on fine hairs than coarse hairs. Fine hair is also less painful to remove for most people.

There are some caveats to this, though. I’ve used epilators to remove fine hair with little problems and I know of lots of other people who report the same. But there are still some people who say they’ve had no luck removing fine hairs with an epilator.

Is this because they are using a low-quality epilator? Or are they using the epilator incorrectly? I don’t know. But there are specific things to do that will increase your chances of success when using an epilator for fine hair.

Do You Even Have Fine Hair?

Before you need to know how epilators work with fine hair, it’s good to know for sure that you actually have fine hair. So how do you do that?

Well, the easiest way is to get a strand of hair and hold in between your fingers. What do you feel?

If you can’t even feel a hair, you have fine hair.

If you feel a hair and it feels strong and thick, your hair is probably coarse.

And if you feel the hair, but it doesn’t feel particularly thick, you can consider the hair about medium.

Whatever your hair type, there should be an epilator that works for it. You just need to know what to look for when buying one.

Features of the Best Epilators for Fine Hair

When choosing an epilator, you should look for a few specific features if you want to get good results with fine hair:

Light

Many epilator models have LED lights that shine on your skin as you epilate. This is really essential if you have fine or light-colored hairs. You will be able to see the hairs well as you epilate, even in the shower or bath or a room with poor lighting.

Multiple Speeds

It’s pretty easy to find epilators with at least two speeds these days. I highly recommend getting an epilator with two speeds if you have fine hair. This allows you to try different speeds to see which works best for your hair.

Generally, a lower speed is best for fine hair. The higher the speed, the more likely that you’ll break off hairs at the surface instead of pulling them out. And this is especially important with fine hair because it is weaker.

Hair Lifting or Gripping Technology

There are different terms for this, depending on the brand, but the general idea is that you want an epilator that has some extra feature that helps to lift or grip hairs better. This will make it more likely that your epilator will grab all your fine hairs without as much hassle.

Braun calls this “close-grip technology,” a feature on most of their epilators, that increases the gripping power of the tweezers. This is why these epilators can pull out hair as short as 0.05 millimeters.

Some Philips epilators come with a “hair lifting massage cap” that you can clip on the epilator head. It combs and lifts hairs from the skin so that the epilator can grab them better.

Using an Epilator on Fine Hair

Once you have a good epilator for fine hair, you can follow most of the general advice about epilating. However, the most likely hurdle you’ll have with fine hair is that it will break while epilating instead of being pulled out completely. If that happens, the hairs will be back in a few days which defeats the purpose of epilating!

So here are a few specific steps that people with fine hair should remember:

Don’t Be Smooth

You want your hairs non-slippery and easy to grab. Even if you have a wet epilator, it’s best to epilate fine hairs without water.

Instead, you should take a shower or bath before you calm skin and open pores, but then thoroughly dry your skin and hair before you start epilating.

You should also make sure that your skin is squeaky clean with no moisturizer or anything else. To increase the traction, you can also add some baby powder, corn starch, or other powder to your hairs before you begin epilating.

Pull Skin Extra Taut

You should do this no matter your hair type, but it’s especially important if you have fine hair. Pull your skin with one hand so that it is stretched and hairs will be easier to grab and pull out.

Go Slow

This is one of the most important steps for people with fine hair. You need to start with your epilator at the lowest speed and probably just stay at that speed. Basically, the epilator needs that extra time for grasping.

Hold the epilator at a 90-degree angle against your skin and move very slowly until you get the hang of it. Then you can try speeding up until you start noticing hairs snapping off instead of being pulled out. After a few tries, you’ll find the perfect speed to go.

Move Against the Direction of Growth

Move your epilator in an upward direction against hair growth. Moving in this direction will help lift hairs better so that they get pulled out.

Preventing Ingrown Hairs

Fine hair doesn’t seem to be that prone to ingrown hairs, but when epilating, people with fine hair are at risk for ingrown hairs, unfortunately.

Why is this? When fine hairs re-grow from the follicle, the tips are so fine that they don’t make it through the skin surface very well.

To prevent this, it’s important for people with fine hair to exfoliate and remove the upper skin layers regularly. I recommend exfoliating before you epilate, the day after, and then every other day, as long as it doesn’t irritate your skin.
There are tons of ways to exfoliate. Here are a few that tend to work well:

• Washing with Massage Sponges
• Exfoliation Peels
• Sugar and Salt Scrubs
• Mechanical Exfoliation Brushes
• Using Pumice Stones

Final Takeaways

Epilators can work well for all hair types, including fine hair. The main concern you’ll have is that your hairs may break off while epilating instead of being pulled out by the root. However, you can address this by buying an epilator with the right features and then following a few guidelines for epilating with fine hair, including making sure the hairs are dry and then moving the epilator slowly along your skin.

Related Questions

What is the best epilator for fine hair?

My pick for best epilator for fine hair is the Braun Silk-épil 9 (click to check it out on Amazon). This epilator has two speeds and works great on fine hairs. The wide head covers lots of area quickly and it even pivots so you reach hairs better. It also comes with an LED light so you can see all those fine hairs and make sure you don’t miss any.

Do epilators work on coarse hair?

Epilators work on coarse hair, but not always as well. The main drawbacks to epilating with coarse hair are the pain and ingrown hairs. You can address these problems by trimming hairs before epilating and exfoliating like crazy.

Have more questions about epilation? Check out the Epilator FAQ and Beginner’s Guide!

Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it later!

I’ve gotten this question quite a few times, and I’ve always answered based on my personal experience. However, I decided recently to look into this a lot more so that I knew for sure I was giving everyone the most reliable information. This is what I found out:

So does epilation reduce hair growth? Epilation with a rotary epilator can sometimes make hair grow back thinner and less conspicuously. In some instances, long-term use damages the hair follicles, which reduces hair growth. Other epilation methods, including electrolysis, IPL, and laser hair removal, are more likely to reduce hair growth.

In my personal experience, I’ve found that after epilating for a while, my hairs do seem to be thinner, less dense, and less noticeable when they grow back. I’ve heard this from lots and lots of other epilator users online and in person.

However, this isn’t the case for every person. And this subject has not been studied very much, so we just don’t know for sure. I have drawn my ideas from tons of anecdotal accounts, the opinions of hair removal professionals, and what we know about anatomy and physiology to come to an educated, but not quite conclusive verdict.

How Epilators Reduce Hair Regrowth

If epilators reduce hair growth, how exactly is that happening? There are three possible explanations that are most frequently used to explain this puzzeling benefit of epilation.

Optical Illusions

First, compared to shaving, hair just feels softer when it grows back, giving the appearance of less hair growth.

Why is this? Shaved hair has a blunt tip, which feels thicker when it’s growing out.

Since epilation pulls the whole hair out, it doesn’t grow out with a blunt tip and therefore just feels and looks thinner without necessarily being thinner.

Hair Growth Cycles

Another aspect of hair regrowth is that hair grows back in cycles. Once you’ve epilated a few times, hairs will be growing back at different times.

if you are epilating on a regular basis, you will only see a small portion of hairs on your skin at any time. This makes it appear like you have less hair than before.

However, if you stopped hair removal for months at a time, all your hairs would make it through their growth cycles and you’d likely see a lot more hair than you imagined you still had.

Hair Follicle Damage

A third possibility is that long-term use of epilators causes damage to hair follicles and this affects hair regrowth.

This damage may be causing hair to grow back less dense or with a finer texture. Or it may be preventing some hairs from growing back at all if the follicle is damaged enough.

Other Reasons

There are a few other explainations for reduced hair growth to consider. If someone sees a change in hair growth after using the same hair removal method for a long period of time, there may be other changes causing the hair reduction besides the hair removal method.

One possibility is hormonal changes or health issues crop up unnoticed, affecting hair regrowth before other symptoms are apparent.

Another common occurrence is that hair follicles simply stop working as well as people age. This is why it’s common to see thinning hair in older people.

Other Types of Epilation and Hair Growth

Since epilation is a word for removing hair by the root, there are several other epilation methods besides rotary epilators. Out of all the methods of epilation, there are three types that have been shown in studies to reduce hair growth. These are electrolysis, intense pulsed light, and laser hair removal.

Electrolysis

Electrolysis or electrology is a type of hair removal that uses a thin metal probe to deliver electricity to a hair follicle. This damages the hair follicle after a series of sessions.

Electrolysis is the only method of hair removal that consistently produces permanent hair removal in studies. However, for it to be effective, it has to be done properly, which takes a degree of skill.

Another issue is that it just doesn’t work for about 5-10% of the population for various reasons. However, even in this subset of the population, it does provide reduced hair growth.

Laser and IPL

Laser and IPL (intense pulse light) are two types of hair removal methods that use light to cause heat and damage to the hair follicle.

The main difference between the two is that IPL uses a wide spectrum of wavelengths while laser uses only one wavelength of light.

After a series of sessions of laser or IPL, hair regrowth is reduced or in some cases, hair is permanently gone.

Other Methods that Reduce Hair Growth

Beyond epilation, there are two other methods commonly utilized to reduce excessive hair growth, particularly in women with hirsutism. These are topical cream and oral medications.

Topical Cream

Vaniqa is a prescription cream that is applied to the skin and reduces hair growth. It is different than other hair removal creams because it doesn’t remove hair, it just prevents hair from growing.

It is approved for women with unwanted facial hair. Unfortunately, it is only effective in about half of people who use it, however.

Oral Medications

Anti-androgen medications including Spironolactone, Finasteride, Cyproterone acetate, and Flutamide are sometimes prescribed by doctors to treat hirsutism and other medical conditions that involve unwanted hair. These medications can have serious side effects, but some people with excessive unwanted hair find the benefits outweigh the risks.

There are many over the counter supplements marketed for this as well, but most or all of them have little evidence to support their claims of reducing hair growth and should be avoided.

Final Takeaways

All epilation methods can potentially reduce hair growth, but electrolysis is the only guaranteed method to work for most people.

This is how I see it: it’s worth it for me to use an epilator for hair removal simply because I get the benefits of waxing at home at a reduced cost and with less waste. Getting lucky and being one of the many users who see reduced hair growth is a sweet bonus, but shouldn’t be your main reason for using an epilator.

Related Questions

Does epilating stop hair growth?

Epilation with a rotary epilator will not stop hair growth. The only well-proven method of permanent hair removal is electrolysis. However, even electrolysis doesn’t stop hair growth permanently in everyone.

Does epilating make hair grow back thicker?

Epilation, like any other hair removal method, does not make hair grow back thicker or darker. This has been debunked quite a few times.

Have more questions about epilation? Check out the Epilator FAQ and Beginner’s Guide!

Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it later!

I’ve always been a little obsessive about finding the easiest and most efficient ways of doing things. So if there is a way to speed up the horrid beauty ritual of pubic hair removal, I want in on it. And that is one reason I ended up researching if and how pubic hair can be removed with an epilator.

So can you use an epilator on pubic hair? Although this area is typically more sensitive than other body parts, epilators can safely and effectively remove shorter pubic hair from the bikini area. Hairs longer than about 3 mm should be trimmed or removed in another way first before epilating when the hairs start to grow back.

So you CAN epilate your pubic hair. But should you? Is this method really a good idea for your lady bits or should you stick with waxing or shaving? There are several things to consider before venturing into epilation for the bikni area.

Benefits of Epilating Pubic Hair

There are 6 main benefits that I love about using an epilator for pubic hair removal:

Super Smoothness

Epilation leaves the skin silky smooth and soft without pokey hairs that pop back almost immediately. After time, hairs also grow back a bit thinner too.

Results that Last for Weeks

Since epilation pulls hairs out by the roots, they take a while to grow back. You can expect to be hair-free for 3-4 weeks before you’ll need to epilate again.

Do-it-Yourself

I can get salon quality results at home with an epilator. Since I don’t like strangers looking at or touching my crotch, this is a huge benefit. I’ll save that type of humiliation for the doctor’s office, thanks.

Almost as Cheap as Dirt

A top of the line epilator without a lot of bells and whistles can be bought for under $100 and it can last 5 or more years. That translates to a cost of less than $2 a month! So maybe cheaper than dirt, depending on where you get your dirt.

Shorter Grow-Out Time

You only need hair that is about 2 millimeters long to epilate with most epilators so there is no need to wait many days for hair to grow back. And some epilators remove hair as shorts as .05 millimeters.

Sensitive-Skin Friendly

Epilators don’t really affect the skin like waxing, razors, or hair removal creams, so irritation, cuts, bumps, burns, and allergic reactions can be avoided.

Side Effects of Using an Epilator on Pubic Hair

There are no perfect hair removal methods for pubic hair, so no matter which one you choose, there are risks of side effects. Here’s what you may experience with epilation:

Pain

This is pretty much a given with epilation. It pulls hairs out at the follicle which hurts like a mofo. But like tweezing and waxing, your body gets used to it as time goes on.

Ingrown Hairs

When you shave, the razor exfoliates your skin for you, so ingrown hairs are rare with saving. For most other hair removal methods, ingrown hairs can be an issue. The best way to avoid this is to exfoliate as much as possible.

Inflammation

Epilating is pretty gentle to your skin, but not so nice to your hair follicles. They can become inflamed which can cause swelling and redness.

Bleeding

Some people have more delicate hair follicles that can bleed when hairs are pulled out. This is usually really minimal and only happens the first time you epilate. After that, your follicles heal and become more resilient.

Skin Damage

This can happen if your skin is too loose and gets caught in the epilator. You can prevent it by using your epilator slowly and carefully and keeping your skin taut.

Tips for Epilating Pubic Hair

When epilating your pubic hair, you can follow the “how to” instructions in your manual. But there are tons of extra tips and tricks specific to pubic hair that you may want to know:

Start with….Not Epilating 

For pubic hair, one of the most important things to do is make sure your hair is not too long. Long, coarse pubic hair is going to be unbearable to epilate. The area is just too sensitive for all that.

So if you want to epilate your pubic hair, I recommend shaving, waxing, trimming, or using some other hair removal method to get rid of the hair first. Then once it has grown back to .05 to 3 millimeters (depending on the requirements of your specific epilator) you can go to town with your epilator. And after that, you can continue to epilate each time the hair reaches .05-3 millimeters long.

Keep It Right, Keep It Tight

The second most important tip for epilating the pubic area is that you must pull the skin taut. Skin in this area is not the tightest and the epilator will just stretch the skin up with the hairs instead of pulling the hairs out quickly and uniformly. And this just makes it that much more painful.

So use one hand to hold down the skin, pulling it away from the area you are epilating so that you are only epilating over skin that is really taut.

Take It Easy

Go slow, hold the epilator at a 90 degree angle, and epilate against the direction of your hair growth. This will help catch all the hairs and pull them out by the root instead of just cutting them off at the surface.

Exfoliate Before and After

The pubic area is prone to ingrown hairs, especially if your pubic hair is coarse. The best way to prevent this is to exfoliate before you epilate, the day after, and then at least every other day.

Take Steps to Manage the Pain

Some women recommend drinking wine or taking a shot of alcohol before epilating the bikini area. Another option is to take an over the counter pain medication. Just don’t take alcohol with pain killers because that can cause stomach bleeding and is a no no.

Other pain management options include taking a hot bath beforehand, icing after, using numbing cream, or using an epilator with a massaging head.

The first couple times I did it I needed to be drunk. Like not a glass of wine buzzed. Legitimately drunk. It became a slightly unique pregaming ritual of mine for when I had party plans. There’s no shame in breaking out the vodka. Eventually the pain goes down as the hair is thinner and weaker. Same theory as waxing.

-Reddit User

Use the Right Epilator

Smaller epilators with lots of tweezers are ideal for the pubic hair. The smaller size allows you to navigate the area easier and more tweezers means faster results. And this is definitely an area you want to be done with as quickly as possible. Another feature to consider is an led light so that you can see better and avoid pinching any skin.

Take Breaks but Don’t Quit

It’s a pretty intense experience the first time, so take as many breaks as you need. But make sure you finish and repeat at least a few times before giving up. Each time will be easier and most people find that it is totally worth it in the long run.

I just repeat in my head how much money I save by epilating and not going to get waxed. One time I epilated my lady parts fully. I consider it in my top 5 life achievements.

-Reddit User

Related Questions

What is the best epilator for pubic hair?

My pick for best epilator for pubic hair is the Panasonic ES-ED50-N Multi-Functional Wet/Dry Shaver and Epilator (click to check it out on Amazon). This epilator is also a shaver with a bikini comb, so you also use it to trim your pubic area before epilating. The gentle epilator head is the perfect size for navigating the pubic area and has added protection that prevents skin from getting caught in the tweezers. And it has an led light as well.

Have more questions about epilation? Check out the Epilator FAQ and Beginner’s Guide!

Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it later!