I’m not gonna lie, finding an epilator in stores is hard. But I did the leg work so you’ll know exactly where to buy an epilator in stores.
I checked tons of local stores plus dove into some research online to find out which brick and mortar stores are most likely to have epilators to buy.
So where can you find and buy an epilator in stores? You can sometimes find a limited selection of epilators in several different chain stores, but they aren’t consistently stocked at most of them. Your best bet is likely Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy or Boots.
If you’d like to save yourself a wasted trip, read on to find all the stores that are likely to carry epilators and how to check if your local stores have epilators in stock.
What You’re Likely to Find in Stores
Very few brick and mortar stores have epilators in stock all year round. If they do, they usually have a small selection.
You’re most likely to find the latest Braun Silk-épil model. If you’re lucky, there may be one or two other brands or models of epilators available. Epilday, Panasonic, or Phillips epilators are what I see most often in stores after Braun epilators.
How to Check the Stock of Local Stores
The best way to find out if a store near you carries epilators is to search the store’s website first. Most chain stores give you the option to search the availability of local stores. This allows you to check the stock of all the stores in your area before you head out. Then you can just hit up the store that has the epilator that you want.
In the following section, I provide more detailed info on how to do this for each store so it’s easier for you to do this quickly.
However, if the stores change their websites after this post is published, the directions here may become outdated. If that’s the case, these three basic steps will likely work for any store website:
Search for epilators
Click on an epilator you’re interested in
On the full product description page, look for in-store availability or pickup
Just a warning: many stores have razors and hair trimmers (such as the Finishing Touch Flawless Hair Remover) listed under epilators. However, epilators pull hair out by the root with tweezers, discs, or springs. These other products just cut the hair at the surface. So if you’re not familiar with the product, make sure you read carefully to see if it epilates or only cuts hair.
Brick-and-Mortar Stores that Sell Epilators
Since most of my readers are located in the United States, I’ve focused mostly on stores and availability in the US.
However, if you are in Europe or Canada and have a store owned by the parent company of a store I mention in your region, it’s probably more likely to carry an epilator. This is because epilators are more popular outside of the United States. So it may be worth doing a little more investigating on your part.
If you’re outside of North America or Europe, this article may not be helpful to you as I’m not familiar with stores outside of this area.
Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty has a small selection of epilators in many of their stores. Unfortunately, they don’t usually have the best prices. Most epilators I’ve seen there are at least $5 higher than other stores.
However, if you’d like to see if an Ultra near you has epilators for sale, click here. Then click on the epilator you are interested in. When you get to the product page, click “store availability” and enter your location to see if the product is available near you.
Best Buy
In contrast to Ulta, Best Buy sometimes has epilators on clearance for large discounts. So if you’re looking for a store to buy an epilator at, this is where I would probably look first.
To see if there are epilators in a store near you, just click here to get to their epilator search results. Click on a product and the page should tell you if it’s in stock at a nearby store.
Target
When looking for an epilator in stores, I’ve had the best luck at Target. They almost always have at least a Braun Silk-épil in stock.
In addition, if you have a Target Redcard, you’ll get 5% off the price.
To see what the Target near you has, click here for a list or epilators on their website. On the left hand side, under “get it fast,” click on “in stores.”
Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond tends to have a nice selection of epilators online and one of the best selections you’re likely to find in stores as well.
The prices tend to be all over the place, though. Some will be much lower than other places, while some are much higher. So if price is a concern for you, check the prices on Amazon first for a reference point.
To see if your local Bed Bath & Beyond has epilators, go to the epilator search results page here. At the top of the page, click on “availability” and select the store nearest you.
Macy’s
Macy’s usually carries epilady epilators online. Sometimes you will also find them in stores, but it’s not very common. In addition, Macy’s prices are going to be higher than other places usually. I included it here anyway, just in case you love shopping at Macy’s.
To see if Macy’s has an epilator in stock near you, go here. Then choose “free pick up today” on the left hand side of the screen.
Walmart
Walmart has sold epilators during black friday, but they don’t seem to keep them in stock throughout the year. If you’d like to check your local store, go to this page. At the top of that page, click “store availability” and choose a store. You will then be shown all the epilators in stock at that store.
Walgreens
Walgreens rarely has epilators in their stores. If they do, it’s usually a small manual spring epilator. If you’d like to check for yourself, go to the epilator search results on their site by clicking here. Then select your store at the top of the page.
JCPenney
JCPenney sells epilators on their website, but rarely in their stores. If you want to check anyway, you can go here and select store pickup on the left hand side to see if any are available in a store near you.
Aldi (US and Europe)
Every once in a while, I have seen epilators for sale in Aldi. Aldi rotates products throughout the year so they are only available for a week or two at a time.
These are a generic brand and the quality may not be great. I’ve never tried them so can’t say, but I do remember that they are often really low cost at around $20. So if you just want to test out epilating, it may be worth checking if your local Aldi has any.
The best way to know if your local Aldi has an epilator for sale is to simply check out the weekly ad. You can find yours here if you are in the US.
If you’re in the UK and want to buy an epilator in a store, you’re in luck. This is because Boots is one of the best places to get epilators in stores with a much wider variety than you’ll find in most US stores.
To see what your local store has in stock, click here. Then choose an epilator. Once you’re on the product page, click “find in stores” to see if the epilator is available in stores near you.
Where I Bought My Epilators
Online shopping may not be right for everyone, but I’ve bought all of my epilators from Amazon.com. I live in a metro of half a million and only found two different epilators in my city, both priced higher than Amazon, so Amazon was the clear choice for me.
Amazon has by far the widest selection of epilators I’ve found, including the most popular epilators as well as tons of generic brands. And most epilators come with free shipping, which is the main disadvantage of shopping online.
I think the only way I’d buy from a local store would be for easier returns. Thankfully, none of the epilators I’ve bought have needed to be returned. I credit this to doing tons of research beforehand and choosing a quality epilator from the get go.
Final Takeaways
Lots of stores sell epilators these days, even in the United States, which is an improvement from just a few years ago. Unfortunately, the selection is very limited and the prices are often higher than what you’ll find online.
If you want to buy from a brick-and-mortar store, I would start first with Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, or Boots. They seem to be the stores that consistently have at least one or two models in stock at all times.
I’ve been using an epilator for hair removal for years now for my face, as well as my body. Since I started blogging about my epilator experience, I’ve gotten tons of questions from awesome readers like you. Most frequently, people ask me what epilator I recommend, especially for women’s facial hair.
So what is the best epilator for face in 2020?
After pouring through tons of information, talking to other epilator users, and trying out several epilators myself, I’ve pinned down my faves. In 2020, I definitely think the best epilator for face is the Braun Silk-épil 7 7/880 Sensosmart.This is a high-quality epilator that removes all types of facial hair.
However, this epilator isn’t right for everyone. I found some other popular epilators that may be better for you if you have specific challenges like coarse facial hair or want your epilator for a specific area like eyebrows.
Read on for what you should be considering when you choose an epilator and my full reviews of the five best epilators for face.
How can you tell if a specific facial epilator is worth buying? Here are some things to look for when you’re searching for your best epilator for face:
Area of the Face
If you plan to epilate all over your body, then you will want to consider a full-size epilator first to see if it will fit your needs. Then you won’t have to make two separate purchases just for epilating. And if you plan to epilate your upper lip, chin, cheeks, or neck area, a full-size epilator will work great.
However, if you are going to be epilating your sideburns, between your eyebrows, or above your eyebrows, a smaller epilator is more ideal. Although you can use a facial cap on many epilators to epilate in these smaller areas, it’s still a pain and you are not going to get very precise results.
Hair Thickness
Hair thickness is really important to consider. Thick, coarse hairs take more power to remove and many small battery operated epilators just don’t work well for this type of hair. You may have to purchase a corded epilator to get the power you need.
And then if you have a combination of hair types, you want an epilator that is versatile, with a decent amount of power but also adjustable speeds.
Whatever your hair type, when you are considering an epilator, it’s important to search the reviews to see what people are saying about the effectiveness for different hair types before you buy.
Hair Length
When dealing with facial hair, you don’t want to have to grow out a practical beard before it’s long enough to remove. So you want to get an epilator that will remove super short hairs.
Most Emjoi epilators are purported to remove hairs as short as 0.3 mm. I’ve never measured, but they do remove really short hairs. And most other top epilators, including the newer Braun Silk-épil epilators, can remove hair that is 0.5 mm. So if you’re looking at an epilator that can’t remove hairs that short, I’d skip it and find a better one.
Power Source
Most epilators for face use are powered by disposable batteries. These can be a pro or con, depending on your preferences, I guess. But just keep in mind that the battery operated ones will be less powerful and you’ll have the additional cost of replacing the batteries.
To work around that a little, you can purchase rechargeable batteries, however.
You can also purchase a rechargeable facial epilator, which comes with a battery that you plug in to charge. However, you will have to worry about charging them before use. A typical epilator requires over an hour to charge. You then will get around 30 minutes of use before you’ll need to charge it again.
These type of epilators are usually wet/dry which means you can use them in the bath or shower. This is nice for epilating other body parts, but not really a good idea for the face.
And then the third option for power is a corded epilator. These have to be plugged into the wall. They are the most powerful epilators.
My Top Five Picks for Best Epilator for Face
Best Epilator for Face and Body: Braun Silk-épil 7 7/880 Sensosmart
If I could only recommend one epilator for face, I would choose the Braun Silk-épil 7 7/880 Sensosmart.
The main reason I recommend the Silk-épil is that it works effectively for most people and all hair types. And it can be used for both the face and the rest of the body, killing all birds with one stone.
This is a wet/dry cordless epilator with lots of power, durability, plus some fancy bells and whistles. It is one of the Rolls-Royces of epilators. And like the Rolls-Royce, there are very few people who have something negative to say about this epilator other than the price.
It’s powerful enough to work for most women, whether you have peach fuzz or thick, coarse hairs. I’ve ventured into many forums for transwomen who struggle with coarse hair on the face and body, and this epilator is raved about there.
For me, it works like magic. It’s much better than many other epilators I have tried, pulling out hairs instead of cutting them off at the skin. This makes the results last a long time.
Cool features include massage rollers that relax skin and reduce discomfort, a “smart light” so you can see what you’re doing better and two different speeds.
Since the head (where all the tweezer are) has to be big enough to use on your body too, it’s going to be bigger than many other facial epilators. However, there are a few reasons I still recommend this epilator specifically for facial hair.
This version of the Braun Silk-épil has a slimmer head than newer versions. It’s the perfect size for chin hair. And can still be used pretty effortlessly on the upper lip. Additionally, it has a pivoting head that pivots up to fifteen degrees and works nicely for hard to reach areas on the face, jaw, and neck.
If you want a smaller head, it comes with a facial cap that you can just pop on. This exposes fewer tweezers.
The “SensoSmart” technology is another cool feature that prevents the epilator from getting too close to your skin and potentially cutting it. Which is especially important when dealing with your face. Just make sure you are getting the 7/880 model because not all Silk-épil 7 epilators come with this feature.
Like other Silk-épil epilators, it has “close grip technology.” It can grip and remove hairs as short as 0.5 mm. This is especially important when dealing with the face so you can remove those hairs as soon as they start popping up and avoid a five o’clock shadow as much as possible.
For most women, I think this is definitely the best epilator for upper lip hair and chin hair, despite the wide head. But if you were wanting something to use around the eyebrows, then I’d go for a smaller epilator.
And of course, even the best epilator for face can’t be all rainbows and butterflies.
Some people report that the extra power and speed makes for a more painful experience. This is true, but any epilator that works well is going to hurt. This didn’t bother me because I was already used to epilation by the time I bought mine. However, if you are an epilator virgin, this may be a problem for you.
A few people have complained online that the epilator they received was a dud, but the warranty makes that less worrisome.
And then there is the price. It’s one of the pricier epilators on the market. However, as of writing, this epilator has hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon alone, so I’m not the only person who loves it.
Being the inherently cheap person I am, it took me several years to finally shell out enough money to buy my first Silk-épil. I would have saved myself tons of time and headaches if I had just bought it sooner. It was totally worth the investment.
Want to know more about this model? This is a great video review of the Silk-épil 7 with a demonstration on the arms and face:
Pros
Removes hair well on both the face and body.
Lots of extras including an LED light, attachments, massaging rollers.
Waterproof so you can use it in the shower.
Rechargeable battery.
Cons
Pretty darned pricey, but cheaper than the Silk-épil 9.
Painful, but mostly because it’s pulling out those hairs really well.
Almost too big for the face.
Runner-Up: Braun Silk-épil 9 9-579
The Silk-épil 9 is Braun’s newest epilator model. I’m including it because it’s very similar to the Silk-épil 7 and is equally effective in removing all types of hair. There are a few differences, however.
The Silk-épil 9 has a wider head. This actually isn’t a great thing if you are using it exclusively for the face, though. So that reason alone may make the Silk-épil 7 a better choice for you.
On the other hand, most Silk-épil 7 epilators don’t have SensoSmart technology, which I think is a great feature to have when you’re epilating the face so you ensure that you don’t end up with an injury on your face that could possibly turn into a scab and then a scar.
So if you can’t find the Silk-épil 7 model 7/880, you might be better off with a Silk-épil 9, especially if you plan to use your epilator for legs, arms, or other body parts where the larger head will save you time.
I recommend this 9-579 model specifically because it includes the facial cap, plus a trimmer cap, shaver head, a massage cap, and a bonus facial brush that exfoliates the skin. This brush may be too harsh for some people’s faces, but it can also be used to exfoliate and prevent ingrown hairs on the legs and body.
Here are two awesome videos showing how to use a Silk-épil 9 on the face:
Pros
Newest Silk-épil model so has the newest engineering and extras like a facial brush.
Sensosmart technology reduces the chance of pinching skin.
Bigger head will remove more hair from body.
Rechargeable battery.
Cons
Most expensive epilator in this post.
Wider head can be difficult to use on the face.
Painful, but again, this is because it actually pulls hairs out well.
Best Budget Epilator for Face: Emjoi Epi Slim
If you’ve never used an epilator before or you just need an epilator for face only, the Emjoi Epi Slim is the best place to start. This facial epilator is affordable and works well for the price, which makes it one of the best epilators for beginners.
Unlike the Silk-épil 7 and 9, the Epi Slim doesn’t have any bells and whistles. It’s simply a small non-waterproof epilator with a few tweezers, powered by two AA batteries.
The main advantage, besides the lower price, is the size. It’s one of the smallest epilators on the market and can be easily used on the chin, upper lip, sideburns or above the eyebrows. You can also fit it in your purse for hair removal on the go.
Unfortunately, it’s not the abosolute best at pulling out all hairs. I’ve found I have to go pretty slowly or it will just cut off the hairs at the skin’s surface instead of pulling them out.
However, when it has fresh batteries and I take my time, I do get good results.
And if you really needed to use it for the rest of your body, it’s possible. I’ve epilated my whole legs with one, but it does take a loooonnng time.
Despite the low price, these suckers are pretty durable. I’ve had mine for a few years (and I drop it all the time).
If you’ve been wondering about whether epilation is right for you or not, just bite the bullet and buy one of these things. They are not just cheap but also cute AF, with several different designs and patterns to choose from on Amazon.
And here’s one of the best videos I’ve found on the Emjoi Slim:
Pros
Inexpensive for an epilator.
Small size makes it easy to use on the face.
Removes hairs as short as 0.3 mm.
Cons
Must buy AA batteries for it (they aren’t included) and they will need to be replaced fairly often.
Not uber-powerful, especially if you don’t have good batteries.
Can’t use on the body very easily.
Best Epilator for Coarse Facial Hair: Braun Silk-épil 3
The Braun Silk-épil 7 and 9 both work well for coarse facial hair, but they are expensive. And if you are wanting a epilator for face only, you probably don’t want to dish out $100+. So, I racked my brain to decide on the best mid-range epilator to recommend for coarse facial hair.
Since my facial hair is mostly thin, light hairs, I did tons of research to make sure I was recommending a product that has worked well for many women with coarse facial hair.
I wanted something that had a solid reputation for removing coarse or thick facial hair, but also small and gentle enough to work easily on the face. I don’t want to sound like a paid salesperson for Braun, but after hours and hours of research, the Braun Silk-épil 3 stood out as the best choice.
This epilator has been around for a while, so it’s been well tested and the pros and cons are very apparent. It’s a corded epilator so has lots of power to pull out coarse hair without problems. This makes it a great choice for budget-conscious women who need a more powerful epilator than the Emjoi Epi-Slim.
Here’s an unboxing video that shows you what this epilator looks like:
Since the Silk-épil 3 is an older model, and everyone tends to just buy the newest model, I didn’t find any videos of it being used on the face. But here is a demo of a similar model that has been discontinued (Braun 5318 Silk Epil Soft Perfection) on a woman with coarse facial hair from PCOS:
Pros
Really affordable and powerful epilator.
Small size that works well for the face, but can be used on the body too.
Pulls coarse hairs out pretty well.
Cons
Not waterproof.
Must be plugged in to use.
Painful and may pinch skin if you’re not careful.
Best Cheap Epilator for Peach Fuzz: Bellabe Facial Hair Remover
If your facial hair is just a little peach fuzz, you may not be committed to hair removal enough to pay much for an epilator. In that case, the Bellabe may be perfect for you.
The Bellabe is a manual epilator. So basically, it pulls hairs out with a spring like the original epilators from the 1980s. But instead of the springs moving automatically like those epilators, you hold the spring with little handles and roll it yourself across your face.
While you’re moving the spring, it opens and closes, gripping hairs and pulling them out, similar to threading.
The main advantages are it’s small size, simplicity, and it’s hypoallergenic coating, which makes it great for sensitive skin. Plus, it’s inexpensive.
I recommend this mostly for finer hairs, though, because it tends to break coarser hairs off at the surface.
Also, some people find it more painful than electric epilators. This may be due to the fact that it tends to take longer. I know that I’ve found it unbearable to use the Bellabe on my cheek hairs even though a regular epilator doesn’t bother me there.
And like other electrical epilators, you still need to avoid using it around your eyes or you may pull out eyelashes. So if you were hoping it to use it for that, you may be better off with a good pair of tweezers.
And here’s a video showing how to use the Bellabe on your face:
Pros
Cheap!
Super small and easy to navigate around the face with.
Hypoallergenic metal.
Cons
Doesn’t work well on coarse hairs.
Takes a while to pull all the hairs out.
Not as durable as modern electric epilators.
Best Epilator for Eyebrows: Gillette Venus Face Perfection
This epilator is essentially the same as the Braun Face. Braun and Gillette are both part of the same company (Proctor and Gamble) and both of these epilators are the same design, just marketed with two different names and different attachments.
I am specifically recommending the Gillette version because it comes without the attachments and therefore, has the lowest price. There are several different Braun versions with different attachments for facial cleansing and exfoliation, but I honestly wouldn’t recommend them for most people because they could be too harsh for facial skin.
As for the epilator itself, it’s honestly mostly so-so with catching hairs. Some people seem to get great results, but most people report that it misses hairs so you have to go over areas multiple times and sometimes finish up with tweezers to get some strays.
The main advantage is that this is the only epilator designed to be used near the eyebrows. You can use it above your eyebrows or between them, which is great for those of us with unibrows who don’t like plucking or waxing. But you still can’t safely use it under your eyebrows or to completely shape them, so you will still need to use tweezers or other methods for that.
So basically, unless a unibrow is your biggest facial hair issue, this is probably not the best epilator for you. However, if your unibrow is your kryptonite, this low-cost epilator is probably worth a try.
Here’s a video of a woman who is a bit more enthusiastic about it than me, demonstrating how well it works for her:
Pros
Great for shaping tops of brows and removing your unibrow.
The design makes it easy to hold and move around the face.
Affordable price and includes two AA batteries.
Cons
Not the best at grabbing hairs, especially coarse ones.
The batteries will have to be replaced fairly regularly.
Removing hair from the body will take too long to even try.
Final Takeaways
The best epilator for your face will depend on many factors including your hair type and budget.
However, I recommend investing in the best epilator you can afford to save yourself from wasting time or getting bad results. The Braun Silk-épil 7 7/880 Sensosmart is a nice, high-end epilator that gets the job done for all hair types on not only the face but the body and legs as well.
However, if you do have a tight budget, even some inexpensive epilators can do a good job if you’re patient and take your time.
Hair removal and ingrown hairs go hand in hand, unfortunately. One of the biggest drawbacks of using an epilator is the possibility of getting ingrown hairs. Since this is such an important topic for epilator users, I researched the topic thoroughly to get a good understanding of the problem and the best ways we can address it. This post breaks down the causes of ingrown hairs and how to prevent ingrown hairs when epilating.
What is an Ingrown Hair?
An ingrown hair is a hair that gets trapped under the skin when it is growing out. These usually look like a breakout of pimples or you may see hair bumps with black dots under the skin. Obviously, you are epilating because you care about your appearance so you want to avoid these.
The Causes of Ingrown Hairs
Does an epilator cause ingrown hairs? Unfortunately, an epilator can potentially cause ingrown hair. All hair removal methods may cause ingrown hairs. This can happen when a hair follicle becomes damaged and the hair starts growing sideways or curls and grows back toward the bottom of the follicle. This is most likely in people with curly hair and happens pretty infrequently, fortunately.
The most common cause of ingrown hairs, however, is dead skin cells getting in the way. With epilation, the main issue is that the tips of the new hairs growing back are finer and therefore can have more difficulty getting through the skin, especially if there is a build up of dead skin inside or on top of the follicle.
Tactics for Preventing Ingrown Hairs
To prevent ingrown hairs from epilating, you need to make sure that dead skin cells are thoroughly sloughed off on a regular basis. You can do this with either physical or chemical exfoliation methods.
Physical methods of exfoliation include facial scrubs or microdermabrasion. They work by using friction to rub off the dead skin cells.
Or you can use chemical exfoliation products such as peels or lotions. These remove dead skins cells by speeding up cell turnover. Beta hydroxy acids are a great choice for preventing ingrown hairs from epilating because they reach deep into the skin and follicle. They also have antibacterial properties, can reduce inflammation, and have anti-aging effects.
You may want to try both to see which gives your skin the best results. I prefer using physical exfoliation right before epilating, but use chemical lotions between epilating to prevent ingrown hairs.
Are You Prone to Ingrown Hairs?
Some people are just more prone to ingrown hairs in general than other people. And some people are just prone to ingrown hairs with certain types of hair removal. And some body parts in some people are more prone to ingrown hairs.
And this is particularly a challenge when epilating more noticable areas like arms or the face because no one wants to wake up one day with a chin full of ingrown hairs. And you just can’t know if you have a tendency to have ingrown hairs from epilating until you try it.
So if you’ve never epilated before, I highly recommend trying out a small patch of hair on your leg and waiting a few days to see how it goes before epilating a large area of skin.
If you get an ingrown hair, experiment with some different exfoliation methods and routines. Try epilating a tiny patch again to see if your exfoliation method worked. If you don’t see good results, epilation may not be the best method for you, unfortunately.
Treating Ingrown Hairs
If you are cursed with an ingrown hair from epilating, here re some treatment recommendations from the National Health Service in the UK:
Leave it alone for a few days to see if it goes away on its own.
If it’s near the surface, use a sterile needle or tweezers to remove it.
Don’t dig into the skin to try to remove a hair. Don’t pick, scratch, or squeeze your skin as this can cause infection and wounds. That could mean scars and skin discoloration that you don’t want.
If there is inflammation, try applying a mild antiseptic like tea tree oil.
If these steps don’t help resolve the problem and the ingrown hair doesn’t go away, contact your health care provider for advice. They may have to remove the hair for you or prescribe you antibiotics for an infection.
So you’ve finally bit the bullet and bought an epilator? Woohoo! You are probably both excited and nervous about trying it out the first time, but don’t worry, it’s really pretty simple. I learned how to epilate from a lot of trial and error and have a lot to say on this subject.
However, to make sure you are starting out on the right footing, I sat down and read through the manuals of all the most popular epilators to gather all the important info a new user should know before trying out their first epilator. In this post, I have tried to summarize it all as well as possible so you don’t have to read a crap ton to know how to use an epilator.
What You’ll Need to Epilate
Your epilator
Batteries or epilator charger
Headband or hair ties to keep your hair out of your face
Facial cleanser
Exfoliation scrub or mitt
Clean, dry towel
Rubbing alcohol
Epilation numbing cream or other products for pain relief (optional)
Mirror in a well-lit room or a mirror with a light attached to it
Moisturizing cream
Ice pack for pain (optional)
Before You Use an Epilator for the First Time
Use the brush that came with your epilator to clean hairs out of the head before each use.
Consider different ways you can keep it as pain free as possible, which I wrote about in this post.
Read your manual. Don’t miss the safety warnings and make sure you know how to operate your specific device properly.
Check batteries. Either charge your epilator fully or make sure you have batteries for it on hand.
Start in the evening. Ideally, you should epilate at night so that any irritation or redness has time to subside while you sleep.
If epilating your face, pull hair back with a headband or hair tie to keep it out of your face. The last thing you want is to get the hair on your head caught in an epilator.
Wash skin well in warm water. Exfoliate.
If using a dry epilator, dry skin well. Even if you have a wet and dry epilator, overall, hairs are easier to grab when they are as dry as possible.
If your skin is not too sensitive or dry, apply alcohol to thoroughly disinfect it. This will help avoid breakouts from epilating as well as prevent infections.
Make sure your epilator head is thoroughly clean. Use rubbing alcohol to disinfect it as well.
If you are using skin numbing cream, apply it at this time and wait for it to completely dry before you start epilating.
During Epilation
Pull skin taut so it doesn’t get caught in the epilator and the tweezers and grab hairs better.
If you have multiple attachments, choose the best one for the body part you are starting with.
Turn on your epilator to the lowest setting if this is your first time. Once you are used to epilating, you can try a higher speed.
To get used to the epilator, start on your lower legs. If you are just epilating face, start on the outer edges of your mouth or on your chin.
Use one hand to stretch skin while the other holds the epilator at a 90-degree angle. To stretch the skin around your mouth, you can press your tongue against your lip or cheek area.
Move the epilator slowly against the direction of growth. If hairs are not being pulled, turn the epilator around and see if that works better. If you aren’t holding it correctly and moving in the right direction, it won’t work.
Move the epilator around your skin slowly and steadily. If it isn’t working well, move it in different directions as hair growth is often in different directions.
Use gentle pressure the whole time. Too much pressure against your skin can cause cuts and other injuries.
If you notice that hairs or breaking instead of being pulled out by the root, make sure you are using the lowest speed and move your epilator more slowly.
After Epilating
Don’t forget to moisturize skin after epilating.
Apply a moisturizing cream after you epilate to soothe, relax, and soften skin.
If the skin is really irritated or sore, you can apply an ice pack for about 10-15 minutes to help with pain and reduce inflammation
Clean your epilator according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Usually, this involves using a brush to get all the hair out and then applying rubbing alcohol. Cleaning your epilator after each use will help it perform better, last longer, and prevent skin infection or breakouts.
If this is your first time epilating, then plan to do it again in a week. Do it weekly for about a month to help your skin adjust. You’ll find that discomfort decreases each time. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can just epilate once every three weeks or as needed.
Epilating Tips
If you’ve never epilated before, try out a patch on your lower leg before other areas to see how painful it is. This is usually one of the least painful areas to epilate, so if you can’t handle the pain, you may want to skip your face or bikini area altogether.
If you are worried about pain, take a non-steroid anti-inflammatory like acetaminophen about 30 minutes before you start epilating.
To prevent spreading germs, causing gross breakouts and infections, never share your facial epilator with other people.
If your skin is irritated or broken, don’t epilate there.
Never epilate near your eyes unless you want to go blind. Never try to epilate your eyelashes. Not only would you look weird without eyelashes, but that’s also dangerous.
You can epilate a unibrow between your eyebrows if you have a Braun Face, Gillette Face Perfection, or another small facial epilator designed for that, but don’t try to shape your eyebrows with an epilator. None of them are designed for that. One wrong move and there goes half your eyebrow and then what are you going to do?
If your epilator head ever becomes damaged, don’t use it. It is dangerous and could cut you.
If using a battery-powered epilator, replace batteries as soon as you notice that power is decreasing. This will ensure you get the best results.
Related Questions
When epilating legs, I get ingrown hairs. What can I do about this?
Ingrown hairs are a complex topic, which I dive into in a post you can read here. However, to answer your question quickly, the best way to prevent ingrown hair is to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate.
How can I epilate without pain?
The best way to epilate without pain is practice! Once you get used to using a epilator, it barely hurts, if it hurts at all. My long list of tips on epilator pain can be found here.
So you have stomach hair that’s driving you nuts? Thankfully, my days of showing off my abs are over, so I just let my stomach hair grow wild and free like a hippie love child, but I understand the struggle. And I know how to epilate a belly like a boss.
Can you epilate stomach hair? You can safely epilate stomach hair. The main drawbacks to doing this are the pain and potential of ingrown hairs. The main benefits include less regrowth and many more days between hair removal sessions than with shaving.
Epilating the stomach is not for the feign of heart, however. In order to pull it off, you should do your research beforehand and know what you are getting into. Then you should plan ahead so you’ll get the best outcomes. Here are my best tips for epilating the belly:
1. Determine The Cause Of Your Stomach Hair
If you’ve always had more hair on your stomach than you’d like since puberty, you can probably thank genetics for that. However, if you’ve recently seen a change in the hair on your stomach, you may have a hormonal issue and it’s best to consult with a doctor to make sure all is okay.
There are many health issues that could cause unwanted, male-pattern hair (also called hirsutism). These issues include polycystic ovary syndrome, Cushing’s syndrome, and medication side effects.
Depending on the cause of your hair, you may need to have your underlying health issue treated. Or your doctor may prescribe medications or creams that will reduce the unwanted hair growth. Then you won’t have to worry about removing your stomach hair.
2. Decide If It’s Worth It
Do you even need to remove your stomach hair? Is it really that bad or are you just being hard on yourself?
Stomach hair is normal on both men and women. The color, thickness, and density vary from one person to the next, depending on hormones and ethnicity, but we all have some hair there. So if your stomach is covered 99.9% of the time by clothes and you’re not feeling overly self-conscious about it, skip removing the hair on your belly.
On the other hand, if your stomach hair bothers you and you’ll be showing off your abs often, epilating may be a path you’d like to try.
But epilating is not without side effects and is best for people who are in it for the long haul. You get the best results after regular use.
3. Get Your Hair To The Right Length
The worst thing you could do is start epilating fully grown stomach hair. It will be traumatizing, trust me.
Before you epilate, you need to get those hairs down to about a millimeter or two.
There are several ways you could go about this. You could just use an electric trimmer. Or you could plan ahead and shave, wax, or use any other hair removal method and then wait for the hairs to grow back to the proper length.
4. Prepare For The Pain
You cannot over-prepare for this, my friend. Probably one of the worse parts of epilating stomach hair is the pain.
But I’m pretty confident that it isn’t that much worse than epilating anywhere else on the body. Most of the horror stories I’ve heard were by people who didn’t trim their hair beforehand. If you’ve followed the previous tip, you’re already ahead of the game.
Besides that, there are many ways to keep your pain to a minimum.
Icing your belly for about 20 minutes before you start will help numb the skin. Another option is using heat by taking a hot shower beforehand or using a hair dryer to open pores, warm the skin, and reduce sensations of pain.
I have many more options for reducing epilator pain in my post about epilator pain.
5. Plan For Several Sessions
If this is your first time epilating a body part, you should probably expect to not finish your whole stomach in one session. It’s going to be intense. You will probably only be able to epilate a small section before you’ll need a breather.
So I would just plan to take several days. Doing a little each day until you’ve epilated your whole stomach. If you are able to do more, then great. It’s just important that you don’t have big plans for wearing a bikini the next day because that may not work out so well.
After you’ve gotten the whole stomach epilated and free of hair, you should epilate the whole stomach every week for a few weeks. This will help your body adjust to the pain and make sure you get all the hairs that are in different growth cycles.
After that, you can start epilating just once or twice a month when you start seeing multiple hairs growing back. By then, you’ll be a pro at using an epilator and the pain should be minimal.
6. Prepare A Chill But Sanitary Experience
You want the least stressful environment possible. So plan to try out epilation on your stomach when you don’t have a lot going on and you won’t be rushed. A quiet, relaxing evening is ideal.
Get all your supplies together and make sure your epilator is clean so you don’t spread bacteria to your pores, which could cause infection.
Then turn on some relaxing music or a movie and go for it.
7. Clean and Dry Your Belly Well
Make sure your abdominal is clean before you start epilating. Use the cleanser to remove oil, moisturizer, and dirt from the skin. Rinse well so that no residue is left. The cleaner the skin and hair, the better the tweezers can grab hold of your hairs.
Just as your skin and hair need to be clean, they also need to be super dry as well. Any moisture will make it harder for the tweezers to grab hairs.
If you use any numbing cream, wait until it has completely dried before starting.
To make your hairs even easier to grab, you can dust some cornstarch or baby powder on your abdominal as well.
8. Follow Proper After Care
If you’ve made it this far and still alive, pat yourself on the back!
Soothe that skin with some ice if necessary. Soothe the skin with an astringent such as witch hazel. Then slather on some moisturizer. Aloe based gel or lotion works well.
9. Beware Of Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs are your number one enemy when using an epilator. And unfortunately, hair on the belly tends to be coarser and more prone to ingrown hairs than many other areas of the body, so you have to be hypervigilant.
Ingrown hairs are caused by dead skin cells blocking the hair from reaching the surface. So the best way to prevent them is to make sure you remove all those dead skin cells.
You do this by exfoliation. Exfoliating a day after epilating and then every other day or so will make a huge difference. You can use methods like exfoliating scrubs and massage sponges.
Or you can try a product with salicylic acid like Tend Skin (click here to compare prices and read reviews on Amazon). These help to remove dead skin that is still deep in the hair follicle and may work better than other exfoliation methods.
10. Consider Other Hair Removal Methods
Epilating may just be more trouble than it’s worth for belly hair.
If you only plan to remove belly hair a few times of the year when you’ll be at the beach, you may just want to use less painful methods like shaving or hair removal cream. It may appear as though more hair grows back, but that is just an optical illusion caused by the blunt tip when you haven’t removed the whole hair out by the root, so don’t worry about that.
On the other hand, if you’d like a hair-free stomach year-round, you may want to invest in other hair removal methods like waxing. Or semi-permanent methods like laser or IPL. These three types cost more than epilating but may be more suited for you depending on your pain tolerance and skin type.
And the last and most expensive option is electrolysis. This is the only method of permanent hair removal and should be done by a professional. However, if you are only going to focus on your belly hair, it cost may be reasonable.
11. Just Bleach It
If your hair is just dark, but not superabundant, bleaching can be a decent alternative to hair removal. It does require lighter skin and some exposure to chemicals, but you don’t have to worry about pain.
And if you are prone to ingrown hairs, it may be your best bet for dealing with your stomach hair without spending tons of money.
Related Questions
What is the best epilator for stomach hair?
My pick for best epilator for stomach hair is the Panasonic ES-ED50-N Multi-Functional Wet/Dry Shaver and Epilator (click to check it out on Amazon). This is one of the better epilators for sensitive areas. The gentle epilator head is just the right size for navigating the belly area. And the LED light makes it easy to see hairs. It also has extra protection that keeps skin from getting caught in tweezers.
