Has anyone done laser hair removal at home?

[PeachyParisian]

I'm thinking about buying a machine to do it myself. Is it as effective? Cost wise I thought it might be better value as then I could sell it on potentially.

Anyone have any experience of doing it themselves? How hard is it?

Marks place!

I just bought one last night - should be arriving tomorrow. I'm really hoping it works. I've been wanting to do it for about five years now.

I looked on eBay for resale - they seem to go for about half the retail price.

i have a remington ipl and to me the main thing is to keep doing it, i am a bit lazy about using it but i have noticed a slight difference already

Also does it hurt? I can cope with pain but epilating is nearly unbearable for me anyway other than my lower legs to give you an idea of my pain tolerance.

I could probably persuade my sister to go halves with me. A 50% re sale value isn't too bad

*anywhere

I had the Boots one. It cost a fortune, the gel was a hassle to use and the whole thing wasted a lot of my time. I ended up returning it. Wouldn't recommend it at all. I've heard better things about the Phillips lumea. Doesn't use gel and might be worth a try, although even when you've finished the initial course it still needs doing again every couple of months, if I remember rightly.

And yes, it was painful!

I bought a Boots one in february, and followed instructions (treatment every week using gel). Results were great, BUT after 5 weeks, the zapper broke. I sent it in for assessment 6 weeks ago, and a replacement should be with me this week. I was really pleased with what it had done - hair removal was lessened, although the break has meant things are almost back to normal, so I'll be glad to get it back, do my initial phase and then go onto maintenance monthly.

I'd be wary of secondhand machines - they only have a finite life due to the flashes the contain.

Those of you who have had laser/IPL, is it true that you can't have used fake tan or been in the sun for a month prior to using it or having the treatment? I'd like it done but can't imagine not using fake tan for that length of time .

Not sure as I haven't got mine yet, but it works best when the contrast between hair colour and skin tone is greatest - so pale skin, dark hair. It would make sense that you wouldn't want to be tanned for it, although I don't know about a month!

I have olive skin and dark hair -darker on my legs than my head I tan very easily and I didn't realise that it's best for light skin/dark hair combo. I'm very pasty in winter though so I'll have to save it for then I suppose

I'm buying a Philips Lumea. This is what it says about hair/skin colour:

Suitable for a wide variety of hair and skin types
Philips Lumea works effectively on (naturally) dark blonde, brown and black hairs. As with other light-based treatments, Philips Lumea is NOT effective on red, light-blonde or white/grey hair. Philips Lumea is also NOT suitable for very dark skin.

So it sounds like olive skin/dark hair would work, but maybe waiting until you're paler would be better? Gives you more time to save up for it.

Thanks whatsagoodusername The Phillips lumea seems to be the best reviewed online so I'm leaning towards it. I cannot believe the discrepancy in the prices on Boots and Amazon though

I use the Remington IPL. It works pretty well, doesn't hurt at all and was cheap on Amazon.

You buy replacement bulbs after a while, but this is more cost effective than something that doesn't have that option and then the whole machine would be redundant when the bulb is used up.

My (ahem) bikini line seems permanently hair free and lower legs have finer, sparser hairs which are slower growing. This is after a year of irregular use.

Most of all, I like being released from the whole waxing and ingrowing hair malarkey. And cos you shave before zapping, it means you never have to wait for your hairs to grow before treating.

I have the boots one, I've found it works well with consistent use but the gel is a faff and I use it much less than I had planned to. Doesn't hurt that much, less than waxing.

I have the boots one, I think it's very good, the pain involved will depend on how dark and coarse the hairs are. Darker coarser hairs absorb more IPL

AgathaF I've just read through my booklet and it says fake tan has to be gone completely. Wait 48 after sunbathing before use, then check for any sunburn. Wait 24 hours after use before exposing to the sun and cover/use SPF30+ for two weeks.

I have the Boots one as I have chin hairs. It's ok - I think the hairs are slightly reduced, but not significantly so.

I save up Tesco vouchers and use them to get salon treatments through sk1n as the difference from one session there is fairly significant as they are able to use much stronger currents.

Whatsagoodusername thanks for that info.

I have the Lumea and love it. I am lazy and only top up my underarm probably every month or so. Can't remember when I last did arm or legs. The regrowth in the underarm is just a few stray hair, nothing like shave or wax.

It doesn't use gel and I can do all of my legs, arm, underarm and bikini line in one charge.

It took a while to get to my hairless state. Maybe 6mo of religiously following the schedule recommended in the booklet. I think it suggests every 3 weeks initially?

And it doesn't hurt. I'm Chinese so I'm at least as tan as olive skin and it works very well for me. I think it's just contrast of hair and skin colour.

Would recommend a Lumea definitely. It's the best hair removal method I have ever used.