Eek. I've ordered an epilator will I regret it?

[raindropsandsunshine]

Is it going to hurt so much I'll have wasted £45?

I love my epilator. It’s v painful the first time but it does get easier.

Yes. They're evil things

Maybe I can use that numbing cream the Doctors use for children's blood tests...🤔

I bought one, was so excited to use it
Pain was alright but it left horrible bumps all over my legs Eventho I did everything correctly and followed all the tips I read online!
Used it a few times then gave up 😭

I couldn’t get on with it at all.

I have an old one I've had for donkeys years, always found it bearable even under my arms, but I do have a high pain threshold. Had to stop using it though as I had nothing but constant ingrowing hairs no matter what I did. They are a great alternative to waxing if that's not a problem for you though!

I love mine! I do underarms, legs and bikini and have no problems at all. Mine can be used in shower which helps with the pain I think. Much cheaper than waxing :)

It's good to hear different comments, thank you. Mine is a wet or dry one.

I have issues with shaving these days thanks to skin issues but epilating was recommended as an alternative.

It made me cry! I admire anyone who can use one!!

It gets less painful with repeated use, I think it weakens the follicle maybe?

I love mine. I need to use if maybe once a fortnight in the summer so barely think about hair removal.

If you want an easy ride, I recommend shaving your legs first, then epilate every two or three days for a few weeks, so you're not doing more than one regrowth cycle at a time. Then you can maintain once a fortnight-ish, depending on how quickly your hair grows.

If you can't shave first, take a couple of paracetamol or cocodamol half an hour before the first go. Once you're doing maintenance it's fine, it's just that first go that might be prickly.

Good luck!

i agree had mine for years just dont let hairs get to long, you know in the winter is when i dont keep up with leg hair as much, and it do get less painful with time.

mine gave me spots and ingrown hairs

I have a theory that the kind of epilator with the little discs is better than the kind with the little tweezers. The latter are more prone to breaking the hair instead of pulling it out, which is how you end up with spots and ingrowing hairs.
You should be able to see roots on the hairs that have been removed and your legs should feel smooth. If you still feel the sharp ends of the hairs after epilating, think about trying another brand of epilator.

Torture at first but if you keep at it it becomes painless and the hair grows back much finer

I do under my arms and don't feel a thing - however, if left to grow back all at once it's painful again - same with legs

Still not brave enough to do bikini area but skirt round the edges on a brave day

My minus point is it never feels smooth (under arms do but legs don't) I swear a lot snap. For those rare times I need smooth, I shave

Thank you so much for the advice, especially shaving first then using the epilator on short regrowth. I think one shave should be fine.

I love mine. Definitely do it with short regrowth the first time then do it regularly. I found having a babywipe to hand to rub over the area straight afterwards eased the discomfort.
After a couple of months it's no discomfort at all.
I love mine.

It's funny, I don't think I'd dare do my face or underarms but I do my bikini no problem. I also notice a big difference between the way the backs of legs feel vs front of legs. I guess people have different levels of sensitivity in different places.

OP for me the effort of shaving once (and then a lot of epilating just for a couple of weeks) is well worth it. A bit of cortisone cream (just a tiny bit, you can mix it with some unscented cream or coconut oil) will help with redness and irritation too.

Forgot to say it's great that you don't have to wait for regrowth like you do for waxing, and in the summer I can do a bit of fake tan on my legs and epilate whenever I want without it stripping off the tan.

Good luck OP.

Yes!!