Underarm epilator: pull them up up and away
Underarm hair is typically considered as unaesthetic, undesirable and embarrassing and yet it seems I like to talk about them quite a bit here. The thing is, I do have a problem with them. I tried to get rid of them as best as I can but well, they grow back quite quickly. I have considered IPL as a more permanent strategy of getting rid of them altogether but the last salon I spoke to scared me off with their pushy attitude and so in the end, I decided to get myself an underarm epilator.
I was not about to spend $$$ on my armpit
I’ve always wanted to get one of these but the last I checked, I didn’t see anything for the underarms and so was hesistant; I didn’t know if I can use the same epilator meant for the legs for the underarms. Okay, I could have just been blind and missed those for the underarms altogether. So anyway, I spotted some cheap epilators at Best Denki recently and decided to go for the cheapest at S$29! Yeah, I was so annoyed that the SA kept pushing me the high-end ones, which were going for 3 digits and I was like “do I need to spend so much for my armpit hair?”
Epilators for underarms come with a smaller head
There were a few cheap models on sale but after some analysis, I decided to get this one because I don’t really need a big head for the underarm section. There is another Panasonic model going for S$49 and to use it for the underarms, you still need to change the head, which makes it similar to this model when used on the underarms alone.
Epilation is much faster and convenient
By the way, epilation is the removal of the entire hair, including the part below the skin. I’ve tried waxing, tweezing and shaving and I’ve found epilating to be the best because hair do not grow back so quickly and even when they do, they are not as coarse as when you shave them. Epilation is also way faster and more convenient than waxing or tweezing; it’s also pretty easy to use and definitely not painful for me.
Can be used both wet or dry
Okay, for this particular model, which is Panasonic ES2081v, it can be used both on wet or dry underarms. I tried both ways and they worked well for me although I would concede that it’s much faster to do it on wet skin with foam. In addition, if you’re using an epilator for the first time, the foam provides some protection and eases stress on the skin.
Fast enough to whisk away unwanted hair
This model is battery operated, running on two AAA batteries. So you can take it anywhere since it’s also handy. The speed might not be as fast as the more expensive models but it does an effective job for my underarm areas and each epilation can last me around four to five days before fine hair start sprouting again. I also haven’t experienced any irritation using this at all and so I’m pleased that I didn’t have to pay that much.
Any of you using an epilator too and like the experience as much as I do?
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I bought mine earlier this month. I’m in love with it! 1st time trying, there was a bit of blood involved(i used it dry), i think becos of the sudden pressure of plucking the hair out. But it healed overnight, the next morning, the armpit area was soft and no bumps, unlike shaving ? It is a good investment, and most importantly it’s waterproof and portable!
I am so glad you posted this, I have been wondering whether I should invest in one, those I have seen are mostly more than a RM100 and I was wondering the same whether I should spend so much.
For some strange reasons, I was born with a small patch of hair at my neck area. It is indeed embarassing because it looks like underarm hair at my neck! Haha. I use tweezers to pull the unwanted hair and it is painful and causes bumps.
However, my SIL gave me an epilator as a gift and I thank God for that. It is easy peesy to use, minus the painful tweezing moments.
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mm.. i was considering whether should i invest on this too. but i scare it is painful and it will be a waste if i use once only.
wow, this made me think again. i am currently shaving and not aware that there is such a product, thanks! did you use it wet/dry? the first commenter scared me a bit with “bit of blood involved”. >_<
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The blood comment scares me, too!
Sesame: how did it feel both during and after epilation?
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Greatly interested but fear pain. Could you please give an indication of pain level compared to tweezing?
This is OT – sorry! – but I see you’ve revamped your blog. Wanted to say I like it and think it looks cleaner. Also OT – since you, too, live in a very sunny place and need to wear sunglasses, would you post about the importance of that?
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i have been a fan of epilator for my legs for years, but, each time when i mow the hair, i still feel pain. so i am afraid that it’s really painful to zap my underarm. As tempted as i am, i am afraid at the same time as my pain tolerance is generally low
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I have a Braun epilator but I never knew there are models made specifically for armpit hair. Before I started going for IPL, I used to remove armpit hair using my all-around epilator. It has witnessed lots of fallen hair and tears. :p
But the thing I don’t like about epilating is that after a while, the hair would start to grow too finely for the epilator to pluck the hairs from the roots without breaking them.
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Oh, they can’t grip the hair that well after awhile? Hmm..I tried using it on my big toes where the hair is really fine and it grips well. I guess I have to use awhile longer to know better. But glad that I got the cheap one cos if it doesn’t work as well after awhile, at least I don’t feel the pinch.
I think with the smaller head, the pain is lessened. Plus, if you use it with foam, the pain is almost non existent…well, at least for me.
I wrote about wearing sunnies quite awhile ago…a very short entry though. https://www.vivawoman.net/2008/05/10/fashion-sunglasses-for-uva-uvb-protection/
Thanks for your comments re my new blog design. I’m glad you find it neater. ?
Like ant biting if I were to describe it. Tweezing is not that painful considering you remove one at a time but for this, you remove a few at a time. So a smaller head will lessened the pain too.
Without the foam when I epilated dry, there was a bit of redness. Like waxing but actually better. I find waxing more painful.
After that, I exfoliated the area and it felt fine…no irritation whatsoever. No smarting either.I wet epilating is better.
Shaving is fast but it causes the hair to be coarse after awhile and one reader pointed out, that the armpit area would look dark. I was shaving maybe a year or two ago but that, you have to do it frequently. Epilating is better. Armpits also look better.
Depends on your threshold for pain. I found this not painful…like ant bite. Waxing is more painful and less effective.
You find the pain level for this lesser than tweezing? I guess because it pulls out faster.
I know what you mean…I avoided getting one cos of the cost too and I also wasn’t sure if they can be used for underarms as that’s the only area I want to use it for. Good thing there are a couple of cheap models around these days.
Yes, epilating dry can give a bit of blood or redness. But compared to waxing, it’s not too bad. I think if you do it wet, you can’t see the blood although there might be.Yeah, agree…no bumps and no dark spots overnight.
So is the permanent, semi-permanent…? My cousin used one of these years ago, I swear it must have been the original Lady Epilator, and she compared it to Chinese torture.
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It’s temporary; hair will grow back in a few days to a week’s time, depending on individual. Your cousin said it’s Chinese torture? LOL. It’s not that bad!
Epilate after shower when the skin is still damp. This may reduce the pain.
I couldn’t ‘reply’ to your message, sorry. I got an error message when I clicked the link. Anyway, I thought the results lasted longer than that. The absolute best hair remover I’ve ever used is Veet cream for the shower. It didn’t work well for any other hair than on my legs, unfortunately. However, it left my legs feeling so soft, and of course there was no pain. Sadly, I cannot find it in my rural town anymore, so it’s back to the old razor.
Lol, as a sidenote this cousin also ‘could not’ wear anything but 24k gold jewelry because anything else made her break out, if that gives you an idea of how fragile she is.
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I used to use an epilator and manually tweezing but IPL is way better. Tweezing causes bumps on the area where the epilator is used and exfoliating regularly didn’t seem to help! I decided to do IPL and it has been working wonders! The local salons charge exorbitantly for IPLs which made me give up when I first did mine years ago.
However last year, I found out that 2 Japanese based salons have set up shop here in Singapore and reviews online seem really good! I decided on Regina instead of the other based on reviews I read on the internet and from friends. It is pretty affordable when they have promotions (pretty often) and with my package I have unlimited underarms and upper lip IPL. I am on my 3rd treatment and the results have been really good. I’m currently doing it for my lower legs, under arms, upper lip.
Maybe you can look it up on their website and check it out? The bumps on my legs and underarms have disappeared and I realised the areas treated have been whitened and looks so much better now. ?
Oh Veet! I used it many years ago but hated the smell. I used to be afraid that some of the cream would get on my head and causing my hair to “vanish”. Paranoid I know… About your cousin, I’ve come across pple like that who can’t wear anything that isn’t gold. Silver gives them rashes too. Eh, expensive skin…heheh.
Sorry about the link. I’m still looking into it but seems not to be able to find the cause yet.
Yes, that’s very good advice!
I agree…think IPL is still the best long term solution. I’ll have a look at the salon you mentioned. I’ll probably consider down the road. My underarms are always the lowest priority when it comes to spending $. ?
I use emjoi soft caress gold epilator! I had to order it from America, but I think it was worth it! It has a larger head but it works fine for my underarms ? I did not find it painful either – I think it is great!
Mine is a rechargeable one so no batteries, and can be portable too!
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I also used to either shave or tweeze, but since I signed up for an unlimited-sessions underarm IPL package I’ve no regrets!! You can see results already after the first session! And since it’s unlimited, you can keep going until you’re completely satisfied, or even if you stop for a few years and the hair grows back, you can just go back to them again.
I’ve heard good reviews for Regina (mentioned by Chloe above) too, but I go to another one, probably the other Japanese-based one she mentions. The staff are not pushy at all, and I paid SGD100+ for the package. You can also include other body parts for a higher price.
When I signed up (early this year), the promotion was supposed to be for a “limited time”, but if I’m not mistaken, it’s still ongoing (either that, or they bring back the promo regularly). But I think more and more salons are having these kinds of “unlimited sessions” offers because the market is really competitive now; I’ve also seen these promos advertised regularly on Groupon and other deal sites .
I use the waxing method (Veet) to remove my underarm hair. The good thing is, if my technique is right, I can get rid of the hair quite easily without much pain. But the bad thing is, there are always one or two hairs left unremoved and you have to wait for the hair to regrow to a particular length before waxing again. I wonder how painful this epilator thing (wet) is when I see some comment talking about blood above! And I guess that epilators, like waxing, can only apply to hair of certain length. Too short, and it won’t work.
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Rechargeable is good…but it probably cost more. So you don’t feel the pain too…I’m not alone.
So cheap? The salon I enquired gave me one session to try and it didn’t get rid of anything for me. Well, I’ll check this one out.
I find that waxing doesn’t get rid of the hair completely and has to be supplemented by tweezing. Yes, epilators can be applied to short hair but not long ones. I find the pain level more tolerable than first time waxing.
Compared to waxing and shaving, how likely is getting ingrown hairs from epilation?
Any feedback from the use of leg epilator?
I think epilation is better than shaving. My underarms are smoother without aftereffects of bumps after shaving. And i have lesser underarm hairs now. I guess when the epilator yanks the hair root out, there’s no root to grow new hair, so there’s lesser and lesser hair each time. But it hurts a great deal for me. I had to take a deep breath and swipe my epilator across the armpit and see myself tearing up. Maybe im little sensitive in that area.
Sesame, I just discovered your blog and I totally love it! Just curious, could you use the epilator on your bikini area? I had never even heard of an epilator until I read your post. It seems like it would be rather painful, but it could be worth it! I’m definitely going to buy one of these.
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Yes, it seems so but I’ve never tried it there. This model I’ve got is apparently suitable for that area. I think you would need to cut the hair shorter first before epilating. I’ll imagine it’s painful!
Yes, agree! Definitely better! I also noticed that my underarms are not as itchy after a few days of epilating, compared to shaving or tweezing. I wonder why cos in the past, when the hair was growing out, I’ll feel a lot of itch.
It still hurts for you? I guess the skin at your underarms are probably more sensitive like you mentioned. Mine is probably thicker skin there. ?
I think this depends on individual…I don’t have an issue with ingrown hair from any sort of hair removal but my experience is, epilation causes less itch (in fact, I don’t get any) so it might be better.
Never tried leg epilator so can’t comment.
Me, me, me! I love epilating my underarm hair!
I actually got an all-in epilator at 3 digits from Philips. It comes with the ice-packs, one for leg (which has a plate that pushes against your leg while moving, giving you added steadiness), one for arm (where the head reduces the area of cutting, so you don’t “die” of pain). I basically squeeze the ice packs under my arms after epilation to numb the feeling, before putting it back in the refrigerator.
I need to do it every 1.5 weeks, which is quite sad, because I read that some people only need to use it every 2-3 weeks. It becomes a bit inconvenient, much like trimming nails weekly.
Uhm. To be very honest, I’m still shaving. It’s fast and convenient when I take a shower. Perhaps I’m just too scared to use an epilator because I think it hurts so much. My pain tolerance is very low and I don’t want to burst out in tears everytime. lol
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Haha…it’s okay. Do what you find most comfortable. ?
Your 1.5 weeks is very long, compared to mine. Yes, I heard some pple don’t need to epilate so quickly but I guess it depends on the amount of hair growth too. I have to do it within a week but it’s convenient and so I’m not complaining (yet).
Yes but whish one to pick? I have been looking on sove many, and just nead to find the reigt one. In denmark you dont have sove many to pick between. Can anyone recoment a www. there can send ordre to denmark?
After 3 sessions with Regina, I find the hair growth at armpit slowing down and it has been a week since I last shaved. Wait for promotion prices and it costs 100plus or sometimes it is being featured in Groupon where it costs less than a hundred. Same goes for the other salon called Musee Platinum Tokyo. I find service at Regina is not bad and appointments are easily available. Minus points is that the salons have a limit of letting you do the session once every 2 months. Which is not like those typical salons which does it more frequent but only up to 8 times or so and charge incredible amount of money. The package is unlimited lifetime so with the price I am paying, I am not complaining if it takes longer to get the hair free results. Worth trying!
Okay, I should subscribe back to Groupon and keep a lookout.
Just wondering, do u exfoliate twice – once before epilating and once after? Heard the exfoliation prevents any ingrained hair. From what I heard, exfoliation shouldn’t be done on the same day as epilation. How’s your epilating routine like?
I epilate about once a week now…sometimes longer stretch. I don’t really exfoliate cos too lazy but yes, it helps with ingrained hair. Best not to do on the same day but a few days apart.
I just got the same epilator and so far, I’m loving it! I have a very low tolerance for pain but it was almost pain free for me. I use it for my underarms and have not tried it on my bikini area yet. I just wanted to ask you if you have tried to use this epilator for upper lip hair? Thanks!
No, I don’t have much hair there and I think the grip for fine hair might not be that good.
is this suitable for legs too ?
This one is smallish and so it should work.
Epilator is ok,but wt abt d battery? i just bought d battery yesterday,but now battery is down, which battery sld i use ?
So soon? I use normal ones and they’ve lasted me for months.
Hi Sesame! When you do a wet epilation, what kind of cream/foam/etc do you use?
I don’t use any cream but just my bath or shower gel.
Wow! Really? Does it need to be foamy or anything? Anyway, I’m planning to buy this model specifically for my underarms only (since it’s not too cheap but still below 100) but still hesitating. Is this model worth the money?
Not really. It just serves as a “lubricant”. Btw, for this model, I found it is effective when you remove the white cover and use the inside to epilate. Hope you’ll understand what I mean.
I see. Had just purchased one, but will have to wait until Tuesday for the parcel to arrive. I’m sooo excited! So nope, I don’t get what you’re trying to say. By white cover, do you mean the head of the epilator? If that’s it, I think I can comprehend hihi.
Yes, correct. It’s the white cover! I hope it’ll work well for you. ?
Just got mine yesterday! Thanks! Hope it’ll work well for me too. Was about to give it a try until I read the manual and it stated to not use it during menses. I’m not quite sure why, but I goggled it and it maybe because of lump formation under the armpit during menstruation? Is this true with you? That you don’t use it during that time of the month? Btw, read the manual, sounds so fragile :3
Oh? I totally missed that part of the info because I used it whenever I want to. Quite sure I’d used it during my menses too.
can i use on face..
No, not with this.
It worked amazingly on the peach fuzz on my cheeks! I got a few bumps on my upper cheeks, but there was 95% less irritation than I get from cold wax, threading, or sugaring. I would not use it on the upper lip, it would be too cumbersome.
Tip: definitely apply a good layer of baby powder or corn starch prior to epilating. The reduction in broken hairs is what causes less inflammatory bumps.