And for every satisfied consumers there seems to be one with second-degree chemical burns.
ePinions: Epil-Stop complaints
The headlines say it all:
Epil stop drop and roll
by bonoriffic
Pros: 2nd degree burns without the need for fire
Cons: See above
May 23 '02
Epil Stop & Spray Burns
by avalanche333
Pros: None
Cons: Epil Stop & Spray Burns
May 29 '02
Epil-stop gave me a 2nd-degree chemical burn.
by gdess
Pros: None
Cons: Epil-stop can cause chemical burns.
Aug 10 '02
What a waste of money
by Kisses4Sal
Pros: Nothing
Cons: Doesn’t remove hair at all!!
Jul 30 '02 Helpful
Biggest RIP-OFF of the year!
by babyMONKEY
Pros: Absolutely NOTHING!
Cons: DOES NOT WORK!
Jun 25 '02
Don’t throw away your razor yet!
by concernedmom
Pros: You learn to appreciate your razor!!!
Cons: It burns, it blisters, it doesn’t remove hair, and leaves scabs!!!
Jun 21 '02
Epil-Stop-Right-Now!
by satenney
Pros: None that I can possibly imagine
Cons: 1) Doesn’t work! 2) Ow! Ow! Ow! Aug 05 '02
bonorific’s is worth presenting in its entirety.
Epil stop drop and roll
by bonoriffic |
May 23 '02 (Updated May 23 '02)
Pros: 2nd degree burns without the need for fire
Cons: See above
The Bottom Line: This product is unfit to be used by any human who still has a central nervous system.
Recommended: No
Like most insomniacs out there, I find myself watching TV well past the time when regular programming exists. I have seen an infomercial for Epil-Stop many times, and it seemed like a dream come true. The main problem is I refuse to purchase these “As Seen on TV” products over the phone late at night.
One of the main things about Epil-Stop that perked my interest was the claim that you won’t have to shave for several weeks. For women I could see this as a great advantage, but as a very lazy male, I too saw this as a great time saver. The commercial clearly shows a man with half of his face using the product and the other half not. Sure enough, after a few days the Epil-Stop applied side was smooth and soft, much to the delight of the lingerie model standing at his side.
A recent trip to Walgreens revealed Epil-Stop is now sold in stores! I was delighted at the opportunity to purchase this at a low price and not wait for delivery. The free terry cloth robe promised in the commercial is not included in the store bought version. I set out to try this product with hopes of attracting a lingerie model myself with my soft clean shaven face.
I read the directions from front to back. The first warning sign I saw was the clearly marked warning not to use this on your face! I was ready to take that risk, but decided to give it a test trial on my chest. You spray it on similar to any non-aresol pump spray. 1 pump covers an area about the size of a CD, but 2 or 3 pumps is needed before it is coated. I waited the minimum time required (4 mins.) and the only discomfort was a poor smell. I took a damp cloth and was prepared to wipe away my hair in a clean streak.
The result was about 2 hairs came off, possibly on their own, and I was left with a gooey chest that smelt bad. Perhaps I had strong hair, so I reapplied to wait for the maximum amount of time listed (8 total minutes). I did not reach that time limit as my chest began to burn. I grinned and took it for as long as I could. A few more hairs had come off, actually “melted” off into a black mess. My chest was red and tender and slightly blistered. The pain remained for several hours, as did the smell.
The kit comes with two spray on bottles and a roll on deodorant style applicator. The spray bottle is 4 fl. oz. The directions are on a few pieces of folded paper. One spray bottle would probably be able to cover 5 or 6 applications on an adult female’s legs, if that female lived through the first application. The secret to Epil-Stop is that it unleashes the raw power of citrus. Despite that claim, the actual ingredients are:
- Deionzed water
- Ceteareth-20
- Cetyl alcohol
- Stearyl alcohol
- Thioglycolic acid
- Sodium hydroxide
- Glyceryl monosterate
- Mineral oil
- Ascorbic acid
- Orange oil
- Aloe vera
- Tocopherol acetate
- Fragrance
Just for the sake of stupidity, I did try a small patch of leg hair to see if that would do any better. It did not. The hair is dissolved, the result is a blackish goo. Even if this product did manage to remove more hair it still leaves a large percentage of the hair in various states of removal. Some left as stubble or very limp and damaged.
The total cost was under $20 and a small monetary risk. If it has cost more my level of anger would be much higher. This product will not work. Do not be fooled by the commercials showing effortless hair removal.
The smell is also quite foul. Do plan on taking a shower or bath after using this product. Also application to your private areas is also strongly warned against by the company.
Length of Use: Less than 1 month
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: Almost noiseless
Andrea’s Bottom Line: Epil-stop has a track record for causing serious burns, and I do not recommend it under any circumstances.
[ September 19, 2002, 03:09 PM: Message edited by: Andrea ]