My contribution to epilator-users everywhere!

Hair Removal Methods Rotary epilators
#1

I’ve made a remarkable discovery!

(Btw I have light skin with thick black hair)

A couple of months ago, i purchased a Braun 7781 Wet and Dry epilator. I used it on my chest, stomach, arms and legs in the comfort of a hot shower - my reasoning for the purchase of the Wet and dry epilator is as follows: Waxing works well (except for the frequency of hair growth and inconvenience plus cost of doing so), the reason it works well is so simple! The heat of the wax when applied to the skin causes the pores to expand (much like when you perspire after/during a work-out)and allows for the hairs to slip out more easily.

In the case of the contrary (eg. when ice is used over the skin prior to epilating to ‘numb’ the area) the pores are tight, gripping the lower end of the hair follicle AND the root which results in hair-breakage rather than removal (which is the equivalent of shaving - can you say ‘thicker re-growth’?)

Anyways, back to my story, when epilating in the heat of the shower i planned to not only to open my pores, but also confuse myself as to whether the pain experienced was as a result of the hot water on my body or the pain of epilation - this was pretty helpful.

However, in the weeks that followed i found that the hairs were breaking, perhaps attributable to the fact that the hot water on the skin had to be consistent while epilating, but the wetness caused by this was affecting the epilator’s ability to grip the hairs! I realised i needed the heat without the moisture… The solution?

A hair drier!!! I now switch the hair drier on at the high-heat setting and direct it on the area i plan to epilate on, due to the heat produced on the area, my pores open right up and i epilate the given body part - the hairs just slip out, i swear there is less pain (and whatever pain there is, my mind attributes to the heat of the hair drier) and i only have to go over the area once - no nonsense about epilating against then with the direction of the growth, etc… Why? Because there is no moisture to hinder the tweezers’ ability to grab and pull the hairs - coz its a hair ‘drier’ lol

I am absolutely confident that the hairs are not simply breaking beneath the surface, because THEY ARE GROWING BACK FINER WITH JUST ONE SESSION WITH THE HAIR DRIER!

Please spread the word! I’ve tried shaving, threading, waxing,etc Using this method i know epilating is gonna result in all my body hair disappearing for good! All the best! And please share your stories here :slight_smile:

#2

Your discovery should help lots of people here, who use epilaters, but your body hair will not dissapear for good. I think you are aware that epilation is temporary, but your final comment could be misleading, for less well informed users of the forum. A great tip though.

#3

Hey O’Conell, as far as i know, when you wax or epilate for a few years (*and catch the hair by the root without breakage) the area’s hair-growth becomes sparser and eventually becomes unnoticeable (if not hair-free)…

Perhaps not proven fact, but given what i’ve heard and seen, its what im aiming towards nonetheless :slight_smile:

#4

Other than eyebrows and legs, the result you describe would not occur. If you are plucking your eyebrows or legs, enjoy what ever success you achieve. If you are hoping this will work on your face, or body, you are in for a disappointment.

#5

This phenomenon is something that I never quite understood. Is there a difference between male and female leg hair, such that repeated tearing of the hair out by the root can result in diminished growth, as opposed to the opposite? I plucked my legs hairs for many many years (I wasn’t patient enough to let them get long enough for a rotary epilator to work on them), and it did not slow or stop their growth. In fact, under my scope the hairs I plucked don’t look thicker or thinner compared to didn’t repeatedly pluck (roughly same area of the body), but some look badly distorted and were difficult to zap (lots of corkscrews, lots of J shaped and some U shaped)

#6

The distorted growth you mentioned is a result of the hair shafts being in-grown at some stage along the growth to the surface (especially those U-shaped ones u described).

I find that plucking doesn’t result in the actual root of the hair being taken out, but the breaking of the shaft at a point just short of the root (but below the surface of the skin). If the pores which the hairs are growing out of are expanded (via heat or stretching) there is a greater chance of the hair being pulled out from the root and not just breaking (which is the equivalent of cutting/shaving it).

Here is how i understand it: the body reacts perfectly to what you do to it. And as a result of poor understanding of hair removal techniques in particular, the outcome isn’t necessarily what we want. For instance, when we shave, think of it as telling your body that you want more, thicker, stronger hair in that region (a bit like the technique of pruning a tree to increase foliage) - the root of the hair (like the root system of the tree) strengthens both on and below the surface (remember, that which can be seen on the surface of a tree - branches,etc- is a mirror image of what is below the surface - the tap root system,etc). This is why beards appears thicker and courser after continual shaving - since the roots of these hairs beneath the surface have become thicker and stronger over the years (try plucking a hair from the beard of a middle-aged man, IF you manage to pull a single hair out, he’ll immediately bleed-out from that pore since the skin would have to rupture in order to allow the hair root, which has over time become thicker than the pore, to be removed).

So if you do not want a tree (or even grass for that matter) in your garden the logical thing to do would be to pull it out the ground, and not just trim what can be seen on the surface. By the same principle your body will eventually stop providing the necessary nutrients to repair/ create hair.

This process however can span over a long time (via epilating, waxing,etc) or a shorter time horizon (via IPL, laser, etc) depending on the approach taken. Why? Because of the sheer effectiveness (and intensity) of the approach - with waxing, epilating, plucking, etc alot of the hairs we think we are pulling out from the root are actually breaking, causing the roots to strengthen, it will now take a few more removals of those roots in the future to firstly reverse the strengthening of the roots and will then eventually result in the non-existence of hair in that region all together. Whereas with laser or electrolysis for instance, the effect (and intensity) of the treatment is invoked all the way down the shaft, right to the root, which is why results can often be seen within a few weeks/months.

So VickieCNY, if you prefer to pluck your hairs, make sure your pores are spread open sufficiently to allow the ease of passage for the hair you are removing - heat the skin and try to stretch the area you are plucking to avoid ingrown hairs…

All the Best :slight_smile:

#7

While I’m sure repeated waxing and so on will do as you mention and damage some of the hairs like on the legs, I don’t think one can really use it as a practical way to permanent remove hair. I’m sure there’s lots of women out there who have waxed their legs for 20+ years and continue to do so. Yes maybe there’s not as much hair but you can’t honestly compare the process being over a long time compared to shorter time with laser or electrolysis though. Your tree analogy to me seems more like one going into a forest and just cutting down trees with a chainsaw trying to aim it low to get the roots. Eventually over years maybe you’ll get lucky and prevent some trees from coming back but they still will. Where as laser and electrolysis is like going into the forest, digging up around the tree, lighting the root on fire until it burns away to nothing, then watch as it falls out and never comes back :slight_smile:

#8

Great tip Z3RO! I am one of those people that pulling hair does stop it from growing or reduces the hair down to almost microscopic size. The people that keep claiming pulling hair will not stop it from growing need to accept the fact that everybody is different. Aside from peoples genetic differences, one of the things that may have helped me achieve this is the use of water spiked with apple cider vinegar as an after wash. 250ml vinegar, 2 liters filtered water. The stinging/burning sensation caused by vinegar water may have an effect similar to laser treatment by chemically cauterizing the root.

#9

Good story, but body hair is really not like trees and grass. I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but I feel compelled to correct you on a few points. Hope you don’t mind.

  1. “For instance, when we shave, think of it as telling your body that you want more, thicker, stronger hair in that region”

–False. If this were true, how come aging men just don’t shave their heads to get more dense growth? Hair is part of the human organism, controlled by genetics and hormones… This is not true in the tree-dirt comparison.

  1. “This is why beards appears thicker and courser after continual shaving - since the roots of these hairs beneath the surface have become thicker and stronger over the years .”

No, that is not why. It’s called puberty. It’s simply coincidence that most people start shaving around puberty. Puberty was going to cause hair to become more coarse regardless of your shaving habits.

At any rate, great discovery of the hair drier! I’m glad you are having success with an epilator. :slight_smile:

#10

I should try the hair dryer trick next time.

#11

Hi,
I’ve been experimenting recently with applying bleach after epilating…
I got the idea after watching CSI, when a cast member said something about the use of bleach dissolving any DNA evidence. Looking into it I discovered any ‘base’ does dissolve biological matter and that a strong base will burn the skin, we all remember the scene from FightClub with the spot of lime on the back of his hand.
Anyways my theory is that a good scrub with bleach after epilating will help dissolve the exposed hair folicles resulting in permanent hair removal.
This has had mixed results; my chest after 3 gos is virtually hair free, my arms & legs after one treatment have 50% less hair which I think is also alot finer and my pubic area seems the least responsive to bleach. I did suffer a little skin burning down there but not bad just a little dry skin afterwards.
I use a 50/50 solution in a spray bottle and 1st couple of times I did this I was in the shower so I could wash it off quick :wink:
I’m still experimenting with this idea but from the initial results I could be on to something? I think that the cleaner the initial hair removal the more chance the bleach has to get to whats left of the hair roots so combine it with hairdryer use and who knows…

My goal is to be permanently hair free from the neck down, currently epilated smooth all over :stuck_out_tongue:

#12

Bad idea. Diluted chlorine will do nothing to hasten permanent hair removal. Certainly this will “disinfect” the skin but WAY to harsh. A recently epilated follicle is not going to allow much chemical penetration and certainly not to the depth of the papilla. Besides, chlorine is poison.

#13

Over what period of time have you been doing this? It sound very risky to me.

#14

Been doing this for around 9 months and not everytime I epliate.
Seems to extend the hairless period and leaves my skin lovely & smooth, suppose it’s a bit like an acid peel.

#15

I’ll have to try the hair dryer trick. My epilator already overheats way faster than I’d like though : ( The bleach idea scares me.

#16

I tend to only bother epilating in the summer, so I’d been psyching myself up for the first epilating session of the year (always the most painful!) - think I’m going to try out this hairdrying tip to see if I can notice any difference.

#17

You never mentioned the exact procedure you use. i.e. How long you leave the solution on your skin and how you go about doing your entire body… I agree with the others in that it does sound risky but to everyone I say “Google is your friend”. Don’t knock it until you’ve done a good amount of research on it. I’ll do the same.

#18

There is a reason smart people filter chlorine (bleach) OUT of their tap water before bathing, showering, or drinking it.

Restaurants pour those pitchers of water at the beginning of the shift and let them sit, because the bleach/chlorine will evaporate over time as exposure to air continues.

Short answer, bleach/chlorine and human skin are not well suited, and you are not going to do much at all for permanent hair removal, but you can ruin perfectly good skin.

#19

I’ve never heard of using a blow dryer before epilating. I know that water tends to soften the hair which might cause it to break more easily.

#21

I know this is an old post but if anyone is still checking it out, I just want to reiterate that removing hairs from their follicles over long periods of time will not make it disappear for good not even after 30-40 years of epilating/waxing/plucking/sugaring.
These are all temporary hair removal methods. The hair grows back slowly than it happens if you use hair removal creams or razors but it does grow back because they hair follicle is intact, it’s not damaged.
I’ve been epilating for about 12 years and I’ve waxed and shaved before that. My hairs grow back the same.
Also, as we age, our production of testosterone also increases, which causes longer thicker hairs in places where they weren’t so noticeable (for example, nose and ears for men and more pronounced facial hair for women). Our bodily and facial hair is evolving, and not in a good sense, as we get older.
For those who use epilators, the average period of smooth skin is 2 weeks.
Laser hair removal damages the hair follicles while electrolysis permanently destroys it. That’s why laser hair removal is a hair growth reduction method, while electrolysis remains the only permanent hair removal method, meaning hairs disappearing for good.
When it comes to managing the pain, I choose the route of distracting myself. If I watch something interesting or listen to music or a podcast, the time passes in an instant and I don’t focus on the pain at all.