My secret to smooth legs (without shaving)
Long before self-care Sundays were officially a thing, my teenage self would spend lazy afternoons sitting on the ledge of the tub with a razor in one hand and a bottle of melon-scented shaving gel in the other. Thinking back to my ritual, shaving my legs was definitely something I loved doing. Not only was it my time to unwind, but I especially loved it because it totally went against my miraculously-hairless Asian mother’s strict beauty philosophies.
“Don’t shave your legs, your hair will grow back so much thicker,” she’d always say. While her theory on shaving proved false-ish for my case, now as a late-20-something year-old, I’ve grown to hate shaving.
Not only does a smooth, precise shave require a lot of time that I don’t want to dedicate, but it also wastes a tremendous amount of water. I’m now what you would call a lazy shaver, with the scars to prove it — I would sometimes quickly dry shave and/or more than often shamelessly leave the house with hairless thighs and fuzzy patches below my knees. And even with the options of luxurious wax bars and top-rated laser clinics in the city, I prefer to keep my hair removal business my own and at home because appointments don’t come cheap. There’s also the option of hand-held laser devices, but even those aren’t able to get every hair (believe me, I’ve tried and they hurt!).
If you’re a lazy shaver like me or just hate the goosebump stubble and irritating results of shaving, there’s this method I recently adopted that is way, way better than shaving in every way. It’s called epilation, the process of removing hair from the root — kind of like waxing but better and without the mess.
It’s obviously not a new hair removal method, but because my leg hairs grow more finely compared to most, I always believed epilation wasn’t an option for me. But, boy, did the Philips Satinelle Prestige Wet & Dry Epilator ($108, Amazon) prove me wrong.
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Modern handheld epilators feature a series tweezer-like heads on a spinning wheel that grasp and extract the hair from the root within seconds. The Satinelle Prestige Epilator is designed with a unique textured ceramic surface that gently pulls out even the finest hairs, resulting in satin-y smooth legs that last for up to four weeks. Now that I’ve been epilating my legs for a little over three months, I’ve noticed a drastic change in the texture and volume of my hairs. Whereas with shaving, you’re only removing the surface level of the hair follicle, leaving a blunt tip — hence why my mom and many others believe shaving causes the hairs to grow back thicker.
What I love the most about this epilator is its maintenance quality. Yes, it can pull your hairs in zero time, but you can use it in the shower without shaving gel or even use it while your just sitting in your living room (on a towel, of course) binge-watching your favourite Netflix series.
Not only do I use it on my legs, but it does wonders removing hair on my upper lip and underarms. I wouldn’t say the epilator is enough to use everywhere on the body, but if you’re thinking about grooming the bikini area, the Satinelle Prestige Epilator also includes a shaving head and trimming comb for more sensitive body ares, along with two other interchangeable heads for all your skincare an body needs.
Thinking about making the switch from razors to the epilator? Scroll below for Philips’ expert tips on how to use an epilator:
Prep:
Ideal hair length is three to four millimetres. If needed, trim the scissors to ensure a secure grip.
How to properly epilate:
With a free hand, make sure hairs are standing upright. Run the device slowly on a 90 degree angle against the direction of hair growth
Clean up:
Brush away excess hair and rise the epilator under water.
After care:
Moisturize directly after to relax your skin. Regularly use an exfoliating sponge or lotion to prevent ingrown hairs.
Would you make the switch to an epilator? Let us know in the comments.
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