The epilator

Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
nzfreestyler
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Re: The epilator

Post by nzfreestyler »

A good friend of mine has a home IPL - its quite a good machine - perhaps a year old - the coverage is a small area at a time so slower progress - I have helped her do the back of her legs and it works well - but as I said slower progress than via a salon because the area per pulse is about a third the size. It also adjusts power to suit skin tone too - so its not bad. I can find out the make and model if anyone is interested.

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Sinned
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Re: The epilator

Post by Sinned »

Thanks nzf, I would be interested although models may vary according to the market.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
Midas
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Re: The epilator

Post by Midas »

I use a Braun, which can be relatively fast as it is designed to glide across larger areas, while smaller areas and places where hair grows faster can be stamped. The instructions are to remove longer hair first, either by shaving, epilating or using cream. I started by epilating and then using the IPL a few days later to allow regrowth within the follicle. The results have been very good.
rivegauche
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Re: The epilator

Post by rivegauche »

My IPL is a Philips Lumea Advanced, which was £300 in Boots, which I think was a discounted price. There is another model that costs £450 but as far as I could see the only advantage over the cheaper model was that the time between flashes was much shorter. I have almost completed the first stages of using it - the last of the 5 preparatory sessions will be on Wednesday. Almost all the hair is now gone and my legs feel wonderfully smooth - even more so if I use moisturiser. Your hair has to be dark so it won't catch the hairs that have already gone grey and you have to do tests on your skin first. The sessions are tedious but they work. I had extremely hairy legs and I reckon if it would work on me it would work on anyone as long as your hair is dark and your skin is not. Though the instructions tell you that you can epilate between sessions I have not been doing so as it makes no sense to take hair out by the roots just before that very root is about to be zapped more effectively by the IPL. After the preparatory phase of sessions every two weeks for two months, the advice is that you have to do it once a month, shaving your legs just prior to using the IPL. I have also been using it on my armpits, equally effectively - shaving alone always left a dark shadow there and now it is gone. I do not have a hairy back or chest so don't use it there. The instructions say that it will work on male body hair but that is about all they say about male hair, other than making it clear that men must never use it above the neck.
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Re: The epilator

Post by pelmut »

Sinned wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 11:38 pm I wouldn't buy an epilator, I'd buy a laser device of some sort. I'm thinking of researching the market over Xmas while the sales are on. Any advice as to which one would be appreciated.
Th Philips Lumea is a pulsed light device (but not actually a laser, it uses a photographic-type flash tube).  If your skin and hair colours are suitable it is quite effective.  Second-hand ones sometimes come up on eBay at a reasonable price.
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Kirbstone
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Re: The epilator

Post by Kirbstone »

Reading the foregoing posts I have learned a lot about achieving smoothness and keeping it that way using various methods, most of them painful.

Some 30 years ago while away in Germany I shaved my legs and the gorgeous smoothness lasted a few days followed by the stubble &c. MOH came over and my pins had not gotten back to 'normal' and she was mightily unimpressed. I never attempted to dent my Neanderthal penumbra again and I just reach for as slinky a pair of opaques as I can lay my hands on to painlessly achieve some degree of smoothness down there.

Tom
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Sinned
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Re: The epilator

Post by Sinned »

There is always that, Tom. I must admit that in winter I wear the thicker tights but you can't beat the silkiness of sheer. No wonder women lusted after them when they came on the market.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
nzfreestyler
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Re: The epilator

Post by nzfreestyler »

stockings are better over smooth legs anyway - sheers obviously smooth is essential for appearance - but hosiery sticks to stubbles - so you need to be smooth for ease of wearing I think? Its just easier. I've been hairless for so long - but I am sure that I can put them on easier because I am smooth - my hosiery used to sort of stick to me a little on my knees if I had some stubble there.

And then if you are smooth you have options to go bare if you ladder you stockings - cause your legs can and are ready. I find it easier being smooth.

(then again I am trying to be feminine too - so I must be honest in that sense)

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Re: The epilator

Post by Sinned »

nzf, I don't shave my legs but have fair leg hair and not lots of it. Thigh highs or tights are ok for me and I don't get any hair pulls or problems when wearing them. So I don't see any need to start defuzzing them now. I wouldn't when wearing shorts. But each to their own, I can see the appeal.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
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Jim
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Re: The epilator

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familyman34
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Re: The epilator

Post by familyman34 »

I've got what must be a genetic condition that means that I've naturally no longer got any hair on my legs. Passers-by don't seem to notice, but my daughters are very envious!

I was conscious that my father had hairless legs (when I got to 10 years old or so, and he was 60), so I probably inherited it from him.

Then, without being aware of the change, I found that at age 28 I had hardly any hairs left on my legs, and a few years later all had gone.

My chest is moderately hairy, my arms less so, but I still need to shave my face daily.

My two brothers have typical male-pattern baldness, and have compensated by growing bushy beards.
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Daryl
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Re: The epilator

Post by Daryl »

I got one inexpensive epilator years ago, about 2 years after getting a Philips Bodygroom. My body and leg hair was always sparse, and I never had any back hair (thank the lord). The epilator is the type that I would call a rolling gear tweezer type, not the coiled spring type. I think most epilators today are the rolling gear type.

After a couple of false starts I read the manual and realised that using my Bodygroom first then waiting until the hairs grew back to at least a quarter inch was the thing to do before epilating. The more I used it the finer the hairs got when they did grow back in, and many just packed up and moved (I assume to someone else's body). Now I hardly use it simply because there is so little need now; so little for it to sink its teeth into. I recommend the "shave once then epilate from there on in" regimen highly, based on only my experience.

After this experience, I have to wonder why anyone would ever bother with waxing or laser treatments. The only warning I would give is that unlike shaving, there may be no going back to being hairy, because of the number of hairs that might give up permanently fairly soon. If your missus loves running her fingers through your thick pelt, maybe try a real smooth shave first to see if she likes it, but get her to take the new you for a test drive real fast, because you're going to feel like sandpaper pretty quickly!
Daryl...
Midas
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Re: The epilator

Post by Midas »

I had to epilate once a week, which was time consuming. Last year I bought an IPL device, which needed weekly use for about 12 weeks to start with. The result was that my legs are now smoother than ever, with relatively little maintenance; I use the IPL every six weeks or so and maybe epilate once during that time. I don’t get stubbly growth and ingrown hairs, which were a feature of epilating, are no more.
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phathack
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Re: The epilator

Post by phathack »

When I decided I wanted to get rid of the hair once and for all I went with the IPL Hair Removal route.
I took my time and have done touch-up work as needed.
Worked great and was not as expensive as the professional laser treatments.
FranTastic444
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Re: The epilator

Post by FranTastic444 »

Interesting read. I've used an epilator about half a dozen times on my legs now on roughly a 7-10 day cycle. Not particularly painful, but I find it time consuming and I frequently miss bits. Unfortunately, I haven't experienced any thinning or lightening of hair - in fact it almost seems like growth has been promoted. I'm surprised just how quickly hair has grown back.

Due to various life / work things cropping up, I haven't used the device in about 3-weeks and I'm surprised about just how eager I am to get back to being hairless. I recently made the mistake of clicking on an advert for an IPL device and I'm seriously tempted to give it a go.

As an aside, it is really interested to note just how good the big Tech companies have got at linking accounts back to the same individual. I run three separate accounts / personas across multiple devices yet since the first moment I clicked on the IPL ad, I've been bombarded with similar ads across my different accounts and machines.
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