It’s been summer here in Sydney and since I’m running around bare-legged, hair removal has been on the forefront of my mind. Here are some cool new hair removal discoveries I’ve made, hope they help some of you out too!

Braun Silk-epil9 SkinSpa Epilator

Back in 2011 I bought a Braun Silk-epil epilator, used it for a bit… then misplaced the charging cable for a few years. When I finally found the cable again, unsurprisingly, the epilator refused to wake up. I hadn’t gotten around to buying a new one, so when I had the opportunity to try the new Braun Silk-epil9 SkinSpa (Amazon/Shaver Shop) I was pretty excited!

I originally turned to epilation because I really disliked shaving and waxing. The main advantage epilating has over shaving is that the epilator usually pulls out hair by the root, so overall it grows back slower and regrowth is less prickly (though some hairs will still snap in the middle and grow out prickly). It also doesn’t involve any disposable materials so it produces less trash (though it requires electricity), and it’s gentler on skin in terms of razor burn. However, epilation hurts more than shaving, takes a little longer, and the epilator requires you to remember to charge it. The risk of ingrown hair is also higher, since the hair can break off under the skin and remain trapped.

Epilation is a bit more similar to waxing. While both waxing and epilating both give you smooth stubble-free skin, waxing requires a bit more skill, you need to repurchase the wax, and it’s generally messier too. You also need longer stubble for effective waxing (2-3 mm for waxing vs 0.5 mm for epilating with the Silk-epil). I also find waxing more painful than epilation (other people disagree), but whereas waxing involves one quick big ouch, epilating requires you to bear a lesser amount of pain for a bit longer.

The Braun Silk-epil is the most popular line of epilators out there (other popular options are Philips Satinelle and Emjoi). There are a few different options available with different accessories. The version I’m using has 6: two exfoliation brush heads (body use only), shaving and trimming heads, and the standard skin contact and massage epilator caps. This version is a little bit overkill, though it’s definitely handy to have so many options – I’d say that the only real essentials are the standard heads, though an exfoliation head is great for freeing up ingrown hairs (it’s supposed to be 6 times more effective than manual exfoliation, according to Braun) and the trimmer and shaver are very useful for maintaining areas you don’t want to epilate. Charging takes about 1 hour, and the epilator will run for 40 min per charge. Theoretically, you only need to epilate once every 4 weeks, but I’ve found that I prefer weekly touch-ups to keep myself silky smooth. The Braun Silk-epil9 SkinSpa has quickly become a staple of my routine!

Her Shave Club

Her Shave Club is the Australian version of a concept that’s been really popular in other countries, the best known of which is probably Dollar Shave Club in the US. It’s a low-cost subscription service that sends you razor blades each month for a very budget-friendly price ($9 or $11 a month, with free shipping), which you can cancel at any time. The quality of the blades is really good – while they don’t have the big chunky moisturising bars that you’ll find on pricier razors, they give a clean shave and don’t feel flimsy at all. There are a couple of options available, and there’s a $3 off promotion going on at the moment.

Gillette Venus Swirl

I’m really clumsy when I shave, and when I’m using a new razor on tricky areas (knees, ankles) it can be downright gory. I still have a scar from shaving my knee over a year ago:

The new Gillette Venus Swirl is designed to stop this from happening, with a flexible swiveling “flexiball” in the handle to help navigate around bumpy areas like knees. It’s reasonably stiff so it doesn’t just flop around while you shave, and instead only adjusts with pressure. So far I’ve gotten no nicks with it, and it shaves pretty effectively too. It’s a bit on the pricey side though – $19.99 with two heads – but if you’re as clumsy as me, this could be a very worthwhile investment into not bleeding a freaking cup of blood all over your shower.

What are your favourite hair removal tools? Let me know in the comments!

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