Body hair removal: epilator
As the weather warms up, there’s a question that pops up in our minds: to shave or not to shave… It’s a tough question. Refinery29 just had an interesting article on a woman that decided to protest and stop shaving her underarm hair. I agree with Refinery29 that the amount of hair under her arms is slightly disturbing and that it does feel more hygienic to have smooth under arms. However, the article said that the majority of the negative comments directed at her were from women – this is just totally unacceptable! Women need to stop bashing each other, and instead we should support each other on our choices.
To be completely honest here, I am sometimes guilty of not taking care of my under arms for a week or two, especially in the winter. I actually am not a shaver – I use an epilator. An epilator is essentially like using multiple tweezers to pluck your hair all at once. I bought mine at Ricky’s in NYC, but you can buy them just on Amazon or Target.
I’ve used an epilator since high school, so I’ve used a few different brands. My first one was by Braun, and now I’m using one by Conair.
My Conair epilator
Another view
I personally don’t think there is a huge difference among the brands, so I would just go with one that is in the $50 or cheaper range. I am considering switching to a cordless one, only because my cord is a mess. I know when you first think about plucking out your arm hairs it sounds scary, but it’s actually pretty painless. What I think really hurts is plucking leg hairs, so I just shave my legs.
Before you take the plunge with the epilator, you might want to pluck a few hairs using just a tweezer so you are comfortable with the way it feels. I like using the epilator, because you do not get the black marks and stubble from shaving. Instead, you get nice perfect clean arm pits. Plus it lasts longer than shaving – if you wanted perfectly clean arms all the time you would probably only have to use the epilator 2-3 times a week. I don’t have that much hair under my arms, so I generally use it once a week to every 10 days.
For more info, check out this video from Christine (xteeener on Youtube) doing a demo on how to use an epilator. I know plucking sounds scary, so let me know if you have questions or concerns!
How do you go about with hair removal? Do you shave, use an epilator, wax, or none of the above?
beautybagg blog 
Mimi, I’m SO curious about using epilators, since I’ve heard the results last longer and you don’t get dark stubble that comes out quickly from shaving.
I’m personally a shaver, and I shave my underarms everyday no matter what time of year (unless I’m going camping). I do this because I don’t like to feel stubble under my arms rather than for any aesthetic reason during colder months.
Have you tried any epilators by Emjoi? I’ve heard those are good..
Hi – I’ve never tried Emjoi but looks like they have some nice reasonably priced options. You should really try an epilator – it is so much better than shaving. Really for me it is painless – sometimes I feel a small tug but really not bad at all.
Mimi, I used to shave until I discovered epilators in college. I hated the stubble shaving left behind. It made my skin feel like sandpaper. For me, the armpit area and bikini area hurt more than my legs which were pretty painless. It’s probably because I waxed them. I really think the level of pain is determined by your hair type and how thick it is.
Personally I don’t think I’d ever be brave enough to try an epilator on my underarms. I am planning on trying sugar waxing though!