A beard or mustache may look sexy on a man, but for many women facial hair or stubble can be very distressing. Gone are the days of the bearded lady at the circus; nowadays most women want to remove that unwanted facial hair as quickly as possible. A survey by Bristol-Myers, a manufacturer of health and grooming products, found approximately 20 million American women remove facial hair at least once a week.
The luckier women among us may only have superfine facial hair that doesn’t grow back for weeks but others may have thicker more stubborn facial hair that needs daily attention. As we get older we may find the facial hair increases or in some cases it may be due to a hormonal imbalance. Many younger girls during puberty will suffer with fine facial hair as their bodies go through hormonal changes.
Epilation of the legs and rest of the body has become popular over the last few decades as a method of hair removal with longer lasting results. It’s only very recently that manufacturers have started to make epilators especially for the face and made attachments or caps that give a whole body epilator the ability to work on the face too.
Let’s take a look at some of the features you should consider when choosing an epilator to use on your face, before selecting five of the top selling best facial epilators.
Why Epilate? Why Not Just Shave or Wax?
Looking at the price of epilators and hearing about the potential pain of springs or tweezers grabbing hairs on your face, you may be wondering why not just use a traditional method of hair removal.
Shaving
Shaving is the original and oldest method of facial hair removal. It’s fast, easy, inexpensive and can be done in the comfort of your own home. But shaving only removes hair at the surface and doesn’t go down to the roots. Hair grows back pretty quickly, sometimes looking thicker with blunt ends and you have to shave more frequently.
Shaving can also irritate more sensitive skin, there’s more chance of nicks and cuts, it can cause ingrown hairs and may leave a five o’clock shadow where the skin darkens after constant shaving. A better way to deal with unwanted facial hairs is to go for their roots. Waxing or depilatory creams are two traditional methods that get rid of unwanted hair from the roots and will have longer lasting results.
Wax Treatments
Waxing can either be done in a salon or at home, but either way you’ll be spending more money each time you do it. As well as ripping out hairs, waxing also rips off layers of dead skin cells which causes inflammation, red bumps, rashes and the possibility of ingrown hairs. If not done correctly, waxing can cause serious burns or a lot of pain. Waxing may offer long lasting results, but you have to wait until there’s regrowth before you can wax again and even done right it hurts.
Depilatory Creams
Depilatory creams are a much less painful method of hair removal that you can do at home. Creams vary in price but are generally inexpensive and application is easy enough to repeat at home. The effects may not last as long as waxing as the creams only dissolve the hairs rather than pulling them out. The worst thing about this method is the harsh chemicals that usually have a strong unpleasant odor and can cause severe allergic reactions, burning or rashes.
The idea of little tweezers yanking the hairs out doesn’t sound too bad now! You’ll get just as long lasting results as waxing without the mess, but it’ll still hurt, especially the first time you use an epilator. Plus after your initial purchase, there’s no further outlay and you’ll actually save money.
Facial Epilator or Traditional All-Over Body Epilator?
Perhaps the biggest decision when looking for the best facial epilator is whether you buy an epilator that’s specifically designed for removal of fine hair from the face, or a traditional epilator that has head attachments allowing it to be used on the face? If you only intend to use the epilator on the face, a specialized facial option is probably the best choice.
Facial epilators are usually much slimmer and easier and more gentle to use on the face than regulator epilators. They can also be less expensive and may end up saving you money. Facial epilators typically feature smaller heads with fewer tweezers enabling you to tackle every contour and hard to reach corners of your face and neck area.
If you intend to use an epilator on other areas of your body like the legs, arms, and underarm areas, there are many epilators that come with a facial attachment or cap. Epilators that feature a facial cap often come with other attachments too, including maybe a bikini trimmer or sensitive delicate cap and are extremely versatile tools. They’re generally more expensive, especially for a good-quality epilator, and are bulkier with extra attachments to carry about too. In the worst case scenario, some of the caps often don’t fit too well to the epilator or even fall off during use.
What to Look for in a Facial Epilator
An epilator designed for facial use needs to have long-lasting power as it can often take longer to reach every nook and cranny for a smooth hair-free face. You don’t want one to stop working mid operation. Most battery operated facial epilators only tend to be good for 15 to 20 minutes and if using disposable batteries can eat their way through them. A rechargeable unit is a better option, just ensure you keep it charged enough or for complete reliability a corded option is best. You need to ensure the epilator has enough power to even pull out fine hairs.
Your skin type and type of facial hair can influence which facial epilator you choose. Some of us are blessed with finer ‘peach fuzz’ hair which can be quite easy to remove and needs fewer tweezers but unfortunately coarse more stubborn facial hair can also be a problem for women. Some facial epilators advertise to be more suitable for coarse, thicker facial hair, but in experience a full sized epilator is often the best choice for coarse hairs.
Fine hairs require special skills from an epilator too. Many epilators have ninja-like skills to creep up to the tiniest hairs and yank them out. If you want to avoid stubble on the face, ensure that your new epilator is designed to pull out super short fine hairs.
Durability can be another important factor. Try to avoid buying too cheap a model that’ll break down after only a few months of use, normally just before you need it most. Look at the different warranties offered and in general try to choose a brand you’re familiar with. A good-quality facial epilator should last at least two years without any repairs.
What Are the Best Facial Epilators?
Looking for the best facial epilator can often be bewildering; there are so many different brands and models available to choose from. We’ve looked at some of the top-selling epilators, concentrating mainly on specific facial epilators, to bring you five models which in our opinion are the best facial epilators.
Our Choice
A silky smooth hair and stubble free face is something most of us ladies aspire to. It’s also something we don’t want to spend too long on or have to repeat too often to maintain. In our opinion, the Braun Face 820 is the best facial epilator on the market, and you get a face cleaning and exfoliating brush as an added bonus. A smooth hair-free face and a glowing complexion; what more could we want?!
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