Life

3 Gentle Epilators That Remove Hair Fast Without Irritating Sensitive Skin

by Margeaux Baulch Klein
fotolia/Sergiy Serdyuk

If you have sensitive skin, hair removal can be downright painful. And, if you've tried the best razors for sensitive skin to no avail, an epilator is a great next step in removing unwanted hair without irritating your skin. Like waxing, epilators pull hair out by the roots, so using one is not totally without pain. But, in order to find one that won't cause excessive pain or irritation, you'll want to keep your eye out for a few things. The best epilators for sensitive skin are usually wet-dry epilators that can be used with a shower gel to create a buffer that protects your skin while you epilate.

When shopping for epilators there are a couple of things to keep top of mind. First, most epilators work by tweezing out hairs as you roll rotating discs along the skin. For this reason, the more tweezers an epilator has, the faster the process of removing hair will be. However, more tweezers may also result in a more painful process. That's why many epilators come with attachments, like caps or trimmers that can help make it easier to use the epilator in extra-sensitive places like the bikini area. Buying one with extra attachments to protect your skin will be crucial.

And, while an epilator may seem like a painful and expensive investment up front, most users report that the more you use them the easier it gets. Check out the top picks for the best epilators for sensitive skin below.

1

The Overall Best Epilator For Sensitive Skin: Braun Silk-épil 5 5-280

While the Braun Silk-épil 5 isn't strictly a wet-dry epilator, it's ideal for sensitive skin for a few reasons. It has 40 tweezer heads for a truly close shave, and is designed with a massaging head that is able to pivot and adapt to your body's contours as you move it along your skin. Some reviewers report that they can hardly feel it at all. As a bonus, this epilator comes with a cooling glove to use afterwards to help lessen irritation and pain, as well as several attachments, like a shaver head, trimmer cap, and an efficiency cap.

What fans say: “I must say that this epilator is the most painless I have used. I felt so little that at first I worried it wasn't really pulling the hairs. So I waited a bit before reviewing to confirm that yes it really did remove the hair. So if you are sensitive regarding pain, this one might be the right one for you.”

2

The Runner Up: Panasonic ES-ED50-N Epilator

Hypoallergenic blades, a pivoting head, and a more dense 48-tweezer count make this Panasonic epilator another excellent choice for a sensitive skin. Even better, this waterproof epilator can be used both wet or dry so you'll be able to use water as a buffer between the epilator and your skin. For extra-sensitive skin or very short hairs, it also has a gentle cap that reduces number of tweezers exposed. This is in addition to the shaver head, pop-up trimmer, and bikini comb that are also included.

What fans say: “I have very sensitive skin and even shaving makes me irritated. I have never been able to shave against the grain in the more sensitive areas because it would cause me to have horrible ingrown hair. Using the epilator, I'm able to get everything smooth and it causes less irritation than shaving does. I exfoliate beforehand and hardly get any ingrown hair at all.”

3

The Best Splurge: Braun Silk-épil 9 9-579 Epilator

Although it's the most expensive epilator on this list, the Braun Silk-épil 9 has features that may make it worth the investment. Described as "virtually painless" with regular use, this epilator boasts an extra-wide head, allowing its 40 tweezers to remove more hair at once. That means less passes across your skin and less time spent epilating. Plus, it can be used wet or dry and comes with an array of extras, like a stand, facial brush, and four different caps, including a trimmer cap, high-frequency massage cap, skin contact cap, and a shaver head.

What fans say: “When I first used this epilator, I thought it wasn't working right since I barely felt a thing. If your skin is sensitive, I would definitely recommend this product since it causes the least amount of discomfort compared to any others I have tried. In fact, I don't even notice it anymore, even when using it on more delicate places than the legs.”

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