Professional laser hair removal is not cheap. It may be effective, but you’ll really be paying for the privilege. Thankfully, there are many options for permanent hair removal at home.
One of those chocies is a home laser hair removal device, such as the Remington iLight Pro. Its a hugely popular device and for good reason. There are very few, if any, home hair removal products that can rival it.
In the iLight Series there are 3 different models: iLight Pro, iLight Pro Plus Quartz, and the iLight Ultra. We’ll discuss the differences of these 3 in this review and why you might choose one over the other.
Pros and Cons of the Remington iLight Pro:
The Good
+ Scientifically proven
+ No recharging required
+ FDA approved
+ Comfortable shape makes it easy to use
+ Results within 6 months (3 with the Ultra and Pro Quartz)
+ Trusted brand
+ 3 year warranty
– Have to buy replacement cartridges (except the Ultra – has lifetime cartridges)
– Expensive
– Unusable on darker skin tones
– Not very portable
What is the Remington iLight Pro?
The Remington iLight Pro is an IPL hair removal device. It flashes an intense pulse of light at the skin, which targets the hair follicles and disrupts their growth. Over a period of 3-12 months hair growth will be substantially reduced and the hair that does keep growing will be significantly lighter and weaker, making removal very easy.
There are 3 models of Remington iLight to choose from. These are the main differences:
What do these differences mean?
Flashes per bulb – The more flashes per bulb we get, the longer each bulb will last before needing to be replaced. In this respect the iLight Ultra can cover an area of 195,000cm², which is the equivalent of around 50 full body sessions (including face, underarms, bikini area and legs). This should last you up to 3 years! The warranty is for 3 years too, so this gives us comfort that Remington is confident in their product.
Facial use vs body only – Out of the 3 devices, only the Remington iLight Ultra can be used on the face, but only for female facial hair. This is because male facial hair is far too thick for IPL to have a lasting effect. All devices can be used on the whole body.
Bulb size – The Remington iLight Pro and the Remington iLight Pro Plus both have a treatment area size of 2cm², whilst the Ultra has 3cm². This means that the Ultra can be more effective on larger surfaces such as the legs and can speed up your session times by 50%.
Bulb material – As you can see in the comparisons above, the glass bulb is inferior to the quartz ones. This is simply a quality of material issue. Quartz is able to hold up without being damaged for a much larger volume of IPL flashes.
Design & Impressions of Remington iLight
Portability
All versions of the Remington iLight are home IPL devices. If you are hoping to get something light and portable I’m afraid you’re out of luck. While they’re not immovable, don’t expect to be able to carry them around in your handbag!
No Recharging
A positive of having a device like this as opposed to something portable is that there’s no need to recharge it. You don’t have to sit around and wait for the battery to fill up, and you won’t get caught in those situations where you forgot to put it on charge.
As long as it’s plugged in, the Remington iLight will work perfectly and for as long as you need it.
You might be worried about the cord, as some people who epilate are, and having it get in the way while you’re using the device. Its a 1.7m cord and is nice and thick. In our experience it doesn’t have the ability to tangle and is fairly easy to get out of the way.
Levels of Intensity & Modes
The Remington iLight has 2 modes: Single Flash and Multi Flash. These are very handy depending on what and where you are removing hair.
Single Flash – This is more suited to when you want to take your time and be precise. Simply position the window, press and release the button and it will flash once.
Multi Flash – When you are treating larger areas like the legs and don’t want to have to keep pressing the button, the Multi Flash mode will flash every 2 seconds. All you need to do is move the device to the next spot before it flashes again.
There are also 5 levels of intensity to choose from. The way to discover which level is most suitable for you is:
Start at the lowest level (1)
Flash your skin in 1 or 2 locations
If it is not uncomfortable move up to the next level
Stop if you start to feel any pain
If there is no negative reaction then you can continue with that intensity level
Flash Rate & Heat
While the Multi Flash mode is really helpful to ensure that you can get the job done nice and quick, it does have a drawback.
We found that in sustained sessions of IPL the device actually gets quite hot. Meaning that we’d have to stop for a while to let it cool down. This isn’t an issue if you’re doing sessions of around 30 minutes, but when you start to hit 1 hour you might experience this too.
We recommend you give the device a few minutes to cool down if it gets too hot for you and then continue.
Ergonomic Design
The design of the Remington iLight Pro and Ultra is very well done. For something that you’ll be holding and maneuvering around for long periods of time how comfortable it feels in your hand is quite important.
In this respect Remington has nailed it. The device is comfortable and agile.
Usage & What to Expect from Remington iLight Pro
Will the Remington iLight Pro work on me?
It is very important to know that IPL is unfortunately not effective on darker skin tones (and over tattoos!), and can actually be dangerous.
This is because darker skin can absorb more light energy than lighter skin, meaning it is far more susceptible to being burnt by an IPL device.
The Remington iLight has a skin tone sensor on the base device so that you can check if your skin is compatible, and actually as a safety measure the device will not power on unless this condition is satisfied.
We have to commend Remington for this feature as some people will ignore safety warnings and could seriously damage their skin otherwise.
Here’s a quick guide to see if your skin might be at risk if using IPL:
The 2 problems with the skin tone sensor are:
It is located on the base device instead of the wand, so it can be awkward to put your skin up to the sensor. Having it on the actual handheld part would be far more convenient.
It doesn’t set intensity levels to those that are appropriate for your skin tone. The best way to do this yourself is to simply start at the lowest level and move up as long as it does not become painful.
Different Hair Colors
These types of devices are far more suited to people with darker hair, but yes it is also possible to see results with blonde hair. You may have to use the highest intensity setting but also be aware that it might not work at all.
As far as we are aware, this device cannot be used on grey hair.
Ok, so how do I use it?
Using an IPL device is quite straightforward. We always encourage you to read the manual before using any device, but as a quick introduction:
What should I expect and how long until I see results?
Remington states that you will see results after 3 fortnightly treatments – in fact a 94% reduction in hair in those areas.
In the manual it says that to get “good results” you should commit to 6-12 weekly treatments.
Obviously individual results will vary but we were very happy with the results we experienced after 3 months.
Patience is key!
Is it safe?
Yes. IPL has been studied extensively and these particular devices have been approved by the FDA.
The Remington iLight Pro is actually very similar to what professional dermatologists use.
You may need to wear protective glasses if you are using it on your face but as long as you don’t look at the device when it flashes you should be fine. The manual states that glasses are not needed.
Final Thoughts on Remington iLight Devices
These devices really are a game changer. In our opinion IPL/laser treatment is by far the most effective method to use if you want to remove hair. The fact that you can now do it at home instead of paying for an expensive professional treatment, and see similar results, is amazing.
Oh and don’t forget to register online for the warranty within 28 days!
And if you’re still not convinced the Remington iLight is for you, check out our detailed comparison of all the top IPL devices on the market.
