Courtesy of Merchant
My first Brazilian wax was comically long. I spent 40 minutes with my legs spread in the air as every last hair was removed, transforming my nether regions into a naked mole rat. It was painful and expensive, but the results lasted weeks. Like many before me, I was hooked. No other hair removal method compared, and I never considered an alternative until I stumbled upon the Braun Epilator Silk-épil 9 (Buy It, $90, was $100, amazon.com).
One of Amazon's best-selling hair removal devices, it removes unwanted hair by plucking it by the root — think tweezers on steroids. In fact, the micro-grip tweezer technology is like simultaneously using 40 tweezers at once, according to the brand. Only it comes with the added bonus of a pivoting head that contours to your body, a light that helps guide each pass over your follicles, and a sensor that prevents you from pressing too hard against your skin. (Related: The Best At-Home Wax Strips)
And if you're wondering how that's any "better than waxing" — like multiple reviewers proclaimed — it all comes down to the skin. Waxing removes skin cells, while an epilator only removes the hair roots. The result is less irritation with the same long-lasting results. Plus, it's far more cost efficient with the device priced similarly to one or two Brazilian waxes at a high-end salon (depending on your location).
Courtesy of Merchant
Buy It: Braun Epilator Silk-épil 9, $90 (was $100), amazon.com
Another perk of swapping to the Braun epilator is that you can remove hair more often. Typically, you need to wait at least three weeks between waxes to ensure the hair is long enough to remove with a wax, but you can use this device on follicles less than half a millimeter long. So long, stubble! (FYI, here's a "freaking miracle" for treating ingrown hairs.)
And if the fear of pain is keeping you attached to an electric razor, listen up. The epilator comes with two modes: gentle and efficient. The first allows a slow approach to hair removal that minimizes pain, while the second charges full speed ahead. This allows you to ease into the process — reviewers even wrote it gets "less painful" over time. Plus, you'll skip the painful razor burn.
Better yet, it's undeniably efficient; one shopper claimed they can remove hair from their arms, legs, bikini line, face, and stomach all in just 20 minutes. The device can also be used on dry or wet skin, and it's totally cordless, which makes it easy to maneuver onto hard-to-reach body parts. (Not ready to swap? Check out the best bikini trimmers.)
Along with more than 4,500 five-star ratings, it was primarily the rave reviewers that convinced me it's officially time to add to cart. One reviewer said it was the "best purchase" ever, and another deemed it a "game changer." While I can't think of any reason not to give it a go, especially with the current 10 percent discount, this shopper summarized it best:
"I will never waste time or money on waxing at [a] spa or home again, or expensive razor refills and shave foam. This unit has already paid for itself in yearly razor refills and does a much better job."
