Kaya Ward she/her/hers. Public Figure. Model Actress Athlete NTA Talent and Model mgmt. She's a proud transgender woman who lives her life out loud with a purpose to educate, encourage, and inspire.
This article is written from Kayla's perspective where she shares her experience with laser, electrolysis, and IPL hair removal.
If you're looking for a better way to get rid of unwanted facial and body hair at home (permanently) click here to learn more.
Kayla Ward: My MTF Hair Removal Experience
Today I'm going to be talking about laser hair removal and my review of the KetchBeauty IPL handset.
Before I get into my at home laser hair removal review, I'm going to share a little bit of my experience with laser hair removal.
As a trans woman who began her journey almost 10 years ago all the way back in 2012, the first thing I wanted to do was to get rid of my facial hair.
The reason why is because it sucked having to shave my face every morning before getting ready and putting my makeup on.
What was worse is if I wanted to go out that night, I'd have to come home and wash my face so I could shave again just to get rid of the five o'clock shadow... to then get ready and go out.
Thankfully I don't have to do the second part anymore but I do still have to shave my face every freaking day and it's super annoying and I'm really over it.
The only reason why I still have that problem is that laser hair removal and electrolysis are so expensive.
Back in 2012, a session of electrolysis cost $100 USD. Around the same time, I was also able to get five (5) sessions of laser hair removal for $100 USD if I was able to find deals on Groupon.
All in all, I mostly opted for laser and I ended up doing three sessions of electrolysis when I was able to save up for it.
Because I typically stuck with laser, I did have to get more sessions and had to try to stay on a schedule so it's really effective and gets rid of the hair.
However, the groupon for laser hair removal weren't always available or I just didn't have the money at the time so I was never able to follow that schedule.
This is why I still have to deal with some unwanted hair growth today.
It's not as bad as it was before getting any treatments and I probably don't need to shave because no one else can really see the hair but, I feel it and to feel confident I have to just shave and be done with it for the day.
I'd also love to laser my legs, underarm, and bikini but it's so unbelievably expensive.
I remember a few years ago I was looking to get my legs lasered and it was around $600 USD... or more.
It's just crazy how expensive these things have gotten over the years. How are people supposed to be able to afford these things?
When I get up in the morning I'd love to be able to just go for a run, shoot some hoops, or get a workout in without having to shower and shave first.
I'm probably not the only one (maybe you're like me) but, when I run I get really bad ingrown hairs from my thighs rubbing together.
It causes a rash, gets irritated, burns, and it's annoying and it's the same issue with my underarms.
So with that being said, I'd love to not have to deal with it but again... laser and electrolysis are expensive.
Why I gave at home laser hair removal a try
About a year ago, I saw my friend Carolina do a YouTube review video with KetchBeauty.
I'm sure you know who Carolina is. We've done some videos together before, we moved here to LA together, and if you're not following her channel you should be.
Anyways, I saw her do this video about at home laser hair removal and I immediately reached out because I've seen at home laser kits for a while but never really believed they worked.
So at this point, I had to get her opinion before I tried it.
Once I spoke to Caroland she said as long as you stay on schedule it's actually pretty effective.
I took her word for it and decide "Okay, I'm gonna save up some money and buy one".
But then, several months later KetchBeauty actually reached out to me and asked me to try their product and do an open and honest review.
This was like a godsend for me because it saved me money that I didn't have because well... I live in Los Angeles now and things are expensive.
So, back in March of this year (It's November now!), KetchBeauty sent me their V4.1 IPL which is amazing by the way and they're not paying me to say it! This is an honest review and unbiased review.
Even though I got the IPL in March, I'm just now doing the review because life happens and summer was right around the corner.
Being the person that I am, I love to be outside in the sun, I love being at the beach, playing basketball, out hiking, and with laser/IPL you really shouldn't be in direct sunlight for extended periods of time before or after treatment.
But that wasn't going to happen because this is LA and it's summer. Speaking of which, that's how some people end up getting burned from lasers or IPL.
So, I reached out to KetchBeauty and let them know my concerns and they said " well how about we try the bikini area?"
This was perfect for me because my bikini area pretty much never sees the sun and it was a great opportunity to see if this thing really does work.
I thought this would be the best case study because that particular area of my body had dark, thick, coarse hair.
If you remember me saying earlier that I was already ready to be done with my inner legs/bikini area because it got so irritated and razor burns when I shaved it. It was an obnoxious area.
So fast forward to now, I will tell you that KetchBeauty's IPL did work and it does take some time especially in an area like that.
My biggest problem is remembering to use it because it doesn't take much time at all to use and only just once a week literally takes a minute.
As crazy and simple as it sounds and is, I would just completely forget and had to change my whole schedule.
Anyways, the V4.1 comes with three (3) different lamps (Hair Removal, Acne Treatment, and Skin Rejuvenation), three (3) different plug adapters in case you want to travel with it (US/UK/EU), and five (5) different levels.
You don't need to worry about batteries because you can just plug it in where and whenever and use it.
You also don't have to worry about ever buying a new one because the lamps where the light pulse comes out are detachable and replaceable, unlike some other brands that charge wy more for their devices that only last for three months.
When it comes to the different settings, I always started off low to get used to it and it's also recommended that when you are doing laser or IPL hair removal to do a patch test.
I'd recommend starting this way just to make sure there's not any kind of damage caused to your skin in any way.
Like I keep saying, it's really easy to use!
Once it is plugged in, all you have to do is pick an intensity level, put it against your skin where you want to get rid of unwanted hair, and click the big button, let it flash, move to the next section, and that's literally all it takes.
So for the bikini area, it would only need like a minute for me to treat it all because it's not a large area.
Now that winter is right around the corner and I won't be going out as much, I won't be as active in the sunlight and I'll finally be able to try the device in other areas.
From the results I've seen so far using this around my bikini area, I'm super excited to use this to finally get rid of my leg and underarm hair.
I really recommend this product, it does work and has been effective so far and I will definitely keep you updated on the journey as I try it on other parts of my body.
Another thing that I love about the KetchBeauty IPL is that it's pretty much for everyone!
So if you have:
- unwanted hair
- tired of shaving
- tired of all the expense
- the razor burn
- the irritation
The KetchBeauty IPL is your answer! It's super easy, effective, and not at all time-consuming.
If you have any quests feel free to leave a comment on my videos or on Instagram but most of the questions you have should already be answered on KetchBeauty's website.
I didn't go into detail about why IPL hair removal works or how it works because KetchBeauty lays it all out on their website.
I can also say that I know I've talked about this from my experience as a trans woman, and to other trans women out there, this company is really supportive, encouraging, and they understand.
You will see a lot of us on YouTube that is part of the trans community who've done reviews of KetchBeauty and they have multiple pages dedicated to talking about transitioning and hair removal.
Personally, I've loved how encouraging and supportive KetchBeauty has been... just in our dialogue.
So again, I really like their IPL, I think it worked really well, and thank you so much KetchBeauty! I'm excited to see how this worked on other parts of my body.
"At Home Laser Hair Removal" By KetchBeauty - Do your ownlaser hair removal at home with KetchBeauty's at home laser hair removal handsets. Results guaranteed within 90 days or your money back.
