How to prepare your legs for epilation with an epilator

Waxing, sugaring, laser treatment in a salon, electrolysis at home - there are many hair removal methods now. However, regardless of the method, preparing the skin for this effective but rather painful procedure includes the same steps. We'll tell you which ones exactly.

1. Why do you need to prepare for hair removal?
2. How to prepare your skin for the epilator
3. Stages of preparing the skin for waxing
4. How to prevent irritation after epilation

Why do you need to prepare for hair removal?

First, let's remember what hair removal is. This is a procedure for removing hair from the root, that is, with the concomitant destruction of the hair follicle. Methods can be very different.

Using wax or wax strips.

Sugaring, when a heated sugar-based paste is used instead of wax.

Hardware photo-, electro- or laser hair removal, which is performed in a beauty salon or clinic.

Electrolysis using a device for home use.

And although depilation is still considered the most popular method (shaving the legs with a machine or using a depilatory cream), epilation is still ahead of it in terms of efficiency. However, also in terms of pain. To reduce this, perhaps the only, but big disadvantage, you will have to prepare the skin.

Hair removal with an epilator is the most effective home hair removal method.
© Skin.ru

Although, of course, there are several more important reasons for preparation:

the risk of ingrown hairs is reduced;

the degree of skin irritation after the procedure decreases;

the risk of red spots and inflammation is minimized;

the efficiency of the procedure increases.

How to prepare your skin for the epilator

For some, an epilator is an instrument of torture, for others it is a useful gadget. This device pulls out hairs by the roots. And yes, it hurts, no matter what the beauties in commercials say. The first experience will most likely not bring positive emotions. But the skin will remain smooth for a long time.

Preparing the skin for the hair removal procedure using an epilator looks like this.

Choose a time when the hairs are 5–6 mm long. This is the optimal indicator for a home epilator.

Avoid sunbathing for several days before hair removal. UV exposure is stressful for the skin, and tanning is a form of inflammation that makes the skin more sensitive.

The day before the procedure (in no case on the day of hair removal), use a scrub, paying special attention to the areas of intended hair removal.

After scrubbing, moisturize your skin well. Most importantly, do not use body butter or oil-based cream. This will complicate the hair removal process. Choose light textures (lotion, milk) that are quickly absorbed without leaving a film.

Immediately before epilation, take a warm bath or at least a shower to steam the skin. This will make the process easier.

Some epilators can be used directly in water. But more often the skin is wiped and moisturized with light milk without oils in the composition. Shaving gel will not work: it will only make it more difficult to grip the hairs.

Steamed skin is more tolerant of the harsh actions of the epilator.
© Skin.ru

Stages of preparing the skin for waxing

Stage 1: Timing

There are three essential conditions here.

Do not epilate your skin on the eve of a special event. The skin may react in different ways, including redness, irritation, or an allergic reaction.

Do not do the procedure on critical days, as the pain threshold is lower at this time. The ideal time is 10–14 days after the start of the cycle.

Avoid spending a lot of time in the sun in the days before and after hair removal. There is no need to double the stress on your skin.

Stage 2: skin preparation

The principle of preparation for any type of hair removal is approximately the same.

Intensively cleanse the skin, freeing it from dead cells of the stratum corneum and impurities - for greater accessibility of hairs.

Moisturize thoroughly to make it more resistant to stress. Use water-based moisturizers, without oils.

Steam your skin before the procedure.

Make sure there is no irritation or inflammation. Otherwise, the procedure will have to be postponed.

Cover moles and age spots with a band-aid before applying wax to avoid damaging them.

Thoroughly exfoliate your feet using a scrub. And before the procedure itself, be sure to cover the moles so as not to injure these particularly sensitive areas of the skin.
© Skin.ru

Stage 3: Mental preparation

It will hurt. But besides the boring “beauty requires sacrifice”, this point will calm you down a little: with regular hair removal, the hairs become thinner and weaker, and the procedure becomes easier.

Lifehacks to minimize hair removal stress.

Allow at least one and a half to two hours for hair removal. Most likely, it will take less time, but in order to calmly get on with this important matter, it is better not to rush.

If you are epilating at home, turn on relaxing music, you can even light aromatic candles. The calmer you are, the lower the level of stress on your skin and the faster it will recover.

Stage 4: skin care after the procedure

Having breathed a sigh of relief, proceed to post-epilation care.

Soothe your skin with products with a softening and anti-stress effect. Essential oils are not your help: these are very active ingredients that can further irritate skin that is sensitive after hair removal. Your choice is formulas with chamomile, aloe, allantoin, vitamin B5.

Wear light, loose clothing and let your skin breathe.

After epilating your armpits, do not use deodorants for two days unless the label says “for sensitive skin” or “suitable for use after epilation.”

Avoid sunbathing, bathing or other thermal effects on the skin for the next couple of days. It is also undesirable to visit a swimming pool with chlorinated water.

2-3 days after the procedure, use a scrub to prevent ingrown hairs.

Moisturize your skin daily.

How to prevent irritation after epilation

“Oils, especially dense ones, are generally undesirable in aftershave products. They usually contain components that restore the skin (panthenol, allantoin, bisabolol), soothing substances, vitamins E and C.”

Tools Overview

Body scrubs

Nourishing body scrub “Precious Beauty Scrub”, Garnier exfoliates with cupuaçu seeds and nourishes with argan, almond, macadamia and rose oils.

Cream body scrub “Coriander”, Kiehl’s exfoliates due to the action of cylindrical loofah, softens and moisturizes due to the content of aloe and chamomile extracts.

Body moisturizing without oils

Care that accelerates the restoration of the skin barrier, Cicaplast Gel B5, La Roche-Posay based on thermal water, hyaluronic acid, panthenol and madecassoside, it is designed to restore skin after aesthetic procedures.

Intensively restorative body milk Nutrix Royal Body, Lancôme Thanks to peptides and hazelnut extract, it stimulates the internal forces of the skin and helps restore the hydrolipid mantle.

Ultra-fresh moisturizing body gel Aqua-Gelée, Biotherm effectively moisturizes, is instantly absorbed and is suitable for the most sensitive skin, so it is very appropriate after hair removal.

Removing unwanted hair is a mandatory procedure for almost all women, but few people know how to do it correctly. The majority of the fair sex prefer a regular razor and spend a few minutes of their time removing hair, and then complain that ingrown hairs, redness and irritation appear.

The whole point is that depilation on various parts of the body - this is a process that requires enough experience and skill. You should pay attention to some recommendations from cosmetologists in order to properly prepare your skin for hair removal using various methods. Of course, you can regularly visit a beauty salon and trust your legs, groin and bikini area to professionals, or you can independently master the skills of properly preparing your skin for hair removal and significantly save time and money. Regardless of which method you choose to remove unwanted hair, preparing your skin for the process will be the same.
Follow the following recommendations, and you will forever forget about ingrown hairs, pain and skin thinning.

1. Only hair removal using The razor does not require additional skin preparation. Epilation with wax, a special cream, using sugaring or a regular epilator is a rather complex procedure, so it is so important to prepare the skin in advance and reduce the possibility of ingrown hairs. Initially, you should choose a suitable body scrub. It is not at all necessary to use coffee grounds or large apricot kernel crumbs; you can easily use even your simplest facial scrub for this procedure. The scrub should also not irritate the skin; it requires gentle cleansing of the skin from dead cells.

2. Spend a day procedure exfoliation of dead particles of the epidermis to cleanse the skin area of ​​possible impurities and dead skin. You need to apply a little scrub to your fingertips and massage the skin on which you will be epilating in different directions. It is better to do this first clockwise, and then vice versa.

Try to make it smooth movement, so as not to injure the skin, because during hair removal you can only increase these wounds. You can even prepare a scrub at home by mixing a tablespoon of honey, a pinch of sugar and a drop of tea tree essential oil. Under no circumstances scrub areas of your body until pain occurs, as you will only scratch the skin. Cleaning the skin of dead particles should be as gentle as possible. Rinse off any remaining product with warm water and gently pat your skin with a dry cotton towel.

3. Humidification stage. If you properly nourish your skin, hair removal will be much easier and less painful. You can buy any body cream based on natural oils or fats of animal origin. Immediately after you have removed all the dead particles with a scrub and blotted away the moisture with a towel, apply a thick layer of cream or body lotion. The thing is that after applying the belongings, all the pores open, so the skin can best absorb the cream at that moment. This hydration will also soften the hair follicles and epilating various areas of the body the next day will be much easier.

4. Stands alone Mark the fact that on the day of hair removal you do not need to additionally cleanse the skin and apply moisturizer. After removing hair, wear loose, organic cotton clothing to avoid causing additional irritation. Subsequent procedures for using the scrub can be carried out only two days after hair removal.

5. If you prefer remove hair mechanically: sugaring, epilator or wax, then make sure in advance that the hairs are short. The best option would be to go over the skin with a razor a week before the procedure, because in a few days the hairs will become the optimal length and you will not have to endure severe pain during the process. Cosmetologists have found that the optimal hair length for hair removal is 3-5 mm.

World specialists cosmetology claim that regrown hairs and irritation are the consequences of improper preparation of the skin for hair removal. Every woman can learn how to remove hair at home, even in the bikini area. There is no single advice for everyone in terms of choosing a hair removal method: some women prefer the effect an epilator gives, while others prefer waxing.

If you want to protect your skin from damage, then apply a high-quality scrub and moisturizer the day before. It is also important to take into account that hair removal is a procedure that all representatives of the fair sex do regularly, therefore skin care should be daily. You need to avoid dryness and tightness of the skin, because this will not only complicate the hair removal process, but will also create additional pain.

Any specialist will tell you that hair removal should only be done on moistened skin. Regularly lubricate your skin with moisturizer every day and exfoliate dead particles with a scrub 2 times a week. It is not at all necessary to buy the most expensive product in a cosmetic store, and if you cannot afford to buy this product, then prepare a scrub from honey and sugar, as described above.

— Return to section table of contents "Dermatology"

A woman's beauty lies in regular care of her hair, face and body. Silky skin without a single hair gives ladies an aesthetic appearance. Every representative of the fairer sex strives for this ideal. To achieve their desire to have skin without excess hair, girls are ready to endure pain, spend a fabulous amount in a cosmetologist’s salon, and experiment with folk recipes at home. Is there such a thing: permanent hair removal using a miniature device - an epilator?

What does “epilation” and “depilation” mean?

The meaning of these seemingly synonyms is often confused. It is necessary to define each action in relation to unwanted hair. When influencing the follicular structure of the hair root using a special cosmetic device, as well as when completely removing the hair, we talk about hair removal.

How does an epilator work?

A device designed for hair removal is an integral part of body care. The epilator operates from an electrical network. The device is equipped with several metal disks or a number of tweezers.

The classic model of the unit does not have removable attachments and removes hair only from the legs. Modified epilators are capable of treating areas with vegetation in hard-to-reach places (armpits, bikini area).

Modern models of epilators have a removable top, instead of which various types of modifiers of the working surface of the device are installed. Using attachments, the skin of the treated area can be massaged and cooled. The epilator attachments are easy to handle and clean after each use.

What is the best method for hair removal?

Hair removal involves some pain during the procedure. Many representatives of the fairer sex do not see the difference between shaving hair and epilation with a device. The advantages of the second option are obvious. After using the epilator:

Vegetation on the skin does not grow back for a long time (more than 2 weeks).
After hardware hair removal, the risk of developing irritation is minimal. When using a razor, rashes in the form of red pimples often appear.
The appearance of dark spots (hair follicles) on the skin after the procedure is excluded.
The woman does not experience painful shock. For example: when removing hair using the sugaring method, when caramel paste is applied to the skin, after removing it from the skin, girls cannot come to their senses for a long time from the pain they experienced.
The top layer of the skin becomes completely clean.

Epilator priorities

Lasting results

Removing unwanted hair using a razor does not have long-lasting results. With its help, only half of the hair is removed. Its lower part remains under the skin and does not look aesthetically pleasing after shaving.

On the second day after shaving, hair emerges from under the top layer of the epidermis and is detected by running your hand over the surface. Vegetation becomes tough and prickly.

Saving money

Using a home epilator you can significantly save on visiting expensive salons. It is possible to carry out the procedure for removing vegetation in any areas at home, applying the rules for using a modified device.

High-quality hair removal without additional devices

The epilator can be used without the use of additional cosmetics: cream, foam, soap, balms. When carrying out the procedure by other methods, the presence of third-party objects and manipulations (wax strips, warming devices) is assumed.

A positive quality of the hair removal device is its portability. You can take the car with you on any trip. Easy maintenance and simple processing of parts after use are the leading qualities of the device.

Autonomous operation mode

Upgraded devices do not have wires. Such units receive electricity from a power supply built into the lower base of the device. The epilator can be used for an hour.

Contraindications for using an epilator

The use of this type of hair removal is not suitable for some people for the following reasons:

Diseases of peripheral veins (varicose veins, thrombosis).
Violation of the integrity of the upper layer of the epidermis and dermis (cuts, wounds, papillomas).
Any trimester of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, gynecologists do not recommend using an epilator for several reasons:

The procedure for removing vegetation involves the presence of spasm in certain groups of muscle fibers.
Blood pressure increases.
Epilation does not exclude the presence of pain. In stressful situations, the adrenal glands produce norepinephrine - the “fear hormone”, which can have a detrimental effect on the emotional state of a pregnant woman.

How to determine the quality of an hair removal device?

You need to choose a hair removal device strictly individually. The choice depends on several factors:

Speed ​​adjustment. Each zone of the skin has its own speed limit. The bikini area and armpits are thoroughly treated with metal discs at low speed. Epilation of other parts of the body occurs at high speed.

Additional attachments. A positive aspect when purchasing an epilator will be the presence of additional devices for the device in the form of attachments and massage rollers. Function of additional devices: reduce pain during hair removal.

Size. The size of the epilator should not exceed the size of your palm. For ease of use, the shape of the device should correspond to the physiological curves of the hand.

8 rules for a comfortable procedure

In order to relax as much as possible and get an effective result from hair removal, you need to follow some rules.

To ensure that the first procedure is not too painful, hair removal should begin with areas of the skin where there is the least amount of hair.
It is recommended to remove vegetation in several stages with pauses.
It is recommended not to cut hairs less than four millimeters long. To achieve maximum effect, the epilator discs must capture the hair completely, which will not happen at this length. Wait a few days and only then use the hardware hair removal method.
It is recommended to start epilation at a low speed of the cutting discs. You can increase the speed setting after your skin gets used to the effects of the device.
Hot water expands the pores of the skin, which has a beneficial effect on the effectiveness of removal.
Distraction maneuver: musical accompaniment. It is enough to turn on pleasant, calm music so as not to expect pain and to increase the emotional background.
Memories from life about pleasant moments. Positive moments from the past affect the production of the “joy hormone”.
Fantasizing, dreams: imagining what you want as a moment that has already come true has a positive effect on emotions.

Correct hair removal: main points

Selecting an individual nozzle for a specific treatment area. Carefully read the instructions for use of the device. For areas of increased pain (bikini, armpits), the kit includes special accessories with a floating head.
Hair is removed exclusively at a vertical angle of the nozzle. In the groin area and axillary fold - in a circular motion.
To reduce pain symptoms, the skin must be slightly stretched in the opposite direction from the epilator head.
Some modifiers are equipped with a blowing system. The thermostat turns on when treating areas with tough vegetation.
It is recommended to carry out the procedure one and a half hours before bedtime. Signs of redness and irritation will disappear during sleep.
After removing vegetation, use moisturizing cosmetics.

Treatment of individual zones with an epilator

Deep bikini

Before epilation, it is recommended to treat a small area of ​​the groin area using tweezers. This measure is necessary to prepare the skin for pain.

The use of analgesics in the form of tablets orally is not recommended. After the procedure, treat the skin with an alcohol-containing preparation and a nourishing cosmetic.

Armpits

To achieve the maximum effect with a minimum of pain, you need to pull the skin fold in the opposite direction from the epilator nozzle. The metal blades of the device may not be able to cope with too thick vegetation. Before epilation, you should carefully cut off long hair with nail scissors. To reduce the risk of irritation, treat the skin with a neutral cosmetic product and apply cold to the surface.

Epilation of legs

Before starting the procedure, carry out hygiene measures: steam your feet, rub the skin with a hard washcloth. Start removing hair from a less painful place - the outer surface of the thigh. After this, the popliteal fossa and ankles are treated. The duration of epilation of the lower extremities is up to 60 minutes or more.

Problems with ingrown hairs after hair removal

What does the term “ingrown hair” mean? With regular use of the epilator, the structure of unwanted hairs changes. The vegetation becomes soft and sparse. As a result of deep hair removal, individual hairs can “grow” into the skin.

This problem can be avoided if you use scrubs and creams with an exfoliating effect a few hours before the procedure. Thinning of the corneal skin will not retard natural hair growth.

If the problem does arise, it is recommended to visit a cosmetologist’s office. Ingrown hairs can cause inflammatory skin diseases.