11 Ways to Make Your Epilation as Painless as Possible

The woman’s body is more sensitive just before her period, while it’s less sensitive a few days after it’s finished. This is just one of the ways to achieve a less painful epilation which is why you should calculate the days and act accordingly. When it comes to hair removal, the most common methods are by using epilators, waxing, sugaring, and lasers. What all of them have in common is, of course, pain.

At Bright Side, we present you with some crucial suggestions that you should consider before you decide to start epilating — it will save you a lot of ouchies!

1. Use foam or body cream for a smoother removal.

Apply cream or gel to your body before starting. This way, the hair and the skin are softer and the epilation becomes smoother. If you want to avoid pain, you don’t want dehydrated or dry skin because this makes it more difficult for the epilator method to extract the hair. Wipe the foam or cream off gently and start the hair removal process.

2. Try epilating in the shower using a waterproof epilator.

Few people know that the best way to achieve a quick and painless epilation is by doing it while showering via waterproof epilators. The hair is softer and the pores open up. Plus, cleaning is easy and can be done right then and there. Also, the epilator is running on batteries so it’s compact and you can take it with you on your travels.

3. Use a scrub or spa glove to exfoliate a few days earlier.

Exfoliating a few days before and after the process helps with removing dead skin and can bring out any ingrown hairs so that afterward, removal is easier and painless. You can make a natural body scrub by mixing brown sugar with your regular shower gel or with olive oil to smoothen the area. Use a bath glove, your sponge, or your hands to gently scrub the hairy areas 2-3 days before and after the epilation.

4. Shave your hair 2-3 days prior or trim it before starting.

By shaving a few days before the epilation, you eliminate the number of hairs that are going to be epilated. As a result, you eliminate the pain. You can try epilating again every few days for the hair left which will be an easy start for you. Or trim the hairs before starting the process in order to avoid the pain of pulling longer hairs.

5. Wait 6 to 8 hours after you’ve had coffee or soda.

As caffeine is an energizer, the consumption of caffeine drinks right before epilation might increase the pain sensation. So, it’s better to wait for the caffeine to get out of your system before starting the process.

6. Take a quick shower or a warm bath before epilation.

Hot steam and warm water open up the skin’s pores and soften the hairs. If you choose to shower right before epilation, you’ll see a major difference right away during the process. The pain will be less noticeable and the hairs will be removed more easily.

7. The higher the number of tweezers on the epilator, the less the pain.

If you’re using an epilator for hair removal, opt for one with a higher number of tweezers. Those epilators need fewer strokes over the hairy areas because they track a great number of hairs at once. This way, you can avoid irritation and the passes are less painful.

8. Squeeze the hairy area you’re going to epilate.

Everybody knows about the stretching technique when it comes to hair removal. But a less painful trick is instead of stretching your skin, squeeze it. This is super easy to do: simply squeeze the skin in the area you want to epilate using your index finger and your thumb. This way, you suppress the pain receptors and the hairs are more easily reachable by the epilator, which makes the stroke painless.

9. Avoid epilating right before or during your period.

Because of the high hormone levels, a woman’s body has higher sensitivity right before and during menstrual bleeding. The best time to do this is 3-4 days after your period has finished. This means, of course, that epilation is more painful during those days. However, this may vary from one woman to another.

10. Release tension and breathe properly.

During epilation, like with exercise, proper breathing makes a big difference. Remember to release tension before starting, breathe in and out naturally, and during the pulling, take a big breath. If you’re tensed, your skin will be tight and it’ll be more difficult for the epilator to extract the hairs thus, providing you with more pain.

11. Distract yourself by doing other things in the meantime.

If you want to reduce the pain during the process, one of the best pieces of advice is to find yourself a distraction. Watch your favorite TV series, or sing along to the radio. You can also try chit-chatting with friends on the phone or even better: do the process with a friend. By keeping your mind busy, you focus on something else rather than the pain which decreases the amount of energy your brain can spend on it.

Bonus: Know which areas are the most painful and avoid them.

It’s not your imagination; some areas on your body hurt more than others. For example, the bikini line and the area under our armpits are the most painful. If you have low pain tolerance, then it’s better to avoid using epilation in those parts and maybe consider depilating instead.

What method do you use? Do you have any tips for healthy skin that you swear by? Share your secret recipes in the comments.