Epilators vs Shaving (Especially For Women With Darker Hair) – My Review Of The Emjoi Epilator

While there are plenty of benefits to being a true brunette, the downside is that your body hair is much more obvious.

Since dark hair shows up much easier than light-colored, blonde hair does… when you have dark hair, it’s much more of a challenge to stay smooth and hair-free.

While your blonde friends always seem to be perfectly stubble-free, you have to work a little harder at it.

If you haven’t tried an epilator yet, let me be the first to tell you: it’s time!

Epilators remove body hair quicker, easier, and for a longer period of time than shaving does.

 

Shaving vs Epilating

The bottom line…

Shaving is definitely not the best way (especially for brunettes!) to remove body hair.

Waxing, a type of epilation, also has its downsides.

Thankfully, there’s a better solution that sidesteps the problems associated with waxing and shaving: epilating!

Without a doubt, rotary epilators are great for removing all types of hair — especially coarse, dark body hair.

Here’s why…

 

#1 – No More Stubble

Right after you shave, your legs are smooth. But within a few days, they go right back to feeling like a cheese grater.

That’s because razors only cut hair at the skin’s surface, leaving a blunt tip.

You’re basically just cutting off the stubble each time. And as soon as the hair grows past the skin level, you have stubble again!

Epilators, on the other hand, pull the hair out from the root — so the hair grows back with a tapered tip.

As a result, your skin feels smoother even when the hair grows back in.

 

#2 – No More Dark Spots & Bumps

Often, after shaving, you’re left with red bumps or dark spots.

Shaving makes your pores more noticeable.

Epilators do not — since you’re pulling the hairs out from their roots, rather than the cutting the hairs at skin level.

With epilating, your pores are not so harshly affected.

Here are some causes of painful ingrown hairs.

 

#3 – Great for Removing All Excess Body Hair

Women with dark hair are often worried about more than just their legs and arm pits.

Happy trails, lower back hair, and even forearm hair can all make a dark-haired woman feel self-conscious.

An epilator easily and effortlessly removes hair from those areas where stubble can be particularly unsightly and uncomfortable after shaving.

Here are some tips on how to use the epilator in your most sensitive areas.

 

#4 – Works On Any Hair Length

Waxing is another good solution for people with dark hair, but there’s one major drawback: you have to wait until the hair is at least 1/4 of an inch long to remove it.

That’s a lot of time you have to spend growing out unwanted body hair!

With epilating, you can remove unwanted hair at any time. The tweezers on epilators can grab and pull hair 1 millimeter or less in length.

Why be hair-free only some of the time when you can be hair-free all of the time?

Here’s what it typically costs to get professionally waxed.

 

#5 – It’s Cost Effective

Going to the salon to get waxed is expensive and time-consuming.

Even if you do your waxing at home, you must continuously restock your home waxing supplies.

Epilating involves a 1-time purchase that will last for years and can be done easily at home with little preparation.

Read about the 7 best epilators and how much they cost.

 

A Great Solution For Dark-Haired Women!

So many women haven’t considered an option other than razors for removing unwanted body hair. (I know I hadn’t until the age of 40-something.)

But for dark-haired women who are tired of stubble and growing out hair between waxing, epilators are the perfect solution.

Here are the best epilators for use on black skin.

 

The Best Epilator: Emjoi Epilator

Personally, I think Emjoi epilators are the best ones.

They’ve been around for years now. I learned a lot about the company and their epilators by watching their demonstration videos on QVC.

I have this Emjoi eRase E60 epilator.

I like it for these reasons:

• You can use it everywhere — even sensitive areas like your bikini area and your face!
• It has an electrical cord (rather than being battery-operated) means that you’ll always have the most power for the job — so it won’t needlessly “tug” on the hairs due to a weak battery charge. It will smoothly and forcefully remove the hairs in one super-quick motion at all times.
• It’s lightweight and small, so it fits nicely in your hand and you feel in full control when you’re using it.

For what it’s worth, I like Emjoi products so much, I also bought the Emjoi Micro Pedi callus remover. It keeps the bottoms of your feet silky smooth year-round. No more rough spots or calluses. (And the rough spots on the bottom of my feet don’t get stuck on the bed sheets anymore.) I highly recommend it.

The Emjoi Micro Pedi has cut the number of times that I get a professional pedicure in half — because I can keep my feel looking great year-round now all by myself. Now, I only go in for a pedicure when I’m going on a trip and want a really nice nail polish job on my toes.

Epilator Shopping Tip: When you’re browsing epilators trying to decide which one to buy, just make sure you get one that runs on electricity — not battery operated. Why? You want 100% power at all times when you’re tweezing hair in delicate places. It’s also wise to get one that’s smaller, rather than larger — so it fits nicely within the palm of your hand and you’ll have greater control at all times.

 

Using An Epilator For The First Time

It took awhile for me to get used to using an epilator.

The first few times you use it, it takes longer than shaving does. That’s only because we’ve all been shaving for years. We can probably even do it with our eyes closed now, right?

But if you think back, your first few times shaving weren’t error free. Am I right? How many times did you see blood after nicking your leg? We’ve all been there.

And what used to take forever, now takes only a few minutes. Shaving is a process that we’ve perfected over time. Well, the same is true with using an epilator for the first time.

At first, it’s awkward and slow. It’s also an odd sensation — especially if you’re super sensitive to pain.

But, over time, I’ve managed to get the hang of using an epilator. Now I can definitely do it with my eyes closed. (I usually do it while I’m watching TV.)

• The best part: the hair grows back much more slowly, so I have to “shave” (use my epilator) less and less often. Smoother skin longer is what we all want, right? At first, I needed to to use the epilator every 2 weeks or so. Now I’m using it every 4 to 6 weeks.
• The worst part: getting used to the sensation. It’s not painful, so to speak. It’s just like someone keeps pricking you rapidly and lightly. Fortunately, that sensation dulls over time. After a year of using my epilator, I hardly feel it anymore.

 

My Best Tips For Using An Epilator

• Use it right after your shower — It’s best to epilate immediately after taking a shower or bath because your skin is soft and supple. Just make sure your skin is completely dry before you begin epilating.
• Wait until growth is 1/4 inch — While you can use an epilator any time, regardless of the length of hair that you’re trying to remove, I’ve found it’s most effective at removing the hairs if you wait until the hair growth is 1/4-inch or longer. This is most important when you’re new to epilators and still trying to get used to the sensation. Later on, you’ll feel comfortable epilating on an as-needed basis.
• Exfoliate skin regularly — To prevent ingrown hairs (which can sometimes result when a hair fails to reach the surface of your skin and continues to grow underneath your skin instead), exfoliate your skin semi-regularly. This stimulates the skin and the hair follicles just below it, making it easier for the hairs to break through the skin’s surface. I use an exfoliating glove to do this while I’m in the shower. You probably want to do this a day or two before you actually epilate.
• Don’t use lotion right after — The freshly opened pores could become irritated from some ingredients in creams and moisturizers. Instead, wait until after you take a shower, then moisturize liberally as usual. Continue to moisturize regularly after that.

 

More Great Tips For Using Epilators

• 10 Simple Epilating Tips
• Pros & Cons Of Using Epilators
• Epilation: 10 Things You Should Do And 3 Things You Shouldn’t Do
• Waxing vs Epilating: Which Is Better?