Hair removal review - Braun Silk-Epil epilator

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Are you curious about epilation as a hair removal method? I was too, so I took the plunge and bought an epilator - the Braun Silk-Epil Beauty Set 9-995 from Amazon, which I'm reviewing here.

Epilation removes hair from the root. An epilator looks at first glance slightly similar to an electric razor but it's actually very different. An epilator has a series of automated tweezers which plucks hair as you guide it over your skin. I could literally see the hair root from hair that it removed from my armpits! This product is rechargeable, so after each use you plug it in with the provided adapter plug. One charge lasts way longer than you need to epilate your body parts, so you never need to be in a rush.

Epilation is much like waxing or tweezing in terms of regrowth - it takes longer to regrow than shaving because epilating removes hair from the root. But there is much less mess and fuss than waxing! You can epilate any time of day in the privacy of your own bedroom or bathroom - no need to do it in the shower, and no need to microwave wax. Because of this, it's much more convenient and cheaper than specialist hair removal methods such as laser hair removal or electrolysis.

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Best of all, epilation works just fine on hair that would be too short to wax! In fact, too long hair is a bigger problem for epilation - anything up to around 5mm is fine, and it can remove hair as short as 1mm. This Braun product comes with a separate hair trimmer/razor that has a guard to trim longer hair to the 5mm length, which is very helpful if you're starting off with longer hair.

I'll mention a bit about the product first, and next I'll cover what to expect from this hair removal method, including whether it hurts! I'll also talk about the pros and cons of this particular product (yes, there are both).

Why I chose this product

This Braun Silk-Epil Beauty Set 9-995 is a complete epilation set that includes a lot of things: regular body epilator, small facial epilator, epilator cleaning brush, charge stand, charge cord, hair trimmer, and several exfoliation and massaging attachments.

Although I could instead have bought just a Braun basic epilator to save money instead of this complete set, what made the difference for me was the fact that this set includes a facial epilator as well. Trust me, you don't want to apply a body epilator to your face - the surface of the body epilator would be way too large! So if you are planning to do your upper lip and/or any other facial areas, you really do want this set. But if you don't need facial epilation, then you can save some money and buy the basic Braun Silk-Epil set (epilator and shaver/trimmer only). Other models of Braun epilator also have great reviews on Amazon, so it's worth checking those out too if you can't find the exact one I mentioned.

I feel like my life is a constant battle with unwanted hair, so I figured I'm a good test subject for epilation! I tried out this epilator on all body parts. Next we'll move along to whether it hurts and what to expect with epilating in general, and then I'll talk about the pros and cons of this Braun Silk-Epil epilator.

Is there pain?

Pain level varies widely depending on the body part you're epilating. You'll experience zero pain on some body parts, much easier than waxing, but other body parts may be more painful than you'd like. I have written a separate article covering whether epilating hurts on various body parts. If you want to know ahead of time what to expect pain-wise for each body part, check it out.

If you normally wax, you shouldn't have problems with epilating.

What to expect with epilating

Whatever epilator you get, read the instructions that come with it carefully first. This was my first time ever epilating, and I found that this Braun product did an excellent job of explaining everything and getting the guidelines and settings right for different body parts. This helped me maximize hair removal and minimize any discomfort.

You need to go much more slowly with an epilator than a razor to make sure you get everything. Even then, it might not get every last hair in its path, but I find that going slowly gets almost all of it, and the few bits that are left you can do another pass over those specific areas. When you epilate the first time ever it won't be as easy as subsequent times, because you have more hair the first time. After a few days (or longer if you're not as quick to grow hair as me!) different bits of hair will be in different stages of regrowth, which is good. So it's going to be easier to epilate your second and subsequent times because there is simply less total hair in the path of the epilator, since some of it has not grown back yet. This is the opposite to shaving, where all of your hair will be at a similar growth stage.

Let's move onto the pros and cons of this specific model of epilator.

Pros of the Braun Silk-Epil epilator

1. The box comes with literally everything you need, not just the epilator! There's a cleaning brush, a charging stand, charger cord, facial epilator, skin exfoliator heads, shaver/trimmer, and more.
2. The epilator was easy to use and it did a great job removing hair. It even feels rewarding when cleaning it with the provided brush, because you can see how much hair was removed!
3. The smaller facial epilator did an outstanding job on removing ultra-fine hair on the upper lip
4. The epilator charges relatively quickly - after a typical epilating session, it takes only about 20 minutes to recharge fully
5. This epilator set comes with a cute and discreet pink drawstring bag to store all of the pieces together.
6. The separate shaver/trimmer with a 5mm trim attachment which is included is very helpful if you are starting out with hair longer than the maximum recommended length of 5mm. This trims it to 5mm so that you can safely use the epilator on it.
7. There are 2 different speed settings on both the body epilator and the facial epilator - this is very helpful depending on what body part and how much hair you're dealing with
8. There are 2 different epilating guards that you can switch out - one is designed for more comfort but a little less contact; the other puts the epilating surface in closer contact with your skin but it may be a little less comfortable. You can therefore choose what you need depending on the body part and comfort level you desire. I've used both and had great results from both guards.

Cons of the Braun Silk-Epil epilator

1. The on-off switch is best operated two-handed. Although this didn't pose any issues for me, I felt it would have been better to have made it easier to turn off with one hand, or at least to have a one-handed override for turning it off. Of course, you would simply lift it off your skin before turning it off with both hands, but I still felt a one-handed off switch would have been better.
2. The smaller facial epilator that's included is battery-operated. This is different from the rechargeable main body epilator. I found that the AA battery needed for the facial epilator needs to be replaced fairly often, which isn't very eco-friendly. I would have preferred the facial epilator to have been rechargeable just like the body epilator.

Final thoughts on epilating as a hair removal method

The Braun Silk-Epil Beauty Set 9-995 is easy to use and removes hair well. If you're considering epilating, this set comes with everything you need. It's a great feeling to never have to shave legs again! And with an epilator, you don't need to deal with shaving foam, razor, and shower just to get hair-free body parts. Best of all, with epilating it takes much longer for the hair to grow back, allowing you smooth hair-free skin for longer.

Although epilating has longer lasting results than shaving, if you're instead looking for a hair removal method that has even longer lasting results, you may want to consider laser hair removal. For permanent hair removal go with electrolysis. Both laser hair removal or electrolysis should be carried out by a qualified professional - they are not DIY at-home methods. It's important to do careful research first to locate a reputable provider in your area.