Victoria - Community & Product Reviews Manager
Shaving my legs is pretty high up on my list of least-favourite beauty chores, along with drying my hair and plucking my eyebrows. If I shave them too regularly, they get very dry and sensitive, too little and I feel like an unkempt beast. IPL (aka intense pulsed light) hair removal has always seemed appealing - the thought of not having to reach for the razor every couple of days fills me with glee - but I never knew I could fit it into my beauty routine at home in just 10 minutes. Enter: SmoothSkin Bare.
I was a little bit nervous about using the SmoothSkin device at first - it makes a sort of buzzing sound and the light it produces is pretty bright. I debated wearing sunglasses whilst doing it but decided against it just incase someone walked in and thought I had turned full-blown crazy. Still, it is 100 times less threatening than a beautician armed with hot wax. Once I got the patch test out of the way I was good to go. For the device to work effectively you need to shave the area you want to target completely - a bit of a pain but if it means less shaving in the long run then I can deal with it.
You can either use the 'stamp' or 'glide' method and I used the 'glide' as I wanted to cover my whole legs rather than one small area. You simply hold the button on the device and glide it over your legs as it emits bright red flashes that supposedly break down the hair follicle under the skin's surface and prevent regrowth. If you hold the device over the same area for several flashes, you'll feel a slight tingling sensation but on first use, it's recommended to hold it over the area for one flash only.
I would say it takes a little longer than 10 minutes to cover both of my legs - but that's because I like to be thorough and try not to leave any pesky hair follicles behind. After using the device for a few weeks, I've noticed that while my hair is still returning after a couple of shave-free days it's a lot finer and growing slower than it was before I started using the device. I think the the type of hair you have massively determines how long you have to use the device for until you are virtually hair-free. Some, with thicker hair for example, may need to use it a little longer than others. I'm hoping that in a couple of weeks I'll be able to say goodbye to shaving by my summer holiday.
If body hair, or more importantly its removal, isn't something that really gets you down then you would probably find your usual method a bit less hassle and a bit lighter on the wallet. But if you're like me and will do anything for an easier life, it's worth doing an little extra work now for a fuzz-free future.
We will be giving 12 SmoothSkin Bare IPL Hair Removal Devices worth £199 away this week on Experts Club
Liked This? You might also like:
Tried & Tested: Got2b Voumaniac Mousse
