Our Beauty Pros Recommend These Epilators for Soft and Smooth Skin

According to Dr. Frieling and GH Beauty Lab experts, finding the best epilator comes down to a number of factors:

✔️ Wet and dry use: Most newer epilators can be used in the shower or on dry skin, but be sure to check water-resistance, or waterproofness, before buying.

✔️ Corded versus battery-powered: Battery-operated epilators tend to lose their power with use and time, while corded epilators pack more power.

✔️ Device size: Dr. Frieling suggests using smaller epilators for hard-to-reach areas, including facial hair—like eyebrows, upper lip, and peach fuzz—while a larger device might be best for bigger areas like arms and legs.

✔️ Number of tweezers: Epilator devices can have anywhere from one single tweezer to over 70 tweezers. "Since epilation is already time-consuming, it’s better to go with a higher number of tweezers for maximum efficacy," Dr. Frieling says. But know that "although more tweezers can make the process less time consuming, it can be more painful per pass since you are plucking more hair at once," Wnek adds.

✔️ Speed settings: If you have coarse hair, look for epilators with a high speed setting function to quickly power through tougher hair.

✔️ Built-in light: GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann recommends "epilators that have a light, which helps when trying to reach areas at the back of lower legs." The illumination helps you see and nab every last hair.

Yes, epilators work and can be worth the investment to remove hair with lasting results. Epilating can keep your skin smoother for longer, and helps hair grow back more slowly and finer than before. “Epilators have the advantage of being able to remove short hairs. They’re also much less messy than waxing or depilatory creams," Butler explains.

It's true that epilating can be even better than waxing: An epilator pulls hair out from the root, but is more convenient because "unlike waxing, you can epilate the moment you spot a hair, even hairs less than a millimeter long," says Dr. Frieling. It also means you have more time in between hair removal sessions (usually about two to four weeks).

When it comes to cost, "expensive epilators aren’t necessarily better than more affordable options with respect to performance," says Wnek. She notes that more expensive options tend to come with more bells and whistles (like multiple caps for different areas of the body and a light) and tend to be able to be used on wet or dry skin, while less expensive products are often only able to be used on dry skin.

There are many benefits to using an epilator, especially the fact that they deliver longer lasting smoothness. "Since hair is plucked at the root, you only need to use it every two to four weeks, which is less often than razors or depilatories," says Wnek. "Plus, epilation is less messy than shaving, waxing or depilation and over the course of a year, epilators can be a more cost effective at-home option when compared to the shaving and depilatories." You use multiple razor cartridges and depilatories over the course of a year, whereas there is no additional cost other than the initial purchase price for epilators.

The main con: pain. Among razors, waxes, and depilatories, epilators can have the highest pain factor and can be painful for beginners, which is the biggest disadvantage, GH Beauty Lab experts note. The good news: any discomfort should decrease with repeated use.

If you are following manufacturer instructions and warnings for your particular product, it is safe to use, GH Beauty Lab pros say. While directions differ from product to product, these are some that most may include:

• Only use the provided power supply to charge your epilator.
• Do not charge epilator close to the sink or tub.
• Do not share epilators with friends or family for hygenic reasons.
• Epilators should never be used near the hair on your head or eyelashes.
• The epilator should be cleaned as per manufacturer's directions after each use. Unplug the device before cleaning.

First things first, always read your device's full instructions. "Check the instructions to see if your epilator can be used wet," Butler says. "It may make epilating more comfortable by softening the skin."

Before your start, trim any grown out hair first to make epilating a bit less painful. "Hold the epilator head against your skin and move it in the opposite direction of your hair growth," says Butler. (For example, move up your leg from your ankle to your knee.) "Make sure to hold the area of skin taught while you epilate and take extra care around areas where skin might be crinkly, such as around the elbows or the back of the knees, so that your skin doesn’t get pinched."

Because you are plucking hair from the root, there is potential of getting ingrown hairs, the GH Beauty Lab says. Lab experts suggest using a body exfoliator like a scrub or brush between epilation sessions to prevent ingrown hair.

"I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt the first time," Wizemann says. “Because you are pulling the hairs from the root, it is painful," adds Butler. "Those who are used to waxing may be more prepared for the discomfort.”

To mitigate the pain, Beauty Lab pros suggest epilating on wet skin if you can. "Although it’s slower than dry epilation, wet epilation is more convenient and less painful," Dr. Frieling says.

This is a tricky question, as "most brands are not disclosing what their products are made of," says Wnek. Neither one is better than the other and as Wnek stated, many companies don't share what material(s) their tools are made of.

Yes, but proceed with caution. "This area is known to be sensitive, so start slow on the lowest setting and trim down hair if it is longer than a quarter inch," advises Wnek. Additionally, some products come with caps for sensitive areas like the bikini line to help decrease discomfort. "If you are a beginner, epilation can be painful at first; the discomfort should decrease with repeated use."

"We do not recommend traditional epilators for use on the face," says Wnek. "Many of them are built for body use and not for delicate skin or thinner hair on the face." In fact, the directions on many of these say not to use on the face. If you are looking for an epilator for face, Wnek recommends using one that is especially made for that area. "They often have smaller epilator head sizes compared to traditional ones."

Since facial hair for women is typically less dense or thick than body hair, she suggests using a facial razor or electric one like Finishing Touch Flawless Painless Hair Remover for this type of hair removal.