Ladies (and many men) – I know your pain. That ongoing battle with hair removal. We pluck it out with tweezers, rip it out with hot wax, pull it out with thread and scrape it off with razors. How much time do we spend fighting our hair, while knowing full well it’s just going to keep coming back? It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of laser hair removal, and I’ll talk about it with anyone who will listen! But, even with professional laser hair removal, some hair is going to grow back.
And what women DON’T talk about is that as you get older, or if you have hormone shifts, hair starts growing on your face in places where it never did before – and at a faster rate! It’s nature’s cruel joke. “Oh you’re not as young as you used to be, and you’re worried about aging? How about some Teen Wolf facial hair to add to the mix?” And if you’re me – still dealing with acne at the same time! C’mon now – enough!
With my French and Italian ancestry, I have always battled facial hair. Not long after puberty, my mom showed me how to bleach and tweeze that girl-stache. I turned 36 this year, and almost on queue, my face started sprouting more hair – of the peach fuzz AND the dark variety – and in new places – like my chin and sideburn areas. I have even seen a few tiny hairs at the tops of my cheeks – what the heck?
So – that brings me to the solution. Like I said, I’ve done a LOT of med spa laser hair removal in my day – on almost every body part! But the hair keeps coming back in some areas. It gets to be very expensive. When I can afford a treatment, I’ll do it, but I know not everyone can budget for it. And most of the time, I’m just too swamped to make an appointment and take time out of my busy day to go do it. So, I have been using an at-home hair removal device called the Flash & Go by Silk’n. See my first thoughts and how to use the device here.
Okay – here’s the science-y part: Silk’n hair removal devices are based on HPL (Home Pulsed Light) technology which is a proprietary and patented technology for long-term hair removal. HPL is safe and effective for long term hair removal because it uses optical light energy. The light energy is absorbed by the pigment in the hair shaft and transformed into heat. This heat disables hair growth for permanent hair removal while leaving the surrounding skin unaffected.
Basically, this device is a huge money and time saver! I have been using it on my face (below the eyes), arms, legs and underarms. I have been using it at level 3 or 4 (there are 5 levels) and it’s pretty much pain free. There are a few areas that get a little sensitive, but it’s very minor (and I’m a baby). When you hold to your skin and click, you see a flash of light. Then you move to the next area. Or you can hold it down and slowly move across your skin for larger areas. If your skin is too dark (skintone or suntan), it won’t fire, which is GREAT for safety reasons. You can check the website to see if your skin tone and hair color are a match. The device covers a fairly large area, which I love. That means, you can cover a larger area in a shorter amount of time.
You can use the Flash & Go once every two weeks for the first 4-5 sessions. Then after that, you only need to use it monthly for maintenance. I started to see results after 3 sessions. My hair became finer and thinner and there seemed to be less of it. It hasn’t gone away completely yet, but I’m just getting started and Silk’n says full hair removal can take up to 6 months.
I did notice some minor irritation in areas that were already irritated (my arms are always bumpy and red for reasons I don’t totally understand). But that went away in a couple of days. I avoided sun exposure, used calming/non-exfoliating skin care and used sunscreen for several days after using the Flash & Go.
If you’re tired of removing hair the painful way, join the Silk’n not shaven revolution! There’s a bit of an investment, but it will pay for itself over time. You get 300,000 light pulses – that is a lot of hair removal you guys! And compared to what I have spent over the years on hair removal, I think this is a major bargain! You can find Silk’n products online or at Bed, Bath & Beyond; Kohl’s, Ulta, and select Target locations.
Got hair in places you didn’t before? Let’s get real. Share your stories with me in the comments below or use the hashtag #NoShaveWave.
How’s the progress so far? Have you reached the 6th month yet?
Does it work well on the legs as well? I guess most women who shave their legs know how irritating it feels when it starts to grow back. It’s coarse and thick. This product seems a good alternative.