How to Epilate Legs

An epilator is a small handheld machine that is used for hair removal. It offers long-lasting hair removal like waxing, but without the setup required to do it at home. It also eliminates the expense of going to a salon and incorporates the ease of an electric shaver. The epilator can be slightly painful when you use it for the first time, but like waxing, the more you do it, the easier it is.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Epilator

1. Purchase an epilator at a drug store or department store.

2. Take a warm shower to open your pores. This will make hair removal easier and less painful. Use soap rather than bath gel and avoid moisturizing after you shower so your skin is not too greasy. Do not use the epilator on wet legs; make sure you dry them thoroughly.

3. Hold your skin taut with one hand and run the epilator over your legs against the grain of your hair growth as you would a razor. It will hurt a little at first (you are ripping hair out from the root, after all), but this will diminish over time. Take frequent breaks.

4. Apply calming lotion to your skin after you finish epilating. Give your legs about half an hour to an hour before applying the lotion, however.

Tips & Warnings

• You will get red bumps on your legs from epilating. Don’t panic. They will disappear almost immediately,

• Many people get ingrown hairs from hair removal. Use an exfoliate on your legs for a few days following epilating to prevent them. You can also purchase ingrown hair creams at many salons.