Society loves a woman who has hair at all the right places.
The more the merrier here: Eyelashes, eyebrows, on the head
Must be hair-less here: Everywhere else
I said ‘society’ because if I were living on an uninhabited island, I wouldn’t give two hoots if my legs had hair long enough worthy of challenge against the Woolly Mammoth, or if my underarm hair grew till I had to french braid them so that they would not be mistaken by crustaceans as seaweed when I go fishing in the sea.
For the longest time I’ve been epilating, simply because it’s one level up from shaving. An epilator extracts the hair from the roots, thus leaving a smoother finish and longer lasting results. I need only epilate every 2-3 weeks. Epilation eliminates the risk of shaving your skin off too. I still vividly remember my first shaving experience - I tried it on a finger which had tiny hairs, and SHAVED THE SKIN OFF. I was like @_@!!! And yes, skin came off, blood flowed, went in shock, never shaved my fingers again.
I was immensely excited when Evelyn, Director of Hare Way, invited me for an IPL hair removal session at their cosy office. Firstly because I have never heard of a DIY IPL hair removal kit, and secondly because… actually the first reason was more than enough to keep me interested. Lol!
This was the machine used - Espil BSL-10 IPL Home Hair Removal System
Evelyn did it for me for the first round of shots, and I tried the remaining. A sudden surge of happiness dawned on me as I realized that I would be using less shots overall because I have shorter legs = smaller surface area. BAHAHAHA!!! The perks of being petite.
The first picture you saw, with orange light illuminating my entire being, was taken when I pressed the pulse button to activate a shot from the machine. This one was in between shots, when I had to wait a few seconds for the shot to be regenerated.
The sunglasses weren't worn for vanity, please. Lol. It's to protect my eyes from the UV light.
Some pointers I learnt from Evelyn about IPL:
- IPL essentially absorbs dark pigmentation in the skin. If skin tone is too dark to begin with, you might run the risk of getting burnt. The machine is smart enough to detect color - the lamp applicator will not light up if skin is too dark.
- If hair is too blond or white, there is no pigment and therefore not suitable as well.
In each kit a detailed write-up of instructions is included.
Cannot see?
Okie, I know it's still too small on screen. Haha! Check out their How To Use page then!
If you've suffered, like me, under the hands of unscrupulous hair removal salons who aim to just earn a quick buck and not care for the customer's well-being, I highly recommend giving the machines at Hare Way a try. The Espil one is probably the best since it is able to comb every part of the body - arms, underarms, legs, bikini line, brazilian, upper lip.
It's so AWESOME that so many things are included in this power-packed hair removal home kit!
Can remove hair from arm, underarm, leg, and even moustache!! WOOHOO!!! No more Speedy Gonzales look-alike!
These are the Hare'O products that come in the kit to make your DIY home IPL hair removal experience wholesome. They're a MUST in ensuring your skin is well-cleansed and moisturized both before and after the treatment.
You can find Hare'O full-sized products here.
Here are some tips you'll definitely find useful if you get a DIY machine for yourself:
- Shave in one direction, in one swift movement. If any hair is missed, ignore it, don't stop halfway and try to scrape it. Go back again in one swift movement until all hairs are shaved off.
- To better see if all hairs have been shaved off, use the toner to cleanse the area.
- The aloe vera gel included in the set prepared by Hare Way is a special type of aloe vera gel and cannot be replaced by those sold at pharmacies. While the Hare Way one will remain cool and clear throughout the treatment, those bought over the counter will turn musky and milky and light from the IPL machine will NOT be able to penetrate. So you'll just be wasting shots and time.
For every machine bought, you get to enjoy a one-to-one training session where you will get to fully understand how to operate the machine. So you can ask as many questions as you want. Evelyn is very patient, friendly and knowledgeable about all things IPL hair removal!
I asked if they carry IPL machines for the skin, you know, to lighten scars and pigmentation. She said they're looking into bringing some machines. I'm really excited coz it'll be fantastic if I could treat my skin at home and not spend hundreds of dollars at beauty salons again for merely nicely-packaged but over-priced facial sessions.
You know what, I was over the moon when I saw these.
BAHAHA! Can't believe I was getting all excited over machine parts. Not without good reason though! And in the manual I saw this line: The Epsil BSL-10 is compatible with 100-240V power sources.
Coz this means the machine is DUAL VOLTAGE!! It would work if I brought it to the US! Okie, I most probably wouldn't have this with me if on holiday, but I get such a high in knowing that this is dual voltage, having lived through the horrible experience of buying an expensive hair curling tong and returning it and making a HUGE LOSS coz of shipping fees.
You mean you don't know what I'm rambling about?! *gasp!* Read it! >> Don't buy electrical appliances from the U.S if you're in Singapore! <<
Now that I've tried firsthand how easy it is to use the Epsil DIY IPL machine, I can't wait to try it on the rest of my body! Did you know that you can expect about 20-30% reduction in hair after just one session?
Oh yes! How could I forget the most important thing I wanted to talk about!
THE PAIN!! Oh my, the PAINNNN......!!!
It still scares me till this day when I think back upon those days when I signed packages with Pink Parlour for brazilian waxing and IPL. I don't want to put down a company just for the sake of it, especially since that period was so long ago, but I really want to share my experience and negative results to save potential victims.
Pink Parlour's IPL was madness, PURE HUMAN TORTURE. My body would jump up in shock with every shot administered to my skin. Every shot ensued with cringing of the face and intolerable pain. Upon reflection now, I must have been insane to keep up with every session and complete the entire program WHICH YIELDED NO RESULTS. I had gone through more than ten tormenting sessions and yet didn't see any reduction in hair.
I was very afraid but quite ready to experience such pain again when I got in position for my very first shot from the Epsil IPL machine at Hare Way office. I puffed my chest, closed my eyes and wait: "Alright, 1... 2... 3.... GO JULI!!" And then there was nothing. NO PAIN. 😀
At level 2 there was no pain felt at my leg, and when we tried it at level 3 on the back of my hand, there was nothing but a little warm fuzzy feeling, like having a loved one blow kisses at your hand. I was astounded. This is how IPL should be!! Not some Nazi-operated machine that sends deadly currents though my whole body!
I'm so glad those days of being on the brink of tears with every deadly IPL light shot are over and gone. That period of spending hard-earned money on salon packages that promised me a lifetime of hair-free body parts and yet left me hairy as ever are no more. It’s something I’m not proud of - of the fact that I’ve naively thrown more than a few thousand dollars for good sales talk, of the torturous pain I subjected myself to, and of the non-existent results. I’m insulted. Sheesh.
When I left Hare Way's office, I thanked Evelyn not only for inviting me to try out the machine, but for introducing such a great idea and product to the Singapore market. It is with great anticipation that I wait to see what other amazing products Hare Way is going to introduce to us!
For now, Hare Way is having a FANTASTIC PROMOTION!
ESPIL usually retails for SGD1388 but it's now going for SGD599! That's a 57% discount!!! What a steal! If I were you, I'd snap one up immediately because they're limiting this great offer to only 20 sets!
Click here for your Espil IPL machine!
How do you remove hair from your body? Have you tried IPL or waxing? How were your experiences? What do you think of hair removal home kits?