Braun 5270 X'elle Body System Epilator
|
List Price: Category: Health Care See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customer Reviews of Braun 5270 X'elle Body System Epilator
Customer Review: Wish I had 2!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love my epilator (bought in 8/08). This was my first one and I bought this one on a recommendation from another mom. I HATED shaving and that every time I would within 12 hours I would be all prickly again. So someone suggested the Bruan Silk-epil for all its perks.
Pros:
The light is the best thing! It helps me find the hair and even the ones that are ingrown so I can get them out first. Even with the 3 lights on in my LR, I can't get enough light to match what the light gives me.
The multiple heads. There is the roller one for the newbies. It does help with the lessening the pain in the beginning (especially if you pull the skin taut). But after the first few uses (6 or so) I graduated to the other one. I still use it for underarms & bikini. The "scraping" one I use now to help pick up the hair so it can be pulled. I only have to do it once a week (when I get around to it).
Pain. IT DOES GET BETTER!!! It does hurt if you don't use it correctly. But I found with the roller head and the lower setting, it helps. I never waxed my legs but did pull my hair out with tweezers. It does sting a bit (like getting the eyebrows waxed) but gets better over time. The more you use it, the less it hurts. The back of the legs around the knees and upper thigh do hurt the worst. But not as much as it did before. Also I burned my legs when I was younger and still have some residual scarring that gives me a bit more pain.
Shaving? I don't shave anymore. I can't stand what happens after I shave and it makes the hair coarser for the next time I do epilate. I stopped doing it for awhile on the underarms & bikini but I think I am going to get back into it. Just make sure you pull the skin taut!
Cons:
Noise. It is a bit noisy but as I have nothing to compare it to, I am not sure how it compares to others. I just use it at night when everyone is asleep.
Over-heat? I do feel that if I use it too long (been awhile for me using it) that it gets hot. So I found that if I watch TV & turn it off during the commercials, it cools down enough so that it will last through the entire session.
Must dos!
-Put a towel under you. It is the best way to catch the hair
-Switch legs if the pain gets too much
-Do it over several days if need be so that there isn't too much pain all at once
-About 4-5 days after finishing the legs, use a scrubbie on your legs depending on when new hair starts to grow back). It helps to stop the ingrown hairs.
-Distract yourself with something; TV, movie, music. It will make the pain lessen as you mind is focused on the TV than on the pain.
I did buy this in the summer of 2008 (2 years ago) but I have not used it on a regular basis (every 1-2 weeks). So I cannot tell you how long it lasts. I am hoping I can get at least one more year out of it. Even if I used it every 2 weeks for 1 year, it still pays for itself with the cost of razors nowadays.
Customer Review: Very efficient, but not painless
Summary: 4 Stars
Okay, I have lots to say and I will try to be organized about it. I had never heard of an epilator before. I was looking for a new electric razor and came upon them in my search. I ordered an Emjoi and when it came it did not work. I started researching after that and found many reviews that said Emjoi works well WHEN it works...so I moved on to Braun. First let me say that Amazon has the fastest shipping and terrific customer service. Now on to the epilator.
First of all, the pain. I am not a wimp...had my first baby naturally...on pitocin. This process HURTS. The first time I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get through it. But, I did one leg one day and the other the next. My hair is course, medium darkness, but I have a lot of it. I think I should have shaved and gotten the hairs and different periods of regrowth. Although I used the trimmer, I was yanking a lot of hair all at once. The worst areas were my ankles, inner thighs and behind the knees. I found that my bikini did not hurt as much as other areas-perhaps because the hair is more sparse there. Now, the second and third time I used the epilator the pain was decreased one hundered fold. BUT...IT STILL HURTS-it is just more bearable. This last time was even better....perhaps as the hair changes it will continue to get better.
Now...the results. VERY smooth the first time, but not very smooth since. However, the regrowth is so fine, that although I am not completely smooth, I ahve found I can last 7-9 days without a touch-up and it doesn't bother my husband or me. I used to have horrrible stubble the morning after shaving. I have used the electric razor part to smooth some problem areas out and it works better than any I have ever used. The trimmer is also very nice. I am too afraid to try my underarms.
Side effects: I got a terrible red rash that clears after 24 hours. That has also been getting better with each use. But...don't expect to put on shorts right after epilating. I got some ingrown hairs, but I got those along with horrible razor burn after shaving also.
TIPS: Exfoliate before and EVERY day in the shower. Pull your skin tight in the opposite direction that you are epilating...it eases the pain. The roller head is a good idea for 1st timers, but if you can stand it, use the "experienced" head on high speed-the pain is reduced and it is much more efficient.
I gave the product 4 stars because you don't get completly smooth for "weeks." Epilation is not for everyone. It is very labor intensive (my first time took me 2 plus hours) and it is painful. But, I find that compared to shaving every other day and my razor burn and stubble from that I really like it. The more I do it, the less I want to go back to shaving. I first used this around Feb. 20th and it is March 19th and I have not used a razor on my legs since.
The product itself is great...the attachments are nice and it works as described.
Customer Review: AMAZING FOR DARK HAIR, I LOVE IT! painful!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I use to have to shave everyday and i would still have prickly hair. I'm blessed with dark hair that never leaves. I've tried waxing but it is way to messy and i believe the pain is about the same! I've used it EVERYWHERE, my bikini line, underarms and a little on my chest and arms. Again i'm super hairy! Well the pain is pretty intense at first, but i just keep thinking about how nice my legs are going to be afterward. For me they still aren't SILKY smooth, but i've only been using it for about 2 weeks, but you can't see the black hairs under the skin anymore which is a plus. I used it on my underarms and it was AMAZING! i did have to stop every few seconds to breathe off the pain but it feels the same as waxing with better results. My underarms are now really soft and there are no signs of Black forest hair anymore. My husband loves it, i used to have to wait a couple days to shave my underarms so they would be really smooth, now i can actually wear tank tops anytime i want. I recommend epilating while watching tv, something to take your mind off of it.
Negatives- My skin was a little splotchy after my first time using it, so i put on a lot of lotion and they were gone afterawhile, my underarms were a little tender after using it, but i didn't break out. I recommend holding your skin really tight. My bikini line had a lot of pain and i broke out a little but it also went away and is soft now. Also my legs and arms get a lot of dry skin afterwards, so i recommend putting on a nice bit of lotion, and exfoliating, which is good for you anyway! I love this product and i'll probably be buying it for friends. It's great, if your worried about the pain atleast try it. you can buy it at target and a few other places, and they have a nice return policy. you will get ingrown hairs, but you got them when you were shaving also, just not as bad.
TIPS: If you can't stand the pain wax first, it makes the hair thinner. Second I wouldn't use this on my face, my hair is already thin so i use a shaver, not a razor or an electric razor but a trimmer, my hair doesn't grow back black and it's easier then going to get waxed all of the time.
UPDATE: So i've had this thing for a couple months now. I still like it but i have to shave after i epilate, except under the arms, which i must say my underarms have never looked better. No more five oclock shadow, and they are baby butt smooth. I waxed the other day and it actually tickled. my underarm hair is sooo thin now, if anything i will just keep it for my underarms. Or my bikini line, but everytime i go to try it there again, i quit breathing. lol. Just like waxing before the "big pull". But if you are a brave soldier and a mild alchoholic, i totally recommend it for the bikini line also. I could count the hair's on my legs now, because they are spread out, which is better, but i'm sad that i still have to shave. I'll just wait until they come out with a wonder product, that gets rid of hair to the root.
Customer Review: After 6 months of use: I'm going back to shaving in the shower
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm giving this product two stars instead of one because, for all the reasons other reviewers have named, this is the cream of the epilator crop. If you're going to try one, this is the one to try. And if, like me, you decide epilation just isn't for you, you still have an electric razor to use (I use it to shave the back of my boyfriend's neck between hair cuts, and I've also used the trimmer attachment to trim the hair "down there").
Despite its high quality, though, I'm giving this product *only* two stars because after six months of use, I'm going back to shaving daily in the shower. The reasons:
(1) Despite daily exfoliation and using a lotion with alpha-hydroxy in it, my legs are still covered in red bumps from ingrown hairs. I have very fine, thin hair -- so fine and thin that you can't even see it on my arms unless you look very closely -- and maybe that's part of why I'm having such a problem with ingrowns. I suspect that with coarser hair, it might "poke through" the skin easier as it grows, so you might have fewer ingrowns than I did.
(2) It hurts. I've been a waxer in the past, both salon and at-home, and I would rate the pain from this higher than the pain associated with waxing. The big difference is that the waxing pain is a quick thing, a zip and it's done, while using this product requires repeatedly and intentionally inflicting serious pain on yourself for extended periods of time. Legs, it's not too bad; underarms, it's bearable most of the time; bikini area, I couldn't stand it long enough to use it. And I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
(3) It takes a long time. Granted, I'm 5' 10" tall and have long legs, but it still takes about 30 minutes at a time to do my legs properly. And who has 30 minutes to do that, really? It just meant I didn't do it as often as I would have liked. The directions say that to use it properly, you should take 10 seconds with each pass up 1/2 of your leg (ankle to knee, or knee up). Try it yourself next time you're shaving your legs: take a full ten seconds for each pass of 1/2 of your leg, overlapping slightly because the width of the epilator head is slightly smaller than a disposable razor, and see how long it takes you.
(4) Despite doing a really careful job, I never even ONCE in SIX MONTHS managed to get truly "silky smooth" legs. With a razor in the shower, I can come out after 5 minutes and have perfectly smooth legs. With this thing, it never happened. Period.
(5) Regrowth was much faster than I expected. You couldn't see it, but you could feel regrowth almost the next day, even on the parts that were smooth immediately after epilation.
I'm glad I bought this product because now I know, unquestionably, that epilation is not the answer to my hair-removal needs. However, I can't wait to go out and buy a razor and shaving cream again.
Customer Review: Pros and cons
Summary: 4 Stars
As a redhead, I felt the need to expand on some of the other reviews I read before purchasing this product. I love this product- it is great for removing coarse hair, like bikini area and some on my legs. It is so much better than hair removal creams, because by removing the entire hair you get longer before you develop "stubble" and feel smoother much longer. The idea that it takes three weeks for hair to re-grow is medically inaccurate, and will disappoint people expecting to not have to use this epilator but every three weeks. (I have to use it about every three to four days.) This epilator is wonderful for pubic hair. When I use it on my legs it takes out the coarse hair, which makes my legs feel very smooth. It DOES NOT take out soft, fine hair, which is what I mostly have on my legs. So while my legs feel smooth, if you look at them (as I noticed the first time when out watching tennis in the sun) you see lots of little hairs. Of course, when you then shave with a razor, you still feel smoother for longer bc removing the coarse hair totally again makes you feel smoother longer than any other hair removal. I have spent extensive time trying to remove all the hair on my legs, but have realized it is just not going to take out the soft hair, but I really like the effect it has even just removing coarse hair. I tried it on some facial hair with the same effect- I bought another smaller emjoi epi-slim epilator which does better with facial hair.
Also, anyone with sensitive skin, just be aware your skin can develop little bumps when hair is removed (like a mosquito bite) but these go away on me in about 4-6 hours. The first time I used it I was horrified bc it looked like I had some kindof serious disease, but the inflammation completely went away. Because of this inflammation I can't use it the same night I am going out on a date or anything.
In my opinion, the pain is moderate the first time you use it. I did not think it was at all severe, and there was no way it would stop me from using the epilator. It feels like having several hairs plucked at once. (I kindof like the feeling bc I know it is working when I feel that sensation.) It is more tolerable when you use the epilator regularly, but I think that is just bc there isn't as much hair to remove with subsequent uses. I had no problem with the pain when doing my legs, underarms can be tear producing painful, and I stopped doing them (bc of the coarse/fine hair problems- I still had to shave them regularly). The pubic hair is variable. The outer hair is not too painful at all, but when you get to the more sensitive areas there are serious limitations. I am not able to do all my hair down there bc of pain.
I think there are some differences that people will notice depending on their hair type. Just wanted to give a heads up to all the other blond and redheaded women out there! :)