Do epilators hurt? – Epilator Pain Scale & How to Reduce Pain

Epilator nowadays is the best hair removal option for most women.

Epilators are inexpensive, convenient, and safe.

In other words, epilators give waxing results at the cost of shaving.

Epilators are even cheaper than shaving.

Do epilators hurt?– you wouldn’t be asking this question if you know what an epilator is.

First, know what an epilator is?

What is an epilator?

Epilator is a device that removes hair by pulling out hair from the root mechanically.

It is the same as tweezers. It is a combination of a bunch of tweezers that grab hair one by one. 

Now, you can understand how much it will hurt when you grab hair one by one.

If you want to know everything about epilators check out our epilator beginners guide.

Do epilators hurt?

Yes, epilators do hurt.

Epilators remove hair from the root and you can’t expect a method to be painless when you are removing hair from the root.

Just like waxing. When we go to the salon we already expect waxing to be painful because it removes hair from the root and gives smooth skin for 4 to 6 weeks.

Shaving and depilatory creams are painless because they remove hair from the surface of the skin and give hairless skin for only 2 to 3 days.

Epilators also remove hair from the root and give hairless smooth skin for 4 to 6 weeks just like waxing. And more importantly, it removes hair from the root mechanically. So, we should expect that the epilator will hurt. But, epilators can hurt like hell if you have a very low pain tolerance. So, people with low pain tolerance should stay away or epilate arms and legs only.

Epilators do not hurt the same everywhere. It can cause more pain in some parts than others. For example, the bikini area hurt more than the arms and legs 

But, don’t worry there are some tips and tricks that can help with reducing the pain during epilation.

Why does epilating hurt so much?

Epilator is just a bunch of tweezers that are rotating at a very high speed and pulling hair mechanically from the root. 

When we grab and pull hair from the root, it causes trauma to our hair follicles. 

The hair follicle’s face gets open forcefully and gets damaged. This sends a lot of pain signals to our brains. That is why epilators hurt so much. This one is also true for waxing.

Waxing also causes trauma to the skin. But, it hurt a little less than the epilation we have discussed below.

How much does an epilator hurt?

The epilator hurts moderately to intensely. If you are using it for the first time it may hurt you intensely.

But, the pain felt by individuals greatly depends on the pain tolerance of their brain.

Pull one hair from your arms, and the pain you are feeling is exactly what you will feel when you use an epilator but for a longer time.

Mechanically pulling hair from the root will definitely feel a lot of pain.

But the good news is that the more you use it, the more painless it becomes. After 2 to 3 times use of the epilator, it becomes virtually painless.

Epilator pain scale – Which part does the epilator hurt the most? 

Our body doesn’t have the same skin everywhere. Some parts have thin skin, some have thick, and some parts have sensitive skin.

So, an epilator can hurt more or less depending on where you are using it.

Epilator pain scale

Part	Pain scale
Bikini line and pubic region	9-10  ouch…
Waist, upper thigh, elbow, knee, armpits, necks, upper lip, and nose	8
Stomach and inner thigh	6 -7
Back, chest, thigh, arms,	5
Legs and forehead	4
Hands, feet, head	1 -3 want to do it more

10 is extreme that you feel in the bikini area.

The pain scale is relative to pain in the bikini region.

Level 10 means this pain you will feel in the bikini region and the pain on other body parts is relative to it. Just remember, the pain felt by an individual depends on their pain tolerance.

Does epilator hurt more than waxing?

Yes, epilators hurt a little more than waxing. Because waxing pulls lots of hair at once unlike epilators one by one.

To know this better first we understand why it hurts.

Epilator and waxing pull hair from the root, so both should be equally painful. But, waxing pulls lots of hair at once. So, there would be the same pain but lots of hair removed in just a single shot of pain.

But this is not the case with epilators.

Epilators have a limited number of tweezers.

With this, you remove less hair with the same pain as waxing, but waxing removes lots of hair. If you wax little section by section then both might hurt the same.

So to minimize this you can choose an epilator with the maximum tweezer possible.

Nowadays you can easily find epilators with 60 or 70 tweezers such as Emjoi or Braun silk epil 9.

How to make epilating hurt less? 13 tips & trick

Follow these tips to make epilation less painful/

Steps Reduce pain before epilation 

There are very few things that make epilation less painful during and after epilation.

• Take a warm bath 5 minutes before epilation. It will help with the opening of the pores and hair follicles. This way it hurts less when you pull hair out of it.
• More tweezers are better. Tweezer should be 60, 70, or more. There are a few epilators with 70 or more tweezers. Such as Emjoi, Panasonic ESEL7AP, etc. More tweezers pull lots of hair at once. This way you can remove more hair with the same pain. Just like waxing does.
• Do wet epilation. When you are doing wet epilation during this time you can use water. Water helps with the opening of the pores and numbs the pain. However, wet epilation is inconvenient because hair may slip or flatten.
• Take Painkillers 30 minutes before epilation. If you are using an epilator for the first time then you might not know the pain during epilation. This becomes very important if you have low pain tolerance or using an epilator for the first time.
• Use Numbing cream 30 minutes before epilation. Numbing creams start work in 5 minutes and peak out in 30 minutes. It blocks the pain signal from reaching our brain and we feel no pain. Don’t apply it to a large area. But, this one is most effective in minimizing the pain
• Shave 2 to 4 days before epilation. This one works the best in reducing the pain during epilation. Shorter hair lessens the pain. Nowadays you can easily find epilators that can grab 0.5mm or 0.02mm long hair such as Braun Silk Epil 9 or Braun Facespa Pro 911, Facespa Pro 911 only for facial hair.
• Avoid epilation during and 3 days before and after menstrual. During menstruation, there are lots of hormonal changes in a woman’s body. So, during this time epilation can cause extreme pain. 

Steps Reduce pain During epilation

• Go slowly and steadily. To minimize pain during epilation, it is very important to follow the right process. Go slowly and steadily, so that it can grab maximum hair at once and you don’t need to come to one place again and again. This way you can also prevent the breaking of hair that might turn into an ingrown hair.
• Keep skin tight, so your epilator can grab small hair easily. It stands the hair strands and helps the epilator to grab them firmly. Although, you can also do the opposite to that by pinching the skin with your index finger and thumb. It also helps epilators to catch small hair and make epilation less painful. Try this, it will definitely help.
• Use warm water. To numb the pain during epilation use warm water and soak a cloth in it and pat it on the epilated area. This one help during the epilation. After epilation, you should use ice or cold water.

Steps to Reduce the pain After epilation

• Clean skin. After epilation, the first thing you should do is wash your skin with cold water or use a cold compress. Ice helps with numbing the pain. Don’t use it if you have already used numbing cream then just wash the skin. Cleaning skin prevents ingrown hair.
• Use moisturizer. After cleaning the best thing you can do is moisturize your skin. Moisturizing soothes and heals skin. Wait for 30 minutes after epilation before applying moisturizer. But, if you are using Aloe Vera then you can apply this immediately after epilation. If you don’t have moisturizer or Aloe Vera then you can also use post-shaving cream. Post-shaving cream such as Tend skin is also very beneficial in preventing redness, irritation, and Ingrown hair.
• Avoid hot baths and saunas for 48 hours after epilation. Also, avoid perfume and lotion for 48 hours.

Which is the best epilator to avoid pain?

Braun Epilator Silk-épil 9 9-300 is one of the best and most painless epilators. It has 40 tweezers that can grab 0.5mm of short hair. 

It has a fully flexible head that can adapt to any contour easily and doesn’t leave any hair behind.

For beginners, this epilator is best, it has SensoSmart technology that helps to apply the right amount of pressure.

Although many of the Braun SE 9 have SensoSmart technology, they don’t have a flexible head like this.

This one also comes with a separate facial epilator, facial brush, and shaver head.

It is a complete epilation kit for girls.

The only thing which is not good about it is that it is expensive.

If you find it expensive then you can go with Braun Epilator Silk-épil 9 9-720 or Braun Epilator Silk-Epil 9 9-521.

Concussion 

The bottom line is that epilation is one of the best and most convenient methods to remove body hair. People choose epilation because it gives smooth and hairless skin for 4 to 6 weeks at the cost of shaving, even cheaper than shaving.

But, if you ask, does it hurt? Yes, epilators hurt but you can minimize them by using the right process and tactics.

The best thing about epilation is that discomfort decreases the more you use it. But, don’t use an epilator on the most sensitive for the first few times.

Most Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use an epilator on pubic hair?

Yes, you can use an epilator on pubic hair. But down there the skin is too sensitive and it can cause unbearable pain when you use the epilator.

Can you use an epilator on stomach hair?

Yes, you can use an epilator to remove belly hair safely. The stomach skin is sensitive and it hurts more. But, not more than pubic hair.

How to soothe skin after epilation?

To soothe and heal skin after epilation you can use a cold compress or moisturizer. To moisturize your skin you can use jojoba oil, rose water, or chamomile oil.

Can I use an epilator during periods?

Yes, you can definitely use an epilator during periods. But, it hurt more during this time. So, try to reschedule your epilation routine during this time.