At-home IPL - is it Better Than Traditional Hair Removal?

Average time spent using IPL a year: 5 hours (after which you're up to 94% hair free - permanently)

• Infinity bulbs!  There's now no need to buy replacement heads, and Remington even replace the bulbs for free if it stops working!
• After just 3 sessions in 4 weeks there's up to a 94% reduction in hair .
• Readily available from Farmers
• You can choose your level of intensity - even the highest setting isn't as bad as epilating or waxing!
• You can shave between sessions so you don't need to worry about timing your sessions for events.
• Conservatively you could be pretty much permanently hair-free in 5 hours (over several sessions)
• No products, lotions or creams are needed so it's great for sensitive skin.
• It's a hygenic machine, which means you can share it with your nearest and dearest!

• The inital outlay is expensive.
• It's not suitable for really dark skin tones, or pale hair.
• It takes an hour to do your legs and armpits and you have to shave first.
• The machine is noisy.

Shaving - Best for legs and underarms

Average time spent shaving a year: 35 hours

• Quick and easy.
• Readily available from your supermarket.
• You can borrow your hubbie's razor in an emergency.
• It's painless.
• It actually helps exfoliate dry skin.
• Shaving creams can help moisturise your skin, keeping it smooth.

• Ingrown Hairs.
• The results will only last a day or so before your skin feels stubbly.
• Can cause razor burn if you don't use a good shaving cream or gel.
• You can cut yourself - scabs do not a smooth leg make.  They also put you at risk for infectiokn.
• Over time it's an expensive method, with the ongoing cost of replacing blades and shaving creams/gels.
• You need to be in the bath or shower really, or at least have warm water available.
• Shaving is the most time consuming at-home hair removal method, with the average shaver spending 5 - 10 minutes a day shaving, that's 30 hours a year!

Waxing - Best for legs, bikini area, upper lip, underarms and eyebrows

Average time spent waxing a year: 30 hours

Cons

• Waxing results can last 3-4 weeks
• Hair grows back finer.
• After a period of years hair growth becomes sparse.
• There's a choice of kits, from roll on waxes, wax strips and microwavable wax.
• Waxing is quite a time efficient hair removal method with the average waxer spending an hour a month waxing.

• Ingrown Hairs.
• Pain - depending on your individual pain threshold it can be quite painful.
• Waxing isn't suitable for sensitive skin.
• Waxing can bruise and tear skin if improper technique is used.
• Waxing can be very messy.
• At-home waxing generally requires a 2mm growth of hair.

Epilating - Best for legs, underarms, arms, bikini area and face

Average time spent epilating a year: 17 hours

• Results can last 3-5 weeks.
• Hair grows back finer.
• After a period of years hair growth becomes sparser.
• Hair only needs to be 0.5mm to be epilated.
• There are no chemicals/products used so it's great for sensitive skin.
• Epilators can be used on most areas of hair growth.
• There is no mess nor need for rinsing.

• Ingrown Hairs.
• Pain - it's probably the most painful removal method.  (I'm pretty good with pain and my mum had to pin my leg down when I tried it!)
• A good epilator can be quite expensive.
• You'll need to be near a power point or keep it charged up.
• An epilator will last around 6 years, after that it'll need replacing.

Depilatory Cream - Best for upper lip, underarms and bikini area

Average time spent epilating a year: 35 hours

• Pain free.
• Very affordable.
• A great method for beginners in hair removal.
• It removes hair just below the surface, so can boast longer results than shaving.

• It can be very messy.
• Generally depilatory creams have an unpleasant smell.
• You'll need to leave the cream on for around 10 minutes to see results.
• Sensitive skin may be easily irritated by the cream.
• The results do not last more than a few days.
• It needs rinsing off, you can't do this on the fly.