I’ve been curious about epilation for a while as an alternative to waxing and shaving. My dad’s Italian contribution to my DNA has meant that my body hair comes with a higher thread count. I’ve been trying to defuzz myself completely since I was about 12, mostly with painful results. Shaving has been my go-to over the years, but I feel like shaving is the hair removal equivalent of a tinder date: a painless interim solution but it’s not going to last. Waxing is great if you don’t mind a stranger torturing you and then expecting payment. Epilation is kind of a happy medium between both shaving and waxing. It’s as convenient as shaving but comes without the waxy mess and it still pulls the hair out at the root ensuring your hair grows back thinner and slower.

I’ve been using the cordless Panasonic Wet/Dry Epilator for about two weeks. Initially, I did not enjoy it. I used it dry and I was really thrown by the pain of it; I’ve tweezed before and could always handle the stinging and I also don’t find waxing that painful so I was surprised at how much this hurt. After doing a little bit of research, I found that my ignorance was causing the majority of the pain not the Panasonic Epilator. My first recommendation would be do NOT use this dry. Add your shower gel (shampoo also works) to the epilator, switch it on and let it foam up, once it does you’re ready to epilate! Use the epilator in small circular motions instead of up and down, this isn’t as precise but it does help with the stinging.

I found that the epilator removed about 70% of my hairs, leaving peach fuzz and thinner hairs behind. As a comparison waxing removes 100%, but I can’t do it in the shower and I usually need someone’s help.

If you're committed to hair removal, give the Panasonic Epilator a try! It's cost-effective and convenient.