10+ Proven Tips to Make Epilating Less Painful

Co-authored by Alicia Ramos and Hannah Madden

Epilators are a great alternative to tweezing or waxing—but man, using one can be uncomfortable! If you’ve tried epilating before and are considering giving up because of the pain, there are a few things you can do to make your experience a little less excruciating. The good news is that epilation gets less painful every time you do it, so practice makes perfect!

1

Take a painkiller 45 minutes before you start.

Painkillers can help reduce swelling and inflammation. Try taking ibuprofen or aspirin before you start epilating to help with the pain.^{[1]
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- If you forget to take a painkiller before epilating, you can take one afterwards to help reduce the swelling.
- Always follow the dosage recommendation on the back of the bottle.

2

Take a warm bath or shower before epilating.

When you’re warm, your pores are more open, which makes epilating hurt less. Indulge in a soothing, warm shower or bath before you begin.^{[2]
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- As a bonus, your skin needs to be clean before you start epilating, so you can kill two birds with one stone.
- Soaking in warm water also helps loosen the follicles, which means you'll have to do fewer passes overall.

3

Exfoliate your skin.

Lots of dry skin can make the epilator hurt more. Rub an exfoliating cream over your legs, face, or arms, then rinse it off thoroughly.^{[3]
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- This is especially important for areas on your face, since those tend to get the driest.
- You can use a chemical exfoliator or a physical one; it’s your choice!
- It can feel like a habit to put lotion on after exfoliating, but save that until after you’re done epilating. Lotions and body butters can clog your epilator up.
- Exfoliating beforehand also helps the device get closer to the skin (every fraction of a millimeter counts here).

4

Get your skin wet if your epilator is waterproof.

If your epilator is waterproof, use it in the shower or the bath. Make sure your skin is dripping wet before you start.^{[4]
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- The moisture will help the epilator glide over your skin more easily, leading to less pain and irritation.
- If your epilator isn’t waterproof, make sure your skin is really dry to avoid damaging your device.

5

Use a numbing cream.

Topical numbing cream can reduce pain by numbing your skin. Look for over the counter cream with Lidocaine in it, then spread a pea-sized amount on the area you're going to epilate.^{[5]
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- Numbing creams can get kind of expensive, so save them for the really painful areas of your body, like your face and bikini line.
- Always read the instructions on your numbing cream before you use it.

6

Set the epilator at the lowest speed.

Going too fast can lead to a lot of pulling and tearing. When you first start out, set your epilator to the lowest speed by moving the dial on the side.^{[6]
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- Using a low speed will also help you get a closer, smoother tweeze.
- If you feel like your speed needs an adjustment, you can turn it up after a few minutes.
- It also helps to start on a less sensitive area, like the calf area of your leg. This helps you get used the sensation.

7

Hold the epilator at a 90-degree angle from your body.

Tilting it too much could lead to pulling and tearing. Make sure your epilator sticks straight out when you first put it on your skin.^{[7]
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- It can also help to start in an area that isn’t as sensitive, like your lower leg. Then you can work up to more sensitive areas, like your bikini line.

8

Pull your skin taut.

This will give the epilator a smoother surface to work on. Use your free hand to hold your skin tight against your body as you go.^{[8]
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- This is especially important in areas that have looser skin, like your face.
- It will also help the epilator grab shorter hairs in hard-to-reach places.

9

Keep going.

The more often you use your epilator, the less it will hurt. Try to use your epilator every time you remove hair to get your skin used to it.^{[9]
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- Take a break in the middle of epilating if you need to!
- Your first time epilating is always the worst, but it can only get better from here.

10

Soothe your skin with aloe vera after epliating.

Your skin might look a little red and bumpy afterwards, and that’s okay. Use a bit of pure aloe vera or aloe vera based moisturizer to soothe any stinging or burning.^{[10]
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- Most skin irritation disappears overnight. If you don’t want to deal with red skin during the day, try epilating close to bedtime.
- Make sure the moisturizer you’re using doesn’t have alcohol in it, as that can irritate your skin more.
- Try to avoid using scented products for the first 24-48 hours while the skin heals, as your skin will be extremely sensitive (it may even bleed a little).

11

Do small touch ups throughout the week.

Epilating a small area is usually less painful than a big one. If you notice a few stray hairs here and there, epilate them as you see them. That way, you can avoid epilating your entire body at once.^{[11]
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- Some hair might grow faster than others, so you could vary which parts of your body that you epilate.
- If your hair is growing back faster than it normally does after epilating, it might be because you snapped the hairs instead of pulling them up by the roots.

Warnings

If your epilator isn’t waterproof, make sure your skin is fully dry before you start to avoid breaking your epilator.^{[13]
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