Shopping for an epilator to use on facial hair is a tougher task than it might seem. Epilators are one of the best ways to remove hair all around your body, but most models are a nightmare to use on your face. They don’t do well grabbing fine hairs, and they’ll break off hairs sooner than they’ll pluck them cleanly. What’s a girl to do? Read this guide, of course!
We’ve asked our beauty expert, Alice McLaughlin, to put together an in-depth guide to using an epilator on your facial hair. Below, you’ll find all her practical pieces of advice, as well as her recommendations for the best models to use.
Why’s It So Tricky To Find An Epilator For Facial Hair?
For starters, facial hair is very different from the hair on the rest of your body. Most ladies’ facial hair is significantly finer than their leg hair or pubic hair. That means that when you use an epilator to remove it, the tweezers often miss hairs or simply break them off instead of pulling them out neatly.
For another thing, the face is a super sensitive area. If you use a crappy epilator, it can get eye-watering in a hurry! Anything less than the best epilator will be uncomfortable to use, especially if you have quite a lot of facial hair to remove.
All this is to say that it’s super important to find an epilator with fine-toothed precision if you’re going to work on your face.
Best Epilators For Facial Use
The Braun Silk-epil 7 is our recommendation to the average buyer. It’s perfect for facial use, as well as around the rest of your body. It has one of the highest tweezer densities on the market, which means that it grabs even the finest hairs in one pass. This thing doesn’t miss a trick! You can epilate your face very quickly, which saves you both time and twinges. Plus, cordless convenience means you can hold it at any angle and use it while your face is wet. The best thing is the price, which is significantly more affordable than the top-notch Silk-epil 9!
“The Silk-epil 7 is efficient, effective, and ergonomic. What’s not to love? I actually prefer this one over the 9 for facial hair, simply because it’s smaller! That makes it easier to navigate over your upper lip and around the back of your chin. Of course, if you epilate all around your body, you might find that the 9’s greater efficiency justifies the larger size. I love the trimmer which comes with this model, too. You can use it to prep for epilating, or to maintain any areas that are just too sensitive to pluck.”
Braun’s Silk-epil 9 is our top epilator recommendation, period! It’s the most effective and efficient plucker on the market. That obviously makes it an excellent choice for your face, as well as the rest of your body.
The 9’s larger head makes it faster than the 7 on your legs and arms. Detailing heads give you a more targeted approach for facial areas, underarms and your bikini zone. It has the same cordless functionality, versatility, and ergonomics as the older 7. We absolutely love the Silk-epil 9, so choose this if you want the best of the best and aren’t on a tight budget!
“While the Braun Silk-epil 9 is certainly a pricey gadget, I think it’s well-worth the money if you rely on an epilator to handle all your body hair maintenance. This one packs the same tweezer density as the 7, but it has a wider head that makes covering ground super fast. I’m always astounded by how quickly you can finish your legs using the 9, without leaving anything behind! And while I’m partial to the smaller 7 for the face, the 9 is just as precise if you use it with one of the detailing caps.”
See Also
If you’re on a tight budget, you might be reluctant to spend as much as you’d need to to buy the Silk-epil 7 or 9. That’s understandable, but we’d encourage you to take the plunge. These two models are head and shoulders over the competition when it comes to comfort and convenience. Still, if you’re stretched for cash, you may also want to consider the Silk-epil 3.
The Braun Silk-epil 3 might be a few years old, but it’s still one of our top recommendations. We suggest it as an all-purpose epilator to ladies on a budget. However, we don’t generally suggest it for facial use. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s certainly better than anything else for the price, but you’ll have to make do with a less efficient tweezer head and the inconvenience of a power cord. It’s only something we’d recommend for ladies with thicker, darker facial hair.
Braun’s Silk-epil 3 is a solid workhorse for your whole body. I personally would strongly recommend the 7 or the 9 for facial hair, but this will do in a pinch if you can’t afford them! It’s simple, user-friendly, and more efficient than anything else in the budget range. Where you’ll really notice the difference is on the finest of hairs, which the 3 doesn’t grab as well as its newer siblings. If you have darker/thicker facial hair, you might not actually have much trouble using this effectively. But, for ladies like me who have fine facial hair, it takes a while to get everything. Thankfully, it’s not a hair-breaker like other cheap models!
Buying Guide
Go For High Tweezer Densities
The trickiest thing about epilating facial hair is making sure you get everything in one go. The more time you have to spend epilating, the less comfortable you’ll be. So, choose a model with a super high tweezer density to make sure you can get everything in one pass. Since facial hair is usually pretty fine, this is the best thing you can do for yourself! Choose something with fine-toothed precision to get the job done quickly without any frustrating leftovers.
Cordless = Comfort
Cordless epilators are usually the most comfortable to use. Of course, comfort is paramount when you’re working with an area as sensitive as your face! Since they’re waterproof, you can use these models while your face is wet. Most of us find that a lot more pleasant. Since you’re also not worrying about plugs and power cords, you can hold these models at any angle, too!
Make An Investment
The best advice we can give you when choosing an epilator for facial hair is to spend more for something that can grab the finest hair types reliably and efficiently. Cheap epilators can certainly get the job done if you have thicker facial hair, but they’re going to be pretty unpleasant and require lots of passes. If you have thinner facial hair, forget about it! You’re simply going to find that the models under $75 don’t serve you well when it comes to epilating your face. It’s difficult to say which is the best facial epilator, but of the models we’ve tried we’d say it’s the Braun Silk-epil 7 thanks to its great functionality and affordable price.
What’s Next
You can find out more about any of the models above by clicking on the links in our reviews. To see more of our expert reviews and recommendations, as well as links to all our other content, head to our homepage!
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