best epilator

If you are looking for the best epilator for your personal needs this can be a very hit and miss experience. Without actually having used the type of model epilator you are looking for, how do you know if it will actually suit your needs?

This is where this site aims to help. Most of the epilators on this site have been reviewed by people who have actually purchased and, more importantly, used that particular epilator.

You can learn from their experience, and hopefully, narrow down the particular type of epilator that will fit your needs. We hope the reviews will help guide you in the right direction when choosing an epilator.

If you are looking for a particular type or model of epilator then please use the search box at the top right corner of the site.

The Braun Silk-Epil Expresive 7781 is probably the best epilator on the market to day. It is the successor to the Braun Silk-epil Xpressive 7681 that was the top selling epilator in 2008. This epilator can remove four times more hair than conventional waxing in one stroke. It can be use in the bath or shower and can be easily washed under a running tap. The Silk-épil Xpressive  has taken the 2009 red dot product design award. Just look at what people are saying about the Braun 7781:

“The BRAUN SILK-EPIL XPRESSIVE 7781 WET & DRY is a lot less painful then other epilators I’ve tried.”  Amanda U.K

“Being able to use it in water as well makes it less painful, easier and very convenient” P Gawley U.K

“The 5 stars is because after a few hours, my skin is so so smooth, with none of the rawness of post-wax” Anna London

The Magazine “Company” let 200 of their readers try the Braun 7781 for four weeks. After using the Braun 7781 epilator 8/10 said they would rather epilate  than wax

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Braun Silk-épil Xpressive 7781 Wet & Dry Rechargeable Body & Face Epilator
	Manufacturer: Procter & Gamble Customer Rating:   List Price: £99.99 Sale Price: £69.43 Availibility: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Free Shipping Available Buy Now

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• Rechargeable epilator and shaver in one, with new wet and dry technology - can be safely used in the bath or shower for an even gentler epilation
• Patented Wet & Dry HairLift System lifts, loosens and gently removes even short flat hairs at the root
• Removes up to 4 times more short hairs than wax in one stroke (hairs as short as 2mm)
• Massaging system stimulates the skin before and soothes after hair removal to clearly reduce pain sensation
• Smartlight reveals even the finest hairs

Great, but don't expect miracles

Review Date: May 3, 2009

Reviewer: Katherine, Essex, England

I owned a previous model of a Braun epilator and got rid of it as I remembered it to be so painful and not a pastime I thought I'd ever continue. However....I've really had it with hair removal and I've tried the lot. Tired of the mess, stress and money disappearing down the hair-removal drain, I researched into epilating once more and decided, after reading all the great reviews, to give this model a go (annoying now significantly cheaper on Amazon only days after I bought it.) At nearly £100, this was a lot of money for me but, I concluded, was about the cost of four or five waxing appointments without the hassle of waiting for the hair to grow and walking around looking like The Gruffalo. So, is it any good and how much does it hurt? I epilated my legs first and did them dry. The smart light was very good at showing up the hairs and the epilator removed them very efficiently. I did have to go over areas a few times in different directions to ensure all hairs were caught but it says you have to do that in the instructions and considering hair grows in different directions I would say it's reasonable to have to do that. As for pain, I didn't think it hurt that much at all. It was more an uncomfortable pulling/twanging sensation than pain. My legs did come up with mild red raised spots, but this went down within a couple of hours. Hair-free legs in 15-20 minutes! Result! One thing I would say is that if you're expecting the smoothness you get with shaving you'll be disappointed. The nature of shaving means every hair is taken off at skin level so you're inevitably silky smooth (if only for a day or so.) Epilating plucks hair from the root and does miss teensy-weensy hairs that you can't necessarily see but you can feel when you run your hands up your legs. Anyway, hair-free legs - very pleased indeed! Then I tried my underarms... Oh. My. Giddy Aunt. I figured I was more hardy having experienced childbirth since my previous epilating days so forgot about all that and gritted my teeth. And I continued to grit my teeth and soon found myself using the breathing techniques they teach you in antenatal classes to now deal with epilating, panting my way through the searing pain as I saw my skin being drawn towards the machine like paper into a shredder. And shredded was exactly how my underarms felt when I finally finished. And finish I did because I was determined I was going to get my money's worth from this machine and epilating was the way forward. Disappointingly it did not remove the hair as well as on my legs. Before I blame the machine, this could've been down to my method not being great as I do remember blurred vision caused by the sweat from my brow as it trickled into my eyes; probably not optimum conditions for effective hair removal. Anyway, I did one underarm then braced myself for the second. Double the fun! At the end my underarms were, what's the word..? Oh yes, raw. I think I may have removed the skin in addition to the hair as it was red, sore and I had actually drawn a tiny bit of blood. I found applying Aloe Vera jelly and later some Savlon really helped and they were fine again after a few hours (though still blotchy the next day.) Results were not as pleasing as with the legs though and I found this quite a disappointment. Felt I deserved totally hair-free underarms after all that at the very least. To be honest I felt I deserved a congratulatory slap on the back and a large glass of wine. So, after this rambling, what do I think? Firstly, don't expect miracles. I was excited after doing my legs but the underarms were a disappointment. Secondly, how much epilating hurts you will depend on the length of your hair, the sensitivity of your skin and obviously your pain threshold. I'd say epilate at least 24 hours before you intend to expose your bits to allow for any redness to go down. I also haven't tried epilating my underarms in/after a bath, so maybe that'd help with the pain. As for regrowth, I can't comment on that yet, but when I used to get waxed my hair would start growing back after 10 days or so and I expect this'll be the same. Don't be tricked into thinking you'll be hair-free for four weeks - you probably won't be. That said, 10 days is surely better than the measly one or two you get with shaving! Also, it's good you can do in-between-days touch-ups. The hair does come back finer. I'm hoping the underarms will get easier as I get used to it and the hair gets finer. Here's hoping anyway! In the meantime, I'm sure there are some good sedatives out there.

Fantastic epilator

Review Date: May 18, 2009

Reviewer: P. Gawley, London, England

I've been using a Braun epilator for about 12 years, so I am used to the pain. This model had a number of features which made it much much easier to use than the old model. I loved that it is rechargeable, so you can use it easily and quickly anywhere, and the epilating action seems to be more efficient than my old one. Being able to use it in water as well makes it less painful, easier and very convenient - you can quickly "touch up" an area in the shower. I also loved the light - my main problem before was getting enough natural light on my legs to see the hairs, close enough to a power supply - these problems are solved! The massaging head genuinely reduced the pain as well. All together, a great product and well worth the money when you think about all the areas you can de-hair and what that would cost you in wax.

Braun Silk-épil Xpressive 7781 Wet & Dry Rechargeable Body & Face Epilator

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: £99.99

Amazon Price: £69.43

All epilators are designed to do one thing: remove your unwanted body hair. The only real difference between the makes and models on the market is how manufacturers have designed their epilators to incorporate advanced ideas, that are not just gimmicks but actually help improve epilation.  It seems to me that, in this department, Braun have done more than most.

In particular the Braun Silk-epil range of epilators, seem to be singled out time and time again for praise both from leading magazine reviews and the general public.

For instance: Look magazine recommended the Braun Silk Xpressive wet & dry in a test against three other top epilator brands.

200 Company Magazine readers tested the Braun Xpressive wet and dry for one month. Eight out of ten said they would now rather epilate then wax.

On Amazon’s 5 star customer reviewing system, Out of 176 customer reviews for the Braun Silk-épil Xpressive 7781, one hundred and seventeen customers  gave this epilator 5 stars, forty six gave it 4 stars, eleven  gave it 3 stars and just two customers gave 1 star.

This impressive epilator can be used in the shower or bath. Leading tests have shown using an epilator in this way can help to reduce discomfort. This also makes this epilator far easier to wash and keep hygienically clean.

One major problem for epilators is flat laying hairs. The nature of these hairs make it very difficult for the epilator to grab and remove them. Braun solves this problem in their silk epil range by use of the SoftLift system. This helps to raise flat hairs so they can be more easily removed.

The Braun Silk-épil Xpressive 7781 has the distinction of being able to extract more hair in one pass than all other epilators on sale. This can give you more time to do the things you really want to do.

This epilator also includes a handy smartLight. This is not intended to be used in the event of a power cut, but helps highlight any fine hairs that may be trying to hide away.

For the reasons above I think the Braun Silk-épil Xpressive 7781 deserves the accolade:  best epilator 2009.

Agree? disagree? tell us what you think.