Braun SE5531 Wet and Dry Epilator Review

I've always had very dark hair... and a lot of it! Shaving became such a chore and I found myself doing it on a daily basis. So after a friend recommended an epilator, I thought I'd give it a try. There are loads to choose from so I spent a few hours reading through the recommendation and review pages. I decided on the Braun SE5531 Wet and Dry Epilator as it was mid-range in terms of price and had pretty good reviews from what I'd read. I've never tried epilating before, but a friend told me that if I can handle the pain of waxing, then I shouldn't feel too daunted by the thought of an epilator.

The epilator is designed to remove even the shortest of hairs that waxing can't catch (it claims to remove hairs as short as 0.5mm whereas the shortest waxing can remove is 2mm). It can be used wet and dry so if this is your first time using an epilator, I would recommend relaxing in the bath or shower first for a gentler epilation. Relaxing in warm water is said to help release endorphin's which are the body's natural pain reliever so the warm water will help lower any discomfort felt. The epilator can be used with shower gels and body washes but I would recommend using it on clean skin as this achieved the best result for me. My epilator came with two attachment options. The skin contact cap on the epilator head is designed for easy gliding and extra close, contour hugging contact. There is also a massage attachment designed to stimulate the skin for an even gentler epilation. It comes with a little brush that is used for cleaning the epilator after use and a pair of LED tweezers to pluck out any stubborn hairs that the epilator hasn't removed. It comes with two speed settings. The slower speed is designed for those new to epilating and for more sensitive areas whereas the highest speed setting is recommended for more experienced users. 

So far I've used this product twice. The first time wasn't actually as bad as I thought and the pain was tolerable. I used it in the bath and I did experience some nipping sensations when using it on my legs but they definitely felt smoother than when I shave them. I also used it on my arms and felt that although it did remove more hair than when shaving, my arms felt rough afterwards and I needed to go over them a few times before some hairs were removed. So far so good right? Then I braved the underarms and oh boy was it sore! I have a few tattoos and piercings so I like to think my pain threshold is pretty good but I found this almost too painful to carry on. I persevered though as no pain, no gain and I'm glad I did because the second time round was nowhere near as bad. It is recommended to epilate once a week for the first month so I waited a week before using it again. My hairs definitely grew back lighter and fewer between which I was really impressed with. The hairs on my arms seemed to grow back quicker but my underarms were practically hair free after a week. You can expect some redness after using it but this should calm down after a day so if you're planning on going for a night out or anything then definitely do it the day before.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with this product and I think the more I use it the more I'll get used to it. The LED tweezers aren't great and I prefer using the ones I already own and I do wish it came with a little bag to keep the epilator in. Be aware that it comes with a European plug so you will need an adapter and charging time is around 1 hour for 30 minutes of use. It is more time consuming than shaving but if I only need to do it once every few weeks then I'm more than happy to sacrifice my time for smooth and hair-free legs! I think this is ideal to use if you're going on holiday as after a few months you should only need to epilate once every 2 weeks or so. I definitely prefer this over shaving and it saves the time and money of going to your local salon to get waxed. 

Braun SE5531 Wet and Dry Epilator - £89.99