Advice on Home Laser Hair Removal IPL Devices

dreadpiratedan on 15/01/2019 - 11:05

Hi ozbargainers,

Have been tasked by the wife with researching IPL devices viability Vs giving a clinic a go. Long story short mixed feedback on the devices suggests you basically have to give it a go as it works for some and not others.

Now I'm trying to figure a "good deal" on one. She was looking at the happyskinco one https://happyskinco.com/products/ipl-laser-hair-removal-hand…
Looks to me like it's just got an aggressive AF marketing campaign with alot of paid sponsorship from instagran models and thousands of fake reviews.

Wondering if anyone has advice on a good value option they could suggest, also noted that slot of the price difference in models is in the laser flash total eg cheap ones getting 100k flashes Vs 300k on more expensive ones.
Open to offbrand suggestions as the ones on eBay legit look the same as the happyskinco ones so I suspect it's just rebadging 😂

Thanks for reading 😁

Health & Beauty IPL

Comments

  • Nugs on 15/01/2019 - 11:15

    we bought this one a couple of years ago.
    very little usage but seems to work fine.

    unlimited flashes
    https://www.shavershop.com.au/smoothskin/bare-ipl-long-term-…

    .

  • RobVH on 15/01/2019 - 11:23

    I bought the Phillips Lumea from shavershop last ozbargain sale and have been pleasantly surprised with its results after ~2 months, it hasn't been complete but reduced so far ~70% chest hair. The wife has also used it as a touch-up after having laser done with good results. Of course it will vary by skin type, hair colour and hormone levels. But for the ~$170 it cost, was a bargain.

  • GregMonarch on 15/01/2019 - 12:22

    I looked into these a few years ago, but not recently.

    "Good value" usually means "I'm wanting to do it cheap". If that's the case - these devices are already very low power so the rare few nitwits don't flash the same spot 20 times in a row and hurt themselves. So if you try to save $, it's going to take YEARS to get rid of hair (if at all) that should have taken a few months with a better unit.

    Most people are better off going to a professional. They will do a larger area and do it much faster than we can ourselves. It's expensive but I read a lot of people saying they only needed to go (to a decent place) 2-3 times, whereas they were initially told by staff it could take 6-8 visits. Home units can take literally dozens of times and even then might only retard/weaken the hair permanently, rather than kill it. AND it might recover and grow back in a few years. They're also aware of things you may not find in the user manual of a home unit. Such such as, apparently if you try to laser the hair on a man's shoulders, it can cause other fine hairs to grow thicker that are highly resistant to removal. Something like that anyway.

    All that said, sometimes privacy is more important. So if you're going to do it, don't try to save a few bucks. To get results, if anything, you need to buy up - not buy down and get a toy. Up your price and get one that's a decent brand for a start. You can always resell it later on Gumtree, and the loss may be the difference between buying it or a cheaper one you'd get nearly nothing for.

    You could also check Amazon for reviews by 'verified purchasers'. The comments there sometimes point you towards better products, options, mention things to watch out for, if it did or didn't work, what they have tried or changed to instead, etc. Sit and read through them - even those from other models/brands, so you don't miss something useful.

    So you're on the right track - go for one with a high number of flashes, and if the head is replaceable, check you can easily buy replacements (and compare their price to one that doesn't need replacements), and if it's a couple of hundred more to get one with a larger treatment window - get it. I read so many people complaining about tiny flash windows, wishing they'd bought a larger one.

    Sorry I don't know specific brands/models. It's been a few years since I was looking and in the end I never got around to doing it. I was going to buy a Sterex galvanic and blend unit.

    Galvanic = traditional electrolysis, or electricity, that creates lye in the follicle that kills off the hair root. And 'blend' is a mix of galvanic and thermolysis, or radio frequency. And I think thermolysis is all radio frequency energy - which is the most 'dangerous' (the easiest to get wrong/damage yourself).

    See here: http://sterexusa.com/sterex-stereblend-epilator

    I was going to go this route because while galvanic is more time consuming, it's still the most reliable method of hair removal, and doesn't rely on skin type or hair colour. But obviously you need two people for most body areas.

    Before I made that decision I had narrowed it down to a couple of units. One or both were available from the Shaver Shop. (Can't exactly recall.) One was Philips, and I think another might have been Panasonic but I'm not sure about that one. If I were going to buy from Shaver Shop, I would probably just buy the most expensive one (especially if it had the larger flash window) to know I was getting the best. Because with hair removal you only get what you pay for. And as above - they're already limited for the home user. No point reducing results even further by buying cheap.

  • HardlyCharly on 15/01/2019 - 15:00
    +1

    I honestly don't think I could work up the courage to ask a clinic to laser my anus.

  • cupcake on 16/01/2019 - 14:07

    I bought one a few years ago from The Shaver Shop. Works very well. I don't need to shave for 6 months. A few zaps under the armpits and that's it!

  • Milk tea on 03/02/2019 - 01:09

    I bought the braun ipl system from the shavershop and it really does work. https://www.shavershop.com.au/braun/silk-expert-3-ipl-009639…

    She has to be consistant for the first few times and its much better to get a home kit if she wants privacy but you should look at the ipls in shavershop and watch review vids.

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