From shaving and waxing to epilators and depilatory creams, the number of hair removal alternatives in the market is many. By now, you have probably heard of laser hair removal, an in-salon method that has increased in popularity for its long-lasting results. But what if I told you that there is an at-home alternative that might even be better than laser?
Let me introduce you to Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) devices.
How Does Laser Hair Removal At Home Work?
Firstly, professional laser hair removal works by using light energy to target the melanin found in your hair follicles and destroy them to prevent them from growing back. This concept is the same for at-home IPL hair removal devices as well.
However, contrary to the traditional laser hair removal equipment you find in professional salons, at-home laser hair removal devices utilise intense pulsed light to remove and prevent your unwanted hair from growing back. The light used in IPL is a broad spectrum light which is less powerful than the single-spectrum laser light emitted by a professional laser and much safer.
Is It Effective?
Because the broad spectrum light in IPL is less powerful than laser, it is slightly less effective, but you are unlikely to get a rash or burn that you sometimes experience with a laser.
While this does mean that you will require a greater number of sessions with IPL than you would need for laser, the lower intensity makes IPL much safer than laser and the end results will be very similar. This is why at-home IPL devices are readily available for you to purchase as even the most novice, or new to hair removal, will be able to achieve salon-smooth skin at home.
Something important to note with IPL is that unlike other hair removal methods such as shaving and waxing, your results will not be instant. Effective permanent hair removal using IPL takes time and consistent treatment sessions on your end. This is also the case if you were to get professional laser hair removal done at the salon. As a general guide, you will need about 8-10 sessions as well as additional top-up sessions every now and then, as required, because new hair naturally develops as we get older.
But don’t let this scare you as the end results will be worth it and you will never have to go back to shaving or waxing ever again.
Tips For The Best IPL Results
For the most effective results with laser hair removal at home, make sure that you follow these four tips.
- Avoid waxing or tweezing as it completely removes your hair follicles, leaving nothing for the intense pulsed light to target.
- Shave the treatment area just before using your IPL device to ensure that the light will be able to fully penetrate through your hair follicle.
- Stay out of the sun to prevent excess skin irritation to the area you are treating two weeks before and after your IPL hair removal at home session.
- Remove any traces of self-tanner on your skin before IPL as it boosts the melanin in your skin, decreasing the contrast between your skin and hair colour. This reduces the effectiveness of IPL to target the hair follicles.
Who Should Try Hair Removal At Home?
If you are liking the sound of IPL so far but are not sure if it is the right hair removal method for you, keep reading to find out who does laser hair removal at home work on.
The greatest advantage of IPL is the ability to achieve smooth, hairless skin in the comfort of your own home. This means there is no need for finding the time in your busy schedule to book an appointment, travelling to the salon, and going through the gruelling process of cancelling or rescheduling when life does the unexpected.
Therefore, IPL hair removal at home is perfect for two types of people – those of you with jam-packed calendars who want a convenient hair removal solution that you can use anywhere and anytime or people who would prefer to stay home and get your hair removal treatment done while watching your favourite TV show.
Whatever your motive is, you also need to assess your skin and hair tone suitability. The optimal complexion and hair colour for IPL laser hair removal at home is light skin and dark hair. This skin and hair colour combination works well because the high contrast between the two makes it easier for the IPL light to distinguish between your hair follicle and your surrounding skin, ensuring that only your hair follicle is targeted and removed.
This also means that unfortunately for those of you with darker skin tones and/or light blonde, grey or red hair, you might not be the right candidate for laser hair removal at home. If you were to use IPL on dark skin and dark hair, the broad spectrum light would be attracted and absorbed by both your hair follicle and skin. To check if your skin tone is suitable for laser hair removal at home, refer to our skin tone chart.
Where To Buy IPL Laser Hair Removal At Home Devices
We mentioned that the less intense type of light used for at-home IPL laser hair removal devices is less effective than professional salon lasers. Part of this is due to the absence of uniformity and regularity that is emitted by each ‘flash’, where the light decreases in intensity over the duration of the flash. This leads to a lack of thermal control of the area you are targeting which results in uneven and less effective hair removal.
To overcome this issue, Zipple’s handheld at-home laser hair removal device called the E-Flash 4C incorporates a completely new dimension that you can’t find in conventional at-home IPL devices. That is “regulation”. The regulated flashes delivered by the E-Flash enable the light output intensity to stay constant throughout the entire duration of the flash. This uniformity significantly improves both the safety and effectiveness of the E-Flash compared to other IPL devices.
So if you want long-lasting hair removal with the safest and most effective at-home IPL device, you can purchase your very own E-Flash right here. They come in five colours; coral, apple green, mint, navy blue and lilac.
