Braun SE3170 Silk-épil 3 SoftPerfection Epilator
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Customer Reviews of Braun SE3170 Silk-épil 3 SoftPerfection Epilator
Customer Review: Caution: Using this gadget can be addicting!
Summary: 5 Stars
(3/04) Now, I am not some weirdo who lives for pain or anything, but I admit, I find myself looking for places other than my legs to use this thing. Legs, armpits, bikini line, big toes... It's just so satisfying to use, knowing that the two hours you may have to put into the process (as one reviewer claimed) is worth it for not having to worry about nicks and cuts at ALL or stubble for at least another two weeks.
A few things from my own experience for those of you considering:
I bought this intending to use it on my legs and bikini line only. I was thrilled that it is AC powered, because I feared batteries would become a real budget-killer.
YES, I did use the attachment thing with the rolling beads the first time I used it. I also used the slowest speed. Decided it wasn't so bad, so I sped it up, then removed the attachment. No problem. I may have even thrown the attachment away...
YES, you should exfoliate your skin before use. The directions tell you it wouldn't hurt to take a hot shower and exfoliate, then when dry, use the gizmo. Your pores are open, your skin fresh, and the little hairs should be more willing to let go.
YES, it DOES hurt to use on your underarm. Doing so took a bit of acrobatics, because I found I had to try to pull my skin taught while using it. I also found I got a few ingrown hairs there from use. Decided that using a razor on this area isn't that bad after all.
NO, it is NOT impossible to use on your bikini area. Just be prepared to sit in some funny, yoga-like positions to get to the areas you want. Also, make sure you keep up on exfoliating here: I find I have the worst problems with ingrowns in this area.
YES, you can get stubble. If this becomes a problem, wait a few days for the stubble to grow long enough to grab. Before you use it again, shower, exfoliate, dry and try again. I'll bet you'll end up with less stubble that way.
YES, it CAN take a while. I even found that if I don't soak and scrub before using, I'll miss a few hairs and have to go over an area again days later. No big deal if you have the time to spare.
As for the pain level: If you have a tattoo, then why are you even bothering worrying about pain? You should be able to handle this baby toy. If you, like the average person, can handle things like paper cuts, needles, and insect stings, you can probably handle the pain level of this thing. Or, if you've had professional waxings done before, you probably won't have a problem. If you can't stand pulling an adhesive bandage off of an area with hair on it, then perhaps this isn't the choice for you. Note: I've never had a professional waxing done, just those messy at-home kits. To me, the kits hurt more than this thing! Probably my fault, though -- can't ever get the mix at the right temp or work quickly enough before the stuff cools again!
Soooo... if you're fed up with the blade and want an alternative to wax, smelly hair dissolvers, or sanding disks, try this. I felt it was definitely worth the money! (Bought & have used since September, 2003)
(UPDATE 10/04) STILL use and love this thing! I'm even considering buying another to have on hand for when the inevitable happens and the first one dies on me. Couldn't even guess how much I've saved on replacement blades & shave gels... this thing has definitely paid for itself many times over.
(UPDATE 11/07) Mine (the original one) is still running great, and I still love it. Bought one for my sister, but she doesn't like it because she's apparently more of a wimp than I thought, even though she's got 2 tattoos! I may just steal hers back to keep in reserve for when mine DOES decide to die on me.
(UPDATE 6/10) Original Silk-epil still running perfectly. It sure did come in handy while pregnant last year! Still love this thing!
Customer Review: 4.5 rating - Love it - takes a little practice
Summary: 5 Stars
Hello,
I have been using this product for over a year and love it! It's not perfect, but I am very happy with the results. After reading a few of the other reviews, I'd like to share some things I learned along the way (and wish someone had told me about when I just started using this product).
- When you just start using this product you will have stubble for the first 1-3 months. This is because hair grows in cycles you need to wait for all the hairs you ever shaved to get long enough for the epilator to pull out. But stick with it and eventually you will have lovely smooth skin.
- Hair growth becomes very sparse/thinner with time. This means it is not as painful to remove the hair and you won't need to use the product as often.
- Ingrown Hairs - I've read that some people experience ingrown hair with this product even though they exfoliate. I too experienced this in the beginning, but after some research and trial and error, I discovered that moisturizing is the key to preventing this! Applying regular lotion is NOT sufficient at keeping your skin and hair soft enough to prevent ingrown hairs. I recommend heavy duty moisturizing with petroleum jelly, baby oil, coco butter, or something similar. I usually apply a heavy duty moisturizer to myself (everywhere I use the epilator) at bedtime a few times a week. You should apply just enough for it to be effective, no need to turn yourself into a greasy mess. For areas that are particularly susceptible to ingrown hairs (i.e. bikini area) I also apply a heavy moisturizer after every shower (right after I apply a salicylic acid product like Clinique Clarifying Lotion solution - link below) . I've never had a problem with ingrown hairs since I started doing this and my skin is super soft! And when I did get an ingrown hair (very very rare), it was very easy to remove and there was only minimal bruising which healed in about a day or two.
- Using this in the underarm area is still very painful, but there are ways of reducing the discomfort. Initially, I recommend following the advice of other reviewers who suggested shaving your armpits and then epilating everyday for the first 2 weeks. You'll need to do some creative yoga-like poses in order to pull the skin tight, but this extra effort will reduce discomfort. This will also prevent the skin from getting caught in the tweezer things. I usually do two runs when with the epilator when I'm removing underarm hair...the first with the roller attachment and the second without. After the first two weeks, keep an eye on the underarm hair and epilate as soon as you notice any growth. This maintenance is quick, results in minimal to no pain, and the results are great.
- I also recommend the above approach for your bikini area. Except I always use the roller attachment, otherwise my skin gets caught in the tweezers and that hurts/bruises. Be prepared to get into some strange positions in order to reach everywhere you want to get to. Similar to the underarm area, epilate as soon as you notice hair growth to reduce discomfort.
- Apply a salicylic acid product like Clinique Clarifying Lotion solution to effected areas after you epilate. This stimulates cell turnover and prevents blocked pores which helps reduce ingrown hairs.
http://www.amazon.com/Clinique-Clarifying-Lotion-3-6oz/dp/B000R8KEIS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1273444100&sr=8-3
- Be patient and stick with it. Good luck!
Customer Review: Prefer it to shaving
Summary: 5 Stars
Up until 02/2011 I'd always stuck to using a razor to deal with body hair. Then I got the idea in my head that I could tweeze out all the hairs--which I did, and I was pleased with how long it took the hair to grow back when compared to shaving, though this was pretty tedious. Then I got the idea that an epilator does almost the same thing as my hand paired with with tweezers and after reading reviews on several epilators available I settled on getting this one.
The unit makes a buzzing noise while operating from the epilation head moving but no one in my household has noticed or brought it up. It's probably as loud as a handheld electronic mixer. I wouldn't use it around someone trying to sleep, but it's not too noisy.
Initially the results weren't exactly what I was expecting. I thought my legs still felt a little rough but once I tried epilating after applying a little aloe gel and vegetable glycerine I was pretty pleased with the results. I don't bother with the aloe and VG most of the time since compared to immediate stubble from shaving, I'd rather slightly rough legs. I find that the hair here pops up pretty quick but thankfully this issue is relegated to my legs only. Used for the bikini area (yes, that's a sensitive area and it will not tickle to do) or underarm I'm left smooth for 2 weeks or so and after a few weeks of regular use the pain was less--if not nonexistent and I could tell it was actually removing the entire hair down to the root on those areas so the hairs started to take a while to grow back. It took me some time to figure out how to get that attachment with the rows of spiked pink gel things off and I much prefer to use it without any of the attachments included. Although I feel like I'm constantly finding hair on my legs with the Silk-epil, everywhere else stays bare for well over a week unlike shaving where I tend to find stubble the very next day regardless of the area.
Also, on ingrown hairs: I have very curly hair and am no stranger to this phenomenon. If I do not exfoliate as often as possible after using most forms of hair removal, I fully expect to pay the price for it eventually by finding my hairs growing back in all curled up underneath my skin. This is not the fault of the epilation system but how the hair grows. If you're prone to ingrown hairs (and even if you're not) it's a good idea to exfoliate at least with something as simple as a store-bought scrub. For something a little more abrasive make a scrub with baking soda (or add it to your store-bought scrub)--or skip all of that and scrub down carefully with a pumice bar.
Overall I'm pleased with this product and I'm glad I decided to give it a try.
Customer Review: Finally, No More Shaving for Me!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a female with hirituism (due to PCOS) and I have had a problem with male-like beard growth since I was 13 years old. Ever since that age I have been shaving the hair on my chin and cheeks, and the hair just got fuller and more coarse over the years. On top of that, I have developed razor bumps and hyperpigmentation from shaving so often (every other day). My chin area just looks disgusting and has often prevented me from feeling feminine/attractive or getting close to others for fear of them seeing it.
I recieved my Braun 3170 today along with another product that I had ordered, called Bump Stopper 2 (to treat my razor bumps). I have never waxed or tweezed, so I was a little scared of what the pain of epilating might be like. I started with Speed 1 on my cheeks. It did hurt, but I could deal with it. It took me about 20 minutes to do the right side of my face.
Once I started getting used to the pain, I moved on to my chin area, which has a LOT of hair, very similar to a man's beard but a tad more sparse. It hurt like hell and I actually turned the epilator off for a minute so that I could compose myself. But I knew it was going to hurt because of the large amount of hair that was there, so I sucked it up and started again, staying motivated by reminding myself of how much better my face will look with all of this hair gone.
After another 20 minutes or so of doing my chin, I got tired of it taking so long, so I turned it up to Speed 2. The faster speed actually hurt less and the process started going much faster. And since I wasnt in as much pain anymore, I switched to the Efficiency Pro Clip Adapter and that got the hairs out even faster. I was delighted to watch the hairs fall into the sink! Thats what kept me going despite the pain that I was still feeling.
The pain also lessened as more hair was removed, since less hairs were being ripped out at a time...so the less hair you have, the less it hurts.
It took me another 30 minutes or so to finish my face completely. I washed my face off with antibacterial soap, dried it off, and applied the Bump Stopper 2. My face is now smooth(despite a few swollen places) and hair free. The swelling is minimal and is going away quickly. I am so glad I got the Braun 3170 epilator. My only regret is that I didnt start epilating sooner.
If you want the hair gone badly enough, you can and WILL endure the pain to get the great results!
Customer Review: Finally, No More Shaving for Me!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a female with hirituism (due to PCOS) and I have had a problem with male-like beard growth since I was 13 years old. Ever since that age I have been shaving the hair on my chin and cheeks, and the hair just got fuller and more coarse over the years. On top of that, I have developed razor bumps and hyper pigmentation from shaving so often (every other day). My chin area just looks disgusting and has often prevented me from feeling feminine/attractive or getting close to others for fear of them seeing it.
I recieved my Braun 3170 today along with another product that I had ordered, called Bump Stopper 2 (to treat my razor bumps). I have never waxed or tweezed, so I was a little scared of what the pain of epilating might be like. I started with Speed 1 on my cheeks. It did hurt, but I could deal with it. It took me about 20 minutes to do the right side of my face.
Once I started getting used to the pain, I moved on to my chin area, which has a LOT of hair, very similar to a man's beard but a tad more sparse. It hurt like hell and I actually turned the epilator off for a minute so that I could compose myself. But I knew it was going to hurt because of the large amount of hair that was there, so I sucked it up and started again, staying motivated by reminding myself of how much better my face will look with all of this hair gone.
After another 20 minutes or so of doing my chin, I got tired of it taking so long, so I turned it up to Speed 2. The faster speed actually hurt less and the process started going much faster. And since I wasnt in as much pain anymore, I switched to the Efficiency Pro Clip Adapter and that got the hairs out even faster. I was delighted to watch the hairs fall into the sink! Thats what kept me going despite the pain that I was still feeling.
The pain also lessened as more hair was removed, since less hairs were being ripped out at a time...so the less hair you have, the less it hurts.
It took me another 30 minutes or so to finish my face completely. I washed my face off with antibacterial soap, dried it off, and applied the Bump Stopper 2. My face is now smooth(despite a few swollen places) and hair free. The swelling is minimal and is going away quickly. I am so glad I got the Braun 3170 epilator. My only regret is that I didnt start epilating sooner.
If you want the hair gone badly enough, you can and WILL endure the pain to get the great results!