Epilator Silk-épil 9 Flex SkinSpa, Hair Removal Device, 360 Flex and Pivoting Head, Wet and Dry, Includes Shaver Head, Trimmer Comb, Massage Pad, Exfoliation Brush and BodyTrimmer, SES9-481 3D

This epilator is amazing! I use it on my face, armpits, breasts, and abdomen. Sometimes I use it on my upper legs and crotch as well. It's an epilator. It is going to feel pinchy and pulley. If you don't like that feeling then maybe it's not for you. I don't like shaving as it leaves a blunt end when growing out, and doesn't last as long. I don't like waxing. Too expensive and painful. I've tried laser and creams and those didn't work as well either. Laser only really works well on dark pigmented hair follicles. Creams are just not reliable and are stinky and not good for the face. I use this twice a week to keep the chin hairs at bay. It does a phenomenal job. Totally worth the price. Has three speed settings to accommodate different skin sensitivities. High quality item that includes a screen shaver, charging cord, nice zippered case, and cleaning brush as well.

I've been using an epilator for about 15-20 years. In fact, I got this one to replace my original one which is the only other one I had. It was a Braun and because of how well it stood up over all this time, I decided to stay with the brand. Boy, have they come a long way since my original one! First, if you're new to using an epilator, don't be put off by hearing others talk about how painful it is. I don't find it painful at all. Granted, I've been using one for so long now that my skin must be so used to it, but I don't even recall when it stopped hurting (or if it ever did hurt). In other words - it won't always hurt. What I really like about this is the pivoting head. Legs aren't completely straight and with the pivoting head, the epilator follows your body so it makes it easier to get each hair. My first one didn't have this and sometimes I would miss hairs because it didn't follow my body. There's also a light that shines on your skin while epilating so it makes so much easier to see any hairs you might otherwise miss. While researching which model to get, I learned they now have different numbers of tweezers and some are wider than others (also something I never had a choice of before). I like that this model has the largest number of tweezers and is a wide head. If you're looking for all types of fancy attachments, this isn't for you. It's a basic epilator (much better than the old ones though) and pretty much does everything you need it for. The description says it gives you 50 minutes of use before needing to be charged again but I have yet to use it for 50 minutes in one sitting. It really does its job in MUCH less time and in the month or so that I've had it, I still haven't needed to charge it again. I hope this lasts as long as my first one (which still works but some of the tweezers have started to fall out which is why I'm replacing it). Braun is a good product and I don't have a single second thought about getting this model. I highly recommend it.

TL;DR: I dig it, recommend it, and here's some tips: Tips: - Exfoliation is key - Seems to do a better job after a hot shower to open your pores - It seems to pull more hair from dry skin - Use something like Tend or EvaGloss Razor Bump Solution (my recommendation) after to reduce red bumps. Full review--------- It's amazing not having to shave daily. It saves SO much time. I used to take 30 minute showers (I'm a hairy lady, okay, don't judge), but now it's down to 10 minutes. I’ve used epilators in the past and hated them all. They were inconvenient and a hassle to use because most of them had to be plugged in, or if they claimed to be wireless, you only got about 10-15 minutes out of them, and they weren't efficient enough to get it done in that time. I just got this one today and I was very impressed with the battery life. I did both legs (they were a bit overgrown so this took some time) but I never even got to the yellow light (meaning there are 10 minutes of charge left). I chose to do it in the shower, with warm water, after exfoliating. This made a huge difference. Much less painful than doing it dry or even after showing. Made cleaning up easier too. I love that this can be taken in the shower—that’s the main win for me. I bought the fancy package, but I haven’t used any of it yet. I will continue using this and report back after a month or so. Update after 1 week--------- Still dig it. My hair is coarse and grows fast. I use this every day to catch what grows overnight and it's pretty wonderful to be able to skip shaving time in the shower. I have found that while it's much less painful in the shower, I have gotten used to it and it doesn't hurt any more (I mean, it's not comfortable but it doesn't hurt when it rips the hair out) to use it while my skin is dry. I find that using it dry actually catches more hair than when my legs are wet. I have yet to try this on my upper lip or underarms (working up the courage first) but will post back when I do. Update after 3 weeks--------- I don't need to use it on my legs every day any more. It's more like once a week now. Also used it on my underarms, and used the smaller facial epilator thing for my upper lip. Definitely recommend doing both after a warm shower to open your pores. Underarms went well once I got used to the feeling. Doesn't feel great, of course, but doesn't really hurt either. Upper lip...definitely tender (during, not after)! Still worth it imo (left unchecked, I definitely have a lady 'stache). The facial epilator is battery operated, which I didn't realize at first. I think it would be better if it had a rechargeable battery for more consistent operation. The first time I used it, there were consistent speeds. After the first time, speeds varied inconsistently. It still works, so I'm not going to complain too much, but I would definitely want to see this as an improvement in their next version because I don't want to be swapping batteries ever 2-3 times I use it.

So I've had this about a month now, and there's a lot to say about it. Originally I wanted the Braun IPL system, but after extensive research, I'm blonde with lighter skin, I discovered IPL would not be very effective on my hair. Braun recommended the epilator, and since they're the experts, I went with what they said would work for me. I was so nervous to try this, I scoured the internet for every hint, tip, suggestion and trick. These are the ones that were most beneficial. 1) Use in the bathtub or shower with the hottest water you can stand 2) Use the Flex-head to start 3) Have a high-quality vitamin E lotion to apply afterward 4) First time: shave, wait 3-4 days then epilate. Then epilate once a week. 5) Take your time; go slow. Having used it a few times now, the flex-head is a definite must when you start using. The little rollers on the edges feel like it's kind of "scratching" you which distracts from the fact your hair is being ripped out at the roots. I can use the skin-contact cap on my legs now after 4 times. Underarms - that's a different story. Holy crap did that hurt the first time! Using the flex-head, directly under the shower stream, I wasn't sure I would get through the first session. I had to stop & start a few times. But, I did it, and I'm glad I did. The next underarm epilations were not nearly as bad. I haven't done the skin-contact cap yet... Maybe I'll update when I get brave enough to do that. The little face epilator is a bit awkward to use, but once you get the hang of it, it's fine. Between & above the brows is not bad. (I haven't done my actual brows, still tweeze/shape those by hand.) Upper lip though, holy crap again! Way worse than armpits! The first time literally brought tears to my eyes and made my nose run! To make this tolerable on the follow-ups, I rub a little Icy-Hot Lidocaine around my lips, let it sit 4-5 min, wipe it off and then epilate the lip/chin. Much more bearable! But your face WILL BE RED! And it takes a while to "calm down", so do this when you aren't planning to go anywhere. Use the vitamin E lotion AS SOON AS YOU ARE FINISHED! Your body parts will be stinging a little. But that subsides pretty quickly after lotioning. After epilating, skin is smooth and stays that way for days! The once-a-week routine has worked great thus far. Braun says you can extend that out to 2-3 weeks once you get efficient with the skin-contact cap.... I guess I'll have to wait and see. Overall, I'm glad I got this - it's better than shaving every couple of days.

I have been hairy my entire life. Fortunately, I am blonde and still at the age of 58. My body hair is still quite light. It hasn’t, however gotten a whole lot less as I’ve aged. I have tried everything my entire life! In my 20s, I purchased the first epilator that was a coil that ripped the hair out of your skin and was the most painful experience ever. After several tries, I passed it on to a friend who passed it on to a friend, who no doubt threw it away. From shaving, using Nair to salon waxing, and 2 failed attempts at professional laser treatments a decade of technology improvements apart, nothing has minimized my problem……Until now! After reading multiple reviews for several brands, I decided it was time to give this decade’s epilator a try. As soon as it arrived, I eagerly charged it. The booklet is a little bit confusing on trying to figure out which head to use or if, but sitting with the pieces and the diagrams in front of me, I figured it out. Day, one was an hour long session, tackling my arms and legs. There is a little sting at first, but I was so excited by how effective this is that I stopped noticing. Day two I tackled my armpits and bikini area. Again, a little uncomfortable with the under arms, but it took very little time to complete and absolutely no hair remaining. This is day three and I spent about 10 minutes going over little spots that I may have missed during the first pass. It’s still showing green positive sign for the charge. My skin is baby soft with absolutely no regrowth stubble anywhere after three days. I can’t tell you enough how totally shocked I am by the performance and minimal discomfort this epilator has caused. I wish I had known about this sooner. This is a life changer, and anyone that has battled a hairy body like I have shouldn’t even debate! The fact that I won’t have to shave or cream my arms every three months has given me so much confidence. I will update in the future if my opinion or results change but this Braun epilator and I have a date once a week for 10 or 15 minutes to maintain the work I completed today. Oh, the money I could’ve saved over the years had an epilator of this quality been available.

I previously had a Braun epilator that I really liked until it died. I went back to shaving, it drove me nuts - I'm either shaving all the time or have to live like a sasquatch. I can't do IPL due to health concerns. So I decided to replace my epilator. Since I am also "of an age" and having some concerns with facial hair, I figured I'd knock out two needs with one purchase. Mistake. This is an overpriced set with a lot of extra crap you don't need. The facial epilator is a total battery hog; it sort of works, best the first time or two are wonderful, and then performance quickly declines. If it ALWAYS performed like the first time and didn't mow through even the pricey super-charged batteries, it would be nice. Unfortunately, even with a fresh battery every time the performance is mediocre at best - the speed declines and it doesn't grab well. If it just tugs at the hair, you wind up breaking out. Save your money, it's not worth it. The best feature is that you can change directions so that it's not as awkward to operate, but this becomes a moot point (especially since the speed varies with the direction). As for the main epilator, it is absolutely horrible compared to previous models I've owned. Even with the skin taut and deliberate movement, it pulls about half the hair and breaks off the rest. So you wind up with a bunch of stubble. Repeatedly. With my old models, after you made it through the hair growth cycles, a quick buzz once a week would do the trick & it's usually not painful (after that initial period), because the root hasn't grown back fully. Since this one breaks off so many of the hairs, I constantly have stubble. Then I might as well shave all the time. Perhaps it is because of the swiveling head. The previous ones I owned were fixed and did a much better job. Also, nearly every session with this is uncomfortable because of the unreliable mixture of epilation and hair breakage. I am not a novice to epilation, and I am typically a fan of Braun products (including my previous epilator), but this set is garbage in my opinion.

Update many months later: I am very happy with this product, but would try other, less expensive brand first before buying this one again. I use it once a week, and that keeps the pain down since I only have somewhat sparser growth than if I were to let the hair grow for a whole month. It still takes me a long time to do everything, but that’s ok. I take about 1-1.5 hours to do full legs, underarms (the most painful spot), forearms, lower abdomen, and face. The battery life is fantastic. It lasts the whole time I’m using it. It does make me bleed a little, usually on the back of my upper thigh. I think that’s because I’m not very flexible and I’m pretty overweight, so it’s hard to reach certain areas. Maybe if I were 30 years younger and many pounds lighter, that wouldn’t happen. It does give me a lot of ingrown hairs on my inner thighs, but I think that’s because I don’t exfoliate. I use it dry in the shower before I turn on the water. I do this because 1-1.5 hours of the shower running is excessive and unnecessary. Plus, This is the way that gets the most hair out: just going with dry skin. I just need to start exfoliating every day or a few times a week, though. I have to say that I love this machine and I’m never going back to waxing for the areas that I can do myself. I hope this machine never breaks, but if it does, I’ll be getting another epilator. I’ll just try a less expensive brand first. UPDATE: 2 Months after the first update: The second one works. I received a message in my email telling me to return the first one. But when the agent ordered the second one for me, he told me not to return it because it's a personal item. Yah, this baby has caused me to bleed at times, just like waxing. They would have to disassemble, clean, and disinfect it in order to resell it. I called Amazon and the second agent told me that the first agent was correct. It should not be returned, and this person removed that issue from my account. If the head in this flexes left or right, it's only a few degrees. It is almost impossible for me to get the hair near the upper edges of where my legs join my body. Then again, I'm not the most flexible person. But I feel like they misrepresent how much it flexes. Overall, I think it's extremely overpriced and I would not buy it again without trying a different brand first, but I'm keeping it. I bet I would've gotten similar results from a less expensive brand, as long as it has the same number of tweezers (72, I think). I don't use the other ridiculous attachments. Really? I'm going to scour my legs for cellulite? I'm pretty sure that doesn't work. As for my face, a wash cloth works great for me, and can you even purchase replacement heads for the scrubbers? I put all those silly things in my closet. I do use the facial epilator, and it does work very well. The first one I received didn't have directions, so I didn't know which way to aim the machines, but I eventually figured it out somewhat. When I received my replacement, all the directions were there, which helped a great deal, and makes me wonder if the first one had been a return. So that's why my review is three stars: -1 star for lack of reliability / quality control -1 star for being so overpriced -1 star for not being as flexible as the picture indicates + 1 star for the facial epilator UPDATE 32 days after the first purchase: IT STOPPED WORKING!! I'm not going to erase my previous review from when I first got the item. That is below. However, I changed my rating to 1 star until I receive the replacement that Amazon arranged for me. I'm very happy that even though the return window expired two days ago, Amazon agreed to replace the item since it stopped working. I only used it for a total of less than three hours, let it charge, then let it sit for almost month, and when I went to use it, it wouldn't turn on or light up. It also did not light up when I plugged it in to charge. I'm pretty upset. I don't mind spending money for quality items, but this is a scam and ripoff if the replacement breaks too. If the replacement breaks, I'm going to ask for a full refund and leave my rating at one star. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I had an Epilator decades ago, but I couldn't handle the pain, so I stopped using it. It was a wire coil, and it was a dinosaur compared to this one. The one I had used a design that looked like a rotating spring in a pretzel shape. I think this design is much better. Over the last few months, I've been getting everything waxed, but I've always been dissatisfied with the results because I was never a smooth as when using a razor. These results are similar for me, but this is much more economical! Waxing costs me $120 (a bargain in my area), and this Epilator cost me $220, tax included. So it pays for itself in only two uses. Yes, the results are not as good as a good shave with a razor, but these results last much longer, I don't have to worry about nicking myself, and I always used to get razor rash on my inner thighs, even when using exorbitantly priced blades, pre-shave oil, shaving cream, and after shave. So for me, this is preferable to both shaving and waxing so far. I have not gotten any type of rash from this except for the expected redness from plucking out a lot of hair, and that goes away (I think in a couple of hours, but I'm not sure.) One cool perk is that when I noticed a few ingrown hairs that were left by waxing about a month ago, I scratched open the skin, flicked the hair so it was sticking out of the surface, and was then able to remove the hair with the body Epilator. I've never been able to remove ingrown hairs with such ease, speed, and so little damage to my skin! Normally, I would have used a needle and tweezers to dig in my skin to try to get the hair out, and usually I was unsuccessful. Now, it's simple as long as I can scratch the skin and get the end of the hair to the surface. Using this Epilator was pretty painful, but so is waxing. I kept telling myself that I got a tattoo, so I should be able to endure this pain. I used the 3 mm trimmer and took some Tylenol and Ibuprofen first in an attempt to reduce the pain. It still hurt, unfortunately. Also, either the trimmer didn't work or my hair was already 3 mm or shorter. I think the trimmer didn't work. Again, this is where written directions would come in handy, Braun!!!! Maybe I was using the trimmer incorrectly, but I have no way of knowing since there are no directions for it. I do like the light on the body Epilator, but it should really be more powerful to do its job well. I used the body Epilator in the shower to avoid getting hair all over the place. I used soap on my skin to help the epilator glide over my skin more smoothly, and the epilator still removed the hair! Without the soap, the epilator didn't glide smoothly along my skin. Instead, it skipped and jumped on my wet skin. It might glide more smoothly on dry skin, but I like to do this after I've taken a shower so that my pores are more open from the steam. I think that might make it easier to remove the hair. That might be a myth, but I'll believe it until I'm told otherwise. I bought this model because it was the top pick in a recent Good Housekeeping review and it was rated very high in removing the hair on the first pass. That was my experience, too, and might be the most important aspect of this device. I was able to do my legs, underarms, and bikini area in about 1-1.5 hours the first time I used it. I hope I'll get faster in the future. I dislike that there are no written directions; only pictures. I took one star off for that. Thanks to all the reviewers who warned shoppers to be on the lookout for a used device. I checked mine before using it, and I didn't see any hair, so I assume it's unused (I hope!) It's hard to get the hair on the back of my legs, I must say. So, I might go to the waxing salon anyway to get any stray hair until I feel like I have the hang of it. I'm really looking forward to being able to use this as soon as I feel stubble instead of having to wait a month between waxes because it's so expensive. By the time I get to the waxing salon each month, my hair has grown out to the point where I would feel embarrassed wearing anything that showed my legs or bikini area. So, this Epilator makes me able to not worry about making an appointment or having to get to a salon during their business hours. That is extremely convenient. This is very easy to hold and only slightly slipped away from me once. I think that was because I was getting used to where the buttons are. One suggestion I have to improve it is a sensor that would trip an auto-off/auto-on feature. When you lift it away from skin, or would be great for it to turn off, then back on when you put it back on skin. I was able to fit everything into the little carrying case, but I had to cram it in there. The carrying case is poorly designed or was not designed to fit this product. I used the facial Epilator on my upper lip area, and it worked very well and very quickly. Again, there are no written directions, so I don't know which direction to have the facial Epilator rotate: against the hair/growth pattern/grain or with the grain? Am I supposed to run the Epilator against the grain or with the grain? That would be very helpful to know. With the body Epilator, I used the attachment with the little roller wheels on the edge, but it didn't get any hair doing that, so I don't know what that attachment is for. Again, written directions would be helpful here, Braun!! I used the attachment for the body Epilator that I believe is supposed to be the one that gets hairs out the fastest, and I used the faster of the two speeds. Again, I am impressed with how much hair it removed with the first pass. I doubt I'll be using any of the cleansing or massaging attachments, but I'm still glad I got this model due to the facial Epilator. Then again, I didn’t try the attachment that has a narrow slit in the middle for use on sensitive areas. Another reviewer said that the smaller surface area getting epilated helped her tolerate the pain. I was too lazy to spend five times as long in order to get the job done. Update: after using this method, I got a lot of ingrown hairs on my bikini area. To solve the problem, I used AmLactin lotion for two days to try to chemically exfoliatie the area since there were so many ingrown hairs. I guess it worked because I noticed later that I no longer had any ingrown hairs! I also just bought some Tend Skin salicylic acid toner. You use it all over, daily, after drying off, and it is supposed to keep your skin exfoliated to avoid ingrown hairs. I realized that I am not in the habit of applying lotion. I’m not sure if I’ll be better at using this toner. We’ll see. I just bought it because I tore my skin up from having several ingrown hairs from using the epilator. Its frustrating to try to find a hair removal method that is at least somewhat economical, whose pain I can tolerate, is effective, and that doesn’t cause ingrown hairs. I recently read that epilating is tweezing, and tweezing deforms the hair follicle, ripping it and bringing more blood supply, thus making the hair grow back stronger and permanently curving and deforming the follicle, making it harder to get the hair out. However, I feel like using the epilator regularly has decreased the number of hairs that grow in an area. In fact, when I used my old one, I could only reach the front of my legs, and I did that for do long that it permanently decreased the number of hairs that grew in those areas on my legs. I definitely still had hair growth, but it was much less dense in the areas that I had epilated for several months. So, I love this machine, and because it works so effectively for the most part, I am OK with the price that I paid for it. I would buy it again. However, I might see if I could go to the manufacturer’s website so I would know I was getting a brand new one, since so many reviewers have stated that they have received used ones. I know this review is super long, but this is a huge purchase. Also, I now see the wisdom of the body body exfoliation scrubbing brush. That might be able to be used with a salicylic acid soap to keep the skin exfoliated. Bottom line: I'm glad I bought it!

Update #1: OMG this device is amazing. Just buy it. The first session on any area is by far the most painful. The follow ups are a breeze everywhere except the forearms. The post epilating inflammation is not bad after the first big session. Forearms continue to be very painful for me, but I’d rather suffer through it than have to shave them everyday. Follow ups on underarms are not painful, follow ups on legs are not painful. I’m doing follow ups about once a week. The shaver head is amazing for peace fuzz on the face, and extra smoothness right after epilating. Love this device, money well spent. I only use my razor on the underneath side of my bikini area now and use the shaver on the front. Essentially I’m done with shaving except for that. Can’t believe I didn’t know about epilating years ago. I feel like a hairless dolphin. Original Review: So before I ordered I read the good reviews and bad reviews and decided to try anyways. I ordered the kit that has the most extra attachments. I’ve got thick, coarse hair on my arms and legs and get tired of shaving so much real estate area every other day. It’s a lot of shower time. Granted, I’ve got a high pain tolerance but didn’t think this epilator pain was THAT horrendous. It was bad, but not so bad you can’t muscle through it. I used it on freshly showered and dry skin, pulled taught. A technique that worked for me was to not take super long strokes, but to go back and forth over the same few inches of skin before moving to another patch. This helped. And I split up my first session into two days. So the first night I did the left side of my body - leg and arm, the next night the right leg, right arm and armpits. The pits were the most painful. In case I hadn’t already suffered enough, I spritzed with straight rubbing alcohol afterwards to kill germs, and then slathered on a nice lotion and went to bed. You’ll be red and bumpy like a freshly plucked chicken at first - this is probably worse if your hair is coarse with a meaty root to it. But that side effect goes away fairly quick. My skin was generally sore the next day and still a little inflamed at every hair follicle but I imagine that will fade by day 2 or 3. The device seems powerful, good battery life, and it’s really easy to use. I liked the shaver attachment to hit the peach fuzz on my face, too. I’ll update the review as time goes on. I’m hoping that with consistent use it’s less painful and the inflammation doesn’t last as long, the hair grows back much less coarse, but time will tell. Definitely way better than shaving since I generally have stubble within 6-12 hours.