Yahoo Lifestyle Scouted: I Couldn’t Handle Laser Hair Removal, but This At-Home Device Has Already Obliterated My Bikini Line
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When it comes to body hair, there is no right or wrong approach. But ever since I snuck a razor to shave my legs for the first time in fourth grade, my journey has always been a constant pursuit to (near) hairlessness. I’m olive-toned with thick, dark hair, and just as I was in middle school, I’m exceptionally hairy. Although I’ve picked up some tricks along the way, near hairlessness is about as good as it gets with me.
I was about 19 when I first tried (professional) laser hair removal, and it hurt so bad that I never returned after the first session. Since then, I’ve resorted to shaving everything but my bikini line, which only gives me about two solid days of that silky look and feel I’m after. As for my bikini line, I give myself a good old-fashioned wax every few weeks. It also hurts like hell, but it’s quick, doesn’t require an appointment, and is the only guarantee for a stubble-free area with zero ingrowns. The problem is I have to regrow my bikini line between at-home sessions, and with summer coming up, I can’t go another swim season trying to hide my stubble.
In search of a more permanent solution to my hairy situation, I turned to IPL—or intense pulsed light—a non-invasive, light-based treatment to reduce hair growth. Essentially, an IPL device emits bright pulses of light absorbed by melanin, the pigment that gives your hair its color. When the melanin absorbs the light, it heats the hair follicle to inhibit further growth. The number of sessions until you’re (hopefully) hairless depends on the specific device you’re using and the intensity of the light.
Generally speaking, most at-home hair removal devices claim to get you to (near) hairlessness after about a dozen sessions. But the best part is that no downtime or recovery is required, and with a selection of at-home devices on the market, you can get professional results without ever leaving your house. Foreo recently launched a new IPL device, the Peach 2 Pro Max, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one (it’s currently available for preorder only).
I fired up my brand new Foreo Peach 2 Pro Max and beelined it to my freshly shaven bikini line. Shaven, this time, because these devices require a follicle in place to target, but the hair also can’t be so long that the light can’t reach the base. The soft-touch silicone-like material and flexible edges around the treatment window cup the skin and curve seamlessly, even to the crease of my bikini line—plus, it feels like velvet in your hand.
This chic piece of tech offers quite the punch with five intensity levels, with some articles and forums claiming people keep it at level three for comfort, but I’ve been rocking on level five since I first tried it. As a reminder, I couldn’t make it to a second hair removal appointment in the past, so it’s not that I boast a high pain tolerance.
I started at level one, and when I didn’t feel pain, I increased the levels until I maxed out at the highest. But even at a five, I double-checked that I was doing it correctly because I felt nothing. If anything, maybe a kiss of warmth every now and again. Foreo even offers a Cooling Prep Gel to help soothe the area and prep it for treatment, but truthfully, I never cracked it open.
Call me crazy, but after the first use, my bikini line (aka my biggest problem area) felt smoother and softer somehow. Five treatments later, my stubble feels much less prickly, and the growth is looking a bit patchier. The thing about at-home IPL is that it’s quite an undertaking, considering Foreo recommends treating the same area only once per week.
Although I have snuck in an additional session with no pain or irritation, any area you choose to treat means you’re in for at least a three-month commitment. I’m not hairless yet, but if things continue the way they are, by summer, my bikini line will be smooth, my shower will be free of razors, and my wastebasket will be empty of used wax strips.
