Epilators have come a long way since we started using them for hair removal a few years back, with an infinite number of features, speeds, colors. There are so many options now that it is confusing to pick a good epilator unless you are an epilator veteran. To skip ahead in this guide, please use the table of contents below.
With prices ranging from $30 to $160 and up to 10 features to shop from, picking one of many epilators available in 2020 can be overwhelming. To help you make your choice, we have rounded up the top 7 epilators of 2020. Each epilator is broken down into features as well as cons to make it easier to find the one that best suits your lifestyle and hair removal needs.
This is not the most expensive epilator out there but it IS the best epilator that money can buy in 2020. Let’s see why.
The head of this epilator is extra wide, which helps remove more hair in each pass. The head vibrates while in operation, which minimizes the pain that you might feel while epilating. The vibrations help massage and numb your skin. And finally, the Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 epilator head also pivots with your body. This helps keep the epilator head flat on your skin’s surface in trickier areas like under arms or behind knees.
Thanks to its Micro Grip tweezer technology, the tweezers on this epilator are much longer and wider than standard. This makes this hair removal device even better than waxing, picking up hairs that you may not even see. The Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 can pick up even a grain of sand!
It is cordless, with the longest lasting battery on the market, and can be used in both wet and dry environments. It’s also easy to clean with a detachable head, which you can wash or use the included cleaning brush.
There is a built in light for better visibility. To help with sensitive skin areas, the Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 epilator offers 2 speeds and an efficiency cap. This helps maximize hair removal and control how much hair you want epilate at any time.
Last but not least, the Braun epilator comes with 7 extras! Yes, SEVEN! This includes a shaver head that you can use to shave, a trimmer cap for trimming hair, an efficiency cap, a high frequency massaging cap, and a facial brush. The facial brush helps remove makeup and physically exfoliate any dead skin through micro vibrations. All of these attachments are waterproof just like the epilator itself. The seventh extra is a recharging stand for the epilator.
(The main epilator head is considered the 7th attachment, as all of the caps are interchangeable and some can even be doubled up, with 1 over the other.)
There are really no major issues with this epilator. We had to think hard about this but here are two potential minor issues.
Initially, we considered the price to be a downside of this epilator. But after taking the number of attachments into consideration, the price is a 1 time cost that can save you money on razors, facial brushes, and a trimmer. For this many uses, the 1 time cost is more than reasonable.
The second potential downside could be that you cannot use the epilator and charge at the same time. The epilator must be charged before or after each use. This could be a matter of habit for you. If you wax at home, you have to heat up the wax before you can use it. Similarly, by keeping the recharging dock nearby and in sight, this problem can easily be avoided. Just remember to charge after each use so you’re ready for the next time.
By almost exceeding in each of the potential features that an electric epilator can have in 2019, the Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 is an incredible feature-heavy hair removal AND skincare powerhouse. If you’re looking for an investment epilator that has all of the latest technology, multiple uses and will last you several years, this is your epilator!
The Panasonic ES-ED90-P epilator comes in a close second to the Braun Silk-epil, offering another excellent choice minus a few features.
This epilator comes with a 60 degree pivoting head with a built in light and 2 operating speeds to epilate more or less sensitive areas of your body in 1 go. With 46 tweezers, it falls into the mid to high range for tweezer power.
It also comes with 6 attachments. Two of these attachments are epilating attachments, with a gentle epilation cap attachment and a precise cap attachment. The gentle cap is meant for areas of your body that have a low tolerance to pain as it reduces the number of tweezers running along your skin. The precision cap makes the head smaller so you can epilate smaller areas with more accuracy. The precision cap could be especially useful for men for beards.
Other attachments include a shaver head, a bikini comb cap, and a pedicure buffer for removing dry skin and calluses.
This epilator also works in wet and dry environments.
Again, like the Braun, price and rechargeability are the main but still minor concerns. This is still an excellent investment in terms of price in that it is far less than even 1 salon wax session.
This epilator cannot be recharged while using it, like some corded epilators. Be sure to charge immediately after each or every few sessions to make sure it always runs when you need it to.
This is another best contender in the best epilators money can buy. It is missing some of the features, like micro grab technology, a trimmer or a facial brush, from our top pick, but adds some feature options to make up for it. Depending on what extras you’ll use the most, the Panasonic ES-ED90-P could be your top choice.
BUY NOW: Panasonic ES-ED90-P Epilator
Let’s start with the main feature that makes this epilator such powerhouse – It has 72 tweezers! This is almost double our first pick and runner up. With 72 tweezers, the Emjoi AP-18 is an ideal epilator for legs, arms, or other areas with a lot of hair or dense hair. Epilating with the Emjoi AP-18 will be much faster than either the Braun Silk-epil or the Panasonic epilators.
However, this may not be the best epilator for a beginner for the same reason. 72 tweezers pulling hair is going to hurt much more than half that number. The Emjoi AP-18 also does not have any massaging or vibrating attachments that will help numb the pain for a beginner or for someone with low pain tolerance.
But if you’re a seasoned veteran or have used an epilator 4-5 times, this is a powerful machine for you. Even if you are a beginner and plan on removing a lot of hair via epilation, it would be possible to build up tolerance and good technique by using it in smaller areas first.
The second feature unique to the Emjoi is the dual opposed heads. What this means is that the tweezers are not just at the top of epilator, but rounded out to extend out the top as well as the sides. These dual opposing heads allows greater flexibility as you travel over your body with the epilator. You can use it both on the right and left, and angle accordingly as you epilate.
The Emjoi AP-18 is corded with a 6.5 feet cord and offers 2 speeds.
It also boasts a Skin Glide technology that helps it grab all hairs on your skin. This technology helps it “scoop” up any hairs that are sitting flat and remove them from the root.
The Emjoi AP-18 does not have a built in light or shaving attachments. There is no efficiency cap, but you may not need one with the 72 tweezers and dual heads!
It is not water resistant, but it comes with a cleaning brush for good hygiene. It certainly is missing many of the features that our top picks have.
While we wouldn’t make it our top choice, this is a great epilator to have in your hair removal tool arsenal because it is incredibly powerful. Don’t look to the Emjoi AP-18 for features. This is a workhorse epilator and exceeds expectations in the main goal of an epilator – remove hair.
BUY NOW: Emjoi AP-18 Epilator
The Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator is a different kind of powerhouse in that it is a highly efficient epilator for those with sensitive skin.
It only has 36 tweezers but has the “highest tweezes per minute”. There are 2 speeds on this epilator. So while there are far less tweezers, at each of the 2 speeds, the tweezers rotate very quickly to pull out hair quickly. This makes the Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator perfect for causing the least amount of discomfort on sensitive skin.
Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator has another helpful feature for those with sensitive skin – all 36 tweezers are 24 karat gold plated with antibacterial properties. This plating makes the tweezers hypoallergenic and decreases ingrown hairs.
It includes a massage attachment that helps numb your skin during epilation. Like the Emjoi AP-18, it is not water resistant but includes a cleaning brush. It should not be used in the shower.
This epilator is also cordless and rechargeable. In fact, you can use it while it recharges unlike the other epilators we have covered so far. This allows you to use this epilator in any dry situations at any time!
It would be nice to see Emjoi make their epilators water resistant. The Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator has so many features alongside great epilation technology. Being able to use it in the shower would round out its feature list and make it contender for a wider audience.
It’s hypoallergenic tweezers and fast rotating tweezers make the Emjoi Soft Caress epilator a unique product. If you have sensitive skin or are prone to ingrown hairs, this is the epilator to get.
BUY NOW: Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator
If you’re worried about, there are a few decent options in a lower price range that offer a good value as a beginner epilator. The Remington EP7030 is one of the best in this category as Remington is one of the original companies in the epilator industry.
The Remington EP7030 epilator has 40 tweezers and operates at 2 speeds. It also has a pivoting head with a few cap attachments. The precision cap, perfect angle cap, and massaging cap all help you customize your experience according to what area you are epilating. There is also a built in light for better visibility.
It is rechargeable with a power adaptor and otherwise cordless, and can be used wet and dry. You can wash it off in the shower after use by removing the head or use a cleaning brush, also included.
The epilator is highly functional, but lacks additional features that make this a versatile travel friendly tool. It also lacks some technological developments in terms of tweezers and epilator motor like our other picks.
There is a low frills epilator that does the job, and does it well. If you’re a student or not sure about epilation as a hair removal process in general, this is an excellent experimental product. That’s not to say that it is not good for long term use. These epilators will run for years. So if you find that you don’t need more features, you’ll find the Remington EP7030 performs very well.
BUY NOW: Remington EP7030 Epilator
Are you looking for a beginner epilator with a few more multi-purpose functionalities? Look no further than the Codream 4-1 epilator.
It is a lesser known epilator with a younger brand. But don’t let that hold you back if the features make this an appealing choice for you.
The 4-1 refers to the 4 functions this epilator offers via attachments – epilator, shaver, hair clipper, and callus remover. Amongst the extras, the callus remover on Codream 4-1 is highly rated attachment. In terms of multifunctionality, this is a powerhouse.
It is rechargeable via power adaptor and can be used while plugged in or as cordless. There is a built in LED light. The epilator head can be removed and washed with water. But the epilator itself is not wet/dry and should be using in dry places only.
In terms of features, making the whole epilator water resistant would make this epilator well rounded.
Aside from features, the Codream 4-1 epilator does lack the latest technology in both tweezers
and epilator motor.
Want an beginner, budget friendly option that offers more features and versatility than the Remington EP7030? The Codream 4-1 is your epilator.
BUY NOW: Codream 4-1 Epilator
For our last review, we asked ourselves – What is the cheapest basic epilator that does the job?
Why bothering asking this question? We recognized that sometimes you want to spend the least possible money to figure out if a particular hair removal method even works for you. With that in mind, we concluded that if you want a basic starter epilator, the Philips Satinelle HP-6401 is one to try.
It has 21 tweezers, 2 speed setting and an efficiency cap. You can also wash the top epilator head by taking it off the body of the machine, which is not water resistant.
It is a little louder than the other epilators we have reviewed. It is also corded.
Almost everything.
This epilator has none of the features of our epilators and no additional attachments. It has a low number of tweezers and no built in light. And it is not water resistant and so cannot be used in the shower.
Remember this is a basic, no frills epilator. It is much lower in price than the others we have picked to review here. But this is also a best selling epilator and has been for many years. So it may not be fancy, but it works! The Philips Satinelle HP-6401 would be a great epilator to start your epilating journey with, and later adding a second more efficient epilator to your hair removing arsenal!
BUY NOW: Philips Satinelle HP-6401 Epilator
Epilators still enjoy a somewhat anonymous status. Many women have never used or heard of an epilator! This is ironic because epilators can be the ideal method of hair removal for a lot of people, men and women.
The epilator is a hair removal device that uses groups of tweezers to remove hair from it’s root. The tweezers are usually metal or ceramic. As you pass the epilator over your skin, its many tweezers rotate to grab many hairs and remove them completely just like waxing.
Epilation allows you to be hair free for longer than shaving, similar to waxing. Like waxing, when the hair regrows out from its root, you must epilate to remove it again. Depending on fast your hair grows, you could enjoy smooth skin for 1 to 3 weeks!
Epilating gives long last smooth skin. If you remove hair by shaving, you are probably shaving anywhere from every 3 or 4 days to daily. Epilating is like waxing. It removes the hair from the root. So you have to epilate only as often as your hair regrows from its roots. That means you can enjoy smooth hairless skin for a week up to 2 or 3 weeks!
It’s also as easy as shaving, if not easier. Epilators come in many features, from cordless to rechargable to waterproof to vibrating heads that numb your skin. There is no nicking your skin or causing razor burn like shaving.
It’s definitely much easier than waxing. You may need to recharge your epilator, but there is no warming up of wax or other preparation. You even don’t need to wait for your hair to grow out ¼ of an inch, like for waxing. You can epilate the minute you start to see or feel hairs. And you can epilate from anywhere, home or a hotel.
If you shave, how often you buy new razors or razor heads? Or you may go to a wax salon, which can cost up to $200/visit. Not to mention having to schedule an appointment and worry about hot wax burns. Even if you wax at home, you’re spending money on wax refills or waxing strips.
An epilator is a 1 time cost for several years. With epilators ranging from $40 to $140, you only have to spend that once to epilate for years. Without a doubt, epilating is the cheapest hair removal solution available to men and women today. And with technology improving every single year, epilators are becoming a go-to for hair removal for more people every year.
There are over a hundred epilators available to try out there today. You could start with any of them. So which one do you pick up? What are the differences between each epilator? Are they all the same? Why are some more expensive than others?
A few years ago, a lot of epilators were fairly straightforward. They only worked if plugged into an outlet, in dry environments (not in the shower), and sometimes hard to clean. Today, epilators are available with lots more features. Here are some of the features we looked at to differentiate a good epilator from a better one to find some of the best epilators available to us in 2017:
A common question we get is: do epilators cause ingrown hairs? They can with a low quality epilator. So what does that mean?
A good epilator will grab the hairs at their roots to pull it out completely. It should not be grabbing hairs halfway and breaking them. This will lead to faster re growth because the hair was not removed and only broken, like shaving.
It could also mean more ingrown hairs because when a hair is pulled until it breaks halfway, it is stretched out. After it stretches and snaps, it curls back towards the skin and could become an ingrown hair.
The more tweezers on the head of the epilator, the faster you’ll pull out more hair. Each of the tweezers grab hairs as they rotate.
So with an epilator that has a high number tweezers, you’ll be pulling out more hairs per pass of the epilator over your skin. This can be great because you’ll spend less time epilating.
At the same time, if you have low tolerance for pain, more tweezers could also mean more pain. So it is important to know how many tweezers an epilator has, so you can make an informed decision.
Epilators can cost anywhere from $30 to $150 and prices go up with increased features, details, and accessories. Lower priced epilators can have lower number of tweezers and less convenient details, but are a good place to start if you are unsure about epilation.
On the other hand, if you wax often or use a hair removal method that removes hair from the roots, a good quality epilator can be a useful tool. While the initial cost can seem high for an epilator will all of the features, bells and whistles available, the money you save by replacing wax salon fees quickly makes the epilator a good investment.
If you have low pain tolerance, the epilator cap is a must have. It is an attachment cap for the epilator head, where all the tweezers are, to help lessen the pain of epilating.
It is curved and helps optimize the surface area that touches your skin to maximize the angle needed for epilation. The shape of the attachment cap helps you keep the epilator at a 90 degree angle, which is the best angle for epilation. It also makes epilating less painful.
This is another must have. To make sure your epilator works for a long time, you want to be sure to clean it. The tweezers that pull hair out rotate at the top the epilator. In a good epilator, you are able to take that top portion off or apart to clean out any hairs that might have gotten stuck in there while the tweezers rotate.
A clean epilator will also help keep your skin free of any acne or similar breakouts that are a result of bad epilator hygiene.
Variable speeds help you control how fast or slow the tweezers turn. This is especially useful when you are epilating a curved and sensitive area, like an armpit or the back of knee. These areas can hurt a lot more.
If your epilator has two or more speeds, you can continue epilating up an arm or leg by just slowing it down when you reach a sensitive area.
Most of us will epilate in a bathroom, and sometimes bathrooms do not have the best light at night. Having a built in light at the head of the epilator that shines on your skin can be really helpful when you have to epilate during an evening.
The built in light can help you see hairs that are shorter or finer so that you don’t end up with patchy areas due to bad overhead lighting.
There are a lot of accessories available with some epilators. Some accessories make the basic epilator into a powerful 7-in-1 or 5-in-1 tool with attached heads for shaving hair, exfoliating, or even scrubbing your heels.
Epilators with accessories can be the ideal choice for anyone who travels or does not have a lot of storage in their bathroom because one tool does so much more than just epilate!
Corded epilators work just as fine as cordless or rechargeable epilators. However, if you travel or your bathroom outlet is too far to be comfortable, a cordless option can be a small detail that offers tremendous convenience.
So think about where in your home you will be using your epilator, and if having a cordless epilator will make your life easier. Alternatively, if you travel often, cordless is definitely the way to go.
Want to be able to shower and epilate in 1 go? A wet/dry epilator might be your best friend. These epilators can be used in the shower with the water running. This helps with cleaning up the hair that is epilated and the epilator itself. As these epilators are water resistant, you can wash the epilator and the tweezer heads and let it dry in the shower for the next time.
These epilators are also ideal for travelers, who can use in hotels and airbnbs without worrying about the mess and cleanup.
All this talk about removing hair from the root brings us to an important question – How much does it hurt?
The answer depends on your tolerance for pain. We have found that it hurts less than waxing but more than shaving. However, if shaving gives you ingrown hairs then trading your razer for a good epilator may still be worth it. A well designed efficiency cap also helps with any pain you might experience.
All in all, unless your pain tolerance is insanely low, don’t be put off by the reports of pain. With some practice, the epilator can become your go to tool for hair removal.
Below we have answered frequest questions about epilators and how to use them from friends and readers.
A good quality epilator like the Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 or the Panasonic ES-ED90-P works extremely well to remove hair from anywhere on your body. Epilators can remove hair as well as waxing sessions at a salon and last just as long, with none of the preparation or cleanup required after waxing. And you can epilate hair quickly, almost as quickly as shaving.
Epilators are better than shaving if you’re looking for hair removal that lasts longer. Because epilators remove hair from the root like waxing, epilator hair removal lasts longer than shaving.
Most people find that epilator hair removal will last anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks.
You can use an epilator on pubic hair. However, unless you have a high pain tolerance and plenty of experience removing hair, we would not recommend using an epilator on the most sensitive areas of your genitals. You can easily use an epilator on the pubic hair around your bikini line but any lower than that may hurt a lot.
You can epilate everyday if you see hair. It may seem like some hair grows back faster but this is because hair grows in cycles. So you can easily epilate as frequently as you wish. Unlike waxing, where you may end up over exfoliating your skin if you try to wax everyday (when you pull out the hair, you also pull away some of the top layers of shedding skin), you can safely use epilators everyday without hurting your skin.
If you’re pressed for time, it is better to epliate dry than wet because the latter will take a little bit longer. However, if you want an easy place to wash away the hairs, clean the epilator, you can epilate wet skin just as easily as dry.
If you have a wet/dry epilator like the Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 or the Panasonic ES-ED90-P that can be used in the shower on wet skin or after you’ve dried your skin, you can epilate wherever is most convenient for you. Not all epilators are suited for wet environments.
You can epilate your legs as often as you see hair on your legs, even everyday. Hair grows in cycles and you do not need to allow a certain period of time for recovery like in waxing before attempting to remove hair again. If you are someone who finds themselves needing to shave everyday, you may find that you can save a lot of time by epilating your hairs every few days.
Epilating does not reduce growth, though this is a common myth. Many people use an epilator after shaving for many years, and so go from seeing their hair regrow within days to not having to worry about hair removal for weeks after using an epilator.
This is because an epilator removes the hair from the root like waxing and shaving only cuts it off at the surface, and so the hair takes time to regrow from the root instead of continuing growth from where it was cut off.
So while it may feel like epilation reduces hair growth, it only forces the hair to regrow from the root. If you want to try a hair removal method that reduces hair growth, check out our guide on at home laser hair removal.
Epilating does not remove hair permanently. Like waxing, it only removes the hair from the root, without damaging the root and so it will regrow.
Epilating is not bad for your skin and is a skin safe method of hair removal. If you have sensitive or thin skin, you can remove skin along with hair if you wax or sugar your facial hair. If you shave your facial hair, you run the risk of razer burn and skin irritation. A high quality and gentle epilator like the Braun Silk-epil 9 9-579 or the Panasonic ES-ED90-P can help you avoid these types of skin irritation and last anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks.
Using an epilator does not darken skin. It is a skin safe method of hair removal. You can safely use epilators to removes your hair without any damage to your skin, no matter your skin tone.
Epilators are better than laser if you want to save money but want a hair removal method that lasts longer than shaving, up to 2-4 weeks at a time.
Laser hair removal is better than epilators if you’re looking for a permanent hair removal method. Laser kills the hair at the root instead of just pulling it out. To learn more, check out our guide on at home laser hair removal.
You can epilate your armpits easily. You can epilate as often as you want, or as often as you notice hair. Epilators are great at removing hair from nooks and cranies and is great for all types of hair, armpit and otherwise.
Epilating does not cause strawberry legs. Like waxing, epilators pull the hair out from the root instead of just cutting it off at the surface like shaving (shaving results in strawberry legs).
You can also use a non comedogenic lotion like Aveeno Moisturizer or Cerave Daily Moisturizing Lotion right after you have finished epilating to replace any moisture lost during the epilating process and further reduce any risk of strawberry legs.
Here are some benefits of epilating:
You can epilate hairs of any length, but you’ll have more success epilating hairs between 1/8 to 1/4″ long. If the hair is longer, you may end up breaking the hair instead of pulling it out, and then that hair will grow back faster.
You can epilate long hairs. For best results, we recommend trimming hairs that are longer than 1/2 inch to anywhere between 1/8″ to 1/4″.
You can easily epilate your face hair. Certain epilators like the Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator are gentler on sensitive skin and can work really well for facial hair removal or even bikini hair removal. Read our review on the Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator at the top of this article.
Numbing cream works well for epilating and can help reduce pain. Numbing creams target the pain receptors in your skin’s dermis and epidermis and temporarily prevent them from relying pain to your brain. Numbing creams can work for an hour to an hour and 30 minutes, giving you a window to remove hair with minimal pain, and are a great tool if you suffer from sensitive skin or want to remove hair in a sensitive area like face or bikini. Here’s our guide to numbing creams for epilators and hair removal.
Epilating will last anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on how fast your hair grows. Like waxing, epilators remove hair from the root and so epilator hair removal will last as long as it takes for your hairs to regrow from the root.
A good quality epilator will last years. I have used an older model Braun epilator for 10 years before upgrading to a wet/dry model. If you take care of epilator, clean out the epilator “teeth” (the roters that pull out the hairs) regularly, and use as it is directed, you can expect your epilator to last a decade or longer. Of course, you may choose to upgrade sooner like I did.
You should not shave before epilating because then the epilator will nothing to grip and pull out. If your hair is too long, you can use a trimmer to shorten the hairs.
Epilating does not cause the hair to grow back thicker. In fact, you’ll notice the hairs come back finer over time. Because the epilator will remove the hair from the root, it will need to regrow from the root and will grow back finer than if you had shaved the same hair.
Technically you CAN do a Brazilian with an epilator, but it is not something we would recommend. You can easily remove hair around your bikini but anything lower than that will hurt a lot because it’s a sensitive area. It’s especially difficult to use an epilator on yourself in that area. And as an epilator removes hairs in approximate groups of 5-30, you’ll feel a lot more in a sensitive area like your public area. We recommend waxing or laser hair removal for better results.
A good quality epilator like one of the ones we recommend at the top of this article will not break hairs and will only pull them out from the roots. A cheaper epilator can break hairs which will result in ingrown hairs. So invest in a well reviewed device and you will have no issues.
You can moisturize after epilating with a non comedogenic moisturizer like Aveeno Moisturizer, Cerave Daily Moisturizing Lotion, or Cetaphil. It’s a great idea to do so because it helps replace any moisture lost in your skin during the hair removal process.
Here’s how to epilate the first time and any subsequent times:
Do epilators leave stubble?
If you use your epilator incorrectly or use a cheap epilator, you may notice that you get stubble in just a few days and your hair removal does not last the expected 2 to 4 weeks. Remember to use your epilator in the same direction as hair growth and if that does not work, invest in a better quality epilator. Check out our epilator recommendations at the top of this article.
You should epilate in the same direction as hair growth. If you epilate against hair growth, you may break the hairs which will result in those hairs growing back quickly as stubble or worse, ingrown hairs.
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