Braun Büffel Silk-épil Xelle 5270 Electric Shaver
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- Features: Pain Softener With Adjustable Speeds
- Gender: Women
- Shaver Type: Electric Shaver Epilator
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I'm a convert!
Pros
Efficient, effective, not that painful, light and massage features distinguish from competitors, long-term savings
Cons
Expensive initial investment, somewhat painful, doesn't get shortest hairs, irritates sensitive skin
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Top-of-the-line reputation is well-deserved. This is an easy, effective, mostly painless alternative to shaving or waxing.
Like many, I suspect, I turned fearfully to the Silk-Epil more out of a desire to find an alternative to shaving and waxing than out of a desire to yank my leg hairs out by the roots. I had read a lot of reviews that talked about how it was really, really painful, so I was incredibly nervous the first time I used it, but I am now an epilation convert. What follows is a love story.
I was only able to purchase this product because of Christmas money from my grandmother--while it was available for about $50 on Amazon.com, I would up making my purchase at Target for about $70. It is definitely a hefty up-front investment. But considering that you're saving on shaving cream and razor blades, or the even more pricey habit of waxing, it's totally worth it. So I don't really have any qualms about the price.
The packaging was pretty irritating, which is a con in my book, but that's a battle that only lasts 10 minutes, whereas the battle with leg hair lasts a lifetime. So again, no qualms.
The epilator itself looks kind of scary when you take it out of the packaging, as you will probably agree if you've ever seen a photo of that roller head with the 40 tweezers on it, poised for, well, tweezing. Similarly intimidating is the quite loud noise it makes when you turn the device on. I had to switch it off and on a few times before I used it just to get used to the sound. Plus I needed some time to work up my courage to actually touch it to my skin.
Well, I finally did. And yes, it does hurt. But I would like to come out as an advocate for the Silk-Epil by emphasizing that IT'S REALLY NOT THAT BAD. It's more of a sting than an actual pain. It's worse in places where the hair is longer, so I would recommend starting out with just a small amount of stubble. Also, the massaging rollers, which are one of the advertised features that make this epilator stand out from its competitors, really do help with minimizing the pain--they sort of "distract" your nerves by giving them another sensation to think about (granted, I'm no scientist). By all means don't let the pain stop you, but more importantly, don't let the pain freak you out and make you all nervous about using this product even if you do decide to buy it. I promise it's not that bad.
Because the tweezers didn't pick up the really, really short hairs, my legs still felt kind of prickly after I used the Silk-Epil for the first time. I read somewhere that it helps to use it every couple of days to catch the shorter hairs as they grow out and eventually they'll all be gone. I'm in the process of doing this, and it seems to be a good system. I've epilated 2 or 3 times and the Silk-Epil is still finding hairs that I didn't know I had (this is greatly helped by the light feature, which shows you where the hairs are much better than regular room light--an excellent perk that sets this product apart from its competitors).
One final note: one of the main reasons I wanted to stop shaving was because of persistent problems with skin irritation, razor burn, ingrown hairs, etc. I tend to have sensitive skin. I have not experienced any irritation beyond slight redness at the time of use, but it didn't persist and there were no bumps, rash, itching, etc. Very kind on skin!
UPDATE 11/9/2010: I have to admit that I went back to shaving for a while because I got frustrated by the inability to get a perfectly smooth look and feel from using the epilator. However I think I may have figured out the trick. The instructions in the package say that you should take FIFTEEN SECONDS for one stroke going from ankle to knee. While this seems excessive, I've found that slowing down helps IMMENSELY with making sure you get all the hairs the first time. It also means that epilating ultimately doesn't take as long because I'm not going over and over the same spots.
A couple of other notes: I have dry sensitive skin, and I am getting red dots and bumpies all over my legs right after I epilate, but they go away after the first day leaving my legs looking luscious. I would recommend using this product a day in advance if you're going to be showing off your legs.
In addition, the fact that there is no receptacle for the hairs that are being removed means that the epilation process can get a little gross (think about your shower drain after you've shaved). You could do it in the bathtub or over a sink, but my preferred method is to do it sitting on a towel and then use a lint roller to remove all the yuckies from the towel (and surrounding floor area if some have escaped).
A year and a half later I am still learning the ins and outs of the Silk-Epil epilator. It does have some quirks and some little details that might go in the "con" category, but overall I still prefer it to the expense of waxing or the endless cycle of regrowth that you get with traditional shaving.
I was only able to purchase this product because of Christmas money from my grandmother--while it was available for about $50 on Amazon.com, I would up making my purchase at Target for about $70. It is definitely a hefty up-front investment. But considering that you're saving on shaving cream and razor blades, or the even more pricey habit of waxing, it's totally worth it. So I don't really have any qualms about the price.
The packaging was pretty irritating, which is a con in my book, but that's a battle that only lasts 10 minutes, whereas the battle with leg hair lasts a lifetime. So again, no qualms.
The epilator itself looks kind of scary when you take it out of the packaging, as you will probably agree if you've ever seen a photo of that roller head with the 40 tweezers on it, poised for, well, tweezing. Similarly intimidating is the quite loud noise it makes when you turn the device on. I had to switch it off and on a few times before I used it just to get used to the sound. Plus I needed some time to work up my courage to actually touch it to my skin.
Well, I finally did. And yes, it does hurt. But I would like to come out as an advocate for the Silk-Epil by emphasizing that IT'S REALLY NOT THAT BAD. It's more of a sting than an actual pain. It's worse in places where the hair is longer, so I would recommend starting out with just a small amount of stubble. Also, the massaging rollers, which are one of the advertised features that make this epilator stand out from its competitors, really do help with minimizing the pain--they sort of "distract" your nerves by giving them another sensation to think about (granted, I'm no scientist). By all means don't let the pain stop you, but more importantly, don't let the pain freak you out and make you all nervous about using this product even if you do decide to buy it. I promise it's not that bad.
Because the tweezers didn't pick up the really, really short hairs, my legs still felt kind of prickly after I used the Silk-Epil for the first time. I read somewhere that it helps to use it every couple of days to catch the shorter hairs as they grow out and eventually they'll all be gone. I'm in the process of doing this, and it seems to be a good system. I've epilated 2 or 3 times and the Silk-Epil is still finding hairs that I didn't know I had (this is greatly helped by the light feature, which shows you where the hairs are much better than regular room light--an excellent perk that sets this product apart from its competitors).
One final note: one of the main reasons I wanted to stop shaving was because of persistent problems with skin irritation, razor burn, ingrown hairs, etc. I tend to have sensitive skin. I have not experienced any irritation beyond slight redness at the time of use, but it didn't persist and there were no bumps, rash, itching, etc. Very kind on skin!
UPDATE 11/9/2010: I have to admit that I went back to shaving for a while because I got frustrated by the inability to get a perfectly smooth look and feel from using the epilator. However I think I may have figured out the trick. The instructions in the package say that you should take FIFTEEN SECONDS for one stroke going from ankle to knee. While this seems excessive, I've found that slowing down helps IMMENSELY with making sure you get all the hairs the first time. It also means that epilating ultimately doesn't take as long because I'm not going over and over the same spots.
A couple of other notes: I have dry sensitive skin, and I am getting red dots and bumpies all over my legs right after I epilate, but they go away after the first day leaving my legs looking luscious. I would recommend using this product a day in advance if you're going to be showing off your legs.
In addition, the fact that there is no receptacle for the hairs that are being removed means that the epilation process can get a little gross (think about your shower drain after you've shaved). You could do it in the bathtub or over a sink, but my preferred method is to do it sitting on a towel and then use a lint roller to remove all the yuckies from the towel (and surrounding floor area if some have escaped).
A year and a half later I am still learning the ins and outs of the Silk-Epil epilator. It does have some quirks and some little details that might go in the "con" category, but overall I still prefer it to the expense of waxing or the endless cycle of regrowth that you get with traditional shaving.
