Before I tried my first IPL machine, I was suspicious. A handheld device that flashes at your skin and it somehow zaps away your body hair? It all sounded rather unlikely. Except then I got one, and it did just that, and it's been my summertime savior for the past five years.
I paraphrased before, so let me back up a bit. IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light: multiple wavelengths of light that look a little like a photo flash. (They're different to a laser, which uses one concentrated beam.) You remove the hair from the bit of skin you want to be fuzz-free, and then run your device over that patch. The light targets the follicle that sits under the surface of your skin, damaging or destroying it so it doesn't grow back.
• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale
The results, for me, are incredible. It's by far the most effective, long-lasting and side-effect-free method of hair removal I've tried (and I have tried them all). However, there are a few things to know before buying one — scroll down for the key things I tell anyone who asks me if I'd recommend an IPL.
I was particularly inspired to share my tips now, because there are several heavily discounted IPL machines (including my own Braun Silk-Expert Pro 5 — five years old and still going strong) included in the Amazon Prime Day sales. So if you read my tips and decide to buy, now's a great time to do so.
Top deals — quick links
- US: Philips Lumea now $299.95 at Amazon (was
$449.99) - US: Braun Silk.Expert Pro 5 now $284.99 at Amazon (was
$399.99) - UK: Lumea 7000 now £219.98 at Amazon (was
£349.99) - UK: Braun Silk-Expert Pro 5 now £299 at Amazon (was
£610)
3 top tips
1. They won't work for all hair types in all places
Because of the zapping mechanism, IPL machines work best on dark hair on pale skin — the bigger the contrast, the better. That means they won't work for everyone — people with fair, fine body hair likely won't see much of a difference, and ditto those with darker skin tones.
Further to that, they might not work equally well everywhere on your body. For instance, my IPL doesn't really do much for my leg hair, whereas it's much more effective on my underarms.
2. They're pain-free and the results last
That light looks like it's going to hurt, right? Wrong. The IPL process is pretty much pain-free, save for it occasionally feeling a bit hot. I also don't have an issue with itchy or awkward regrowth in the way I do with shaving.
If you struggle with a bad reaction to other hair removal methods, note that you will need to remove all your hair in your target area before you go over it with the IPL machine. Shaving it is recommended, so you will need to deal with that nasty regrowth at least once.
However, I've found that after that first use, the amount of hair that comes back is significantly reduced, and then after the second or third cycle, basically nothing grows back. It's really incredible.
3. They won't get rid of hair permanently
The instructions with my machine state you should use your IPL weekly for a few weeks (I do four), and then monthly going forward after that. After around three weeks, there's no hair there, but if I don't continue with top-up sessions, after a few weeks the hair will start to return, and eventually it'll be right back to pre-IPL state. So you will need to keep up with your maintenance zapping; this isn't a permanent solution.
Got more questions? Ping me in the comments section, I am happy to help. Or if I've convinced you that an IPL is right for you, let's take a closer look at the best deals available now.
US: IPL deals
UK IPL deals
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