Wednesday 5 September 2007

Review: Home electrolysis (BaByliss 8639U Epiliss 3 in 1 Electrolysis System for Progressive Hair Removal E3)

How does it work?

A tiny current is applied to the hair follicle in order to debilitate it and progressively attain permanent hair removal.

Product characteristics:

Electrolysis technology
No needles
3 in 1 system for progressive hair reduction
3 interchangeable heads
Pen shaped handle
Automatic tweezer for instant results
Cotton bud attachment
6 self-stick patches for treatment of hard to reach areas
Includes 2 x AA batteries
Power on indicator
Conductive gel
Cleansing gel
Stylish storage pouch included
2 year guarantee
(From amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/BaByliss-8639U-Epiliss-Electrolysis-Progressive/dp/B00016POL8/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/026-3480920-6778824?ie=UTF8&qid=1188990117&sr=8-1)

Usage:

This product allows for three modes of use:

1. Tweezers. Okay, so you smear the area with the conductive gel and then you pluck hair by hair. You can select the body/face mode for different intensities.

2. Cotton bud. You smear the cotton bud with the conductive gel and stick in the cotton bud device, it is important to make sure that the conductive gel is touching both the cotton bud and the metallic ring at the end of the device. Touch the hairy area with the cotton bud and apply the current, again, you can select the body/face mode.

3. Sticky patches. There are five patches in total, one of the patches is for closing the circuit and needs to be a good distance away from the area to be treated. You can select from the other four patches the ones you need depending on the area you want to treat. Once the patches are placed, you can proceed to apply the current to the area.

For all the treatments to work the hair needs to be longish (about 2-3 millimetres).

Where:

This appliance can be used all over your body, wherever you need it. I used it on my face area: upper lip, neck and chin. I started using the tweezers because I thought they made more sense and I could actually feel something when I used them. Because it was very time consuming I changed to using the patches every day before plucking my face.

How long:

For over six months.

Notes:

The patches have a limited life and become un-sticky fairly quickly despite following the cleaning and maintenance instructions to the letter.

The conductive gel also runs out fairly quickly. I visited the Babyliss site in search for spare patches and conductive gel, but could not find any support at all.

Results:

None. I am familiar with the hair growth cycles, so I gave it a really good go for over six months and could not see any promising results. The hair in my face is still there happily growing as dark and as coarse as always.

At the beginning I was encouraged by the fact that after treating the hairs with the tweezers they would come out with no pain at all, they would really slide out of the pore. I thought that the electricity was really killing the root, but either I have grown "new roots" or the electricity just numbed my skin and I couldn't feel the usual prick as I plucked the hairs. With the patches, the "slide out" effect was less noticeable. After all this time, I finally gave up and chucked the thing away. (I bought it when it first came out from Boots at £50.00, I should have gone to the pub and enjoyed a nice bottle of champagne instead).

Update:

Babyliss have released a new electrolysis system: Babyliss Electroliss Sensor. At a cheaper price of £30.00 is not as off-putting as the Epiliss device. However, after the previous disappointment, £30.00 will still buy you a good night out.

So, my advice is pluck/shave or whatever you do with your hairy face and go out.

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