Hair Removal | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal Update

I have been trying the TRIA Beauty home laser hair removal device for several months now and a reader asked me for an update.

I have done 4 overall home laser hair removal treatments with the Tria and am seeing some effect. Basically, I still have hair, but it seems a bit thinner and slower to come back in. Certainly nothing dramatic, but it is noticeable. Since laser hair removal can take up to a year of monthly treatments, and I have been a bit lax on mine, doing them every 8 weeks or so instead of monthly, this seems like decent enough progress. I asked a friend who has done salon treatments and she felt it was comparable to her experience. Using the Tria is easy, painless, and really not even all that time consuming now that I am used it. I can do a leg in 20 minutes or less. Now I just have to remind myself to do them monthly!

The Tria is expensive, but cheaper than doing salon laser hair removal. They also always seem to be running specials. As of this writing, they have a $200 off special, plus they have an easy pay program payment program. Also, check out the Tria Beauty site for a chance to win a great spa package (see below)!

You can read more about my experiences with the Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal System in my Tria Beauty Video Review, and my Introduction to Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal.

Note: My review of the Tria Beauty is based on a product that was given to me by the company.

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In Home Laser Hair Removal With Tria Beauty: Part II, Operating the Device

Awhile back, I posted an introduction to the TRIA Laser Hair Removal System (read previous review). Today I am covering my actual use of the system. To see how to use the device, watch this video and/or read below for the main points that the video covers.

The Tria Beauty System is an in home laser hair removal device. While it is not cheap ($795), it is considerably cheaper than doing a full series of laser hair removal appointments at a salon and offers the same results.

Using the device basically gives a slight heating sensation. It is quite comfortable, even on the highest setting. I have used it twice now, and find that in a few spots my hair seems slightly thinner. However, with it being summer, I am shaving so much that it is rather hard to tell. I suspect seeing where things are this fall after several more treatments will be quite telling.

To use the device, remember the following:

Laser hair removal is not instantaneous. Be prepared for repeated treatment over the course of 6-8 months.
Because any laser hair removal the system works by targeting a contrast of dark hair on light skin, it will not be effective on blond or white hair, and it cannot be used on dark skin tones. If you have a medium to dark complexion, laser hair removal may be dangerous for you. The best candidates are those with light skin and darker hair. The product has various safety features to assure that only those with the proper skin tone can use it.
Laser hair removal is for the legs, underarm and general bikini areas. It is not safe to use in the areas of the face, breasts, or genitals.
Although very easy to use, it takes time to do each treatment. Small sections are “zapped” at a time in an overlapping pattern. So it takes awhile to do a leg. Plan accordingly!
Be sure to use on clean, dry, freshly shaved skin. Do not wax or epilate for 6 weeks before use.
For more, there is a FAQ on the TRIA Beauty website.

Stay tuned over the coming months as I report how well the device works for me.

Update: Right now, you can get the Tria Beauty at half price, using their Easy Pay offer.

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Home Laser Hair Removal With Tria Beauty Part I

I will be taking a look at home laser hair removal and the TRIA Laser Hair Removal System over a series of posts. Today I just want to introduce the Tria Beauty device. Check back in a couple of weeks for a video of how to use it and then watch for future installments on how well home laser hair removal works for me. Update: You can view part two here: Home Laser Hair Removal (Part II).

The Tria Beauty Home Laser Hair Removal System is an in home laser hair removal device. While it is not cheap ($795 regular, but watch for sales and incentives that often make it several hundred dollars cheaper), it is considerably cheaper than doing a full series of laser hair removal appointments at a salon and offers the same results. For example, see this cost comparison, which matches up pretty well with the prices I have seen in the Chicago area for laser hair removal. The Tria is FDA approved.

The TRIA Beauty website has a wealth of information on the device, its use, safety, and contradictions. I ask that those who plan to follow this series read the information there first, which is why I am doing this intro post before jumping into a written and video review. Given the cost and various important considerations behind use of this product, I want to be sure that everyone is well informed.

For starters, if you are thinking about laser hair removal, there are a few things to keep in mind, and these are true whether you seek to do it at home or in a salon:

Laser hair removal is not instantaneous. To see results, treatments must be repeated over a period of 6-8 months and total hair removal might not occur, although over time it can lessened to the point of being nearly maintenance free.
Because any laser hair removal the system works by targeting a contrast of dark hair on light skin, it will not be effective on blond or white hair, and it cannot be used on dark skin tones. If you have a medium to dark complexion, laser hair removal may be dangerous for you. The best candidates are those with light skin and darker hair.
Laser hair removal is for the legs, underarm and general bikini areas. It is not safe to use in the areas of the face, breasts, or genitals.
It can sting/hurt a bit. There is no such thing as completely painless lasting hair removal. If you want longer term removal you have to look at the options that sting a bit: waxing, epilating, laser removal etc. There simply is no way around that. I have seen a few removal salons claim to be pain free–they aren’t. With that said, I don’t think it really is all that bad, and some report that it is much less uncomfortable than waxing or epilating. Plus, as you do treatments, you get used to it and the sensation lessens.
It takes time to do each treatment. Small sections are “zapped” at a time in an overlapping pattern. So it takes awhile to do a leg. Plan accordingly!

Check back in two weeks, when I will post a video showing how to use the Tria device and describing my reactions to it. From there I will post several more updates as I do the course of treatments and will add links to them here as they are published.

See the TRIA Beauty website to learn more.

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Daily Beauty Bytes: The Gillette Venus Razor Embrace

I have previously reviewed the Venus Embrace Razor myself (read review). Here is another opinion on it.

Guest Review: Gillette Venus Embrace

Rated a 9 by TotalBeauty.com Editor Kristen Oldham Giordani

If you are a fan of the original Venus razor, you’re going to want to upgrade to Venus Embrace. It boasts five blades instead of three, which seems to offer a closer, smoother shave. …More

What are Daily Beauty Bytes?

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Long-Term Hair Removal With The Braun Silk-Epil Expressive Epilator

Update: It appears that Braun has since replaced this epilator with a few other very similar ones. You can see one such version, and read more about it, in my OpenSky Project Shop here. Open Sky is a unique shopping site where experts recommend their favorite products.

Last week I sat down with the Braun Silk-Epil Xpressive Epilator in hand, wondering why the heck I agreed to test something that I knew would hurt and generally expecting the worse in terms of pain. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the discomfort was quite bearable, and the results were so good that I love the thing!

Before I write more on how much I like this product, let’s get one thing straight. If you are not familiar with how an epilator works, it essentially pulls your hair out a the roots. Therefore, it cannot be painless—that is impossible. So anyone who complains that an epilator is a bad product merely because it hurts is usually focusing on their own sensitivities and not the quality of the product. It also means that if you are squeamish or particularly sensitive, you probably shouldn’t try one.

With all that said, I actually am a bit squeamish, but I was surprised to find that the pain was less than waxing for me. Not much less, but a bit. I was expecting more because of the slower use of the product. But the Braun Silk-Epil Expressive has the option of using a beginner head with little massage type rollers and a smaller surface area, which seemed to make a difference. I also found that I actually kind of liked the sensation. It one of those satisfying kinds of pain, knowing that it will lead to weeks of hair free legs. One note though–I briefly tried using the epilator on the bikini area, and that was a lot more painful, so I’m not sure I will be using it there. Although I plan to try again.

In terms of hair removal, the epilator worked very well. It can remove hair once it is about 2-3mm long, which isn’t all that bad to grow out. The hair came off completely which each swipe of the device and it stayed gone for well over 3 weeks—the same as waxing for me. The Silk-Epil has a little built in light that is nice for spotting missed hairs, and because it is rechargeable, there is no annoying cord. A corded version is also available for about $30 less.

The epilator comes with heads for legs, underarms, the bikini area, and face, along with a razor attachment and case. Cleaning is easy. My only complaint is that the instructions are a bit hard to read. The English instructions are in the middle of a thick booklet, while references to the parts come from a picture at the front, making page flipping a requirement. It also is a bit on the expensive side for a hair removal appliance, but well worth it in my opinion, assuming that you are the type who can handle the sensation of the device.

The Braun Silk-Epil Expressive has become my hair removal option of choice. If you are willing to put up with a bit of prickly pain and discomfort for weeks of hair free legs, this is a great item to try.

Buy the Braun Epilator at OpenSky.

Comparison shop for the Braun Silk-Epil Expressive Epilator

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Schick Quattro for Women Razor

I don’t care for shaving. But I dislike waxing even more! So I do it. I also am more than happy to test razors because I am always looking for the perfect one. The Schick Quattro For Women Razor was sent to me to test, and it turned out to be one of the better razors that I have tried. I’ll be keeping this one around!

As the name suggests, it has four blades, which is plenty. Yeah, you can buy some with five, but I seriously can’t tell a difference. I do fine with anything over 2 blades.

Something I particularly appreciate about this razor is that it has a nice hefty feel to it. I have managed to shoot some of the light plastic razors right out of my shower when they got slippery, but this one is heavy enough to stay put. It also has a good rubber grip, which helps in that department as well. As with many razors, the blades have conditioning strips and the head pivots.

I had good results using the Schick Quattro. The shave was very close and slightly better than my general favorite, the Schick Intuition (Read Review). I also did not experience any issues with pulling or cutting, which I obviously appreciate! Overall, I liked this one and plan to keep using it, so it gets a thumbs up!

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Every Man Jack: Great Value Skin Care For Men

Why is that guys have a tendency to insist on using cruddy products, while simultaneously complaining about their razor burn, ingrown facial hair, wrinkles, or what have you? I don’t completely have the answer to that, but I do know that if you give them decent, affordable products, targeted to men, that they can find at the local big box retailer, they will often actually use them!

Every Man Jack is a great brand for that. The products are available at Target stores, don’t have any sort of cheesy or girlish packaging, and are basic good quality, yet affordable men’s products. What more can a guy ask for? I tried some of items myself and also left them lying around for my husband to come across and try. Yes, I sometimes try to trick him into sampling products for me!

Right off the bat, I have to rave about the citrus body bar. Forget about the men’s product part of this–ladies if you want a fairly heavy leg scrub for use before sunless tanning, give this a try! This bar soap has a nice citrus scent, albeit a bit manly since it is made for men after all. It also contains wheat bran as a scrub. This is a bit strong for facial skin, but as a body exfoliant, it rocks! My husband liked it as a general soap, and I love it as a very affordable body exfoliator. By the way, it is also oil free and paraben free.

We also gave the Face Lotion and Shave Cream a try. The lotion is a nice basic moisturizer that is oil and paraben free. It is available in both scented and fragrance free versions. The shave cream is also quite nice. My husband prefers a gel (which Every Man Jack also makes), while I kind of liked the lotion.

Every Man Jack is available online through the links above, or at Target stores nationwide.

Shop for more men’s skin care and shaving products