Braun Silk Epil 7 Epilator review

Hair removal is one of those things that we all have to do, but let's face it, it's a bit of a pain in the bum. Whether you prefer shaving, waxing, threading or a hair removal cream, each has it's own set of up and down sides.

I recently lost my epilation virginity, thanks to the Braun Silk Epil 7 epilator*. I'd always shied away from epilating before after hearing stories of large amounts of pain, but thought it was time to push aside my fears and see what it was like for myself.

Epilators work by using tiny sets of tweezers on a rotating head to pull out hairs at the roots, leaving you fuzz free for weeks at a time. They look a little like a men's electric shaver, only with a different set of attachments at the end.

The Silk Epil 7 is a mid-price epilator which can be used on both wet and dry skin, so perfect if you prefer to do your hair removal in the shower. It has a selection of different heads that can be used to adapt the epilator for more sensitive areas, including the face.

Easy to use

It's very easy to use - you simply hold the epilator flat against the area you wish to remove the hair from, and move it slowly over the area, allowing its set of 40 tweezers to do its work. There are two speed settings to choose from - one is a little slower and more gentle, the other is faster and more efficient. I found the slow speed best for me as I was new to epilating, and the faster speed was a little more painful. The epilator gives a massaging sensation as it works to help soothe the plucking feeling, and also contains some cooling wet wipes that can be used before you start for extra soothing properties.

Another feature of the epilator I really like was an inbuilt light on the front. This may seem a bit odd, but it actually really helps you to see if you've missed any hairs along the way, so you don't end up with a random tuft left over at the end.

The epilator is designed to work effectively on hairs over 0.5mm long, which is very short, so you don't have to have lots of unsightly regrowth before using it again, unlike waxing. I also found I got at least 2-3 weeks of hair free-ness before needing to epilate again, which is around the same time as with a wax.

The pain factor

Now, I can't lie, I found epilating pretty painful. When I did my legs, it was fine until I got to the knee area and then I had to go in quite short bursts, with a few seconds break in between. I'd say that my pain threshold is average, but I can't see myself ever voluntarily epilating my armpits (massive ow) or bikini line. I will definitely be using it regularly on my legs, but I'll be sticking to waxing and shaving where anything else in concerned.

The Silk Epil 7 costs just over £80, which is really only 3 full leg waxes, so is a definite good investment if you plan to use it regularly. They're sold online and instore at Boots and online from Amazon.

Have you tried epilating before?

*PR sample