Bicycling Australia
I’m not quite sure how I ended up being Bicycling Australia’s beauty correspondent. Make no mistake, I’m certainly in need of all the help I can get. However, hair removal probably isn’t at the top of my list of procedures that need attending to. As cyclists, hair removal is one of those chores that we endure in order to look the part. Leg shaving usually sits somewhere between a ritual and a chore and for me that pendulum swings depending on where I am in my competition phase. So what better way to take the drudgery out of a chore than to get a new high tech gadget?
Now it’s time I stopped using the word ‘shave’ here as there are a variety of ways to remove the hair from our legs. Shaving is quick and convenient but the hair re-grows quite quickly. Hair removal creams are quick and easy but can be a bit nasty if you have sensitive skin. Waxing if done in a salon is a bit more expensive, a little painful and it takes some time to get to salon appointments. Home waxing, well, to be honest, I’ve never been game to try but considering how much I flinch at removing Band Aids, I’m pretty sure it isn’t for me. The other option is laser hair removal, which has a much longer regrowth time but can be expensive and also requires a salon visit.
New on the Australian market is the E-One IPL hair remover. IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light and while a techno numpty like me may think it is a laser, it is in fact different. The E-One uses a broader spectrum of light than laser. This enables the E-One to be suitable for a wider range of hair colours and skin types. The E-One which utilises IPL can be used on all skin/hair combinations (excluding black skins).
The unit is quite an interesting looking machine and feels quite sturdy and well-built. It comes with all the accessories you need to get started, and a thorough instruction book to guide you through the safe and efficient use of the E-One. Ironically you need to shave the hair before using the E-One, but hopefully it will be the last shave for a while.
When switched on there is a start up procedure whereby you choose your skin tone and hair thickness for optimum results. A few safety checks and away you go. The area to be epilated is marked out with a supplied pencil for ease of identification, a conductive gel like that used for ultrasounds is spread on the skin, you put on the attractive safety glasses and start ‘shooting’. Each shot emission covers an area of about 2cm x 3cm and takes about five seconds to refresh.
In order to be able to compare the results I epilated the front of my quads, an area about 20cm x 15 cm. This area took about 10 minutes for each leg. The beauty of the E-One is that you can do it in front of the TV if you like, you are not confined to the bathroom or a salon. The handset is ergonomically a little clumsy and takes some getting used. It is also suitable for almost all areas of the body so for awkward areas it may be better to get someone else to help. But other than that it is fairly straightforward once set up.
I epilated the same area three times over two weeks to try and get maximum results, and I’m happy to say that over nine weeks later my legs look ridiculous. I now have normal regrowth down the sides and at the top of my quads and a large crop circle like bald area down the centre of my quads. After more than two months there is a faint sparse regrowth that I wouldn’t be bothered about except for the fact that the rest of my legs really needs a shave. I’m told that a more intensive use would prevent even that occurring. All up I was pleasantly surprised and quite impressed with the results.
So what’s the downside? Well, in a nutshell, the price. The E-One is just under $2500.00. That’s a lot of razors or trips to the salon. There is no doubt it works, on my skin and hair anyway, but $2,500 could be a set of race wheels or even a new bike. So what then? Well in my limited experience it appears you only actually need the E-One for a week or two and then not again for a few months. So if that’s the case why not get together with a few like minded friends, chip in and get one, and do a time share arrangement. There is no skin penetration and no fluid transfer so the unit is perfectly hygienic. Shared between six users at just over $400 each it starts to make good sense, particularly as you can pay by instalments. Consider also that each household could have a few users and the maths starts to get attractive.
Check out the website for more information, usage videos and cost comparisons.
Price: $2495
Distributed by FRANCE COSMETIC
www.e-one.com.au
07 3607 0032
