Use the Best Epilator for Men for a Long Lasting Smooth Look

The absolute worst part about that is that when we shave that hair it grows back way too fast.

Well, have you thought about plucking that hair out so it takes longer to grow back? No, I don’t mean you should take some tweezers and spend a few days pulling the hairs out. I mean using an epilator to mechanically pull the hair out by the roots.

It takes the whole hair out just like waxing would but without needing to go to a salon or making a mess in your own home. 

Which one is the best though? Well, it is going to depend on your specific needs. So, I will go over a few and highlight how they work.

This way you can zero in on exactly the right one for you.

Read on for all the details below!

How does an epilator work?

An epilator looks very much like an electric razor, but instead of blades that cut the hair, there are tiny tweezers that pluck it. They usually rotate on a head and as they turn they grab a hair follicle and the turning motion results in the hair being pulled out.

As a result the skin is smooth and will last a lot longer than shaving.

On that note let’s compare an epilator to a razor and see how they match up.

Epilator vs Razor

Many guys are only just now realizing that there are options besides using a razor to get rid of body hair. 

Getting rid of body hair with a razor can be a real ordeal. It takes a while to get yourself prepped with shaving cream or lotion. Then shaving can be irritating as you have to rub that razor against the skin and clean up takes time.

The worst part about using a razor is how quickly the hair grows back and then you have to repeat the process.

Is using an epilator for men better?

There are some pros and cons related to using an epilator over a razor so the choice is not cut and dry.

Epilator Pros

• Longer lasting results. When you remove the hair from the root, you now need to wait for the entire hair to grow back. It is hard to say exactly how long this will take but one thing is for sure. It takes a lot longer for that hair to come back when you use an epilator for men than a razor. We’re talking weeks instead of days here.
• Can be used wet or dry. Many brands have the option to use the epilator while wet. This can open up your schedule by allowing you to multitask. Or it can simply feel better to remove your hair in the shower with soothing running water going over you.
• More hygienic. Razors are notorious bacteria traps. They get gunked up with dead skin cells, hair and bacteria from clogged pores and can end up leading to acne or infections. Using an epilator is much more hygienic as it doesn’t attract bacteria and allow it to flourish.
• Cost effective. It may seem silly to say that something that costs a couple of hundred dollars to buy is cost effective. When you factor in how much it costs to use a cartridge razor with frequent replacing of the blades, you can easily see yourself spending $100 or more per year of shaving. Probably more since if you are doing body grooming your razors will not last as long. These epilators will pay for themselves after a year of use or even less depending on how much body grooming you need to do.
• Less ingrown hair risk. Guys that easily get ingrown hairs will do well with an epilator. When you use a razor on curly hair, like your chest or pubic area, the hairs can grow back upon themselves and end up ingrown and infected. When you remove the hair from the root, the hair grows back more naturally and less likely to get caught under the skin.

Epilator Cons

• Pain, pain and pain. When you consider that the hair is being removed from the root, it is no surprise that it is uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. And the area where you use it will be sore for a while after. Have the Advil ready when you are going to use the epilator.
• High initial cost. Ok, in the last section I mentioned that the cost was a positive. The thing is, it will be expensive up front. Though it pays for itself over time, you have to have a bit of money ready to lay out initially to get started.

I won’t go into too many details about the pros and cons of using a razor as it is mostly obvious. Pretty much every guy reading this has used a razor and is still likely using a razor for his face. 

What to look for in an epilator for men

Epilators may look pretty straightforward and may all seem the same. Epilators for men don’t exactly require a learning curve to use, but there are enough differences in them that you need to understand what to look for to zero in on the right one for you.

Here are some things to consider when you are looking for a men’s epilator.

Wet or Dry Option

My advice is to use the men’s epilator on dry skin as it is more effective at lifting the hair to be plucked. But you may want to the option to depilate while in the shower. The reason for this is that warm water will help to relieve some of the pain with using an epilator and leave your skin less irritated. 

The hair has a tendency to stick to the skin when you use it in the shower which makes it really hard to use. You’ll end up taking a really long shower and probably still finding hairs that didn’t get picked up by the epilator for men.

Tweezers

Yes, they are called tweezers. The way this thing works is to grab the hairs and pull as the gears turn.

There are many different types with fewer tweezers. The fewer tweezers there are, the less painful it will be. The tradeoff is that it takes longer to use since you aren’t pulling off as many hairs as when you have more. 

You can have up to 72 tweezers that work quickly and efficiently, albeit more painfully as a result.

They can be made either out of stainless steel or ceramic. The ceramic ones are more durable and won’t end up corroding. Though the stainless steel men’s epilator tweezers are also corrosive resistant, they can end up getting rusty if they are exposed to water for too long. There are even hard resin ones, but they don’t seem to be too durable.

Battery life

Choosing an epilator for men with good battery life is a wise investment. Look for Lithium Ion as it is the longest lasting and most durable. You may find some with a Nickel Cadmium battery that can give good runtime, but the truth is that they don’t last as long as LI ones.

By that I mean that eventually there will come a time when the battery can no longer hold a charge or be charged. It usually takes a couple of years depending on heavily you use it. Lithium Ion will outlast Nickel by a lot.

Attachments

You may only want the basics, but it pays to have options. You can find men’s epilators with different heads to cover different jobs. For instance, you can have one where you can add a foil razor for when you have an area you don’t wish to fully depilate. Some even have plastic comb attachments to go over the razor head to only cut the hair at a certain length. Or different heads can have a different amount of tweezers. 

These may cost a bit more than a basic model but not usually by much. And you save money by having multiple tools in one instead of needing to buy another specific tool.

Braun Silk-épil 7-880 SensoSmart Epilator

The first is that the price is very good and you get many of the same functions as the more expensive Silk Epil 9. The other is that I think that it has just about everything a guy needs to have for an epilator.

One of the best things about it that works well for guys is that it can pull hair out that is as short as 0.5mm. That is basically as short as stubble. This means you don’t have to wait until your hair starts really growing back in noticeably. You can depilate much more frequently and keep that smooth look.

It is suitable for use anywhere on the body. From legs to chest to pubic hair. With the different attachments it can cover just about any area or job you need it to do.

Speaking of attachments let’s go over what it comes with.

• Foil razor head – When you don’t want or need the hair to be removed from the root, you have the option of using the razor head instead. It works just like any other foil electric razor. In fact since it is made by Braun you are guaranteed a great shave with this razor. 
• Trimmer cap – This is a good option to have when using it as a trimmer so the hair is not cut all the way down to the skin. You may only be looking to trim a certain area down without it being totally smooth.
• Facial cap – This is like a comb cover to limit the area that the epilator for men covers part of the tweezers for a more accurate trim. It is meant for use on the face like the upper lip or sideburns but I don’t recommend this for men. For women with some peach fuzz it’s fine. But for a guy with thick and dense facial hair, it is not only very painful but may leave your face red and blotchy. You may want to use this attachment on an area like around the bikini or something like that.
• Precision cap – This is essentially the same thing as the facial cap but meant for use around the bikini specifically. It seems to work exactly the same.
• Skin contact cap – To really make sure you are getting the hair the first time, using the contact cap will help. It does just as its name implies. It makes sure that the tweezers are in better contact with the skin so it can more efficiently grab the hair to be removed.

Used either wet or dry, it has some nice versatility. Though I will reiterate that using it wet will take longer and have a hard time getting all the hair. It’s nice to have even if you don’t plan to use it wet, anyway.

The real key to it being a great epilator for men is that it has something called Sensomatic. Sometimes you need to use some pressure to be able to grab the hair successfully. With the Sensomatic, you don’t have to guess as to when or how hard you need to apply pressure. The light will alert you to when you need to exert some pressure and how much is enough.

There is also a slow speed setting so it can be gentle on certain areas like your pubic area. Adding to the comfort is a pivoting head so it can get into some curvy areas and still maintain good skin contact.

Overall, this is a very good men’s epilator especially considering the price.

Braun Silk-épil 9 9-579

Let me just point out some of the upgrades.

First, there is the addition of a couple of attachments. If you like the idea of an exfoliator to get your skin care routine on point, then you will enjoy having the bonus facial brush. It works great at removing dead skin cells, cleaning out your pores and giving your skin a more youthful appearance.

It also comes with a handy charging dock that takes up almost no extra space. You won’t have to worry about it running out of battery since it will be continuously charging on its dock. And the batter life is much better for the version 9 than in the previous versions.

You are able to epilate much more efficiently thanks to a 40% wider head. This actually means less pain and discomfort as it can work more quickly to get rid of unwanted hair. The tweezers are also able to grip the hair much lower on the shaft for easier removal. You’ll get up to 4 weeks of smooth skin.

Adding to the extra comfort is the pulsing technology. Using micr vibrations, it allows the hair to be freed much more easily so there i sless pulling of the hair as it comes out.

It does cost more than the Epil 7 I just reviewed but it may be worth the extra money for the addition of the bonus facial scrubber, the longer battery life and the wider head. If you are on a budget then the Epil 7 will work just fine.

Any version of Braun men’s epilators is going to do an exceptional job. It just depends on how much you want to spend and how important certain extras are.

Emjoi AP-18 Emagine Dual Opposed 72 Tweezer Head Epilator

It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles but it has a few things that make it stand out. 

The first is the price. Since it is not a household name like Panasonic or Braun, it keeps its price low as a nice entry into the men’s epilator market.

It isn’t cheap though, it does perform to a high standard. Don’t let the low price fool you. 

This epilator has 72 tweezers so it is highly efficient at removing hair. One word of warning is that with 72 tweezers it can be on the uncomfortable side. It will work much faster as a result, however!

The heads work in a different way than some epilators too in the sense that they work in opposite directions. If a hair is missed by one head it will be picked up by the other going in the opposite direction.

Two speed settings allow you to go slower if you want a more gentle session. It will take slightly longer to remove your hair, but it won’t be quite as painful.

A nice bonus feature is the Silver Ion technology that will help to keep any bacteria to a minimum. Though epilating like this is generally less likely to give you an infection, having an insurance policy like this is good for peace of mind.

In fact, it also has special “fingers” for the tweezers to be able to lift the hair easily so it is less violently plucked. This leads to less chance of a wound that could trap bacteria.

For a great price, you get a really good epilator that competes with the big boys in the field.

Men’s epilators vs waxing

These two ways of removing hair are very similar yet different. They both get the hair at the root and give you that smooth look for longer, but they take a different approach to doing it.

Convenience

Think about when you want to wax at home. You need to prepare the wax, let it heat up. Get the strips, apply the wax, pull off the strip…I could go on and on. With an epilator for men you grab it and go. Just like with an electric razor. 

Less messy

With waxing the cleanup can be time consuming and annoying. When using an epilator, there is virtually no clean up. If you have a wet use version you can simply run the head under the faucet to clean out there. We are talking about seconds in this case over what could take up to 15 minutes to clean up in the case of waxing. 

Less hair needed

When you are going to get waxed, you have to have a certain amount of growth for it to be successful. This means that you have to go through a period when you won’t have that smooth look and instead have to have more than stubble for a while. 

Epilating requires much less hair to be able to work. It can pluck hair as short as 0.5mm which is barely even stubble. 

Cheaper

An at home wax kit doesn’t cost much compared to going to a salon, but since you will have to keep replacing the wax, strips and applicators, it can add up over time. Going to a salon is expensive and has to be done regularly which adds even more to the cost.

While the upfront cost of an epilator for men can be expensive, you don’t have any ongoing expenses related to it so it costs far less in the long run to use an epilator.

Expect to get 5 years or more out of your epilator.

Less damaging to the skin

Waxing requires a strip covered in wax to be ripped off. This means that it doesn’t just pull the hair. It also pulls the skin along with it. This can damage your pores and even remove layers of skin leaving it very sensitive afterward.

Where can you use a men’s epilator

You can pretty much use the epilator anywhere you want, with the exception of your face. You may see some epilators for men marketed as being usable on the face but that is for women.

Your hair is far too dense and thick on your face to safely and comfortably be used there.

Epilating the chest

This is a toss up. It really depends on how thick your hair is. It is going to hurt. So is waxing, but your other option is to shave. 

In fact, that might be your better option unless your don’t have a particularly hairy chest. And, if you don’t mind the pain then this is not a problem.

Another thing to consider is that it will take a long time to remove your chest hair doing it this way.

Pubic hair

The thought of plucking your pubes might not sound that appealing at first. But, when you consider that in a few minutes you can have a totally smooth look, it might just be worth the pain.

Another bonus is that you won’t be using any sharp objects around your jewels so it is much safer than using a razor or even trimmers with blades.

And not needing to do it again for about a month is also a nice reward. If you shave you will easily be doing this a couple of times per week if you want to stay totally smooth.

Look for an epilator for men that has the right attachment to use on your groin. It will need to get into a small area so having the right attachment is essential.

Armpits

Many guys won’t be needing a men’s epilator for this, but you never know. The nice thing is if you do decide to trim your armpits then an epilator is ideal. It doesn’t hurt quite as much as your groin, and it takes a while to grow back in.

You don’t need a special attachment, it will work as it is so even a basic model with help you get the armpits of your dreams.

Legs and Arms

This is the best area to use an epilator for men and it where most women are looking for them to use. 

You can make quick work out of it by using one with a wide head. Since your arms and legs are generally not that sensitive, it won’t be too uncomfortable. 

The hair also takes a long time to grow so they will stay smooth for much longer than other parts of your body.

FAQ about men’s epilators

Q: Is epilating a permanent way to get rid of hair?

A: No, your hair is going to grow back. The only way to permanently get rid of hair is to go for laser treatments and even then some of the hair will probably eventually grow back. Epilating is a good way to shave less often since it takes far longer for the hair to grow back from scratch.

Q: Can I get ingrown hairs from using an epilator for men?

A: The short answer is that yes, you can actually get ingrown hairs from using an epilator. It’s just more rare to get one than with shaving. If you are prone to getting them if your hair is curly then you may find that you still get some albeit maybe less frequently.

Q: How can I reduce the pain from epilating?

A: There are two very important ways to prevent epilating from being as painful as it can be. The first is to make sure you exfoliate before you use it. This will loosen the roots of the hair since the pores will be opened up. The other thing is to trim your hair back or to simply start using the epilator after shaving when the hair has grown to stubble. Tweezing the shorter hair is less painful than when they are long.

Have some Advil ready for when you finish up though!

Final Thoughts

Using an epilator for men may not seem like the best idea for everybody. And that is ok, I would never suggest that every guy needs to use one.

Some guys, however will get a lot of use out of one and will probably find themselves never looking back after trying a men’s epilator.

If you’re one of those guys then trying one of the epilators from the list of reviews above is a great way to start. Any one of them will get the job done well.

If you have any questions about which one you should get or how to use an epilator for men then drop a line in the box below and I will get back to you ASAP!