Emjoi OptiMini Epilator - Say Goodbye to Unwanted Body Hair

I am not a vain person, but there are certain things about my appearance that bother me. One of the things that has bothered me the most is unwanted body hair, mainly on my arms. I once had someone who was supposed to be a friend call me a gorilla because of the hair on my arms. I have been trying to deal with it for years and just wish it would go away forever. Since you know where will freeze over before I will be able to afford laser hair removal, I have settled on the Emjoi OptiMini Epilator for my hair removal needs.

I don’t like having hair on my legs either, but the hair on my arms has always bothered me more because it has been more visible since I wear mostly short sleeve shirts. I almost always wear long pants, so that is why the hair on my legs didn’t bother me as much. Over the years I have tried all kinds of different methods for removing the hair on my arms while I stuck to shaving my legs. I started off using different depilatories which only sort of worked for me since they didn’t get all the hair and I ended up with a couple of chemical burns. I tired different types of wax and similar products that involved removing the hair by the root. Those worked a bit better, but it was never easy to do use on my arms myself and it was a very time consuming and messy project. I decided to try an Emjoi epilator several years ago and have been very happy with that decision.

The Emjoi OptiMini Epilator is actually the third Emjoi epilator that I’ve used. The first one I bought was one of the cheaper units and was powered by batteries. I was happy with the hair removal, but it went through batteries really fast. I then received a rechargeable Emjoi as a gift. I liked the idea of it being rechargeable, but a full charge wouldn’t run it very long. I started using the rechargeable unit on my legs as well as my arms. The fact that it didn’t stay charged very long made it hard to do both arms or both legs. I did some more research online and decided I wanted to get one of the units that used a cord so I wouldn’t have to worry about batteries or a charge running down. I picked up this Emjoi epilator almost two years ago and have been very happy with it. I still have my other two Emjoi epilators and they both still work.

There are a few different companies that make epilators, all of which work basically the same way by pulling hair out by the root even though they will look a bit different. The Emjoi epilators have discs called tweezers that are made of stainless steel. When the units are turned on, the tweezers spin rapidly while opening and closing so they can grab the hairs and pull them out. The different models of epilators have different numbers of tweezer discs. With more of the tweezers, more hair can be removed in a shorter amount of time.

The Emjoi OptiMini has thirty tweezers, more than what either of my other two epilators had. This unit is a bit different from other Emjoi units in that the tweezers are on dual opposed heads instead of on just one like my other epilators have. There are two separate spinning rows of tweezers which allows for a lot of hair to be removed in a shorter amount of time. Removing hair is much faster with the Emjoi OptiMini than it was with either of my other two units. I haven’t actually timed how long it has taken to do my legs. It does take longer than shaving, but I don’t have to do it every day like I would if I shaved my legs, so the longer time doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t take me very long at all to do my arms. I believe that it is easier to move this epilator and grab the hairs because of the dual heads as well. With the other units, it was very important to hold them as just the right angle to pick up the hair, and I sometimes I had keep going over spots. This epilator is much shorter than the other two I have, making it smaller overall. The small size makes it easy to hold and maneuver while removing hair.

The Emjoi OptiMini Epilator runs off of electrical power. It doesn’t keep any sort of charge, so it must be plugged in to work. That does make it a little more inconvenient since you have to be near an outlet and deal with the cord. For me that is a minor thing and it doesn’t bother me. When I used the unit powered by batteries and the rechargeable one, neither of them held power long enough for me. As they would lose their power, the discs would spin slower and slower until they just stopped moving completely. Once the discs start slowing down, they don’t remove hair as efficiently. There were many times when I would be forced to stop before I was done with my legs because of that. I would much rather deal with a cord than have to worry about running out of power in the middle of removing hair. Using this epilator is still much more convenient than dealing with shaving or waxing and dealing with the mess. I can even sit and watch television while using this unit. The unit does make noise when it is running, but it isn’t excessively loud. If I have a television on, I generally do have to turn it up just a little to still be able to easily hear it.

The little manual as well as information online about the Emjoi OptiMini Epilator states that the results can last from four to six weeks. I tend to have some hair return faster than that, but it is sparse and spotty instead of being thicker like it was when I was shaving or using depilatories. Since I get hairs regrowing at different speeds, I tend to use the epilator a few times a week to keep the hair under control. It really only takes me a few minutes to quickly run the epilator over my arms to get those sparse hairs. If I keep up with my legs that often, it also doesn’t take very long, though it will take a little longer than it does to do my arms. I have let my legs go longer at times, especially in the winter. When I do that, it does take me longer to remove the hair. I have used this epilator to remove short hairs, so I don’t have to let the hair grown out as much as I did when I was using the wax or sugaring products. The manual didn’t state that hair needed to be a certain minimum length to remove.

Over the years I have heard many complaints about how painful epilators are and have even heard people call them torture devices. To me, it seems kind of obvious that there will be at least some pain since the hairs are being pulled out by the root. After using different home waxing and sugaring methods over the years, the pain with the Emjoi OptiMini Epilator is minor in comparison. Wax has to be hot, so there is the risk of burns. Thankfully I never had that problem. Waxing also removes skin along with the hair and I did end up with some bleeding at times from that.

Hair grows back in very coarse after shaving. It does hurt more to remove coarse hair with an epilator, wax, or sugaring product. Once hair has been removed by the root, it will be finer and softer, making it easier and less painful to remove. I was never able to stand using any type of wax or sugaring product on my legs because it was entirely too painful. It did hurt the first few times I used the epilator on my legs, but it wasn’t as bad as it was with the wax or sugaring products. I did my legs slowly those first few times, stopping more than once. That made the entire process take longer, but it also allowed me to adjust to using the epilator better. As I continued to use the epilator on my legs, it hurt less and less and now it really doesn’t hurt.

The Emjoi OptiMini Epilator should be moved in short strokes, without applying pressure, in the direction of the hair growth for best results. If the epilator is pressed to firmly against the skin, the heads may stop spinning. The epilator has two settings, low and high. Low is recommended for fine hair and high for coarse hair. I tend to just use high all the time even for the finer hair and it works well. I have noticed that if I slide the epilator slower over the area, it will remove more of the hair in one pass. Also, sometimes it has worked better for me if I moved the epilator in a different direction instead of just in the direction of the hair growth. The booklet did say that the time it would take to remove hair would depend on the type of hair it is. It did take me a lot longer to remove the hair on my legs when it was coarser. Part of the reason for that might be because at that time I was going slower and only doing a small portion of my leg at a time.

The little booklet that came with my Emjoi OptiMini Epilator shared a few tips for better results and less pain. Taking a warm bath or shower will open the pores. I don’t tend to use my epilator after I shower and it has still worked well for me. Using a loofah or some other type of exfoliation on the area was also recommended since that will remove dead skin and help make the skin more pliable. The area where the hair will be removed from should be clean without any lotion on the skin. Holding the skin taut, especially along the bikini line and underarm area, is supposed to help keep the pain to a minimum as well. It isn’t exactly easy to hold the skin taunt in the underarm area though. I do use this epilator for that area. It was more painful the first few times I used it there with the pain lessening every time I did that are. This epilator can also be used on the neck, upper lip, and chin area.

Removing hair from the root by any method can cause some side effects. Usually when I use the Emjoi OptiMini Epilator, my skin gets some redness, which is common. The redness goes away within a few hours and I’ve never had any other sort of irritation from using this epilator. The booklet does say that if the skin is irritated after the hair removal is finished, lotion can be used. Removing the hair by the root can also cause ingrown hairs. I have only had a few of these since I’ve been using epilators. The booklet suggested using a loofah to help prevent ingrown hairs. Any type of exfoliation will help prevent them, so it is a good idea to get into the habit of doing that regularly.

The Emjoi OptiMini Epilator should be cleaned regularly. It came with a little brush that can be used to clean the hairs out of the tweezers. If there is any residue on the tweezers, that can be cleaned with a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. I do use the brush often and it works well to brush the hair out. There is a little plastic cover that fits over the heads to protect and keep them clean when the unit is not being used. I also got a little zippered bag that will hold the epilator, brush, and cord. I got mine at Target and have seen it for sale at different online retailers for varying prices. The initial price for one of these epilators is much more than the razors or depilatories I was using, but over time I have saved money since I don’t have to continue buying those items.

I have been very happy with my Emjoi OptiMini Epilator. It has worked very well for me in the almost two years that I’ve had it and I couldn’t imagine going back to shaving my legs and having to deal with rough stubble again. Using an epilator for hair removal isn’t completely painless, but the pain does diminish as the epilator is used more often.