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Summer is here and that means beach days, short shorts, and exposing skin that may not normally see the sun. If you have dark, thick, or coarse body hair and prefer a hairless look, smoothing down before donning your swimwear can feel like a full-time job. While shaving can be effective, the results don't last very long, and can often leave you dealing with redness and irritation.
Investing in an epilator can help you stay smooth for longer without irritating your skin—and it may even help your hair grown in thinner if you do it consistently. There are a lot of epilators out there to choose from, so we've rounded up our favorites to make the shopping process a bit easier for you.
The Best Epilators
1
2
3
Best for Face
Finishing Touch Flawless Women's Painless Hair Remover
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4
5
Best Manual
R.E.M. Spring Facial Hair Remover
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6
How to Choose an Epilator
Epilators can be used not only on your body, but on your face as well. If you want one just for your face, you can opt for a small, lightweight model or a manual one, which will typically be portable, gentle on your skin, and can easily get into small crevices.
For a full-body option, you will want one with a bit more power, and maybe some additional heads including a shaver, trimmer, and exfoliators for a super soft finish. Some full-body models can work for your face as well; just make sure that if you're using a full-body model on your face that the one you choose has a relatively small head, because you don't want to pull out hair that you intended on keeping.
If you plan to travel with your epilator, you may also want to opt for a smaller, battery-powered version that can easily fit in a purse or bag and won't require an adaptor to power up if you're overseas.
How We Selected
To find the best epilators among the many options on the market, we researched the most popular models available and considered their features, efficacy, comfort, design, and price. We then looked at both expert reviews and customer ratings, written by people who’ve bought these epilators on sites like Amazon, to settle on the products you'll find below, all of which have average user ratings of four out of five stars or higher.
Get ready for that beach day with a new swimsuit that will stay on while you ride the waves.
1
Best Overall
Braun Epilator Silk-epil
1
Best Overall
Braun Epilator Silk-epil
Pros
- Small and portable
- Two speeds
Cons
- May not be able to get into small, hard to reach areas
Key Specs
- Power Source: Battery
- Functions: Epilating and shaving
Affordable, effective, and portable, this epilator is great for newbies and frequent users alike. It comes with trimming, shaving, and epilating heads, and has an easy-to-use center button with two speeds. It also has an oval shape that's easy to hold, and it can be used on both your body and face.
2
Best for Beginners
Panasonic Cordless Shaver & Epilator
2
Best for Beginners
Panasonic Cordless Shaver & Epilator
Pros
- Lots of heads
- Shave guards to prevent nicks
Cons
- Expensive
- Not the best for use on face
Key Specs
- Power Source: Battery
- Functions: Shaving, trimming, epilating, exfoliating
This full-body epilator is great for beginners. It allows you to exfoliate, shave, and epilate with ease—plus it has guards that help protect the skin from pulling, as well as allowing you to trim instead of fully shave.
3
Best for Face
Finishing Touch Flawless Women's Painless Hair Remover
3
Best for Face
Finishing Touch Flawless Women's Painless Hair Remover
Now 16% Off
Pros
- Super portable
- Pain-free
Cons
- Only for face
Key Specs
- Power Source: Battery
- Functions: Epilating
This little epilator is no bigger than a lipstick case and is great for touch-ups on the go. It's lightweight, provides painless epilation, and is great for removing peach fuzz on your cheeks, upper lip, and eyebrows. It is also battery-operated, so there's no need to charge it.
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4
Most Heads
Philips Norelco Epilator Series 8000
4
Most Heads
Philips Norelco Epilator Series 8000
Pros
- Lots of shaving and exfoliating options
- Can be used wet or dry
Cons
- Expensive
Key Specs
- Power Source: Battery
- Functions: Epilating, shaving, trimming, exfoliating
This set comes not only with an epilator, but also a shaver, trimmer, exfoliator, and brush. All of these can be used either wet or dry, and are great for getting your full body feeling baby smooth.
5
Best Manual
R.E.M. Spring Facial Hair Remover
5
Best Manual
R.E.M. Spring Facial Hair Remover
Pros
- Great for travel
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Can only be used on face
Key Specs
- Power Source: None
- Functions: Epilating
This manual epilator is affordable and great for travel. It's lightweight and made from stainless steel, making it easy to clean and sanitize. It's very easy to use—a process that's similar to threading—but it will only work on the fine hairs on the face, so you will need an additional epilator if you're hoping to remove your body hair, too.
6
Best for Bikini Area
Epilady Speed Corded Epilator
6
Best for Bikini Area
Epilady Speed Corded Epilator
Now 40% Off
Pros
- Gentle
- Won’t leave redness or irritation
Cons
- Can’t handle super coarse hair
Key Specs
- Power Source: Corded
- Functions: Epilating
Whether you are prepping for a race or beach day, getting a clean shave in your pubic area is tough—but not impossible. This epilator is gentle and won't leave razor bumps or irritation behind. It's able to grab super short and fine hairs, and can give you up to four weeks of smooth skin to look forward to.
Gabrielle Hondorp
Before joining Runner's World, Gabrielle Hondorp spent 6 years in running retail (she has tested top gear from shoes, to watches, to rain jackets which has expanded her expertise—and her closets); she specializes in health and wellness, and is an expert on running gear from head-to-toe. Gabi began her journalism career as a Digital Editorial Fellow for Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine, and has since advanced to a Runner's World Editor specializing in commerce. She has a double degree in English and Media and Communication from Muhlenberg College where she also ran cross country and track.
