I don’t have any before and after pictures of my own because I’m shy.

However, I did take the photo in the header image of this post.

Before We Begin

Since the RoseSkinCo Lumi IPL hair removal handset was a purchase that actually worked for me, I’ve decided to post a short review about it.

NOTE: The actual review is towards the end of this post.

The first section contains some musings about how I eventually decided to give an IPL handset a go at home.

Being a writer, this is probably gonna end up with a few more personal details than I originally intended…

If you don’t mind hearing about skin woes, body parts and grooming, read on!

Early Shaving

I can’t remember how old I was when I first started shaving.

I believe I might have been fifteen going on sixteen. I was going to take part in a weeklong course at Outward Bound School (OBS) in Singapore. It was an outdoor adventure camp for 5 days and 4 nights. Some parts were scary — I was briefly left hanging up on a platform at one point without a belayer person (I would’ve cracked my neck and more if I had tripped and fallen over!)…but I still had a blast overall.

If I remember correctly, “shavers” and “deodorant” may have been on the packing checklist of recommended items.

I may have gotten a bottle of Gillette Satin Care Sensitive Shave Gel around the same time for an even smoother experience.

Shaving was quick and easy during this time. I grew up in humid Singapore and unwanted hair in the wrong places could quickly become a sweaty or visible surface of horrors.

I didn’t have any issues with a few quick swipes of the razor blade, and thought I’d keep it up for the rest of my life.

Endless Razors

It was OK throughout my twenties, too.

As I entered my thirties, my lifelong sensitive skin seemed to become even more reactive. Here’s when even the slightest amount of fragrance would cause patches of itchy or blistering eczema to pop up on my hands and fingers.

I tried different brands of razors. They all seemed to get rusty pretty quickly during my time here in Florida.

I tried keeping them dry, swiping a layer of baby oil on them to prevent rust from forming, but nothing really worked in the long run.

My skin was getting itchier whenever I shaved, and there’d be small open cuts / sores which could itch or burn for a couple of days.

I also gathered more scars on my shin area where the skin seemed to be drier and more prone to razor burn.

Giving Up on Shaving

When my skin needed a break, I’d just not shave for a while.

This wasn’t ideal for me as I personally prefer a smoother look and feel when it comes to skin.

Laser Hair Removal

I first heard about laser hair removal from a senior classmate who’d booked a few sessions of it when we had completed secondary school.

I don’t know which beauty salon she went to. It was in the Bedok area and there are a whole bunch to choose from in the East area of Singapore.

It sounded amazing. I didn’t have a lot of cash at the time, so it was something I mentally filed to check out at some point later in life.

Initially, I thought it was the same thing as IPL hair removal.

This blog post by VC Dermal in Australia shows the differences between laser vs. IPL hair removal.

Some pointers:

• IPL is a cheaper option (vs. lasers) for reducing body hair.
• Lasers have more precision and can selectively target dark, coarse hair.
• “IPL hair removal tends to work best on people who have both fairer skin and darker hair.”
  (Source: uk.braun.com)

Electric Shavers and IPL At-Home Hair Removal

I started Googling for “IPL hair removal” devices once I had zero patience for razor blades that quickly became rusty and unusable.

I debated between the RoseSkinCo and Braun IPL devices for a couple of weeks.

Braun is a well-known brand and their device was pricier.

I was browsing RoseSkinCo during a sale week were you could get the IPL Lumi and 4D electric shaver as a bundle, which I thought made sense as you’re supposed to shave before using the IPL device. Plucking wouldn’t work as the hair root needs to be in for the IPL to “zap” away at to slow down the unwanted hair’s growth.

Skin + Care

I never know how trustworthy reviews are on a company’s website.

I did like some of RoseSkinCo’s taglines or phrases, including:

• “show your skin the love it deserves”
• [it’s] more convenient than shaving, and WAY less painful than waxing
• painfree, safe, gentle

The return policy was pretty generous (returns accepted within 90 days at the time of my purchase and this blog posting), which gave me more confidence to try it out.

I kept the setting to Level 1 the first time I tried it.

The red light was very bright for me, so I opted to always use a pair of dark sunglasses (in my header photo) whenever I used the device.

The 4D electric shaver was pretty good too and curved well around the leg area.

NOTE: I prefer using my Panasonic electric shaver for the underarms area as the 4D shaver was a bit hard to maneuver in those areas.

My Perfect Setting = Level 2

I went up to Level 2 (out of 6) for the weeks thereafter, which my insanely sensitive skin managed to tolerate.

I got a light burn on one underarm when I used Level 3 and went over the same area several times due to impatience.

The Lumi little guidebook does warn you to NOT go over the same area several times, so that one time was my fault for not heeding the instructions.

It’s been about 3 months since I first started using the Lumi and 4D shaver.

I’m able to shave/zap my legs about once a week or LESS now (versus at least twice a week in the past, with cuts/itchiness from a regular razor blade), and it’s so nice, relaxing, and convenient to see the unwanted hair growth visibly slowing down.

To learn more, visit RoseSkinCo’s Lumi / IPL product page and their FAQ page.

Footnote

I sometimes wonder if I should be more enraged at how much time/money grooming involves.

Perhaps I’ll save that for another post where I’ll mention adult acne battles and more.