Just Nice Things

Regular readers will know I’ve reported back on the E>One, a new IPL machine that aims to wipe out body hair for good.  OK, I’ve lapsed a bit on doing a follow-up report on my first run of it (I can happily report the results so far are amazing!) but I promise you I will bring you the progress report so far.

If you wish you could have one of these in your house, you could be in with a chance with this top competition from the lovely people behind the E>One.

You could win this machine simply by joining their Facebook group page.  When the page reaches 500 followers, a lucky person will be randomly selected to win this product worth £1,450.

Competition rules are:
You must be a UK resident and aged over 18.
There is no cash alternative for the prize.

Good luck!

A few weeks ago, I went to a preview of E>One, a new device promising permanent hair removal in the comfort of your own home.  So it’s with great delight that I have been loaned one of these machines to trial and keep a diary of.

Over the coming weeks, I intend to submit photographic evidence as well as a detailed and honest account of undergoing permanent hair removal DIY style.  I must warn you the blog may contain disturbing images but I will do my utmost to not scare you with the sight of leg stubble.  Personally I’ve thought long and hard about subjecting followers of Just Nice Things to the exposure of my skin that isn’t my face so in the name of research, I ask you to view this blog with an open mind.

Right.  Now the T&Cs are out of the way, let’s kick off with the proceedings.

In the box delivered containing the E>One, the following items were also provided:

> 2 bottles of Optical Gel
> 2 pairs of safety glasses
> 2 white pencils
> a cleaning spray
> a detailed manual

First I shaved the areas to be tackled (in this case, my legs) and ensured I was thoroughly dry as instructed by the guidelines.  I am fortunate to get little hair growth on my legs; it grows back very slowly and in patches.  This didn’t always used to be the case but since growth has somewhat slowed down drastically, I no longer wax but shave a couple of times a week.  Nonetheless, there is hair to remove and to never have to bother with such a tedious process would be amazing, hence my reason for trying the E>One.

Plugging in the device, the set-up is very straight-forward and conducted with the use of the big touch-screen.

After I’d pressed the ‘on’ icon, the machine asked me to select my profile by gender, thickness of hair and type of skin.  I wasn’t sure of the thickness of the hair so I went for the next one above the finest.  I would hazard a guess that the lowest setting would be applicable to very fine hair like on the face.  Also the thicker the hair, the higher the voltage of flash would rise to to kill the hair follicles.

This was then followed by setting the desired intensity for which I went for level 1 (later to level 2 although I felt no difference between the two).  The advice is to start low and then increase as and when you become comfortable.  Also the more sensitive areas will require the lowest setting and so on and so forth.

Once I’d done the last minute safety checks, I slapped the gel on my legs and whacked on the Matrix style specs.

At first I couldn’t understand why nothing was happening.  Then I realise I had to push the gun done as well as squeeze the buttons on either side for it to emit the flash.  It’s quite tricky to get to grips with and requires some practice.  For each flash, an area roughly measuring 3cm x 2cm is covered.  Once an area is treated, you do not need to go over the same area more than once per session.

After each flash, the machine recharges and the handset’s LED light turns red before turning green to signal it’s ready for use again.  Re-setting takes about 3 seconds and the LCD panel helpfully displays how many flashes are left.  It also makes a sound to let you know it’s ready for the next flash.  The machine won’t work if you try to press down before it’s ready.

I tackled my lower legs and would say it took a good hour to cover this area totally.  My immediate reaction was the treatment felt exactly like the laser treatment I had done in the private clinic for my underarms.  The only differences are their device is much larger and they used ice packs to numb the area to be treated.

It’s like a rubber band pinging against your skin and it also feels briefly warm but where laser treatment can leave your skin red and result in the smell of hairs burning, there is no such sensation with using the E>One.  I must admit I didn’t enjoy using this machine in the first 20 minutes or so but when I got used to the way it worked, the experience became more tolerable and the procedure easier.  As it’s my first treatment, I am anxious to see immediate results but this isn’t apparent.

After treatment was completed, my legs looked exactly as they did before I started.  I am pleased to report there was no redness or other irritation but there was an urge to scratch them, much like when you’ve just epilated.

I also attempted the underarms but failed miserably.  (Although I’ve had six laser treatments which have reduced the hair growth by at least 90%, I still get patchy regrowth and am due to visit the clinic for a top-up treatment in a few weeks.)

The underarms are very difficult to do by yourself as you need to hold the skin taught while pressing down with the gun at the same time.  You will need someone to help you do this.  The legs, however is something I managed to do without any trouble.  I felt nothing in the underarms but the legs hurt a bit and I imagine it would be quite painful in more sensitive areas like the bikini.

Absolute concentration is required as well so no putting on your favourite film to watch simultaneously.  The specs have to be worn at all times when operating this device and I’d advise to sit on a towel and keep a spare one handy as the gel makes it quite messy.

I’ll bring you an update after 8 days over my first treatment and show whether the E>One has made a difference.  Apparently the hairs are supposed to fall off after this period though they won’t all fall out at the same time; it is a process that takes approximately 2 weeks according to the manual.  I’ve checked my diary for the coming week and I don’t have anything that requires me to expose my legs so I am going to resist shaving for 8 days to see if there will be any noticeable difference since using the E>One.

I can continue to shave in between sessions though I am assured this will become infrequent over time until eventually there isn’t an offending hair left on me.  It is recommended my second treatment should be done 4-6 weeks later (and further treatments every 6-8 weeks) so I will also be bringing you the follow-up in a few weeks time.  You lucky things!  In the mean time, if you have any burning questions, please post them below and I shall do my utmost to respond to them.

E-Swin’s E>One is currently available to buy online for £1,450 and further information can be found at http://uk.e-swin.com/.

Sheenie

Ladies (and gentlemen), I come bearing exciting news.  The quest to be fuzz-free could be soon over.  And the amazing thing?  It doesn’t hurt.

Two days ago I was invited to a preview and demo of a hair removal device that’s taken France by storm where it was born three years ago.

Twenty thousand happy customers have planted the E>One device in their homes and are on their way to achieving permanent hair removal without a needle being jammed in or laser beam frazzling their pores.  It’s the creation of E-Swin, which isn’t a name that rolls off the lips like Remington or Philips, but by no means should it be perceived as anything inferior.

Readers of JNT will recognise I’ve subjected myself (and still do in some cases) to razor blades, hot wax, epilators, threading and laser to get rid of unwanted body hair.  I’m not totally mad, nor do I get off on pain for pleasure.  I just despise being hairy and the constant battle to juggle multiple methods of hair removal not to mention the dent they create in my pocket.  It makes me despair sometimes.

Alas, it has to be done and I’m pleased to know I’m not the only one with hang-ups about personal grooming and the shock of dealing with surprise arrivals from new hairy guests on my body that never existed before, as I discovered with the like-minded ladies in my company at this demo.  Honestly, it felt a bit like an AA group – off-loading fuzzy tales of woe and realising we’re not freaks for shaving on a daily basis – some twice in one day.

The E>One is the first and only hair removal device using IPL (Intense Pulse Light) technology to gain a medical certificate for personal home use.  It can be used anywhere on the body bar the eye brows.  It’s just launched in the UK and could very well wipe out other hair removal devices with its effective and lasting results. Clinically proven, it promises professional quality results in the privacy of your own home, so the nightmare of me having my regular Brazilian waxes could be a thing of the past.  I’m seriously excited!

Now here’s the part that may cause some shock to the system: the price tag is £1,450 but it clearly shows this mother means business.  For this amount, you’re getting a product that will last you long enough to treat your whole body over a period of 10 years and it comes up with a warranty of up to 5 years.  It’s also solely manufactured in France and tested according to European standards in a European country.  You know how Ugg boots that were once manufactured in its native Australia are now made in the Far East?  Bit of a swizzle, that.

Now I pay £28 every month for my Brazilian wax.  In a year, that’s an eye-watering £336 and it’s not permanent!  If I continue for another four years, I’ll have notched up enough pounds to surpass the cost of the E>One.  Add to this the money spent on epilators and other salon wax treatments so £1,500 is a drop in the ocean in comparison.

Also, the medical stamp of approval puts me at incredible ease, knowing this isn’t a toy or something that will lose its momentum is a year.

One reason why I chose to go to a private medical practice for laser hair removal treatment was the reassurance of trained medical staff carrying out the procedure.  However laser treatment costs a bomb and it’s with careful consideration that I opted only for the underarms to be treated at almost a cost of £400.  Getting your legs done will set you back a few thousand pounds, so unless you’re Kim Kardashian or any other beautiful celebrity with cash to splash, it’s the trusty razor blade as your personal grooming buddy.

There really are a lot of positive information about E>One and it’s no surprise why everyone including myself were sitting on the edge of the sofa, wide-eyed as we watched the demo before we were invited to try it for ourselves.

My first impression of the E>One was it looks exactly like the kind of device used by the private medical clinic I visited for laser hair removal except it’s on a much smaller scale. It powers up via the mains, you select the appropriate options from the touch-screen and then you grab the hand-held part and press the button to begin the process.

So how does it work?  Light emitted during the flash is absorbed by the melanin contained in the hair follicle which is then converted into thermal energy.  This heat then effectively destroys the hair, causing it to fall out and never grow back again.  It runs from a cartridge that lasts 3,000 flashes (your underarms will only use about 6 each time as an indication), which will show on the touch-screen monitor.  Refill cartridges only cost £90.  Et voila!

Make Up to Make Out's Lina pulls off a pout in great style

You are supposed to notice a change after eight days with patchy hair growth.  It is advised to carry out a treatment every six weeks (much like laser) and after about 10-12 treatments, you are likely to be virtually smooth with perhaps one treatment a year to keep the nasty buggers at bay.

The E>One device is also the only product that can be used by both men and women, and you select from the options according to your gender, thickness of hair and skin colour.  There are an assortment of colours the E>One comes in whether you want something girlie or ahem, masculine for the fellas.  It’s not recommended for very dark skin as it may cause pigmentation or for white hair but unlike other devices, this one can be used by the majority.

Safety goggles must be worn like with laser hair removal but the E>One is nothing like laser treatment although the device emits a bright flash like laser.

For one it doesn’t hurt.  Instead you feel warmth.  You also apply a gel to the skin which helps direct the device to target the follicles accurately.  Laser requires the area treated to be numbed by an ice-pack.  Without that, it’s excruiatingly painful.

But before you begin zapping to your heart’s content, you must shave the area first.  I found this to be interesting as with laser you are required to shave 24 hours before or not at all so it can be seen which parts hair still remains to be growing.  Waxing is prohibited as it will stimulate the hair growth and that’s not what you want, is it?

With all that digested, that pretty much sums up the curiosity of E>One but of course I’m only giving you feedback to what I’ve seen and talked with the people behind this revolutionary hair removal invention.  It’s only through experiencing it that I can convince not only you but myself that the E>One could be the best thing since sliced bread.  I am very much looking forward to giving this baby a trial run so keep your eyes peeled on JNT for a detailed account complete with photographic evidence (oh dear…) very soon.

E-Swin’s E>One is currently only available to buy online and further information can be found at http://uk.e-swin.com/.

Sheenie

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