If you want the fastest, most thorough removal, the Silk-epil 9 has a wider, pivoting head and more tweezers; on a budget a Philips corded model does the job for less; and the Silk-epil 7 sits in between. The honest thing to know is that epilation hurts more than shaving, especially at first, and eases with regular use, so going wet-and-dry and building up is the way to make it bearable. Below we explain what to expect, wet versus dry, and what to skip.
Last reviewed 14 October 2026
Prices and stock on this page are pulled live from each listing and refresh several times a day. An epilator pulls hair out by the root, so skin stays smooth for weeks rather than days and regrowth gets finer, but it does hurt, especially the first few times. The single best thing you can do is buy a wet-and-dry model and use it in a warm bath or shower, which noticeably reduces the pain. A Braun Silk-epil is our pick. How we choose: we compare the live Amazon listings, the makers' published specs and the owner reviews, including the 1 to 3 star ones, and we don't test hands-on, so we never claim to.
The top 4, ranked
★ Our pick · Best overallBraun Silk-epil 5 Wet & Dry EpilatorWet-and-dry use to reduce the pain, from the category-leading brand, at a sensible price.£39.99£49.99Save 20%In stockBuy on Amazon
Best premiumBraun Silk-epil 9 Epilator (Pivoting Head)A wide, pivoting head with more tweezers for the fastest, most thorough removal.£149.99£229.99Save 35%In stockBuy on Amazon
Best budgetPhilips Epilator Series 2000 (Corded)A simple corded epilator for body and sensitive areas, at around £35.£52.98£59.99Save 12%In stockBuy on Amazon
Best mid-rangeBraun Silk-epil 7 Wet & Dry Epilator (Wide Head)A wide-head wet-and-dry epilator between the value 5 and premium 9.£69.99£139.99Save 50%In stockBuy on AmazonCompare the specs
| Product | Wet & dry | Head | Power | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Silk-epil 5 Wet & Dry Epilator★ Best Overall | Yes | Standard | Cordless | Most people | £39.99 |
| Braun Silk-epil 9 Epilator (Pivoting Head)Best Premium | Check variant | Wide, pivoting | Cordless | Regular use, speed | £149.99 |
| Philips Epilator Series 2000 (Corded)Best Budget | Dry (corded) | Standard | Corded | Budget, first epilator | £52.98 |
| Braun Silk-epil 7 Wet & Dry Epilator (Wide Head)Best Mid-Range | Yes | Wide | Cordless | Regular use, mid-range | £69.99 |
Prices are live from Amazon and refresh through the day; last page update 14 October 2026.
What to expect: it works well, but it hurts
Be honest with yourself before buying. An epilator mechanically pulls hairs out by the root with rotating tweezers, which has real benefits and one real downside:
- Smooth for weeks, not days. Because the hair is removed from the root, regrowth takes weeks rather than the days you get from shaving, and over time regrowth tends to become finer and sparser.
- It hurts, especially at first. Pulling hair out is more uncomfortable than shaving, and the first few sessions are the worst. Most people find it becomes much more bearable with regular use as the skin gets used to it and the hair grows back finer.
- It is a pain-tolerance thing. Some people get on with it happily; others find it too uncomfortable. Going wet-and-dry and building up gradually is how to make it manageable.
Wet and dry is the big comfort feature
If there is one feature worth paying for, it is wet-and-dry use, because it directly reduces the pain:
- Epilating in a warm bath or shower relaxes the skin and softens the hair follicles, which makes the pulling noticeably less painful. Warm water is a genuine help, not a gimmick.
- It is also more hygienic and convenient to do in the shower and rinse clean afterwards.
- Dry (often corded) epilators are cheaper but you miss this pain reduction, so they suit people who are less sensitive or want the lowest price.
For most people, especially beginners, a wet-and-dry epilator used in the bath is the difference between sticking with epilation and giving up on it.
Heads, tweezers and attachments
- Head width and tweezer count: a wider head with more tweezers removes more hair per stroke, so fewer passes and a quicker job. The premium models lead here.
- A pivoting head follows the contours of legs and body for better skin contact, catching more hairs first time (which also means less repeated pulling).
- Attachments: caps for sensitive areas, a shaver or trimmer head, and an exfoliation brush are useful extras. Sensitive-area caps limit the tweezers for delicate spots.
- Speed settings and a light help you epilate gently at first and see fine hairs.
Our picks in detail
Braun Silk-epil 5 Wet & Dry Epilator
Wet-and-dry use to reduce the pain, from the category-leading brand, at a sensible price.
A best-selling wet & dry epilator.
The Braun Silk-epil 5 is the epilator most people should buy. The wet-and-dry design is the key feature: being able to epilate in a warm bath or shower noticeably reduces the discomfort, which is what makes epilation sustainable rather than a one-off ordeal. It grips and removes short hairs from the root for weeks of smoothness, comes from the brand that leads this category, and sits at a sensible price with the features that actually matter.
It is not as fast or as thorough on a first pass as the wider-head Silk-epil 7 and 9, so very dense or coarse hair may take a little longer. But for most people the Silk-epil 5's combination of wet-and-dry comfort, reliable root removal and fair price is the sweet spot. If you want the quickest, most complete removal, the Silk-epil 9 is the step up; on a budget, the corded Philips is cheaper. For the best all-round epilator, this is the pick.
Braun Silk-epil 9 Epilator (Pivoting Head)
A wide, pivoting head with more tweezers for the fastest, most thorough removal.
If you want the quickest and most thorough epilation, the Braun Silk-epil 9 is the premium pick. Its wider head with more tweezers removes more hair per stroke, and the pivoting head follows the contours of your legs and body so it keeps better contact and catches more hairs in a single pass, which means less going over the same area, so it is faster and more comfortable overall despite being an epilator. For regular users who want the job done efficiently, it is the best Braun offers.
It costs noticeably more than the Silk-epil 5, and for occasional use the extra speed and thoroughness are less essential. But if you epilate regularly and want to get it done quickly with fewer passes, the wider pivoting head genuinely helps, and catching more hairs first time reduces the repeated pulling. If you want the best value, the Silk-epil 5 is excellent; for the fastest, most thorough removal, this is the one. (Stock can vary across variants.)
Philips Epilator Series 2000 (Corded)
A simple corded epilator for body and sensitive areas, at around £35.
If you want to try epilation without spending much, the Philips Series 2000 does the job for around £35. Being corded, it delivers constant power without worrying about charge, it handles the body and comes with caps for sensitive areas, and it removes hair from the root for weeks of smoothness from a trusted brand. For a first epilator or a tight budget, it covers the fundamentals affordably.
The main compromise is that it is corded, so it is less flexible to manoeuvre and, unless specifically rated, is a dry-use device rather than wet-and-dry, which means you miss the pain-reducing benefit of epilating in the bath. But for dry epilation at a low price, it does the core job. If reducing the discomfort matters to you, a wet-and-dry Braun is worth the extra; as the cheapest capable epilator here, this is honest value.
Braun Silk-epil 7 Wet & Dry Epilator (Wide Head)
A wide-head wet-and-dry epilator between the value 5 and premium 9.
The Braun Silk-epil 7 sits sensibly between the value Silk-epil 5 and the premium 9. It keeps the wet-and-dry design that lets you epilate in the bath to reduce pain, and adds a wider head than the 5 so it removes more hair per stroke for a quicker job, without reaching the 9's price. For someone who epilates regularly and wants faster removal with the comfort of wet use, it is a well-judged middle option.
It costs more than the Silk-epil 5 for a similar core function plus the wider head, and it does not quite match the 9's pivoting head and tweezer count. But the wider head and wet-and-dry comfort make it a noticeably quicker, more pleasant epilator than the entry models for a fair step up in price. If you want the best value, the 5 is the pick; if you want the fastest, the 9; for a capable middle ground, this is a strong choice.
Making epilation less painful and avoiding ingrowns
- Epilate in or after a warm bath or shower (with a wet-and-dry model) when skin is warm and relaxed.
- Exfoliate regularly, a couple of times a week, to prevent ingrown hairs, which are the main downside of root removal. A dry body brush or exfoliating scrub works.
- Hold the skin taut and move the epilator slowly against the direction of hair growth for a cleaner pull and less pain.
- Do it in the evening so any redness settles overnight.
- Build up gradually. The first sessions hurt most; it eases a lot as you keep going and the hair grows back finer.
- Moisturise afterwards to soothe the skin.
Epilator vs shaving, waxing and IPL
- Shaving: painless and quick but regrowth in days with a blunt stubble. An epilator lasts weeks with finer regrowth, at the cost of discomfort.
- Waxing: similar root removal and longevity to epilating, but messier and often done at a salon. An epilator is a reusable, at-home, no-mess alternative, though it can be more painful hair-by-hair.
- IPL: aims to reduce hair long-term over many sessions, but costs more upfront and does not suit all hair and skin tones. An epilator is cheaper and works on any hair, but it is ongoing rather than long-term reduction.
Choose an epilator if you want weeks of smoothness at home without salon trips or the cost of IPL, and you can tolerate the discomfort. If pain is a dealbreaker, shaving or IPL may suit you better.
What we’d skip
- Buying a dry-only epilator if you are sensitive to painWet-and-dry models let you epilate in a warm bath or shower, which noticeably reduces the discomfort and is the difference between sticking with epilation and giving up. The small extra is well worth it for most people, especially beginners.
- Expecting it to be painlessEpilation pulls hair out by the root, so it hurts more than shaving, especially the first few times. It does ease a lot with regular use as the skin adjusts and regrowth gets finer, so build up gradually rather than judging it on session one.
- Skipping exfoliationRoot removal can cause ingrown hairs, which are the main downside. Exfoliating a couple of times a week with a scrub or dry brush prevents most of them, so make it part of the routine rather than an afterthought.
- Paying for a premium wide-head model if you only epilate occasionallyThe extra speed and thoroughness of the top models matter most for regular users. For occasional use, the value model does the job well for less.
- Epilating over broken skin, varicose veins, moles or irritated areasWork around them, and if you have very sensitive skin or a condition, patch test first and get advice. The goal is smooth skin, not irritated skin.
Frequently asked questions
Does using an epilator hurt?
Yes, more than shaving, because it pulls hairs out by the root rather than cutting them at the surface. The first few sessions are the most uncomfortable, but most people find it becomes much more bearable with regular use as the skin adjusts and the hair grows back finer and sparser. Using a wet-and-dry epilator in a warm bath or shower, holding the skin taut and going slowly all reduce the discomfort noticeably, so it is manageable for most people who build up gradually.
How long does epilation last?
Typically a few weeks, far longer than shaving, which lasts only a day or two, because the hair is removed from the root rather than cut at the surface. Over time, with regular epilation, regrowth also tends to become finer and sparser, so sessions get quicker and less uncomfortable. The longevity is the main appeal of epilating over shaving: smooth skin for weeks at a time from an at-home device, without salon waxing trips.
Is a wet and dry epilator worth it?
For most people, yes, it is the feature most worth paying for. Being able to epilate in a warm bath or shower relaxes the skin and softens the follicles, which noticeably reduces the pain that puts people off epilating, and it is more hygienic and convenient too. Dry-only epilators are cheaper but you miss that comfort benefit. Especially for beginners or anyone sensitive to pain, a wet-and-dry model used in the bath makes epilation far more sustainable.
How do I stop ingrown hairs from epilating?
Exfoliate regularly, a couple of times a week, which is the single best way to prevent ingrown hairs, the main downside of removing hair from the root. Use an exfoliating scrub or a dry body brush between epilation sessions to keep the skin clear so new hairs grow out rather than curling back in. Moisturising regularly also helps keep skin soft, and holding the skin taut and pulling in the right direction when you epilate reduces breakage that can cause ingrowns.
Does epilating make hair grow back thinner?
For many people, over time, yes. Because epilating removes the whole hair from the root rather than cutting it, regrowth tends to become finer and sparser with regular use, rather than the blunt stubble you get from shaving. It will not permanently remove hair the way IPL or laser aim to, but the finer regrowth means sessions get easier and less noticeable over time. Results vary between people, but the finer-regrowth effect is a common and genuine benefit of regular epilation.
Epilator or waxing, which is better?
Both remove hair from the root for similar weeks-long smoothness, but an epilator is a reusable at-home device with no mess, no heating wax and no salon trips, whereas waxing removes many hairs at once, which some find quicker and less drawn-out, but is messier and often done professionally. An epilator can feel more painful hair-by-hair but is cheaper over time and always to hand. If you want a convenient, reusable at-home option, an epilator wins; if you prefer fewer, faster pulls, waxing may suit.
Can you use an epilator on your face or sensitive areas?
Some epilators come with caps or dedicated attachments for sensitive areas and facial hair, which limit the number of tweezers for more control on delicate spots. Check the model is designed for the area you want to use it on, as the body head is too aggressive for the face. Facial and sensitive-area skin is more delicate, so go gently, use any sensitive cap provided, and patch test first. For small facial areas, dedicated facial hair removers may be more comfortable.
How often should I epilate?
Usually every two to four weeks, as and when you feel regrowth, since epilation lasts weeks rather than days. Epilating regularly, catching hairs while they are still short, actually makes it more comfortable, as shorter hairs are less painful to remove than long ones. Over time, regular epilation tends to make regrowth finer, so sessions get quicker. Exfoliate between sessions to keep ingrown hairs at bay, and epilate in the evening so any redness settles overnight.
