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Although individual pain thresholds differs the easiest way to reduce epilation pain is to have well-prepared skin. Image Credit: Shutterstock

1. How often you epilate depends on one's hair growth and is a personal preference. Beginners would do well to epilate once a fortnight. Doing it frequently has two benefits: your pain threshold increases (as shorter hair causes less pain plus your skin gets used to the ‘tugging') and your overall hair growth reduces over time. Later you might need to do it only once a month. 

2. Choosing an epilation method that works for you mainly depends on usage habits. For most women it is more convenient to combine epilation with bath time, and a wet or foam version could work perfectly for them. There are others who may find the dry version simpler to use and can easily find the time and privacy to use their dry epilator frequently. Go for something that's suitable and practical for your lifestyle and grooming habits. Otherwise you'll feel tempted to go back to unhealthy shaving or expensive salon waxing even after investing in an epilator! 

3. Using warm or cold water for wet/foam epilation is usually an individual preference and the temperature makes no difference to the hair removal process. But, don't go for very hot water as it can strip the skin of moisture, open the pores and leave the skin sore, resulting in more pain or post-epilation redness. 

4. Although individual pain thresholds differs the easiest way to reduce epilation pain is to have well-prepared skin. For dry epilation, well-moisturised, non-greasy skin aids in the grasp of hair by the tweezers. For wet or foam exfoliation, get into the shower ten minutes before you start the hair removal process. You can also gently rub the skin with a pumice stone to prepare the skin for the upcoming tweezing action. Shower gel can either be poured over the foam epilator head or rubbed onto the skin. 

5. Always start the epilating session with an area where it's less painful. The lower legs are the least painful area for most women. For reduced pain, stretch skin with your spare hand to reduce the pain further. By the time you proceed to the more sensitive areas, you'll feel less pain as the pain threshold goes up and the skin gets used to epilation. 

6. Remember that regular mild body exfoliation can help towards effective epilation as it keeps in-grown hairs (resulting from frequent use of razors or other factors) at bay. 

7. When using the wet version don't worry too much about water entering the gadget - it is designed to be used in a shower. Of course, this does not mean you should leave the epilator immersed in the bathtub for hours!

 8. Post-use maintenance for these gadgets is important. Gently clean the dry epilator attachments with the brush that comes with the kit to remove the hair and skin cells. For the wet versions, dab them dry with a clean towel, then clean with the brush. It's not advisable to share your epilator with other people because of hygiene issues. And, also never use an epilator while charging it. 

9. For those of you with sensitive skin, it may take some time for the skin return to normal after epilation. But even if you don't have sensitive skin, it is best to epilate (dry or wet) a day before an important event so that any issues of redness have enough time to subside. 

10. Stick to post-epilation treatments that are soothing to the skin. Ice and a mild, skin-soothing gel to cool skin should be enough. Many salons nowadays also use a soothing post-waxing oil - if that suits you, get one of these to use post-epilation.