Hair free by summer – I hope so!

What’s with the funny telephone my son asked when I lifted the Rio Salon Laser out of the box, very funny I said, it’s a home use laser hair remover, cool he replied.  My family have got used to the number of gadgets I’ve bought in the attempt of self-improvement; some have been more successful than others.  Some of my friends have been alarmed that I am happy to sit and use a laser on my face, but the results have been excellent, so when Rio Beauty offered to let me try the Salon Laser Scanning Hair Remover x60 I jumped at the chance.

Laser hair removal has long been on my list of things I would love to have done, but it is quite expensive to have in a salon as well as time consuming, so the idea that you can fit this around your working day seemed like a good one.

The unit is lightweight and yes it does look slightly like a telephone, the wand fits into a cradle on the right with the controls on the left.  Safety is paramount with any home laser equipment and Rio has ensured that you have to carry out two manoeuvres before the unit will work.  First turn the key and then carry out a security button sequence before you can operate the laser. 

How do lasers work?

When light is shone at skin in a wavelength range of 600-1100nm (nano meters) it is essentially transparent, so the laser won’t harm it.  Melanin containing structures such as hair will absorb the laser energy at this wavelength, so you can effectively target the hair without damaging the surrounding skin.

Lasers shine an intense beam of light either of a single wavelength or colour, this energy is absorbed by the melanin pigment and rapidly heats up the hair follicle and destroys the cells (papilla) responsible for hair growth.  If enough heating is achieved, then the follicle is permanently killed off and you have a reduction in hair growth.

Are lasers suitable for all skin types?

Laser hair removal treatment is not suitable for Afro-Caribbean or black skin complexions, but provided you use a light wavelength of 808nm you can treat relatively dark skin as well as fair skin types.  Laser treatment works best on pale skin with dark hair.  Laser treatment is not effective for removing white or grey hair.

What is the Scanning Hair Remover x60 like to use?

After doing a patch test and watching the video supplied with the Scanning Hair Remover x60 I couldn’t wait to give it a try.  The only preparation you need is to make sure that your hair is short between 1-2mm, shaving is fine as this means that the laser targets the hair root and avoids burning on the surface, and the skin should be clean and dry.  The laser window is quite small so you need to position this at the top of the area you want to target as you will be overlapping each time you lift and replace the wand.  When in position you press the button on the wand and the orange light turns white and a sound beeps until the correct amount of light has been emitted.  You can also turn off the beep.

If you have ever played battleships this is what it’s like, sometimes you don’t feel a thing and then when the laser hits its target you feel  a slight pin prick which last only about a second or two, it’s really not painful at all, you do occasionally get the smell of burning hair, which bizarrely is quite satisfying.  Whenever you feel the sensation of a hair being eliminated it’s like hitting that battleship, you know you’re winning.

How long does it take to become hair free?

This is not going to be a short trial, it takes a long time to cover a small area, and I have started on my bikini line and will be treating my underarms as well.  It takes patience and dedication to cover a small area effectively; I have mastered reading the Kindle while using the laser as it can become a little boring.  I know beauty editors who do their treatment in front of the television on a Sunday evening, maybe if I was treating a different body area I would be happy to do this.  I personally like to use an extension lead and run the thin cable under the bathroom door, the bathroom is my sanctuary and I need the privacy.  Due to the three phases of hair growth cycle you need to keep up the treatment for a long period of time, and expect that some dormant hair follicles will produce hair in the future.

The Rio Salon Laser Scanning Hair Remover x60 is easy to use, safe and as long as you are prepared to put in the time and effort it will be effective.  I have only recently started the trial so I will give you up dates in a few weeks’ time and let you know how I’m getting on.

Rio Salon Scanning Hair Remover* £144.99 available from Amazon

*Affiliate link