Experiences with at-home hair laser treatments Part 2

*Disclaimer:  All amazon links are affiliate– we may get some tiny amount if you buy through them but definitely don’t buy through them on our account because it truly is a tiny amount of money*

Several months ago my trusty Tria stopped working without warning.  I don’t know if it broke or if it had finished its limited number of flashes or what (they warn you that it only has a certain number of flashes).  Basically it just wouldn’t turn on even after fully charging.

I wanted to just buy a new one, but they had run out of the old version and the new version hadn’t come in yet, so that wasn’t an option.

Meanwhile, the occasional dark coarse facial hair started to pop up with increasing frequency.  Finally, with no way of knowing when I could get a replacement Tria, I rage-bought a Braun laser hair remover.  I don’t think this link is exactly the version I got, but I’m not going to end up recommending it anyway.

This Braun device is not great if you are trying to get rid of a single facial hair, coarse or not.  It did not do what I needed. In addition, the light is extremely bright and it’s difficult to use on yourself in front of a mirror.  Even with your eyes closed it has very bright flashes reflected (why stand in a mirror?  So you can see where to aim!).

That said, it does do SOMETHING.  It has a broad-range laser instead of a small focused one.  For fun, I decided to just use it on one armpit and not the other to see if I could find a difference.  And, indeed, after a couple months of use there is a difference.  I still have to shave both, and neither are patchy, but there is less/lighter/thinner hair on the one I treated.  So I’ve started doing the other side too.  This is probably best for broad areas like under arms or legs, particularly if you don’t need them to be completely hair free– if you just want shaving to take less time.  Some people on the amazon page look like they’ve had more success on these broader areas, but they also say they need to touch up every couple weeks give or take.

Fortunately for my sanity but not my wallet, Tria finally came out with its new edition and I bought it.  It works just like the old one.  It kills a very small area of hair and the flash is hidden.  It is expensive, but as someone who tends towards a Fu Manchu beard when left untreated, the cost is well worth the amount of time I would otherwise have to pluck out coarse beard hairs.  It doesn’t really get light or skinny hairs.  It’s not a total solution.  But it is a nice targeted solution.

I hate the patriarchy, but there’s only so much I’m willing to fight.  Stupid early 20th century capitalism selling razors and depilatory agents.  Stupid culture.  Stupid having to shave.

How do you deal with unwanted hair?  Would you spend $500 (twice!) on something that gets rid of maybe a few facial hairs at a time?