Having a prone to acne sensitive skin can be challenging.
It not only makes the affected person to feel self-conscious about its appearance but it also complicates things.
But it doesn’t have to be this way!
Hair removal should be easy, even when talking about facial hair removal.
In theory its simple.
For most women, removing facial hair is reduced to only choosing the device that would best serve her needs.
Some women want something that doesn’t involve pain and they choose shaving (a taboo option still) or hair removal creams. While others want something more long-lasting and they go for waxing or epilation.
After you’ve removed the hairs from the root and your skin is silky smooth that’s where my post-epilation tips come in.
6 Post Epilation Tips for Sensitive Skin
Now:
When hair is removed from the root that’s usually when breakouts happen for a person that’s already prone to acne.
These tips also apply to women who have sensitive skin and want to avoid any potential irritation.
Tip 1. Get a Cleanser
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If your breakouts or zits are few in number, usually a cleanser may help.
I’m the living proof for that.
I use cold facial wax strips to remove my upper lip hair.
As a teenager, I experienced my fair share of zits. There wasn’t a week where one, two, three zits wouldn’t pop out.
As soon as I started using wax strips for my upper lip, the zits also appeared in that area a few days after. A friend advised me to use a facial cleanser and to moisturize after.
It worked.
Nowadays, I use a cleanser to clean my face before going to sleep. Or whenever I feel my face dirty or oily. I never use the cleanser in the morning.
I use the cleanser as soon as I remove the wax residue. After that, I apply a moisturizer. Use whichever moisturizer you prefer, that’s for your skin type.
For me, that’s the successful recipe.
Tip 2. Calamine Solution + Aloe Vera Gel
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If you have a really sensitive skin and at the same time one that’s prone to more than a couple zits per week, use this combination.
The calamine solution soothes the skin that has been either waxed or epilated with an epilator.
The aloe vera gel is known for reducing inflammation, heals the tissue, and it treats acne.
Both of these fight acne and calm the skin. That’s why this is a winning combination for post-epilation sensitive skin.
Tip 3. Get a Cleansing Brush
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There are two types of cleansing brushes:
- affordable, meaning rotating ones
- and expensive, meaning pulsating/sonic ones
As you’ve probably guessed, people prone to acne or breakouts need the expensive cleansing brush, the one that deeply cleanses the skin through pulsations.
It’s one of the best ways to exfoliate your face.
One example would be the Clarisonic Mia 2 Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush System.
Apply an acne clarifying cleanser that has salicylic acid, among ingredients and after that a moisturizer.
Tip 4. Use a Gentle Scrub
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I want to place emphasis on the word gentle.
If you use too much force on a sensitive skin that suffers from acne, you’re going to make the matter worse.
The thing is:
Exfoliation is important. But in this situation, I recommend a gentle exfoliation.
Totally relaxing.
Twice a week should be more than enough. And before epilating or waxing.
Tip 5. Facial Masks
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Consider using a facial mask.
There is a wide variety of facial masks that sooth and stimulate the skin.
The Aztec Indian clay mask is one of the best out there.
It’s actually incredible! And recommended for acne-prone skin.
It also has healing properties, it’s affordable, and you only have to use it once a week.
Another option is to look up for DIY recipes.
Make sure to choose one that will match your skin type, whether is homemade or not.
Tip 6. Use a Moisturizer
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My last tip is actually the most important.
You cannot skip this one.
You can ignore using a mask weekly and you can ignore using a cleansing brush and even a scrub.
What you can’t ignore are three things:
- cleansing the skin before and after waxing/epilation
- applying an aloe vera gel
- and after applying a moisturizer
You need to sooth the skin because it’s irritated.
That’s the only way you can avoid getting breakouts after.
There are a lot of moisturizers out there and when I say that, it’s actually an understatement.
I actually use a combination of argan oil, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C serum.
That’s because I also have really dry skin on top of being extremely sensitive.
The vitamin C serum is great for fighting wrinkles but what interests me the most is its healing properties.
I still have acne scars.
After the moisturizer part, you can apply your acne treatments. I do that.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always suffered from breakouts.
They haven’t ever stopped but what I’ve always striven for is having a healthy-looking skin.
I don’t use any makeup so that’s very important to me. A pimple here and there is fine but I want to overall look healthy and glowing.
All of the above tips have worked for me, whether I’ve waxed or epilated my facial hair.
I know that it sounds like a lot of work, on top of the actual work that goes into removing facial hair.
It has turned into a routine for me.
However,
If all of that sounds like just too much for you, there’s another option.
You could use a facial razor, like the Tinkle razor.
It’s pain-free, cheap, good for peach fuzz and coarse hair, and it doesn’t irritate the skin.
Which are your post-epilation or post-waxing tips for keeping a clean skin, free of any annoying acne?
Let me know in the comments bellow.
Uh, Hi!
So do you mean people with sensitive skin will have pimple breakout and rash just like after waxing?
Is there any way that the rash can be prevented?
Hi Tiara,
If you have waxed before and you’ve experienced pimples and rashes post-waxing, it’s possible that the same will happen after epilation. It’s just a possibility, not a certainty.
You can prevent the rash, maybe in time the skin becomes accustomed to the experience of removing hairs from the root but you can make the irritation go away much faster.
It’s all in my post. A calamine solution followed by an aloe vera gel is the first thing you should try for making the irritation go away. It also fights pimples.
Let me know if I can help you with anything else. Have a great day, Tiara!
Hi Denisa,
How long post epilating can I use a facial mask to help with the redness and irritation?
Thank you.
Hi Sam,
If it’s a facial mask that helps reduce the redness and soothes the skin, then you can apply it immediately after epilation.
The sooner the better I would say.
Thanks for your comment, Sam.
I have a quite old emulator like 4 years old can i use it on face plus I have acne
Sorry ,Epilator
Hi Kitty,
You can use it on face. Detach the head of the epilator, wash it with hot water and them pour some alcohol on it. Do the same for any other accessory that you’re going to use when removing facial hair, like an efficiency cap.
Regarding your acne, the epilator shouldn’t make it at all worse. After epilation, I use a cleansing lotion to clean my face. After apply a moisturizer/lotion, whatever you’re currently using. That’s about it all you need to do.
Hi Denisa ,I’ve been reading your blog for a while.I’ve fine thin hair & I’ve never shaved or waxed before on my arms and legs.You said that someone has to epilate 1-3 days prior to shaving.Will the hair become more coarse & thick since we are shaving?
Tania, I’m not exactly sure which post you’re going to check out to see my reply to your comment. You’ll find my answer at the post Learn How to Epilate the Easy Way.
Tania you’ll find my answer to your comment at the post Learn How to Epilate the Easy Way.
I get acne from epilating my upper lip and chin if I don’t follow up with a thick layer of benzoyl peroxide 2.5%. This is a first-line defense against acne anyway (read the info on acne.org or beautypedia.com to learn all about it), but I suggest you only try this if you have used it before and know how your skin reacts, because some people can have a bad reaction the first few times as skin gets used to it. Even though my skin is used to it, when I apply sunscreen to my face the next day, the area I put the BP on still gets bright red, but it goes away after about 20 minutes, so don’t be alarmed if that happens to you.
Can you use a facial epilator device if you also use an acne topical treatment gel? Such as Onexton?
Hi Katie,
The answer is yes however an epilator can cause even more breakouts in some cases. It would be a bit of a risk using one at the moment, Katie.
I think it would be better if you tried facial waxing strips for now and after your acne clears out you can start using an epilator.
Hi i got this product the epilator for my daughter the facial one ,and she broke out all over her face .We followed all the directions .its been 3 days now and it hasn’t gone away .any advice ?
Hi Andrea,
I’m so sorry for getting back to you so late!
Your daughter’s skin got irritated, it happens pretty often. There are only a few tips I can give you, I hope they work!
Firstly, maybe next time she should use cold facial waxing strips, maybe waxing won’t irritate her skin as much.
Secondly, after epilation she should apply an aloe vera gel to sooth the skin. She should leave it on for about an hour and after apply a nourishing facial skin. You could also get calamine solution because that sooths the skin, as well.
At the moment, all she can go is to apply in the mornings and evenings a nourishing facial cream, you could even get a healing cream or mask. There are even some DIY healing skin masks.
Good luck, Andrea!
Hey Denisa,
I’m freaking out a bit so I hope you maybe know something that can help? (fingers crossed 🙂 )
I used an epilator for the first time on my face (before I used a spring epilator).
And after the epilation I rubbed alcohol to disinfect my skin.
But the next day when I woke up I saw that my face was really irritated and like a rash I guess (it looked a bit like acne but it was more like there were red spots everywhere not acne) . This never happened to me with my spring epilator and I do NOT have really bad skin or ever had acne! But I decided to let it rest another day.
The next day though it was still red so I used a gentle scrub because I thought that exfoliating would help and I also wanted to prevent ingrown hairs.
This turned out to make it far worse and my skin got extremely irritated and got bumps. I picked on a few of them because I wanted them to go away ( yes I know that’s bad but still 🙁 )
So now my skin is irritated with bumps and open wounds/ scabs.
Do you maybe have advice for me? I’m scared I will have scarred / ruined my face.
And what was it that I did wrong to cause this? The rubbing alcohol? The scrub? Both? And if that’s the case what should i apply directly after the epilation in my case?
I know it’s a lot and you must be facepalming while reading this lol but I really am freaking out.
I hope you can help and thanks in advance !!! 🙂
Hi Anna,
You should have cleansed your skin before epilation, not after. The alcohol irritated the skin, which was already really sensitive because the hairs were removed from the root.
After epilation you need to moisturize. If you want to cleanse after epilation as well, then it’s best to use a gentle cleanser. There are some that also hydrate at the same time.
Also, never exfoliate a skin that it’s already irritated. You managed to just get another layer of skin from an already troubled area.
At this moment, you need to concentrate on healing your skin. That’s all you can do but it will take a while. I recommend getting a vitamin C serum. Vitamin C is really good at healing. It’s probably the best. After applying the vitamin C serum in the mornings and evenings (gentle massage it into the skin), apply an argan oil, as well. Gently massage it into the skin. You can maintain the same routine after epilation, as well.
Fortunately, there’s nothing to freak out about. Your skin will heal in a couple of weeks, I think. Don’t use a scrub until it heals completely. You still need to cleanse it before applying the vitamin C and the argan oil but get a gentle cleanser or a special soap for face.
Good luck, Anna! I hope this helps and your face will benefit from a speedy recovery!
I bought an epilator in hopes of dealing with my facial/neck hair. I always felt as if I had a 5 0’clock shadow.
I bought a good quality Braun one. I used it and broke right out (I’m not prone to breakouts at all). I have to use it almost every other day because I’m getting a lot of stubble – I’m cursed with thick, black neck hair.
So now my face has stubble and breakouts all over. I’ve purchased an acne wash, which didn’t work/dried my face out.
I’ve also been using lotion. Doesn’t seem to be doing anything, it looks ugly though.
Is this something that will calm down the more I epilate? (I’ve only been doing it for about a month).
Or should I just give up and accept that i’ll Always have 5 o’clock stubble with my razor?
Melissa, you need to give up epilation because it damages your skin. That much is clear.
But you should try cold facial waxing strips. They’re a bit more gentle on the skin.
Remember to moisturize the skin after each waxing so that you calm the irritated skin. Hopefully, the waxing will be much better for your skin!