We’re going to let you into a little secret. Women blessed with envy-inspiring, luscious locks on their heads spend a lot of time eradicating the rest of their body hair.
Relentlessly shaving each summer, forking out on full-body waxes and testing every razor on the market; having thick hair is very much a double-edged sword.
It’s also a hugely expensive endeavour. A single session for laser hair removal costs between £300 to £500, making it inaccessible for many wanting to zap follicle foes into oblivion.
The Braun IPL Pro 7 PL7387 Beauty Set is one of the tech brand’s latest hair-busting tools. Housed in a sweet pink suedette vanity case and equipped with multiple caps for different body areas, plus a Venus razor, the set incorporates smart technology and wireless connectivity to ensure the smoothest treatment for users.
The catch? It costs £1000.
To see if the tool (which costs more than my rent), is worth the expense, I decided to put it to the test. Could this be the end of expensive trips to the beauty salon? Here’s what I thought.
Braun IPL Pro 7 PL7387 Key Specs
- Power: mains
- Weight: 2.58 kg
- Dimensions: 344 x 235 x 135 mm (H x W x D)
- Modes: 2 sensitive modes with 10 intensity levels
- Treatment areas: face, body and bikini line
- Manufacturer's guarantee: 2 years
Included in the kit
- Four caps - allows you to use your device for hair removal at home in a way that suits you (standard head for all areas, wide head for large areas and a precision head for hard-to-reach areas)
- A carry bag - for storage or travel
- Venus razor - for pre-IPL shaving
- Wireless connectivity - allows you to connect your home IPL hair removal kit to any supported device to receive real-time feedback on your progress
User Friendliness
Braun’s Skin i-Expert Pro is incredibly easy to use. Once you’ve opened the pink vanity case, scan the QR code and pair the IPL with the Braun app. The app is effortless to follow. Set up a plan, note what you want to achieve during the course (e.g. fast or prolonged results) and input suitable times to start your session.
Note that you should complete a skin test and shave the area you intend to laser beforehand, which might feel alien if focusing on your arms or face. The IPL device can be activated by pressing any button and will heat up once the fans start whirring.
There’s no moment for hesitation as the app guides the session, including how to angle the tool and how much skin you have left to cover. The tool flashes red as you glide it over your skin. While not painful, it takes a bit of getting used to, like a blunt pinprick that eases over time.
The biggest downside? The tool is only suitable for those with a light/medium skin tone and dark hair, which rules out a large user base. But for people who slot into the category, the machine will help ease fury-inducing wax strips and razor burn frustrations.
Functionality
Call me old-fashioned, but if something costs a grand, it better work. While I’d be keen to see results over a more prolonged period, results were fairly instant.
After two sessions, I noticed slower growth across my lower legs and arms, the areas I focused on for this review. I’m yet to try the bikini line (part of me is procrastinating due to the thought of a club-like red flashing laser machine going anywhere near the nether regions) but I have high hopes.
I didn’t think I was one of those people who could take pain (my pathetic pain tolerance would agree) but I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. Witnessing the hair you’ve spent the past decade attempting to eliminate take a time out is highly pleasing.
Even better, the seamless motion of gliding Braun’s gadget across your skin like a razor is rather cathartic. You can zap away while lying in bed and incorporate the sessions into your weekly beauty ritual. It takes less than 15 minutes a session, which promises to rid your limbs of pesky regrowth when shorts season hits.
Plug in, turn on, get your app up and ready and start pressing. Et voila, salon-worthy results from the comfort of your bedroom.
The design
The design of the Braun Skin-i Expert is sleek and sophisticated, which makes zapping off body hair feel a touch more chic. Not only is it pink (a win in my beauty book) but the tool is light and comfortable to hold. It’s attached to a singular plug, meaning no tangles of cables to be found anywhere
The app deserves credit. It’s composed as a calendar marking when your next session is due. You can select the density and colour of your hair and the app will adjust the tool’s settings for you. There are three sections to explore: plan, progress and settings. Clear to navigate, the progress page shows you how far along you are in each session, meaning you can keep on top of your lasering schedule.
Images of various device heads indicate how to use them and on what body areas, a section I found particularly helpful as a novice.
Where to buy the Braun IPL Pro 7 PL7387
Buy now £999.99, Boots
Verdict
I am a feminist, but I also love being hair-free. As someone who has spent years attempting to enter the realm of silky-smooth, I’ve found a firm friend in the Braun Skin i-Expert Pro 7. Overall, it works out cheaper to invest in Braun’s snazzy offering than forking out at salon appointments time and time again. It may be a painful add-to-bag moment, but if you have the means, it’s worth it.
Portable and efficient, I’d happily ditch messy wax strips in favour of Braun’s snazzy offering. It is a somewhat lengthy six-week process, meaning it’s best to prepare in advance for holidays and summer soirees that call for getting the pins out. That said, it’s a lot less effort than spike-inducing shaving and results in far fewer cuts and burns too.
