I hate shaving so much that, much to PartySugar's horror, I sometimes just give up. She loves shaving her legs; I would be thrilled to never do it again. The logical option: Get laser hair removal. Even though laser doesn't remove all of the body hair, it removes most, which means I'd get to keep up my shaving boycott without looking like Bigfoot. Win!
So when the people behind Tria, an at-home laser hair removal device, offered me one of their gadgets to test, it was a no-duh proposition. At $995, Tria is far from inexpensive, but it's cheaper than having a full bikini-line zapping session at a clinic. Plus, if you're thinking of having laser hair removal in more than one place, it's more economical. Like I said, not cheap — but cheaper.
To find out more about Tria, read more.
I'm beginning my hair-zapping adventures this week, so I'll soon have an update for you, but for now, here are a few basics on Tria:
- Tria is FDA-approved to remove body hair, but it isn't approved for facial hair. So don't think your peach fuzz will disappear with this. (Well, it might, but not officially.)
- Like other laser hair removal treatments, Tria does not work on dark skin. (Lasers work by seeking out dark pigment, so it damages darker complexions.) It's a big "no dice" on white, gray, red, and blonde hair as well. Sorry, Norwegians.
- You'll have to commit to doing at least three sessions to see less hair.
- I know some of you are thinking you'll be able to do an at-home Brazilian with this, but this is not a good idea. Tria is not meant to be used on your genitals, which means you can remove hair from your bikini line, but not from your more delicate region.
Got questions? Leave a comment, and in my follow-up post, I'll address them!
L'Autre Chose
Jil Sander
Cosmence
I can't wait for this review. I too am intrigued by the Tria, though it's a bit too expensive for me. Guess I'll just keep having to rely on my No-No for now.
1I have been really interested in this. To the point where I have thought about stashing away money till I could afford it. I HATE shaving my legs and would love to permanently get rid of that hair. Can't wait to see your follow-up review.
2Have you tried the No! No! I'd love to hear what the difference is...
3hmmm ... maybe a comparison between No!No! and this might be a good idea? Please bella, so this way I won't have too much to cry about when I spend $250 on No!No! versus $1000 on another device
4Wow! I have been saving to go to a salon for laser removal for quite a while now. I would love to have this gadget at home - needless to say it would be a lot less costly!! Until then, I have my appointment this afternoon...I
5Here are some posts about No!No!. The main difference is that No!No! uses heat, while Tria uses laser light. Both will reduce hair, but neither claims to remove hair completely. I'll keep you posted!
6I get it, Bella. Since you're trying this you must not have been in love with the No! No!, huh? You'll have to let us know if the results were easier and more consistent with this and if it's worth the extra $. Thanks!
7Oh my gosh. If this makes it so I never have to shave again in my life, good lord, I could kiss you.
8I have been through laser hair removal on my armpits and bikini and love it - i go for touch-ups once ever 5-6 months or so. I would love to do my legs but it was really painful and way too expensive to do both legs. One at a time? Maybe...
9I shelled out a hefty chunk of change for laser hair removal on my nether regions and it was SO worth it, but of course I can't afford to have that all over. I am definitely with you in saying that I LOATHE shaving. I'll be looking forward to your updates on this and any other at-home alternatives!
10I've actually wondered about this for a looong time, so I'm hoping someone will know the answer.
You can't use this on blonde hair because it's too light.
My leg hair(and everywhere else) is veeeery light blonde...Shiny visible blonde. Big whoop. Only reasons I shave are that 1) It feels niiiice. and 2) shin guards + leg hair + long soccer games = chaffing and itchy!
But would this work if I dyed the hair first??
11No it won't work if you dye the hair because you actually are supposed to shave before doing the laser hair removal. I've had it and I'm pretty sure my technician said the laser targets the melanin in the hair follicle. Sorry, but at least you can't really see the hair!
12Laser treatments don't work on blonde or light red hair. The laser targets the pigment at the root of the hair and heats it up, killing or weakening the follicle so that it doesn't produce hair. Sorry for the news
13RobyTose, I liked No!No! but don't love the smell it makes when it burns the hair. I had good results. Just tryin' Tria to see how it does, so readers will get another review.
14I'm Norwegian. Find a product for Norwegians.
15Are Norwegians super hairy? I'd think if any product worked on non-Norwegians it would surely work on Norwegians too. Hair removal doesn't discriminate...does it?
16Ah, oh well then.
17Wow I don't know if I could do this to myself...ha.
18i'm not willing to risk it on my tan skin, but it would be helpful to know what is considered "dark" skin. there are many more skin shades besides light and dark!
19Shaving just doesn't bother me, but it would be nice to not have to do it sometimes...
20You guys might want to read about Tria and other at home laser hair removal thingers over at hairtell.com.
I was really excited when I heard about at home laser stuff, but I was quickly discourage upon reading some facts about them. The lasers you use at home are a lot weaker than the pro ones at salons. That means that even though the hairs will fall out after you zap them, the laser might not have been strong enough to permanently damage the hair follicle so it'll grow back if you stop lasering.
I'm not sure. That's what I've read. But for my sake and the sake of everyone who's interested in Tria, I really really really hope it makes a long term difference!
21I don't mind shaving, it's just so inconvenient having to shave every other day (which I have to because my hair grows super fast). I've been wanting for a long time to get laser, and a friend of mine got it and loved it - however, she told me that she used to use the Epilady, which is kind of like the NoNo, and that, while it did remove a lot of her hair and kept her smooth for a long time, it caused little patches of ingrown hairs which she had to get specially fixed. I don't know if this works the same way as the Epilady, or if her's was a special case, but beware...
22the epilady and the no!no! are not at all the same thing - epilators pull hair out by the root (it's a machine with a whole lot of tweezers), whereas the nono uses heat to burn the hair. Haven't tried the nono but I do use an epilator. I don't get badly ingrown hairs because I exfoliate regularly.
I have had laser before and it does work very well, but you have to have many sessions to be completely hairless and it HURTS LIKE A @#%%^!!!!!!
I'm interested to hear if the Tria is painful and works well, but I'm also concerned that there is a home version at all. Lasers can be dangerous if not handled by a professional, you can burn your skin pretty badly. I knew a girl who had it done at a spa and ended up with dark "giraffe-like" patches on her legs. She had to avoid the sun and use a special cream for over a year before they finally faded. I got mine done at a dermatologist's office and never had any problems.
23I read this post and though, SWEET JESUS! I'll never have to shave again! Brilliant, this is just the type of thing credit cards were made for, and placed my order.
One small problem though, It hurts like !@$#$%!
I did some research on other blogs and everywhere it said that the pain isn't that bad. Let me tell you, I have no problem sitting through a Brazilian and usually use an epillady, but this thing hurt more then I can handle. So far I've just done a couple of patches so I'll see if the hair actually falls out there and if I does, I'll take advil and a fifth of something to continue.
P.S. I actually got the NoNo but sent it back when I didn't get very good results.
24gsteinhauser - please keep us posted! I'm also concerned about the pain. Did you use numbing cream? When I got it done professionally they have you buy a cream that you spread on the area a half hour prior to your session and it's supposed to help with the pain. I thought it still hurt though.
25Update coming tomorrow!
26bellasugar, any updates on your progress with Tria?
27i must say i bought the trai about four months ago and i am delighted with the result it does hurt a bit but it is not to bad i have used it about three times now and only have slight regrowth and in some parts no hair growth at all and it only takes me about five minutes to do my bikini area and the same under my arms and i am still only on the second charge so as for me i am a very happy costumer
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