Braun Silk-Épil 9 SkinSpa Review

In the mid-90s, when international brands were beginning to trickle into the country , Braun launched the Silk-épil in India. Since I had just entered college, I bought it as it would help me  take care of the unwanted hair in the privacy of my room at the time convenient to me. Recently, Braun launched the updated version of the Silk-épil with several new features and that is what I’m going to review today….

Braun Silk-Epil 9 SkinSpa Review

While packing up all my stuff for the home renovation,  I found my old Silk-épil from the deep recesses of my wardrobe and so, clicked pictures of both, the old and the new versions so that you can see just how this epilator has “evolved”.

Can you see how different the Silk-épil 9 is from it’s “ancestor”? Right from the ergonomic shape to the size of the epilator head to the inclusion of a light to the various attachments, the new Silk-épil 9 is indeed improved.

As with the earlier version, this one too is chargeable and comes with the charging adapter. Just one hour of charging gives you 40 minutes of usage. There are also two speed settings. The attachments with the Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa epilator include an exfoliating brush (with a cap), a shaver head for sensitive areas, a facial head, a trimmer cap and a skin contact cap.

While the older version of the Silk-épil was indeed a very handy device for getting rid of unwanted hair, it was also time-consuming. The epilator head was much smaller and hence, doing two legs would mean more than an hour (depending on the growth). Also, for some reason, I seemed to get more ingrowths when I used the Silk-épil as opposed to waxing. With the new Silk-épil 9, I face none of these issues. The new one has a 40% wider head so that it covers more area of the skin leading to quicker epilator. It’s tweezers are also bigger and of a different shape and manage to get even the shortest of hairs. The epilator head also massages while removing the hair and the pricking sensation that you get with epilators is minimal here. I love the fact that this one has a longer, curved handle and an angled epilator head because that makes it easier to hold and use along difficult areas such as the knees. The swivelling head ensures that there isn’t too much pressure on the skin and thus reduces the chances of skin getting caught in the tweezers. That has never happened to me even with the earlier one but it had happened with someone I know.

Unlike the earlier version which could only be used dry, the Silk-épil 9 can be used wet as well. Only the shaver attachment is strictly meant for dry usage. The exfoliating brush, when used in the shower once a fortnight, keeps ingrowths at bay. I wouldn’t recommend it for use all over the body, but it is great for exfoliating the legs and arms.

The shaver head is a great attachment for the sensitive areas such as the bikini and since it is for dry use only, you don’t need to worry about shave gels etc. I haven’t used the facial head that helps you shave small areas such as the upper lip since I have the Braun Face but I’m glad they have included it because it is quite handy.

But perhaps the best feature of the Silk-épil 9 and my personal favourite, is the inclusion of the Smartlight. It lights up each time the Silk-épil is started and helps illuminate the area to be epilated so that you don’t miss out on any tiny hair that might have gone unnoticed. I’m really thankful to Braun for adding the light because a small thing as that really makes a big difference.

Priced at ₹10,985, the Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa is certainly an expensive buy but it’s almost the same as a year’s worth of waxing, making it a better investment in the long run.

Having been a user of the Silk-épil since it’s launch in India, I am really impressed with this new version and all the attachments and features that it comes with. The epilation is definitely much faster with this as compared to the earlier one though, be prepared, it is slower than waxing or shaving. However, the effects are as good as waxing and you can stay hair-free for around 4 weeks depending on your growth. Unlike waxing, you don’t need to wait for the hair to grow a certain length before you can remove it again. Since the epilator removes hair as small as 0.5mm, you can be hair-free whenever you want!

So if you have been thinking of getting an epilator, go ahead and buy the Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa. It is a wonderful beauty gadget.