The best IPL hair removal devices can be reasonably expensive. However, we’re now starting to see budget devices that promise to deliver the same results appear on the market. The question is “are they as good?”. In this Life Basis IPL review, we answer that exact question.
RRP: £159.99
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All IPL hair removal devices are built on the same technology. Intense Pulsed Light. Advances in modern manufacturing mean producing a home IPL device isn’t as demanded (and expensive) as it once was. The result is cheaper devices finding their way to the market. One of the cheapest is the Life Basis IPL Hair Removal System.
The next question that immediately comes to mind is “does it work?”. Yes. When you strip the Life Basis back to its fundamentals, it actually shares a lot of technology with devices such as the Philips Lumea Prestige which can cost up to 3-4 times as much.
IPL works by passing the intense pulsed light through the skin and towards a hair’s melanin (pigment). When this light hits the hair, its colour catches and absorbs the energy. This causes the hair follicle to heat up, which ultimately injures it, preventing growth. Repeated injury to a hair’s follicle is what leads to permanent removal of hair growth.
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All home IPL hair removal devices share this technology. What you’re paying for in high-end devices is the ergonomic design, ease of use, flash speed and attachments. If you’re willing to sacrifice a few of these attributes, you buy a cheaper device – such as the Life Basis – and achieve the same results. Albeit, more patience may be required along the way.
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Life Basis IPL review: Will it work on my skin?
IPL treatments are only successful on certain skin types. Light skin and dark hair are the perfect conditions for IPL. The further away your skin tone is from this, the less chance IPL will work on your skin. Check the attached skin tone graph, to see if IPL is right for you.
Life Basis IPL review: How to use
- Shave area you want to treat
- Switch on Life Basis IPL
- Select intensity level
- Rest nozzle against skin
- Press flash button
Using the Life Basis IPL is easy. First, shave the area you want to treat – this maximises the amount of energy that is absorbed by your hair follicles (the area you need to hit). Next, plug the device into your power socket. Turn it on. Select your intensity level. Then just rest the nozzle against your skin and press to flash. That’s it.
It’s worth noting that there’s no correct intensity level for your skin tone. Providing your skin and hair colour matches the chart above, then the right level is the highest one you feel comfortable with. It’s advanced that you use a lower level for more sensitive areas.
Life Basis IPL review: Design
The Life Basis IPL is one of the most compact devices on the market. Conversely, its nozzle isn’t. Measuring at 4.3 cm², its flash’s coverage area is one of the biggest. Combine this with its 300,000 flash lamp life and it starts to look like a giant killer. Sadly, it’s let down a little by its slow flash rate: 1-3 seconds.
Operating the device couldn’t be easier. There’s one (smaller) button to select your intensity level and another (larger) button to flash. That’s it.
Note that this is a corded device. This isn’t a good or a bad thing really. It’s personal preference. Some users might enjoy the ability to use an IPL hair removal device without a cord as it’s slightly easier to manoeuvre. The flipside is that a corded device never has to be charged and will never run out of battery.
Life Basis IPL review: Does it hurt?
No. It’s a lot less painful than waxing. Users have likened the feeling to an elastic band flicking against the skin. The intensity will depend on the density coarseness of your hair and the level you have the device configured too. Areas where the hair is thick and coarse will likely feel a greater pang. Other areas, where the hair is finer and spread wider apart, will be pain-free. This is because the hair follicle absorbs energy from the intense flash. The denser the grouping the hotter the flash will feel due to more hair absorbing the energy. But like we said, any pain is similar to getting flicked with an elastic band and is over instantly.
In short, the pain is minimal and you can definitely handle it.
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Life Basis IPL review: Verdict
The Life Basis IPL is a great example of what can be achieved on a budget. It strips home IPL hair removal devices back to the bare necessities and leaves you with a low-cost device that utilises a proven technology to (permanently) remove unwanted hair. It’s lacking some of the more polished features of high-end devices such as cordless use, slide and flash, dedicated attachments for specific body parts and a fast flash rate. In short, if you’re willing to be patient you save a lot of money on the Life Basis IPL and still achieve similar results.
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