We Tested At-Home Laser Devices — These 8 Are the Most Effective for Hair Removal

The Ulike Air 10 is an updated model that outperforms many other IPL devices. Its double flash technology speeds up treatment time, and it reduces hair growth within two weeks. An IPL isn’t technically a laser; it works with a different kind of technology to reduce hair growth.

Editor Ashley Ziegler, who has fair skin with dark brown hair, used the device on her underarm. “I noticed growth slowing significantly,” she said after two weeks of use. She added that “the hairs are getting thinner,” which suggests the product will deliver on permanent hair reduction with continued use.

Ziegler also liked that the treatment took under three minutes, although in fairness, she was treating a small area. The instructions advise users to pass over the area three times during each session. We love the cooling feature, designed to counteract feelings of heat or zaps. “I definitely noticed the cooling feature, but it was a little jarring because my natural reaction was to pull it away from my skin, because I associate laser/light with heat,” Ziegler said. “Natural instincts aside, it does feel cool on the skin, which is kind of wild.” 

The Wakse Sapphire’s light cooling feature helps quell any discomfort one might associate with zapping themselves to remove hair. “Even though it does have a cooling feature, I like that this isn't an ultra-cooling device, because I don't care for the cold touch on my skin,” said Ziegler, who tested out this device on her underarm. She said it’s just as effective at thinning and reducing hair growth as the Ulike Air 10, but she ranked this one higher because it was less painful and more comfortable to use.

Chances are you’ve seen Nood’s The Flasher 2.0 on your social feed, and we think this affordable device is worth the hype, especially if you’re looking for an entry-level product. The model has one of the most accessible price points of the at-home IPL devices we tested. It also has the most intensity settings (seven), so you can get used to the device at a slow, incremental level. Editor Nicole Bonaccorso, who has fair skin and medium brown hair, was nervous to try it, but she had a good experience.

“This is really pretty painless and not intimidating, so it's a great place to start if you've never used a laser hair remover before,” she said. Bonaccorso did two passes on her legs, which took 30 minutes. “The instructions are very good at teaching you how to go slow and test your skin for your ideal setting and to reduce risk for irritation.” She ended up using the highest setting and experienced “only a very slight twinge.”

The Tria 4X Hair Removal Laser is an incredibly powerful diode laser with a precision beam to treat small and sensitive areas like the face, breasts, stomach line, and bikini line. Because the device is cordless, it makes treating hard-to-reach areas like the jawline, neck, and chin easy to maneuver.

I tested this out on small areas for stray and errant hairs. I should note, I’ve had prior in-office hair removal, pretty much from head to toe, and I use at-home devices for maintenance and to treat stragglers. I am an ideal candidate for hair removal as I have fair skin and dark brown hair.

The price point on this device is high, especially if you intend to use it only on small areas, but one thing justifies the price for me: ingrown hairs. During the testing period, I had an ingrown hair on my bikini line, and I was able to target the follicle with the Tria 4X. Unlike the wide, rectangular treatment panel on most of the devices on our list, this model has a small, circular panel that allowed me to zap exactly the spot I wanted. The hair shot out of the follicle from one zap, and with another, it fell out. It was a satisfying and impressive result.

If you’re looking to treat large areas, consider the Silk'n Motion Premium. It handles easily, has a large treatment window, and is guaranteed to last for years. Like the Tria and Wakse models, this device has a long handle, which makes gripping it easy, especially over areas like your legs.

I used it on my thighs, bikini area, and underarms. Although I didn’t have much hair, I was able to complete three passes on each area in under five minutes. The treatment panel is about equal in width and length to many full-body models I’ve used outside of this test. So I’d estimate that it should take 30 minutes to fully treat larger areas like the legs with two to three passes.

Unlike other models I’ve used that sit flat in your hand, the handle design is a great feature, allowing you to grip the device for greater control. Another design feature that stands out is the skin color sensor, which automatically stops flashing when the device detects an area not deemed safe for IPL use.

The auto-adjust energy system adapts intensity levels, allowing you to safely use continuous flashes without worrying that you’re overtreating skin. The higher the intensity, the longer the gap between flashes. Yes, this does mean the flashes have a few seconds' gap between them — but it also ensures that you’re not overtreating an area as you move the device along before the next flash. Do make sure to hold the device flush to your skin as you press down on the button to ensure a flash. 

The SmoothSkin Pure Fit IPL is dependable and easy to use, without a lot of bells and whistles. I love its ergonomic grip and continuous flash technology for gliding, making it just as great for areas like legs as it is for treating errant hairs wherever they may grow.

One design feature I really enjoy is the adaptable head, which feels a bit like a suction against your skin, ensuring the device sits flush against your skin for effective treatment. I use it mainly for maintenance on areas like my legs and underarms that have previously been treated with in-office lasers. I typically only have to run it over my legs once every couple of months to stay stubble-free.

For touch-ups on delicate areas, I appreciate that the device won’t flash unless I’ve positioned it correctly on the skin. I’ll often smell the singeing of hairs and know that I’ve gotten the stray, and I usually don’t have to follow up with another treatment for months. This may not be the most high-tech device on our list; there’s no cooling device, and if you’re not used to at-home lasers, you will feel the zaps more than with others on our list. However, I come back to it again and again. I’ve had the device for five years, and it still works great and gives me dependable results.

If you’re looking for one device to effectively treat hair on any part of your body, consider the Braun IPL Skin iExpert Pro 7. It comes with four different adjustable heads designed for targeted as well as larger areas, from face to toe. With the highest number of intensity settings of any device on our list (10), you can adjust to treat body hair of various textures and coarseness.

Definitely for the tech-savvy, it comes with a paired app that allows you to troubleshoot as well as track your treatments, ensuring you never miss a zapping session. You can also use it in real-time to make sure you’re not missing any spots, as the app can also track device-to-skin contact. This is a cool feature that takes the guesswork out of zapping and can lead to more-effective treatments. Editor Ally Hirschlag has been using this device for a year. She loves that it’s virtually painless and it lets her go from zapping chin hairs to leg hairs with ease.

Braun makes a range of IPL devices. This model is considered to have the fastest treatment time, promising to have you stubble-free in 10 minutes, according to the website. We also love the high-tech skin sensor technology that automatically adjusts the intensity to match your skin tone and hair coarseness. 

The Ulike Air 3 is a slim IPL with an automatic continuous-flash mode that promises painless hair removal, making it ideal for treating sensitive areas like your face. Similar to the Ulike Air 10, this IPL features cooling technology that keeps the treatment window cold to neutralize the heat from the device as it zaps. Its design is simple, and it features three intensity modes to choose from based on the texture and coarseness of the hair you’re treating.

For such a compact device, we love how it can cover the entire body in just under 20 minutes with a thumb-free, continuous flash design. Although we love this travel-friendly device for the face, it can also treat areas with coarser hair, like your bikini line. This is a smaller device than the Ulike Air 10, with a smaller treatment window and one less intensity mode. But if you’re looking for a painless IPL treatment for sensitive facial areas, this is a great model to try.