Top pick
This device uses intense pulsed light to zap away hair at the root, and it minimizes hair growth over time. The device is easy to use, but treating larger areas can be somewhat time-consuming.
With their flashing lights, detailed instructions, and daunting manuals, hair-removal devices are certainly intimidating. But we found comfort in the Braun Silk-expert Pro 5 — literally. It was simple to use, and the pulsed light flashes weren’t painful. Instead, they felt like a brief “heated flick,” as one tester described it.
Using the Silk-expert is as straightforward as it gets. You plug it in (a power brick and 10-foot cord are included), turn it on, place the head of the device against shaved skin, and press the treatment button to fire the light. And the design is intuitive. The device has just two buttons, three treatment modes, and a glide function (standard and two sensitive modes). When it’s in the standard and sensitive modes (which have reduced light intensity), you lift the device after the light flashes, move it to the next spot, and press the treatment button again. When you’re using the glide function, the light flashes automatically as you move the device along your skin.
Braun recommends treating the area you want to remove hair from once a week for 12 weeks; then treat it once a month (or as needed) to maintain results. Most of our testers noticed a significant reduction in hair growth after using the device for three weeks. One tester said, “After a month and a half of use, I went from shaving my legs every other day to shaving just twice a week.” And four testers said some areas of hair growth stopped entirely after they used the Silk-expert Pro 5 for three months. (In that same time frame, the Nood Flasher Pro barely made a difference in hair growth for three of the people who tried it.)
Apprehensive testers, including those who’ve been traumatized by painful waxing and in-office laser hair-removal treatments, appreciated the Silk-expert Pro 5’s built-in safety sensor, which prevents the device from flashing on skin tones that could be injured by the light. It also automatically adjusts the light intensity for the best efficacy.
It’s hard to determine the exact lifespan of this device. The brand claims the Silk-expert Pro 5 has the power to emit 400,000 flashes before it becomes defective, but it doesn’t track how many flashes you’ve used. Even so, one of our staff members has had this device for almost three years, and hers is still flashing away.
The Silk-expert Pro 5 comes with two attachments. The precision head is intended for smaller areas, such as the upper lip, toes, and groin. And the wider head is for larger expanses of skin, like the legs, the back, and the arms. (Some other devices we tested, including the Ulike Air 10, had just one head, and it was too big to hold evenly on concave or convex spots.) Testers also appreciated the included carrying case, to keep everything organized.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Like many of the at-home devices we tested, the Silk-expert Pro 5 is not safe for use on melanin-rich skin (Fitzpatrick type IV and up) because it might cause burns or irritation. And the company does not recommend the device for dense beard hair or gray, white, red, or light blond hair.
- The safety sensor allows the machine to flash only when the head is pressed completely flat against the skin, and this can make it difficult to treat curvy or bony areas. Several testers said it was especially tricky to maintain full contact around the knees and ankles.
- Treating large areas is a time-consuming process. It took one tester 20 minutes to treat both legs, even when the device was in the glide function.
- The device’s lifespan is hard to determine. The brand claims the Silk-expert Pro 5 can emit 400,000 flashes (which it claims is roughly six years of weekly use) before it becomes defective. But the machine doesn’t keep track of or display the number of flashes used.
Key specs
Recommended treatment: once a week for 12 weeks; then once a month (or as needed) to maintain results
Accessories: two attachment heads, a razor, a carrying case
Warranty: Braun backs the Silk-expert Pro 5 with a one-year warranty. But the company offers a five-year warranty if you register your device at the Braun website.
