A $60 Epilator Pays for Itself in 3 Weeks

The Setup: You're Paying $75 to Rip Hair Out — Why Not DIY?

Here's the thing about waxing: you're already voluntarily enduring pain. You drive to a salon, make small talk with a stranger while they pour hot wax on your legs and bikini area, wince through it, and then hand over $75 (plus tip if you're feeling generous). You do this every 4–6 weeks, year after year, because smooth skin isn't free. Or so you've been told.

An epilator is basically a tiny machine full of rotating tweezers that yanks hair out at the root — the exact same principle as waxing, minus the appointment, the awkward positioning, and the recurring bill. You use it at home, on your schedule, in front of whatever Netflix show you want. The pain? Honestly pretty similar. But at least you're not paying someone for it.

The Math

A solid mid-range epilator like the Braun Silk-épil 5 costs $59.94. Ongoing costs are almost nothing — a replacement head runs about $15 every 2–3 years, and the electricity to charge it is negligible. That works out to roughly $0.50/month to operate. Meanwhile, a monthly waxing appointment for legs and bikini area averages $75 at most salons. That's $75/month versus $0.50/month — a difference of $74.50/month in your favor.

At that rate, the epilator pays for itself in about 0.8 months — that's roughly 3 weeks. After that, you're pocketing about $894 per year that used to go to the waxing salon. In two years, that's nearly $1,800. In five years, you've saved enough to take a very nice vacation — funded entirely by hair removal you did yourself on the couch.

When It Doesn't Pay Off

Let's be honest: epilating is not for everyone. If you have a very low pain tolerance and waxing already makes you miserable, know that epilating can feel worse the first few times — especially on sensitive areas. Some people try it once, wince, and put it back in the drawer forever. A $60 drawer decoration saves exactly zero dollars. If you suspect this might be you, starting with a budget model around $26 is a smarter way to test the waters.

There's also a quality-of-results question. A skilled esthetician can get a cleaner, more thorough wax than most people achieve with an epilator on their first try. There's a learning curve — awkward angles, missed patches, the occasional ingrown hair while your technique improves. If you're getting waxed for a specific event and need flawless results, your salon still has a role to play.

Finally, this math assumes you're actually going to the salon regularly. If you only wax a couple of times a year — say, before beach season — your annual spend is more like $150, and the payoff math is much slower. The savings are biggest for people on a consistent monthly (or near-monthly) waxing schedule.

What We Recommend

We picked three epilators at different price points. All of the payoff math above assumes the mid-range Braun Silk-épil 5 at $59.94 — but even the premium option pays for itself in under two months at $75/month in waxing savings. Here are our picks.