Yes, At-Home Laser Hair Removal Really Works — These Are the Best Devices We Used (Pain-Free!)

Ingrown hairs and stubble-induced shadows are a thing of the past since we’ve been hooked on Nood The Flasher 2.0. With five intensity levels and a fully digital display, it’s easy and painless to use over large areas — even on sensitive skin. The Nood device features a wide treatment window and a high-intensity bulb, meaning we were able to achieve quick results (our armpits only took five minutes!). 

While the larger size may feel a bit bulky in smaller hands and the brighter flash can be visually startling at first (and may be triggering for those with epilepsy), it was still comfortable to use. It’s also one of the most budget-friendly options on our list, and while you won’t get unlimited flashes, we’d highly recommend it as an effective and affordable alternative to the other picks on this list.

Intensity Levels: 5 | Flashes: 600,000 | Suitable For: Full body and face

If concern for pain is what’s holding you back from trying laser hair removal, then this painless device is the best place to start. Even for laser hair removal newbies, the Ulike Air 3 caused absolutely no pain while leaving skin feeling smooth and hairless. Thanks to the Sapphire Ice-Cooling Technology, our skin felt completely comfortable through the whole process.

The device is super user-friendly and offers multiple settings, making it a great choice for someone new to laser hair removal. Its handheld size is great for maneuvering, but the small laser surface area makes the process a little tedious. After just one month of use, we noticed our hair was growing back significantly lighter and slower than before. 

Intensity Levels: 3 | Suitable For: Full body and face (but avoid direct contact with genitals and eyes)

The Braun Skin i Expert is more expensive than other IPL devices on our list — but after testing it over multiple weeks, we believe it’s worth the price. The device does everything for you, including an app that provides you with a personalized schedule for how often and on what setting to use the device based on your hair type and the area you plan to remove hair from. 

For laser hair removal newbies and experts alike, the Braun device is easy to use and provides pain-free results. After four weeks of using the device on the armpits, we noticed a significant decrease in hair growth. It also includes a bunch of features that make it foolproof, including a power bar that tells you how hard it is to press down. Although it’s pricey, the extra features, like four smart heads meant for different areas of the body, make it feel worth the cost. 

Intensity Levels: 3 | Flashes: Not listed | Suitable For: Full body and face

While some of the other laser hair removal devices we’ve tried can feel tedious, the Foreo Peach 2’s large treatment area felt much faster to use while still feeling lightweight and easily maneuverable. We used the device on our legs and found that we preferred it over any other IPL device we’ve tried to remove hair from those large swaths of skin.

The whole process was almost entirely painless, even at the highest level. The device comes with five strength levels, with the option to access more power for $10 a month — a feature we found frustrating since the device is already expensive. But, overall, it was easy to use and provided pain-free, smooth results. 

Intensity Levels: 5 | Flashes: 500,000 | Suitable For: Full body and face

This remote-shaped wand boasts proprietary Sapphire Ice Cooling Technology, which greatly helped to minimize discomfort by cooling down the skin as we used it. It features five intensity levels, and only on the fifth, most intense level did we experience slight discomfort akin to snapping a rubber band against our skin. 

We love that this comes with a razor, protective glasses to wear during use, and a travel case. We found the lightweight device easy to hold and maneuver but noted that it’s a bit thick for smaller hands. Overall, this rarely impacted the smoothness of our ability to use this wand.

Intensity Levels: 5 | Flashes: Unlimited | Suitable For: Full body and face

We loved how easy this model was to set up and how quickly we were able to zip through treating our legs (in just six minutes!) by using the convenient glide method, which auto-flashes as you steadily move the device along. This is going to be a mainstay in our carry-on thanks to the handy traveling pouch that you can store everything in.

We appreciated that there’s built-in UV protection thanks to a three-millimeter glass filter. Plus, there’s a gentle mode for sensitive skin that feels comfortable and pain-free. The precision head and lightweight design were also handy for hitting smaller areas. After five sessions of weekly use, we noticed much less hair coming in along our legs.

Intensity Levels: 2 | Flashes: Unlimited | Suitable For: Full body and face

Unlike the majority of remote or egg-shaped devices on the market, this laser hair removal model comes in an ergonomic L-shaped design, with a 330-degree rotating head to help you find the ideal angle. It’s loaded with useful features, like a cooling system that minimizes discomfort, a mode to fade hyperpigmentation, and an auto-flash mode that allows you to cover large areas in a shorter period of time.

This is more of an investment purchase than most of the others on this list, but we found that the additional features (plus the included razor and safety glasses) were worth it. Plus, you can occasionally find it on sale, so it’s worth grabbing when you do.

Intensity Levels: 6 | Flashes: Unlimited | Suitable For: Full body and face

The Lumi makes at-home laser hair removal more straightforward than any other option we tried: Just plug it in, press the power button, and select one of the three modes. We found stamp mode, which delivers a pulse every time you click, to be super effective in more precise areas. Glide and auto don’t require repeated clicks, so those were our go-to for larger areas. The device easily fit in our palms, but we wished there were ridges for an easier grip, as the rounded shape proved difficult to hold at times. 

We also love that there’s a quick quiz on their website to figure out if the Lumi will be effective for you (TL;DR: It is better suited for light skin to medium brown skin and dark blonde to black hair; it isn’t great for super fair or dark skin, or hair that’s light, red, or gray.) This is another wallet-friendly option that showed us promising results after twice-weekly use over three months.

Intensity Levels: 6 | Flashes: 900,000 | Suitable For: Full body and face

At-home laser devices that are effective for use with light or red hair are few and far between. We found this model to be the strongest contender after testing it on light hair and noticing the hair growing back slower and sparser after just six sessions of weekly use. As recommended, we used the included epilator first to remove lighter hair before treatment, but found this step to be confusing even after reading the instructions.

We found that the precision adaptor was great for targeting smaller areas and underarms. This is the most expensive pick on our list, but for those with light hair or particularly fair skin tones, it may be worth the investment: It’s been clinically proven, FDA-cleared, and is still significantly less of an investment than in-office treatment.

Intensity Levels: 3 | Flashes: 300,000 | Suitable For: Full body (except bikini area) and face