We’ve talked about gadgets to use for hair removal, but there is always the question: which is the best? We see reviews after reviews and almost every one of them present the product generally. Today, we are going to change that. Let’s begin a series where we’ll see a battle between the products, each presenting its best features and also, its flaws.
Today, on the battlefield, we have Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X and Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981.
Info: You can also check out the individual review of each device here: Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X and Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981.
| Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X | |
|---|---|
| Amazon.com | Check Product |
| Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 | |
|---|---|
| Amazon.com | Check Product |
Design
When it comes to the design, Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 is smaller, easier to fit in your hand, while Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X is larger. You can say that Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 can be easily carried in bags when you travel because of its size.
Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X has a display window where you can see the number of pulses you use on different areas, you can also see the level you’ve chosen, if it’s locked and also, the scanner. It looks more professional, from my opinion.
Although Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 doesn’t have this type of screen, it offers the same scanning of the skin and the device will stop working if it’s not suitable for your skin tone.
On both devices, the part that scans your skin is on the bottom. I think Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 is easier to use, to follow the instructions, whereas Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X is a little less intuitive at the beginning, but after one or two uses, you will get used to it.
I enjoy very much the fact that Tria offers the possibility to choose the color, as I like things a little personalized, not just a standard color.
You can choose between Fuchsia, Graphite, Lavender and Peony. My personal favorite is Fuchsia, where the device is white and comes with a fuchsia stripe on the side.
Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X is cordless, whereas Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 is not. But, the battery on Tria lasts only about half an hour, it’s a short time to use the device, especially if you haven’t figured out how it works properly and you’re at the begging stages of use. Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 has a very long cord, so I never found this to be a problem: I can plug it in and use it in the other corner of my room.
As a conclusion, when it comes to the design:
| Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X | Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 |
| • It gives you a variety of colors to choose from; | • It comes only on white; |
| • It’s design is elegant; | • The design is also beautiful, from my opinion; |
| • It’s bigger, more difficult to pack and travel with it; | • It’s smaller and I appreciate a product that’s easy to pack; |
| • It’s cordless, but the battery lasts only 30 minutes; | • It’s not cordless, but the cord is really long; |
| • It has a window display, which gives it a futuristic look; | • It doesn’t have a window display, the settings are pretty easy, which can be a pro when it comes to the easiness in use; |
The technology
Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 uses IPL which means Intense Pulsed Light. So the device emits an intense light that is being absorbed into the hair follicle and disrupts it. This light targets the melanin in the hair and its action is at the roots of the hair.
Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X uses diode laser to remove the hair. The way it works is the same as the IPL technology, by targeting the melanin in the hair follicle and disrupting the hair from the roots. But it claims that it’s stronger than the IPL devices, by having more power to eliminate the hair (20 J/cm^2 comparing to 6 J/cm^2).
How does it work?
I believe that Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 is easier to use at first. You just have to press one button and follow easy instructions. On the other hand, Tria isn’t that hard to use either, I just noticed that the scanning part is on the bottom part and the laser treatment comes from the side. This can be a good thing, because you can separate the two processes in your mind and you are more aware if this device is suitable for you. Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X can eliminate up to 75% or more hair, permanently, after a number of treatments, whereas Lumea will always need constant touch up from time to time. With Lumea, the hair will grow back after some time, but will be significantly reduced.
Unfortunately, both of the devices cannot be used on darker skin, because it will cause skin injuries, hyperpigmentation or discoloration of the skin. It will not work on white, grey, blonde or red hair.
Both of them work after a prolonged period of time and you have to be patient with these devices. Tria is more painful than Philips, unfortunately, but from my experience, if you tolerate pain well, I found it to be more effective. It’s more powerful, but as I said, more painful. Lumea feels like a rubber band flicking on your skin, so it’s more tolerable.
With both of them, you must prepare your skin first, by shaving and making sure that the skin is clean and dry. It’s very important not to use any inflammable substances before use on your skin (like alcohol if you get a cut while you shave). Also, don’t use any creams or lotion on your skin before the treatment.
Let’s start with Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981. You press the ON button, then you put the device on your skin, with the bottom part touching it. This will make the device scan your skin to see if it’s suitable. If it’s ok, the READY button will light (it has five light intensities that you can adjust, depending on your tolerance).
Secondly, I can say that Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X works in a similar way. You begin by scanning your skin to unlock the device, the scanner being on the bottom part of it. If it is suitable, the device will unlock so you are ready to use it. It also has five intensities that you can choose from, the company recommends using it at the highest level you tolerate.
With both of them, it’s better to use a white eyeliner to mark the places you have gone over. Again, when using either of them, you should avoid tattoos, big moles, big freckles or rashes.
After the use
You can get red and sensitive skin after using either of them, especially in sensitive areas. I noticed that my skin got little more red and I felt a mild pain after I’ve used Tria, but for me, is less than I got from using epilators (where my skin had red bumps and it hurt) and this feeling goes away the next day. With Philips, the feeling was of a sensitive skin and the color was pinkish (I can’t say red), so it’s less painful even after the use. I believe that this happens because Tria is more powerful to eliminate hair than Philips is.
You must avoid sun exposure after the treatments and of course, use an SPF 30 rated cream (even though you haven’t used any device, it’s important to protect your skin).
With both of them, it can take up to 4-5 months to see the full results, but you can notice progress after each use, the hair becomes finer. With Tria, the results are permanent, whereas with Philips, you will have to keep your results by reusing the device once in a while, but the hair will be significantly reduced. With Tria, the results can come after just a month of using it (every two weeks), but again, you must be patient with both of these.
As a conclusion, Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X is more expensive, bigger, more painful than Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981, but it’s more powerful and the results are permanent. Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981 has a limited number of flashes (200 000), this means that after this number, the device is gone, you cannot use it anymore. This might sound bad, but it’s not, because it will take years to go through all these flashes. Also, Philips is smaller, more compact and cheaper comparing to Tria, but the results can come later, for some even after 6 months. It does work, but the hair will eventually grow again, so you will need a touch up from now and then.
Check out these products here:
Tria Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4X:
Philips Lumea Comfort IPL 1981: