Looking good, and staying that way, is made easier thanks to advances in technology. For example, the once time-consuming process of hair removal is now a quicker task for women thanks to an ever-increasing number of lady shavers and epilators. Many of the big names in hair removal including Braun, Remington and Philips offer you shaving and epilating devices - but which one should you choose? Shaver? Epilator? Or both? This buying guide aims to make your purchase a silky, smooth process.

What's the difference?

Modern epilators and lady shavers both work very effectively but in different ways. A shaver does just that - it shaves hair from the surface of the skin using foil or rotary blades. An epilator on the other hand actually pulls hair from the root, like a very fast and efficient tweezer, which means skin tends to remain smoother for longer - up to four weeks according to many manufacturers.

A bit of both

Some hair removal devices now combine shaving and epilating functions...while there are even some machines that throw in a massage function as well. If you want to be able to choose between shaving and epilating, depending on what needs to be done and how much time you have at your disposal, these versatile devices are worth investigating.

Shaving sensitive skin

Having and skin don't always go together. When looking for a lady shaver, it's important to seek out one that is a respecter of sensitive skin. This usually comes down to the quality of the blades, in terms of material and design. As you'd expect, higher quality usually costs a little more but for good results, and a more comfortable process, this extra spend is worth it. Nickel-free blades are regarded as hypo-allergenic so check what the blades are made of, and how those blades are designed; contoured blades that glide nicely over the skin will also reduce the risk of irritation.

Wet & dry epilation

The business of pulling a hair from the root sounds a little uncomfortable, but waterproof epilators that can be used while the skin is wet make the process more tolerable. If you're looking for an epilator, check that it is a wet & dry model. Never assume that every epilator or lady shaver is waterproof - double check every device you're considering.

Make light work of hair removal

For an even more comfortable hair removal process, some devices use pulses of light energy to zap and eliminate unwanted hair. These hair removers mimic the ones you'll find in hair removal salons, and you can expect to pay more for them. But for easy, effective and a more pleasurable hair removal experience, this could be money well spent.

Easy cleaning

It's vitally important to remove hair from the device to keep it working well and to maintain its hair-removing qualities, so the more thoroughly you can clean it, the better. Some devices need to be brush cleaned, and some can be rinsed clean...but they all need cleaning, regardless of the method. Look for models that make that cleaning easy and effective.