XSOUL IPL Permanent Hair Removal Device (Open Box)

I was nervous buying this because it seemed a little too good to be true, considering how low the price is for what your are getting and how good the reviews are. I finally caved and ended up buying this product on October 30th, and it was delivered on Nov 1st. The packaging was very nice, it came with everything you need including razors and eye protection glasses. My first thought was that is looked legit. It has a little bit of weight to it, when you turn it on you can hear some kind of whirring noise like something is happening. The next thing I noticed is that it just has one button (the power button) along with the trigger. To turn the device on and off you hold the power button and to turn up the power level you just tap the power button and it goes up a level. Note that the "zaps" are EXTREMELY bright. Even pressed tight to my skin and wearing the eye glasses, I keep my eye clothes during the flash to be on the safe side. The first session I used it seemed to not do anything but I had only used the device at power level 1 because I was nervous it would hurt. The second session I did a few things different: I turned up the power level to 3 and did one pass of zapping over the areas I was treating, as neatly as possible like I was following a grid. Then I turned the power level to 4, did one more pass, and in the areas where my skin is lightest, I went ahead and did the same again at power level 5 (maximum strength). So each spot of hair growth gets 2 or 3 zaps every time I use it and I usually wait 4 to 6 days before I use it again. It really doesn't take very much time to cover a large area because the part of the device that does the zapping has pretty wide coverage. After my second and third sessions, the hair on my upper lip never grew back. It took six sessions to get rid of 99% of my chin/ jaw / neck hair (two stubborn hairs left on my jaw). After four sessions my tummy hair is about 2/3rd of the way gone, my armpit hair has been reduced by about half. I have had this product one month and it has significantly reduced my unwanted hair. For context, I am cisgender latina woman with light, yellow/gold skin tone and my body hair is extremely thick, coarse, black and curly. Please note, anywhere you have more melanin in your skin, the higher levels can also burn your skin instead of just hair- so do not use level 5 where your skin is medium-tone or tan, and do not use level 4 or up where your skin is dark. The device has a little card in it that shows which intensity levels are safe for which skin / hair colors. I have found the best technique is to shave and then wait until I get "5 o'clock" shadow bit of hair growth before zapping. You will literally smell burning hair if you use this technique, but it does not actually hurt and this seems to be the best way to get the fastest results. You'll notice that a few hairs seem to be zapped out immediately, but most of the hairs that you lose will fall out after a day or two. Just try to be consistent and it really, really works. I am excited about eventually not needing to shave but I am much, much more excited by the lack of that post-shave shadow. Especially for my underarms, it is amazing to see the patches where hair no longer grows are actually regular skin color instead of that gray/purple tone that my armpits normally have after shaving. After sessions, your skin will feel warm to the touch, but I have had zero actual burns anywhere on my body. Over the course of an entire session I might have one or two "Ow!" moments where a zap actually hurts, but the pain level is comparable to being snapped by a rubber band and goes away instantly. I use the "Australian Gold Aloe Vera Freeze Gel with Lidocaine" as a cooling gel after if my skin feels particularly warm to the touch after. Please, please learn from my mistake and do NOT put that cooling gel on your face: it gave me the worst acne break-out of my life. At first, I wasn't sure if it was this device or the gel that triggered the break out, but after continuing use of the device without the gel I can confirm that this device does not trigger break outs. Now I just use a gentle face moisturizer after zapping facial hair and save the cooling gel for my body. I have every intention of using this product to permanently remove all of my body hair and, honestly, it probably comes with enough flashes that two people or more could remove all their body hair. This thing is absolutely worth it and more, one of the best purchases I have made on amazon. It permanently removes body hair and there is no downside. If your body hair is darker than your skintone, you should absolutely buy it.