JOVS Venus Pro II IPL Hair removal device

Where I got it

I was contacted by the team at JOVS for my interest in trying out one of their device of choice. I chose their best seller – the Venus Pro II IPL Hair Removal device. The item was shipped to me in a cushioned shipping bag and the box is plastic-wrapped.  The Venus Pro II hair removal device is RRP$429. Also comes in white!

So a little background on my hair-removal journey. Since my high school days, I have shaved and plucked hair from my body (legs, underarms, bikini area – ouch I know) until I was around 25 (about 14 years ago), I did about 6 sessions of laser hair removal each to my underarms and leg area. I really liked the results of laser hair removal and I have not had to worry much about hair growth for a few years. However, it was recommended to do “top-up” treatments after 1-2 years depending on your hair growth. Personally, I did see very fine hair growth maybe after 1-2 years, but mostly hair did not grow back until around 4 years. Even though my hair did grow back, it was just around 5-8 hairs each time and I would just pluck it out. However, the hair on my legs did grow out more and it was time I needed more treatment sessions.

What I got

This is the JOVS Venus Pro II IPL hair removal device. You are able to find a lot of information on their website, so I will summarize it here for your convenience. This is a hand-held IPL hair removal device you can use at home. IPL = Intense Pulse Lighting is a commonly-used method of permanent hair removal used in professional salons and there are at-home devices you can purchase to do this at the comfort of your own home. JOVS is a brand for hair removal device and skincare devices.

The Venus Pro II features a 330° rotating head, 6 treatment modes – arm, leg, armpit, face, private area, skin recovery mode, a convenient hand-held device, 6 intensity levels,  multi-frequency plus technology, and advanced OPT hair removal, ultra-thin sapphire ice-cooling screen to instantly cool down the skin.

How I find it

The device is housed neatly and securely inside the box with its dedicated area with the accessories inside their own boxes –  power cables, adaptors, a 5-blade shaver, protective glasses, and an instruction booklet. The box itself can be used to store the device, but it is not very easy to open and close and to neatly put away cables. Once you get the device, it is ready for plug-in and use right away. It does not need charging and it cannot be used wireless.

Before using the device, I wash the area and shave the area. I try not to tweeze the hair around the area I want to treat because it would need more treatments on plucked hair. My hair is now sparse and not dense, it is black against my fair-light Asian skin tone so it is perfect for IPL hair removal. For me personally, I would be targeting areas where I have hair and not using this inch by inch of my body. My target areas are my legs, my underarm, forearm, my moustache and my bikini line.

For my first session, I used level 1 which I could not feel any pain at all (previous in-salon treatment I experienced pain that was similar to rubber band snapping lightly on my skin), so I went up to level 3 to start feeling a  little tickle on the skin. I also smelt a little bit of burnt hair smell which is also very normal and expected. I would be safe to say that I will be using level 5 or 6 in my subsequent treatments. There are recommendations to the levels to be used for different areas of treatment and your skin/hair colour so have a look at this chart. Increase gradually to avoid burning your skin or cause irritation.

Once the device is plugged in, rotate the dial from 0 to any other number you will start to hear the fan running and then lights on the side will light up. The light-up area is quite faint which is one of the cons I would say. The cooling area around the treatment window immediately gets really cold to the touch. Select the treatment mode and appropriate intensity, and I am ready to go! Place the treatment window against the skin then press the long button once to flash once. If I want a continuous flash, press the long button for 3 seconds and it will flash every 3 seconds. One of the safety factors that I thought was really good is that it will stop flashing when the treatment window is not pressed up against skin so you won’t accidentally flash anywhere you don’t intend to.

The flash is intense, so it is recommended to wear the protective shades when you use the device because you need to be looking at the area you are treating. Move the device section by section.

After the first session, you should expect to see the hair that was treated (zapped) to grow out just a little bit and then fall off. Otherwise, when you pick it lightly, it will come out like it is broken. Next treatment is usually 3-4 weeks apart when other hair starts to grow out and you can shave and then zap it with device. A total of 6-8 treatments is usually effective for most areas of the body and would cover most hair growth. But since I have the device at home, I could use this for more sessions, but it wouldn’t be more effective if I use it a few times a week or just 1-2 weeks apart because I would not be zapping any new hair anyway.

After 2 sessions, I can see the hair growth that I usually have is basically gone. After that I will be using it as a “as needed” basis, so when hair grows back, I will shave and zap that area.

Overall

I am so happy to have a device at home that I could use at my own time and whenever I need to. Investing in getting an at-home device is great because it will save you money and time from going into the salon. You do need to treat the areas by yourself and you might miss spots, but that is easy to manage because once the hair grows back you can see it and just target treat those areas.

The device is simple to operate, easy to use and ergonomic. The cooling screen is literally a game-changer because, not only does the skin gets a little warm from the zaps, but it does prepares and numbs your skin a little before the zap. I love the continuous flash function so I don’t need to press the button each time and how it stops flashing it the device is not against the skin. The device truely does work, I am seeing a lot less hair regrowth and the skin around the area is smooth and soft.