Four Energy-Based, At-Home Beauty Devices For Your Skin And Hair

With technological advances in the beauty-tech space, aging gracefully has never been easier or more convenient with a multitude of options for at-home use. I rounded up some of my favorite energy-based hair and skin devices that will have you looking and feeling your best. 

Spectra Sculpt

I have tried numerous microcurrent devices through the years. But the newly launched Spectra Sculpt is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorites. One of the main reasons is that I don’t have to do any work to use the device. You simply place it on your head like a headband and for 15 minutes you go about your business doing other things while its in use. It also uses a slightly different calibration of electricity referred to as quantum electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) that delivers solely beauty benefits rather than therapeutic benefits.  

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“When microcurrent is used for therapeutic purposes, the goal is to heal what is broken inside of the body, ripped tendons, wounds, etc. This is done best by increasing the production of ATP that will support the body’s function to heal itself faster,” explains founder Jehan Radwan. “If used for beauty purposes, the cell needs to be trained to initiate cellular division, which will result in having more mitochondrion and organelles inside your cells. This results in your cells behaving like when you were in your mid 20’s with the results lasting long after treatment. This has to be done by signaling to the cells that more energy is needed on a regular basis—a process that takes a few days as cell division is activated. This calibration is not suitable for any wound healing or injuries as it will take too long because the body needs help right away rather than building up its strength.” 

When I ask Radwan to explain how quantum electrical muscle stimulation is different from other forms of electrical muscle stimulation she tells me that quantum EMS is calibrated from a quantum mechanics standpoint rather than classical physics or engineering knowledge. 

“Quantum EMS delivers all of the same benefits as microcurrent, but the effects last longer. Electrons show special behavior that has only been discovered in the last few years here in Switzerland at CERN and in the US at Fermilab,” she tells me. “As we age, our muscles stretch and become weak. This presents on our faces with sunken cheeks, and lines on our foreheads from constant use. “Our program is calibrated to mildly work the delicate facial muscles to counteract their lengthening. We specifically concentrated on the muscles that are placed on the side to lift the face and leave out any depressors that are located in the middle such as the depressor labii inferioris, depressor anguli oris, and the depressor supercilii.”

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Radwan tells me that most users of the device will see the first signs of skin improvements in 3-4 weeks. But many users have seen results in two weeks. After 6-8 weeks users can go into maintenance mode using the device 1-3 times a week. She does emphasize not to exceed the 15-minute treatment session in 24 hours. “While it is in no way harmful, the cells, organelles, and muscle need time to organize to build structure and replace new ones for old ones, which is known as mitosis (division).”

So what kind of results can folks who use the device expect?  Radwan responds, “Significant improvement can be seen in diminished nasolabial fold, tightened jowls and jawline, uplifted mouth corner, reduced eye bags, and overall improvement in the periorbital eye area such as lifted eyelids and eyebrows in the outer corner of the eye. Refined skin texture such as less redness and reduced melasma. Overall, improvement in blood flow and lymphatic drainage will result in less puffiness.”

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I have been using the device daily for several weeks now and the biggest difference I have seen is with the lifting of my eyes and improvement of my overall skin tone. Spectra Sculpt has three settings that offer varying strengths. “All levels will have the same calibration running, but with different strength. Some skin is very thick or has a larger fat layer (i.e. the skin for men), these users can run the treatment on a higher level, others should work their way up from level one,” explains Radwan. “Level three has the addition of sonic vibration that runs with 8000 ±10{5b4d37f3b561c14bd186647c61229400cd4722d6fb37730c64ddff077a6b66c6} RPM. Sonic vibrations will quickly improve lymphatic drainage and improve proper blood flow. Sonic vibration has an immediate effect but with regular use, arteries will adjust and less puffiness will be overall present in the face.” 

SmoothSkin Pure

A full head of hair is beautiful. But, hair on the rest of the body can be problematic and the process of removing it can be time consuming. While I get professional treatments for certain areas of my body, an at-home hair removal device is always a staple in my home. I recently tried out the newly launched SmoothSkin Pure device that utilizes intense pulsed light (IPL) and have been quite impressed with both the power of the device and the results. 

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To clarify, IPL technology isn’t a laser. It works by delivering an intense burst of light through the skin that is then absorbed by the melanin in the hair shaft. “This light energy is then converted into heat, which targets the root and interrupts the hair growth cycle. To target every hair effectively SmoothSkin recommends using the devices weekly for 12 weeks initially. This is because hair grows in 3 distinct and consecutive phases, and not all hairs are in the same phase at any one time,” Wendy Schoonjans, Director of Global Marketing tells me. “IPL treatment is only effective in one particular phase, the Anagen growth phase, when the hair is attached to its root. After the 12 weeks is up drop down to touch up results as needed, up to once every 8 weeks for SmoothSkin Pure.”

SmoothSkin offers two devices for hair removal for the face and body including the SmoothSkin Pure and the SmoothSkin Bare Plus. “Both devices are fast and effective, with integrated sensors to ensure a safe, comfortable treatment. Furthermore, both products offer a full body treatment in just 10 minutes, stamp and glide modes for quick and easy treatments, and unlike competitors, come with unlimited flashes,” explains Schoonjans. The SmoothSkin Pure is considered the most powerful at-home hair removal device in the market. “It offers 10 intensity levels and 3 comfort modes for a tailored IPL experience. Thanks to Pure’s extra power you can go even longer in between maintenance treatments. Following the initial 12-week treatment regime, you’ll need to touch up every 4 – 8 weeks.”

The brand prides itself on being the leader in IPL technology and creating the fastest, most technologically advanced, and the safest hair removal devices available for home use. 

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“With designated clinical suites at its headquarters, SmoothSkin’s devices are not only rigorously tested for safety, but also clinically tested to ensure efficacy,” shares Schoonjans. “ We’ve conducted clinical testing on almost 4,000 treatments on different skin tones, to ensure users get the very best results from its devices without compromise on safety. Our products undergo rigorous quality testing and adhere to strict safety standards including USA FDA regulation. They also feature patented smart skin sensing technology, with sensors that automatically measure and adapt the energy levels for the most effective, long-lasting treatment. Whereas other devices rely on the user to select intensity based on skin tone.”

I have used other at-home hair removal devices that I found darkened underlying pigmented lesions (a.k.a. sun damage) and made them more prominent. Since this is obviously not a desired effect, I asked the SmoothSkin team if this was the case with their device.

“All SmoothSkin devices contain a number of safety features to ensure a safe, effective treatment. This includes features such as our skin contact and skin tone sensors, as well as more advanced technology within the device itself. Furthermore, All SmoothSkin devices remove blue light, using a cut-off filter set at a wavelength of 515nm. Blue light has a higher absorption coefficient in melanin, the main constituent of pigmented lesions,” explains Stuart Jones, Director of Development for SmoothSkin. “The darkening that is reported with other devices is oxidation of the melanin in the pigmented lesion. The more blue light that hits the lesion, the greater the likelihood of oxidation. But removing the blue light, as we do in our devices, will reduce the risk of melanin oxidation.” Other devices also deliver shorter pulses that contribute to darkening of melanin. “The higher blue light output, coupled with the shorter pulse duration, would significantly increase the likelihood of pigmented lesions darkening after treatment.”

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After several weeks of use, I can happily say that my sun damage isn’t darkening (in fact it looks lighter) and that I am also seeing significantly less hair growth. 

Trophy Skin’s Labelle Skin Spatula 

I have been looking at skin spatulas for some time now curious to know if they are really worth the hype. I finally just tried one out from Trophy Skin, one of the first at-home skincare tool brands in the market. “We launched the Labelle Skin Spatula in 2017 based on ultrasonic cleansing technology. Unlike sonic brushes and other brush-based technology, the Labelle uses highly sanitary medical-grade stainless steel, which vibrates at 30,000 Hz and effectively removes dirt, oil, dead skin, and sebum from the pores,” Imran Karim, founder of Trophy Skin tells me. “Additionally, it has a ‘flip side’ that infuses serums deep into the skin using the same ultrasonic technology to ‘push’ the active ingredients in your creams and serums into freshly cleansed skin.

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Karim explains that the device is good for anyone who desires cleaner skin. “The main benefits are less acne prone skin, cleaner pores, smaller looking pores, and overall more healthy and radiant looking skin. As with any sonic cleansing routine, the benefits are seen immediately and continue to build over time. But with the Labelle, you also get the added benefit of making the active ingredients in your serums significantly more effective by pulsing them deep down into the pores and thereby allowing the ingredients to reach their target.”

Like all of Trophy Skin’s devices, the Labelle Skin Spatula is clinically proven and FDA Cleared and Registered. “All of our products are based on technology and treatments used in professional offices. Our goal is to make treatments that were unaffordable and inaccessible to most women now safe and easy to do at home, on their own schedule,” continues Karim. I have to say, I really love how squeaky clean my skin looks after using the device. I use it 2-3 times a week as recommended and I can really see the difference in my pore size along with significantly less congestion. 

Zuvi

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Zuvi Halo offers a game changing energy-based technology in the hair dryer space. While the device just launched at CES on January 5^th, it will be available for purchase at the end of the month.

 “Zuvi was created to bring core, fundamental innovations to daily devices you use in everyday life. That means changing their working principles, not just putting in a WiFi chip and calling it smart,” explains Jon Diele, Managing Director for Zuvi for the U.S. and Europe. “LightCare is our proprietary, patented, and trademarked system that uses light energy to dry hair instead of heating coils. It isn’t powered by the sun, but takes some inspiration for how natural sunlight and wind can dry our hair. This all comes together for a healthier, more energy efficient way to dry your hair and look your best every day.”

Apparently, hair dryers haven’t changed much since the 1800s. Since consumer demand for products that help support healthy hair seem to always be in vogue, I asked Diele why it has taken so long for a truly innovative technology to be brought to market. He responds, “That’s a great question. It really comes down to the team we brought together at Zuvi, including product designer alongside hardware engineers and a science team. This combination of talent pairs with our first principle reasoning process to think at a more fundamental level of what science should be used to do something and how to build the product to wield that scientific principle.”

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So, how is Zuvi Halo different when compared to other hair drying devices? 

“Other hair dryers are extreme heat devices that cause hair damage,” Diele tells me. “A traditional hair dryer uses roughly 1700 watts, more than double the energy the most common microwave uses. You’re quite literally baking your hair to dry it, removing the water inside, which leaves it brittle. By comparison, our LightCare technology leaves your hydrated and refreshed for silky smooth hair by not penetrating your hair follicles.” Another distinguishing feature of Zuvi Halo is that by using it, users can help minimize their carbon footprint and impact on the environment.  “Zuvi Halo uses 60{5b4d37f3b561c14bd186647c61229400cd4722d6fb37730c64ddff077a6b66c6} less energy than a traditional hair dryer, and that adds up. An individual user who dries their hair every other day would reduce their CO2 emissions by as much as planting a tree. If everyone used our hair dryer, it would be like taking 9 million cars off of the road.”

Due to the energy savings, the brand has plans to eventually offer a cordless version. “We’re still fine tuning the design to optimize for speed. But we are aiming to release a cordless version in the near future—all with minimal sacrifices to the user,” continues Diele.  I am looking forward to being able to go cord free. But in the meantime, Zuvi Halo definitely offers a better user experience. The dryer is much lighter than similar designs available in the market and my hair has never been glossier after blowing it out.

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