An epilator is an electrical device used to remove hair by mechanically grasping multiple hairs simultaneously and pulling them out. In a similar manner in which hair is removed from waxing, epilator remove hair but with little or no alteration to the skin epidermis. Actually, epilators were my favourite when I was in school. They are fast and effective and you get good results without the hassle of waxing. But finding an epilator has been another problem in Nigeria. Most people I asked had no idea what I was talking about and even after describing the device, hey would maintain an expression of confusion. I was able to find an epilator in Surulere, Lagos but the asking and final peice was around 20, 000 naira. That's the downside to being in Nigeria.Things that would be cheap or affordable in the West become extremely expensive or unaffordable to citizens in Nigeria. I've been told the discrepancies in price is as a result of customs and importation fees. But I don't buy that excuse. Many items shipped to Canada are subjected to duties and taxes which the seller pays. When that item is sold to the public, it is subjected to federal and provincial taxes which is charged to the individual buyer. So why is it then, that these same products cost exponentially more in Nigeria (with less fees and regulations) than the West? With that said, my corper allowance could not afford it and my epilator in Canada didn't even cost up to 10, 000 naira. It didn't make any sense buying such a thing. I decided to order one online and looked into Amazon.com. Must vendors on Amazon did not ship to Nigeria, and the one's that did, their epilator and shipping cost were to high.
That's when I looked into Aliexpress. I've bought mainly hair wefts from Aliexpress and I was not sure about their reliabiltiy to Nigeria. After coming across a comment from a buyer who resided in Nigeria, I decided to give it a try. I ordered an, Rechargeable Electric Hair Removal Female Epilator Electric Shaver Tweezers for For Armpit Bikini Personal Care Smooth Legs -P62. I choose this epilator because it also came with a detachable shaver head, it was on sale, and other buyers wrote great reviews about the product. This bad boy was about $21.18 Canadian dollars and about 3200 naira. I paid on August 27, 2015 and my package was ready for pickup in my local post office by September 16, 2015. In other words, I received my package in less than 3 weeks. I was pretty impressed with delivery time because it has been my fastest shipped item to date.
The Nipost in Isolo, Lagos called me to inform me that my package is at their offfice. upon getting there, I had to pay a 500 naira fee for parcel handling (don't understand the charge and kept pressing for the reason for the charge but couldn't get a straight answer) before my package was given to me. This is what it looked like before and after opening it.
My skin was red for a few minutes and then it went back to its normal colour. The unit needs to be charged for 8 hours and lasts for about 30-45 minutes. I made sure to charge my unit so that incase I need to use it when there is no light, I can. It is advised that you use the epilator after a shower and no shaving cream is needed for the epilator or detachable shaver. To be exact, do not use with a shaving cream. I wish the company had provided a bag to keep everything together.
Overall I'm pretty satisfied and I am looking forward to my next Aliexpress purchase, a styrofoam head.
