In 2009, the term “staycation” was recognized by respected dictionaries as an official word. But this somewhat dubious honor confirmed something many of us had already known for years: when you need to de-stress or escape from the rigors of daily life, a few tweaks to your normal home routine can be just as relaxing as a vacation, and way more affordable. With that in mind, here are some ideas for a spa-style staycation, revolving around at home hair removal with Tanda solutions.

The Tanda mē hair removal system utilizes elōs technology – a unique combination of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Radio Frequency (RF) energies, which reduce unwanted hair by targeting and disabling hair follicles. Start your spa staycation by finding a relaxing place to sit or recline, and put on music you find relaxing and that will help you keep time – a full-course treatment, covering each part of your body for the recommended treatment times, should be complete in just over 40 minutes. If you attach the mē epilator or shaver accessory, as you glide the mē over your skin you’ll get an even smoother finish.

Next, it’ll be time to focus on your hands, by spending 20-30 minutes on a natural manicure. Smooth out any last rough spots by trimming away excess skin, scrubbing your nails and fingertips, and filing the edges of your nails. Once you’re satisfied that there are no remaining rough edges, soak your hands in a natural and organic liquid such as whole milk, buttermilk, or apple cider vinegar (don’t worry if that last one sounds too harsh – all three actually contain helpful acids that get rid of dead skin cells.) End by washing and drying your hands and buffing your now-clean nails to a lustrous shine.

Once the hair removal and manicure are complete, it’ll be time to bring it all together by softening and soothing all over. For your hands, arms, legs, face and neck use organic aromatherapeutic lotions or oils with whatever scent and strength makes you comfortable (if you want to try something adventurous for your face and neck, you can even use extra-virgin olive oil..that’s right – it’s not just for cooking!).

It would be great if we had the time (and money) to do an overnight spa retreat every week. It’s an idea that’s highly desirable but, for most of us, also highly impractical. The good news is, with a little creativity and a convenient product like the Tanda mē, you can do the spa version of a “staycation” – enjoy a spa-style experience at home, including at home hair removal, customized to your liking and available as often as you want.

The Tanda mē, a hair removal treatment system using elōs technology, safely and effectively removes unwanted hair by combining two energies – Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Radio Frequency (RF). When used in conjunction, these two forces are remarkably effective at keeping skin below the neck permanently smooth and hair-free. Let’s take a moment to dive a bit deeper into the individual technologies of IPL and RF – what else can we learn about the history, method, and application of IPL and RF, respectively?

IPL

Intense Pulsed Light has been developed as an improvement over laser hair removal, which can be costly and requires operation by highly skilled technicians. The approach of IPL is similar to laser hair removal, in that it targets and eliminates hair follicles with thermal energy. Both laser and IPL light beams are absorbed by melanin, which is the matter found in skin that gives pigmentation to darker hair. The advantage of IPL is that it emits a broader spectrum of light in quick, controlled pulses. This light is capable of doing more than just disabling problematic hair follicles: besides hair removal, IPL is used for other skin treatments including treating rosacea (a condition in which parts of the face appear flushed because of enlarged blood vessels), redness from sun damage, scarring, and wrinkles.

RF

The general definition of Radio Frequency (RF) refers to a rate of oscillation in line with the frequency of radio waves, which have the longest wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum. True to the name, radio frequencies are largely used for telecommunications. However, they’ve also been found to have useful applications in medicine because they are effective in generating and transmitting heat. Medical applications of RF energy include treating tumors, sleep apnea, and cardiac arrhythmia.

The principle of applying RF for hair removal was first used in electrolysis, a process by which shortwave radio frequencies are targeted directly at hair follicles. But RF has been found to be even more effective when used in partnership with IPL’s thermal energies – the two act synergistically within the hair removal process because RFs travel on a path of IPL thermal energy, thus more effectively reaching the follicles being targeted, which in turn reduces the amount of energy required from the thermal IPL source. All in all, this means that the treatment is both more effective and less intense, meaning there is a reduced likelihood of uncomfortable and irritating side effects.

It’s exciting to have affordable consumer products that combine useful energies in innovative, health-promoting ways. Now that we’ve learned a bit more about the specifics of IPL and RF, you can be confident that removing unwanted hair with the Tanda mē means you’re taking advantage of the latest improvements in a constantly developing field of technology.

The reasons people practice hair removal are as numerous as the methods and technologies available. Whether done for reasons of style, spiritual observance, safety or hygiene, modifying, altering, and removing hair has been a common aspect of the human experience for thousands of years. For just as long, people have devised increasingly innovative and effective ways to control and manage hair. What started with rudimentary surface-level approaches like shaving with stones, shells, and early metal razors has now advanced to technologies like the elōs system found in the Tanda mē, which directs thermal and radio frequency energy at hair shafts under the skin.

In order to better understand what makes Tanda’s approach so effective, let’s review two of the more recent predecessors to the elōs mē system. In the modern age, technologies for hair removal have combined the knowledge, technology and skills of medicine and esthetics. Two of the most well-known inventions exemplary of this century-plus-long trend are electrolysis and laser hair removal.

Long-term hair removal is most effectively accomplished when hairs are removed by the roots. In electrolysis, this is done by the use of pulses of radio frequencies or electric currents applied to the hair follicle. A practitioner inserts a thin wire into an individual hair follicle, and the currents travel down the wire to the root. If done correctly, this process renders the follicle incapable of producing new hair. This is a fairly high-skill technique with the risk of scarring if administered improperly. Treatment can take up to several years, because of the highly detailed nature of the process. However, electrolysis is still valued because it’s seen as one of the most effective long-term hair removal solutions.

Made publicly available in the 1990s as an alternative to electrolysis, laser hair removal has spent the last decade-plus in the spotlight, before recently meeting competition from more current hair removal systems like the Tanda mē. The laser method diverges from electrolysis because it targets melanin, the pigment that gives darker hair its color. Instead of mechanically inserting a thin probe it uses a highly focused, short wavelength, high-intensity beam of light to generate high thermal energy that disables hair production in the follicle. The benefit is that light set to the correct wavelength can selectively target the darker melanin that instigates hair growth without affecting the surrounding skin. However, it is not considered highly effective for people with very fair hair, and may be dangerous for people with dark hair. Like electrolysis, it is highly specialized, requires repeat visits to practitioners, and while appearing promising may not result in permanent cessation of new hair production.

Looking to improve upon these modern approaches, the current state of technology has advanced to include hybrid systems like the Tanda mē, which does not physically enter the skin, and emits a wider spectrum of light than lasers. A balanced application of thermal energy and radio frequencies also targets the hair follicles, with encouraging clinical results showing effective hair reduction and removal, all possible in the comfort of your own home.