# "Epil-Stop" aka "Epil-Suicide?" Epil-horror stories, anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345 "2002-05-05T02:36:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/1 "2002-05-05T02:36:03Z")
I have been working out a lot lately, specifically on developing my arms. I have hairy Chewbacca arms, so I decided to try some “Epil-Stop Citrus” to see if it would help show off of my muscletone. Well, upon reading the instructions and safety warnings in the package, I am kinda scared now. I did the preliminary “test-spot” thing. No bad reactions so far… however On the spot where I tested, it didn’t seem to work. I shook the product well before using, and follwed the directions to the letter. Only a tiny bit of hair came off. Hmmm… The most disturbing thing is this: > [@](#): > > This product contains thioglycolic acid… So, I decided to hop on-line and see what I could learn about this stuff… it aint pretty… > [@](#): > > 1. Effects on Humans: Exposure to low-molecular-weight organic acids even in dilute solutions will cause pain in the area of contact, conjunctival hyperemia, and corneal injury [ACGIH 1991]. An accidental exposure to thioglycolic acid involving a splash into the eye and onto the skin caused conjunctival necrosis, corneal opacities and skin burns; after 7 months, the eye had improved although there was still cloudiness in the cornea [Grant 1986]. If thioglycolic acid is ingested, spontaneous hemorrhaging, choking, intravascular coagulation, gastrointestinal damage, and esophageal or pyloric stricture may result [ACGIH 1991]. and > [@](#): > > 1. Acute exposure: Acute exposure to thioglycolic acid will cause tissue damage and irritation. Coughing, choking, headache, dizziness, weakness, pulmonary edema, tightness in chest, air hunger, or cyanosis may occur following inhalation of thioglycolic acid [Sittig 1991]. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: For more info you can view the data here: [http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/thioglycolicacid/recognition.html](http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/thioglycolicacid/recognition.html) If I don’t have bad reactions to the “test” then I will go ahead and try using it, fully, at least once. But I gotta tell ya… this shit sounds scary!!! Anyone else here tried this stuff??? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/2 "2002-05-05T03:39:14Z")
It’s pretty much the same stuff that’s in Nair, or close. Smells the same, acts the same, same warnings. My caution about these products is do **not** use them on broken skin. Cut, scrape, whatever. I scraped my leg slightly, not even breaking the skin really but leaving it pink, by smacking into a concrete planter outside of my workplace. The next day I tried this stuff, not even remembering scraping my leg really, and was distracted by things while I was letting it work. I noticed one spot was tingling, then just began to hurt, so I washed the stuff off. This was the scraped area, and it was very red. By the next day, scabs had formed, and it ended up scarring pretty noticeably. ---
**Author:** ![Tortuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Tortuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tortuga)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2002, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/3 "2002-05-05T06:02:33Z")
Ooh, **Nair** gave me a terrible chemical burn on my thighs the last time I used it…I was almost sold into buying a bit of their 4 minute formula by the recent spate of commercials, I’m glad this thread has dissuaded me. It’s a terrible thing to be in pain and _still_ hairy. By the way, **MSK** , don’t get rid of that Chewie hair, it might be just the thing that will get your Perfect One™ to notice you (and fall in lust). ---
**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2002, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/4 "2002-05-05T06:09:55Z")
EpilStop is, as far as I’m concerned, evil in a bottle. The only time I’ve ever seen it used (in real life, as opposed to on their infomercials), it didn’t really remove any hair, but it did leave a nasty chemical burn. And I agree with **Tortuga** – no need to get rid of that hair. I myself am a big fan of fuzziness. ---
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/5 "2002-05-06T02:26:14Z")
Damn. I wish I would’ve checked in for new replies before I tried it. I thought fuzz-free was all the rage right now. Guess I may have been wrong. So, I tried “Epil-Slop” today. What a rip-off!!! I evenly sprayed my entire left forearm with the stuff and waited the max amount of time…result = It didn’t really remove the hair _ **as it is shown on tv.** _ It came off in splotches and some sections didn’t come off at all. I did get two, quarter-size “burns” on the bottom side of my forearm. ow _ **I will never use this garbage again!!!** _ I couldn’t go around with only half of my left arm being bald. So, I did the rest of my fuzzbusting with electric hair clippers. Chewbacca has left the building, well, just his arms anyways. Don’t worry ladies, there’s still plenty of teddybear fuzz everywhere else that it should be. \<\\> It shouldn’t take too long for me to return to full Wookie status. Since it’s been opened and used, I wonder if I can return my “Epil Slop” to the store for a refund? I am definitely NOT completely satisfied. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/6 "2002-05-06T03:05:29Z")
Speaking of Epil-Suicide, does anyone remember the Epilady? :eek: “You might experience a slightly uncomfortable tingling sensation.” Sheeyeah, right! ---
**Author:** ![Dagny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9f8e36/32.png) [@Dagny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dagny)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/7 "2002-05-06T04:33:23Z")
Wow, you are all very brave. I’m afraid of anything made or marketed by the IGEA company. It all looks scary. I think you can return it for a refund. Isn’t there something in the ads about a getting a refund if not happy. What about waxing? It’s not that bad. You can get drunk before hand, you hardly feel a thing that way. ---
**Author:** ![AquaPura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AquaPura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AquaPura)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/8 "2002-05-06T07:33:00Z")
I am also scared of anything marketed by the IGIA company. I had tried Epil-Stop and Suicide and was gravely dissapointed when not only did it not remove my unwanted hair, but gave me some lovely chemical burns to boot. ( I actually did that little test patch, and it didn’t burn, go figure) When I went and looked at their website to try and find out if I could send the stuff back, I was further frightened by the poor grammar and mass spelling errors on the site. Go ahead, take a look see for yourself… Be afraid… be very afraid… The Epilady was a trip too, I have since renamed it the Scream-a-lady. Little rotating coils ripping my hair out one at a time just isn’t my bag. Though I actually did find one product from TV that worked. NADS… it is a bit like a wax and just rips that hair out. It is more sticky and easier to clean up than a wax though. One bad thing, it hurts so bad, it makes the Baby Jesus cry, so you have to get someone else to do it to you. You won’t have the nerve after you have done just one strip to yourself. ~Aqua ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/9 "2002-05-06T10:17:00Z")
You should also have looked for some old threads. I remember seeing a few. I know in the last one I posted how the local news team here had a product testing segment so they had a guy and a gal try it out. For both it didn’t do very well, worse for the man. You see the new one? It’s called _sport_ because it’s for men. I guess that makes it ok for us to use it and still protect our manliness. ---
**Author:** ![rubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@rubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubes)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/10 "2002-05-06T12:19:16Z")
I started shaving my head a while ago, and last summer, on a whim, I bought the EpilSpray. I, too, read the directions, did a test on my arm (with the roll-on that’s s’pose to be used for facial hair). No prbs. I then generously applied to my scalp, because, really, who wants to shave everyday. I’ll be darned. I didn’t have to shave every day, I couldn’t. I had chemical burns all over my head, and to make matters worse, my hair was still there. This incident did lead me to a quality product, though, NEOSPORIN. That healed me up right quick. ---
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/11 "2002-05-06T16:06:04Z")
There is an up-side to this whole fiasco… I can now apply lotion to my arms, making them nice and silky. 🙂 They were pretty dry and chalky before I tried the Epil-Slop. It’s near impossible to apply lotion to hairy skin. All of the lotion gets stuck on the hair making it sticky and clumpy. ack ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/12 "2002-05-06T17:13:03Z")
Oh, Darling MSK… You SO should have checked with us first. At best, the stuff’s a rip-off (those commercials lie! lie! lie!) and at worst… well… you read the side-effects! Just count your lucky stars that you’re a BOY and can get away with a little extra fur. 😉 I personally do the waxing thing (you know, “at what price beauty” and all that…). I’ve been waxing my legs for so long it barely even hurts any more, so for an added challenge I started waxing my arms last summer. (OK, I took a few sips of wine to relax myself for the leg waxing, and when I finished, I not only had some wax left over, I also had a little too much wine in my system, otherwise it might never have occurred to me to go ripping out my arm hair!) At first I was sort of weirded out by the look of it, but then I got used to it, and have an arm-waxing scheduled for tonight! Too bad you don’t live closer–we could make a little party out of it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/13 "2002-05-06T17:26:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by auntie em_ > Too bad you don’t live closer–we could make a little party out of it. 😃 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epil-stop-aka-epil-suicide-epil-horror-stories-anyone/107345/14 "2002-05-07T07:42:18Z")
Yeah we all know about those evenings. A few drinks, a jar or two of Nads, and the next thing you know… :eek: It’s a full Brazilian!! :eek: Redboss