The Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device, as you may have guessed from the name, is a rapid hair removal tool that uses pulsed light technology to gently remove hair from your body. Does it work? Read our review to find out.
What is Flash & Go Express Hair Removal?
The Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device is a $300 hair removal tool that promises to give you professional-quality hair removal results from the comfort of your own home.
The device uses something called Home Pulsed Light Technology, or HPL. That’s a trademarked term created by the makers of Flash & Go. The technology is bundled up into the device’s compact design.
To use the hair removal tool, all you need to do is place the device against your skin then hold down the pulse button. The device will emit pulses continuously until you stop pressing the pulse button.
Some of the promised benefits of the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device include:
- Convenient at-home treatment
- Painless and permanent results
- No cartridges or refills to buy
- Perfect for areas big and small
- Safe and cleared by the FDA
- Works for up to 300,000 pulses “for a lifetime of use”
- Faster pulses than other IPL devices
You also get a carrying case with your purchase. The faster pulse thing is actually an important benefit: the makers of the Flash & Go claim that you can reduce treatment times by up to 50% over competitors’ devices.
The hair removal tool is priced at $299 USD. Shipping is free to the United States and Canada.
How does it work? Does it actually work? Let’s take a closer look.
How Does the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device Work?
The Flash & Go is a handheld device that features a light on the bottom. You place that light against your skin then hold down the pulse button. The light zaps and removes hair from your body.
Like other intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment products, Flash & Go appears to work by using a specific wavelength of light. That wavelength doesn’t burn your skin or penetrate deep into your body. Instead, it simply targets the hair follicle. The light hits the hair follicle, zapping and killing it, destroying the hair and preventing further growth.
The specific wavelength used by the device is 475 to 1200nm, which is the range you see with other hair removal devices.
Like with all light and laser treatments, there’s the potential for the device to leave some inflammation on your skin. That’s why all Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device purchases come with a “free gift pack” that includes body lotion, matte oil control, a serum, and an eye cream.
Like most light-based hair removal systems, the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device is exclusively recommended for those with lighter skin tones. It won’t work on those with darker skin tones. It’s also not as effective on those with lighter-colored hair.
There’s actually a built-in sensor on the device. if your skin is too dark for treatment, then the device won’t pulse.
Does It Actually Work?
We know how the device claims to work. But what do real reviewers have to say about the hair removal technology?
A similar Silk’n hair removal device is sold on Amazon for $200, where it currently has an average rating of 3.5 stars out of 903 customer reviews. The vast majority of those reviewers are either 5 star reviewers (40% of all reviews) or 1 star reviews (23% of all reviews). Which tells us that it either works or doesn’t work on some people.
Here’s what real reviewers had to say about it:
“Slow But Effective: To use the machine, you first start by shaving the areas you want to treat. You plug in the machine and hear a soft fan start once you turn it on. They instruct you to test it on your skin first, waiting an hour to ensure there's no reaction, then use the power level most appropriate for you. Then you place the unit on your skin, wait for the light to illuminate showing your skin tone is acceptable and it's ready to go, and pull the trigger.” (3 stars out of 5)
“Left me 20 plus scars: So I used this device about 5 times on my arms and legs and I was seeing results, the hair was growing in thinner and in patches. So the time comes to purchase a refill cartridge, so I do. After one use of the device with this refill cartridge , I have 30 burn marks on my left leg alone” (1 star out of 5)
“11 months later: I got one area of my body that I want to get rid of the hair so badly for a very long time, I tried everything and wasted so much money , home laser , electrolysis, No-No and all the things that are expensive and never works !!! I even do removed hair professional and it does not worked .. all I got is swellings and bad reactions and that is , so when I saw good reviews about the Flash&Go I was thinking to myself let do it for the LAST TIME ever … and I did .. after 1 week I still not see new hair coming above the skin as it is usual after shaving” (5 stars out of 5)
As you can see, there are some mixed reviews. In terms of pain, some women say it’s virtually painless. Others say there’s a bit of a tingle. It appears to hurt more on darker or inked parts of your body. Said one reviewer, “I accidentally zapped my tattoo once and WOWEE that hurt like the devil and for probably an hour after at aleast”.
Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device Pricing
Pricing is different depending on if you’re buying from Amazon or from the official website. The two devices are both called “Flash & Go”, although they look different and have a different design.
In any case, the device we’re reviewing today, the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device, is priced at $299.00 USD from the official SilkN.com website.
If you want to save money, then you can buy the other version (which appears to be an older version) of the device for $199 from Amazon.
There’s also the “Compact” version, which is available at $199.00 USD from the official SilkN.com website.
Flash & Go Accessories
There are a number of accessories available for the Flash & Go, including refill cartridges you’ll need to buy after you run out of light pulses. Here are the accessories available:
- Flash & Go Precision Cartridge: $24.99
- Flash & Go Cartridge: $24.99
- Flash & Go Cartridge Long Life Upgrade Kit (“The Last Cartridge You’ll Ever Need”): $99.00
- Flash & Go Freedom Cartridge: $24.99
- Flash & Go Freedom Long Life Upgrade Kit: $99
You can also buy additional creams, serums, and moisturizers from the official website after your included gift pack runs out.
If you buy the $300 Flash & Go model, then you shouldn’t need refill cartridges. It promises to last for 300,000 pulses, which is a “lifetime” of use. The cheaper versions require refill cartridges.
Who Makes the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device?
The Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device is made under a brand named Silk’n. That brand family includes a wide variety of beauty products, including hair removal devices under the Flash & Go brand as well as anti-aging wrinkle-reducing devices, cellulite-fighting devices like the Silhouette, and acne treatments like Blue.
Most of the devices are similar to the Flash & Go: they use the power of pulsed light to achieve different beauty effects – whether it’s fighting back against wrinkles with the FaceFX system or performing microdermabrasion on yourself using the ReVit.
The Silk’n brand is owned and manufactured by Home Skinovations. That company was founded in 2006 “by innovator developers and engineers with over 100 collective years in medical aesthetics”, according to the About page: www.silkn.com/about/
The goal of the company was to give consumers professional results from the comfort of their own home.
You can get in touch with the company by calling their customer service toll-free number at 1-877-367-4556 or by emailing [email protected]. There’s also an email form at the official website here: www.silkn.com
Should You Use the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device to Remove Hair?
Like all light-based hair removal systems, the Flash & Go Express Hair Removal Device will work best on those with lighter skin (tones I through IV on the Fitzpatrick Skin Tone Classification Scale) and brown to black hair.
Those who have darker skin or a tan complexion, or those with lighter-colored hair, will not notice the same results. In fact, the device has a sensor that prevents it from running when it’s applied against dark-toned skin.
Overall, reviews of the device seem positive. As long as you don’t have light-colored hair or dark-colored skin, the device seems to work as advertised to safely and relatively painlessly remove hair from your body.
