Many people look for a blade-free and pain-free way to remove hair in the comfort of their own home, so they often make the switch from razors or shavers to IPL (intense pulse light) hair removal devices. In this article, we’re going to provide a Philips Lumea SC1981 review, looking at its pros, cons, and users reviews. This device claims to be a cost-effective option for getting rid of body and facial hair, without the discomfort you can often get from waxing or shaving. Suitable for most skin types, the Philips Lumea SC1981 is an ideal alternative to blades or waxing, for both women and men.
Philips Lumea SC1981 Product Description
The Philips Lumea SC1981 can be used on skin types 1-4 (which the device’s guide shows on a chart), meaning it will work effectively on naturally dark blonde, brown, or black hairs. Unfortunately, it won’t work on red, light blonde, or white/gray hair, and the skin tone sensor will automatically sense if your hair and skin tone are suitable.
The device is light, and can comfortably fit in your hand, although you can only use it when it’s plugged in. There are 100,000 pulses of light in the Lumea SC1981, which make for over four years of treatment, if you follow the suggested instructions by Philips. The application process ranges from 1 to 2 minutes for the armpits and bikini area, to 11 minutes for the lower leg area.
It’s fairly easy to use, for all you need to do is place the device over the part of your body where you want to remove hair, and when the ‘ready’ light flashes, you press the flash button, which will cause it to omit a light pulse. The Slide N’ Flash mode makes it easier to cover larger areas, while the Step N’ Flash mode is best for smaller and trickier areas.
Philips Lumea SC1981 Pros
Below are some some pros we decided to include in our Philips Lumea SC1981 review. These include the five energy levels, skin contact sensor, light and compact design, and more.
- Compact design. The device is small enough to fit in your hand comfortably, and is easy to store.
- Effective treatment. There are about 100,000 flashes in the device, which can give you at least four years of treatment.
- Integrated skin tone and contact sensor. The skin tone sensor automatically senses whether your hair and skin tone are suitable for the device, and the skin contact sensor prevents accidental flashes.
- Five energy levels. The lower energy levels help the user adjust to what is comfortable, to achieve the best results. The higher energy levels are meant for darker skin tones.
- Slide N’ Flash and Step N’ Flash. The Step N’ Flash is a simple ‘stamping’ mode to be used on small areas like the underarm or bikini line. The Slide N’ Flash lets you slide the device along your skin in a slow, continuous motion, to make it easier to remove hair from larger areas like legs and arms.
Philips Lumea SC1981 Cons
While the Philips Lumea SC1981 has a lot of benefits, there are some problematic things that this Philips Lumea SC1981 review can’t slide past as well. Below are some of the most common issues among users.
- Slow treatment on large areas. Treatments on large areas of the body, such as the legs and arms, are slow, so the device is better suited for smaller parts.
- Needs to be plugged in. You can’t use the device without it being plugged in, so for some, the cord can get in the way, and be inconvenient if you need wireless use.
- Skin tone sensor won’t auto-select. While the skin tone sensor can detect whether your skin tone is suitable, it won’t automatically select the energy level for you, so you’ll have to manually adjust the setting to your comfort.
- Awkward shape. The shape of the flash window and device is a bit awkward, so it may take some practice to place it exactly where you want it, especially on areas like the upper lip.
Accessories and Additional Pieces
Some additional items included with the Philips Lumea SC1981 are the power adapter, user manual, and one cleaning cloth.
What Users Say
A positive Philips Lumea SC1981 review mentions that it’s very easy to use, since you don’t have to worry about dozens of different settings. While they note that it’s not for everyone, they personally achieved a great reduction in hair growth after around 12 sessions. There is much praise in most reviews of this product of how light and comfortable the device is to hold, and that the build quality is quite impressive.
Other users, while they’ve achieved long-lasting results, weren’t too happy with how slow the treatment was. The skin tone sensor was said to be rather useful, although the shape of the device itself is a bit awkward when positioning it on the upper lip or other small areas, because of how the flash window is placed.
A more negative review wished that the treatment was a lot faster (and this seemed to be a common issue). They stopped using the device after only a few treatments, because they weren’t getting the results they expected. On the other hand, it’s important to have realistic expectations when it comes to using an IPL hair removal treatment, for Philips says you should see results within 4 fortnightly treatments (or 6 weeks).
Final Word
While results may vary from person to person, it can be said that the Lumea SC1981 can offers decent results, which lead to less shaving and a slower hair growth. It is a compact and lightweight device, and although treatment time may be a bit slow, its skin tone sensor works for most skin tones and hair colors, and has enough flashes to give you up to four years of treatment. Overall, our Philips Lumea SC1981 review revealed an ideal hair removal system for people who are not looking for frills or fancy features.
