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If you’re having a hard time recognizing yourself in the mirror—wondering where that plump, youthful skin went, or noticing your hair isn’t as full as it used to be (postpartum and menopause are relentless)—you’re not alone. Fortunately, we live in a time when beauty tech offers powerful, at-home solutions for everything from skin tone and texture to hair density and beyond. Read on for eight of our favourite beauty devices that are totally worth the investment
The viral wand is dubbed the season’s most-sought-after tool–and with reason. It’s a more accessible entry point into red light therapy—both for its portability and its price point. Its red light wavelength is 630nm, beneficial for stimulating collagen and elastin production while reducing fine lines and some blemishes. The wand also offers Galvanic microcurrent toning and a warming, low-vibration facial massage to help decrease puffiness and aid skincare product absorption. So really, you’re getting a lot done with one small yet mighty tool in five minutes a day. The best part? You can pack it to go anywhere you go.
The wand comes with an activating serum that includes hyaluronic acid and nona peptides, while avoiding nasties like sulfates, phthalates, parabens, PEGs, petroleum, fragrances and artificial colorants.
This LED device is a great choice for at-home red light therapy treatments when you don’t have the bandwidth (or the budget) to treat your whole face with multiple beauty tech tools or prefer to zero in only on specific spots instead.
By now, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of LED light therapy for your face—but why stop there? Your neck and décolletage deserve love, too. In fact, signs of aging often show up here first, simply because these areas don’t always get the same care and attention as our faces. Enter: CurrentBody’s LED Neck and Décolletage Mask: Series 2.
Specifically designed to sit snugly on your neck and upper chest area, the mask, like its Series 2 facial LED mask counterpart, offers a powerful combo of 229 LED bulbs of red (633nm), near-infrared (830nm), and new deep near-infrared (1072nm) lights—all strategically spaced to target areas where signs of ageing are more pronounced, boosting collagen production deep under the skin. Together these improve skin elasticity, texture and luminosity.
And if you haven’t yet heard about the benefits of red light therapy for hair growth, consider this your introduction. CurrentBody’s research-backed team has added a LED Hair Growth Helmet to its arsenal of beauty tools. While it’s pricier than some of the other tools we’ve suggested, it’s still a more affordable alternative to many professional hair loss treatments, with the added bonus of using it from the comfort of your home.
The helmet promotes hair density and thickness by using clinically proven wavelengths to energise hair follicles, reduce inflammation, improve scalp blood flow and lower dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels (a hormone responsible for causing hair loss and thinning). Within about 16 weeks at just 10 minutes a day, you can help your scalp grow more luscious locks and reduce shedding. The hands-free device emits FDA-cleared red light at 620-660nm. The device is USB-powered, comes with automatic shut-off at the ten minute mark and comes in two sizes to offer you the most comfortable fit.
While we’re big fans of CurrentBody’s beauty tech, we also stand behind Omnilux’s popular, FDA-cleared Clear LED Mask. Reminder: Not all LED devices are created equal, or designed to address the same concerns. The Omnilux Clear specifically targets active acne, blemishes, redness and inflammation, helping clear breakouts faster. The mask employs 132 LEDs (two per each of its 66 bulbs), using blue light therapy (415nm) and red light (633nm). The former destroys P.acnes bacteria living on the skin’s surface, while the latter triggers the body’s own healing and rejuvenation process to produce collagen, reduce inflammation, redness and more.
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Professional Skin Therapy Wand – $159.95
Wavelength MP Blue Multi-Purpose Ultrasound Gel – $10.68
While this is perhaps the least “technologically advanced” tool, it is perhaps one of the most enduring. Used for centuries as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the precisely-cut stone lifts and revitalizes the skin with a stimulating massage. Kintsugi’s options include bian or white jade stone options, and we find the comb edge gives an especially soothing massage, while stimulating lymphatic drainage, depuffing tired skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The high quality cut and material come in a velvet pouch, and we’ve been using it daily for years. Great to handle and easy to pack, this is proof that the best beauty tool isn’t always the most complex.
This FDA-cleared skin toning device comes with its Microcurrent Gel Activator, Silk Crème and Applicator Brush (the gel activator is a must if you plan to use this device). However, our recommendation here comes with a bit of a caveat: While we love the toning and depuffing the MINI+ microcurrent device offers (and the lower price point over its full-sized big sibling), we personally don’t use this tool on every part of our face. Specifically, we don’t use it where you’d typically see forehead lines, crow’s feet and the like. The reason? Microcurrents work by stimulating the muscles to tone, lift, and tighten — but these are the same muscles dermatologists often freeze with injectables like Botox. So, it didn’t make much sense to us to activate the very muscles we’d usually want to relax. Still, with regular use, the NuFACE MINI+ does offer some facial sculpting benefits in and around the cheekbones, the jawline and even the lips.
Beautybio’s GloPRO Facial Microneedling Tool comes at a fraction of the cost of professional microneedling treatments, while providing many of the same benefits when used with care. Microneedling helps with the absorption and effectiveness of topical skincare products, helping you get more out of them. But it also goes beyond that, delivering visibly firmer, smoother skin by triggering the body’s wound healing response to stimulate cellular turnover and collagen production. Like many other devices on this list, the tool also combines red light therapy (620-625nm).
To do this yourself at home, you have to ensure you’re using the tool on washed, cleaned skin (using alcohol pads) and sanitizing your device before and after each use (never share it with others). You also need to consider replacing the MicroTips every two to three months of regular use, so factor this into the cost of the treatment as well. While the device doesn’t offer the same needle depth as professional in-clinic treatments (for good reason), it can still deliver noticeable benefits when used with care. Roll it lightly in a single direction (upwards or downwards), ensuring not to drag the device, and you can help your skin get a healthy glow in minutes a day (be sure to do your own research to find if this is the right tool for you and your unique needs).
If you’ve ever used a jade or ice roller or even the cold compress of a spoon on puffy skin, you know how soothing it can feel. But the issue with these options is that they just warm too quickly. Enter Therabody’s fan-favourite: TheraFace Depuffing Wand. We’re honestly shocked it took this long for a product like this to enter the market because there is clearly a demand for it.
The plastic wand uses a contoured, copper/aluminum alloy head for cold and heat therapy. It comes with six temperature settings marked in Farenheit — three warm (95°, 100°, or 108°) and three cold (57°, 54°, or 50°) . The warmer setting boosts circulation and helps your skin absorb your topical creams, while the cooling treatment soothes and reduces puffiness. Pro-tip: Bring it with you on long flights for an instant skin boost to help minimize the visible effects of jet lag.
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Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover – $27.19
Foreo Bear Microcurrent Facial Device – $232.28
Shark HD430C FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System – $330.08