Quick answer: Shave before, moisturize and avoid sun after, do not wax or pluck between sessions, and stay consistent. That is 90 percent of getting excellent results.
Before a session
- Shave the area a few hours before. Clean, close, and dry. Stubble on the surface wastes energy that should reach the root.
- Skin should be bare. No lotion, oil, makeup, or deodorant on the area during the session. Clean skin lets the sensor read correctly and the light travel cleanly.
- Pick the right level. Higher is not automatically better. The right level is the highest one that stays comfortable, warm not sharp.
After a session
- Moisturize. A simple fragrance free lotion or aloe soothes any warmth and keeps the skin barrier happy. The Smooth Ritual Kit includes an aloe gel for exactly this.
- Avoid sun and hot baths for a day. Freshly treated skin is a little more sensitive. Give it 24 hours before intense sun or heat.
- Let the hair shed on its own. Over the next days treated hairs fall out. Do not scrub or pluck them, just let them go.
Between sessions
- Shave whenever you like, never wax or epilate. Shaving keeps the root in place for the next flash. Waxing removes the very thing the light targets and resets your progress.
- Stay on schedule. Three sessions a week for the first month. Put them on the calendar like anything else you care about.
- Reapply sunscreen on treated areas if they will see sun, to protect the fresh results and your skin.
The mistakes that slow people down
The three big ones: skipping sessions in the first month, waxing between sessions out of habit, and quitting at week two because nothing looks different yet. Avoid those three and the device does the rest.
Everything you need in one kit
The Smooth Ritual Kit pairs the device with a soothing aloe gel and travel pouch, built for exactly this routine.
See the kits →