hair removal

2 Articles

DIY Electrolysis Machine Removes Hair Permanently

May 7, 2026 by 38 Comments

If you talk to the FDA, there’s only one permanent method of hair removal—electrolysis. This involves sticking a needle into a hair follicle, getting it very hot or running a current through it, and then letting heat and/or the lye generated kill the root of the hair dead. Normally, you’d pay someone with a commercial machine to do this for you at great expense. Or, you could do it yourself with a home-built machine, as [n3tcat] did.

Based on the available information out in the wild, [n3tcat] decided to build a galvanic electrolysis machine. This specifically passes current through a needle in the hair follicle to generate lye at the hair bulb, which kills it. The amount of lye generated depends on the amount of current and the time over which it is applied. More lye is more likely to kill a follicle permanently, though there are limits with regards to avoiding scarring, other skin damage, and excessive pain.

Continue reading “DIY Electrolysis Machine Removes Hair Permanently” →

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow, Via Electrolysis

May 1, 2018 by 13 Comments

We think of electrolysis as a way to split things like water into oxygen and hydrogen using electricity, but it has a second meaning which is to remove hair using electricity. An electrologist inserts very thin needles into each hair follicle and uses a burst of electricity to permanently remove the hair. [Abbxrdy] didn’t want to buy a cheap unit because they don’t work well and didn’t want to spend on a professional setup, so designing and building ensued.

You’ll have to read through the comments to find some build details and the schematic. The device uses commercial electrolysis needles and a DE-9 connector socket as a holder. The device can supply 6 to 22V at up to 2mA. A timer can restrict the pulse to 5 seconds or less.

Continue reading “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow, Via Electrolysis” →