Nood’s The Flasher 2.0 Review: An Effective Hair Remover For Certain Skin And Hair Types

Our four-person panel tested Nood’s The Flasher 2.0 over seven weeks to see how it works on different skin tones and hair types. Here are our thoughts on where it excelled and which people would benefit from it the most.

The Flasher 2.0 from Nood, a relatively new direct-to-consumer brand, promises semipermanent, virtually painless hair removal from the comfort of your own home. For a fraction of the cost of in-office treatments (currently on sale for $169), the Flasher 2.0 is designed to produce visible results in as little as three weeks. Nood is forthcoming about the device’s efficacy on different skin tones and hair colors, and I knew from the start that my skin and hair combo (light skin, red hair) was unlikely to make me the best candidate for intense pulsed light (IPL) hair removal. Still, some redheads have found success with the Nood, so I was game to give it a try. Joining me were three additional testers with varying hair colors and skin tones, who used the device between three and seven weeks.

For two of our testers, the Nood Flasher 2.0 fully delivered on all of those promises. For me—and for another tester from our panel—it did not. Read on for more details on exactly how it worked and which people I’d recommend the device to.

Forbes Vetted score: 8/10 | Lifespan: 600,000 flashes | Laser type: IPL | Intensity levels: 7 | FDA-cleared: Yes

Best for:

• People with dark blond, brown or black hair and fair to light brown skin tones
• Those looking for an economical and far less painful alternative to professional laser hair removal
• Those who will be satisfied with up to 80% hair removal and willing to do maintenance treatments every few months

Skip if:

• You have blond, red or gray hair and a light skin tone
• You have brown or black hair and a very dark skin tone

The Nood Flasher 2.0 Features

A Lightweight Handheld Device

Overall, the Flasher 2.0 has a thoughtful, compact design that fits nicely in the hand and makes it easy to maneuver. It’s corded, with a long enough length that you shouldn’t have any issues connecting it to an outlet (though a 360-degree swivel would be an improvement). The flash window situated at the top of the device is about 2 inches by 0.75 inch, so it’s sized well for small areas like the underarms, knuckles or bikini line, but it requires more time to work its way down arms and legs. Hard-to-see areas, like the backs of the thighs or some parts in the bikini area, can be a little tricky to flash as well, but it’s certainly doable, and the device is lightweight enough that lengthier IPL sessions don’t feel like a chore.

The LED display on the front of the Flasher 2.0 is also easy to interpret and details the flash mode (continuous or manual), the intensity level, a ready indicator and the hair removal mode. There are only two buttons—a power button on the side that adjusts intensity and a button beneath the display that lets you toggle between manual and auto mode—so it’s pretty foolproof to use.

The (Nonnegotiable) Skin Safety Test

Before using the Flasher 2.0, Nood strongly recommends a skin safety test. IPL doesn’t work on all skin types, and dark skin in particular can have an adverse reaction. These side effects can include:

• Migraine
• Spotty vision
• Skin rash
• Itchy skin
• Skin discoloration
• Burns
• Scarring

The skin safety test also gives you a chance to find the highest treatment level you can tolerate. There are seven settings, and the device works more effectively in the higher ranges. To complete the skin test, you pick an inconspicuous spot in your desired treatment area. Beginning with level one, you complete three flashes, waiting five seconds between each. This process is repeated until you’ve reached the highest level you can comfortably tolerate, and that’s your treatment level. Then, you wait 48 hours and retest at your treatment level. After another 48 hours, retest one final time. Wait another 48 hours, then the test is complete. If you have no adverse reactions, you’re good to continue with the standard treatment plan of twice per week for eight weeks, plus ongoing maintenance as needed.

Nood uses the Fitzpatrick Skin Score, which describes how skin responds to sun exposure, to identify good candidates for the Flasher 2.0:

• Type I: Skin always burns, never tans and is most sensitive to UV exposure.
• Type II: Skin burns easily and tans minimally.
• Type III: Skin burns moderately and tans gradually but lightly.
• Type IV: Skin burns minimally and tans well to moderately brown.
• Type V: Skin rarely burns and tans quickly to dark.
• Type VI: Skin never burns, is deeply pigmented and is least sensitive to UV exposure.

Types V and VI are at a higher risk of adverse skin reactions from the device. I consider myself a type II. Our other panelists self-described as type II, type IV and somewhere between a type IV and type V. Hair color is also a consideration for efficacy. IPL requires contrast between the melanin in the skin and the melanin in the hair to work properly. Nood clarifies on its website that both IPL and laser hair removal don’t generally work on blond or red hair or very dark skin. The best candidates have dark blond, brown or black hair with fair, light, medium or medium-dark skin tones (types I through IV on the Fitzpatrick scale).

Virtually Painless Flashes With Varying Levels Of Efficacy

Using the Flasher 2.0 is straightforward. Connect the cord to the charging port and plug it in to bring the LED display to life. Powering the device on kick-starts a humming sound comparable to a small fan. From there, choose your intensity level (which you’ll determine during the skin safety test) and preferred mode before starting your treatment on clean, dry skin.

The entire flash window needs to be evenly pressed against the skin at a 90-degree angle, but not so firmly that the glass itself touches the skin. The goal is to get the plastic perimeter in contact with the skin, at which point the device will flash if it’s set to continuous flash mode. The Flasher 2.0 comes preprogrammed in continuous flash mode (which I found jarring the first time I used it), but if for some reason it’s not, press and hold the flash button to do so. Nood recommends flashing over the entire treatment area twice per session before moving on to the next section, taking care to do so evenly so you don’t miss a spot.

The brand warns that pressing too firmly against the skin can result in burns or scarring, so it was with more than a little trepidation that I brought the Flasher 2.0 to the bottom of my underarm. It flashed immediately, far more brightly than I was expecting. The device doesn’t come with protective eyewear, though the brand recommends both wearing them and looking away from the device when flashing. I didn’t do either the first time. For the sake of my eyes, I switched to manual mode, which made it easier to line up the device, close my eyes and hit the flash button. Then, I’d repeat the process an inch farther up from the previous spot. After the first week, I was able to flash my underarms as directed in under a minute or two.

As for how it feels, our panelists were mixed. My treatment level was a six out of seven, meaning my device was dialed up to a high light frequency level, nearly the highest that the device offers. I used it on my underarms and very occasionally I felt a brief, sharp sting, almost like the snap of a rubber band. For the most part, it really didn’t feel like much of anything. On a pain scale of one to 10, with 10 equating to the pain of a wax hair removal treatment, I’d say it’s no more than two. Two of our testers put it at a four and the third found it more painful, rating it between a six and seven. But she was using it in the bikini area, so that’s likely a factor for the increased sensitivity.

One tester, with black hair and a Fitzpatrick skin type between IV and V, used the Flasher 2.0 on her arms and bikini area. After about four weeks, she says she noticed that hair growth in the treatment areas had slowed considerably and continues to do so. Another tester, with type II skin and dark brown hair, used the device for only a few weeks before this review was written, but she’s had positive results with laser hair removal and expects this to be similar. The third panelist, with type IV skin and black hair, experienced skin discoloration about a week after completing the skin safety test and discontinued use. As a redhead with type II skin, I followed the treatment plan faithfully for seven weeks with no results of any kind.

My Expertise

I’ve been a freelance writer for the past 17 years, and beauty content is one of my specialties. Beyond Forbes Vetted, I’ve written beauty and skincare content for Healthline and Mindbodygreen. While the hair on my head is auburn, my body hair is more strawberry blond and usually doesn’t grow in too thick or quickly, so I never tried semipermanent hair removal of any kind before testing the Flasher 2.0. I also went into the experience with the understanding that it probably wouldn’t work for me, which is why I included the perspectives of additional testers.

Deputy editor Jane Sung, who leads the beauty and grooming section at Forbes Vetted, oversaw this assignment and testing process and assembled the panel of testers. She has over 15 years of beauty and lifestyle experience.

Final Thoughts

The idea of skipping my shaving ritual was appealing, and I had high hopes that I would be one of those unicorn redheads for whom IPL and the Flasher 2.0 actually work. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It’s a shame, because I found the treatment process incredibly fast and easy, and only mildly and sporadically uncomfortable. Had it worked on my underarms, I would have happily moved on to my legs and bikini line. Of the four panelists to test Nood’s device, one found it effective and another anticipates the same. Both are good candidates for IPL according to Nood’s charts.

While the Flasher 2.0 didn’t deliver on results for the full tester panel, we all agree that it’s simple and straightforward to use. We also appreciated the privacy, pricing and convenience of using it at home compared to in-office laser hair removal. If you’re considering the Flasher 2.0 and you have the right skin tone and hair color, you’ll likely be incredibly pleased with the results.