The SolaWave Is a Jade Roller With a Charging Cable
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Some products show up everywhere — subway ads, Instagram, celeb endorsements. With this series, we're testing such products to conclude one thing: Does it live up to the hype?
What's everyone talking about?
SolaWave, a portable red-light-therapy and microcurrent device, designed to improve your complexion.
What's the buzz about?
Skincare enthusiasts have been exploring red light, light-emitting diode (LED) therapies in and out of the dermatologist's office and spa as a way to reduce wrinkles, even out skin tone from acne scarring and hyperpigmentation, and increase collagen production. The wavelength of red light stimulates the mitochondria of skin cells to power boost skin rejuvenation and healing.
While the effectiveness of red-light therapy is still being studied, skincare brands have been adding the technology into at-home devices (like cult fave Dr. Dennis Gross's Spectralite Faceware Pro) and into more portable wand-like devices, like the SolaWave.
SolaWave also uses microcurrent technology, a form of electrical stimulation, to increase collagen production and reduce the visibility of wrinkles. On top of the electrical stimulation, the device vibrates and warms to increase blood flow and soothe skin. You can read more about the science behind the technologies in SolaWave here.
I set out to see if the brand’s claim that it would give me “youthful, vibrant skin in 2 weeks” could be true. After a month of using the device about four days/week, here’s what I found.
Where's all the hype coming from?
Instagram ads
Reviews on Supergreat and skincare Reddit
Beauty vloggers on Youtube
So does it live up to the hype?
How'd we come to this conclusion?
My pink SolaWave arrived with a bottle of the brand's Conductive Serum and a charging cable. While it was plugged into my computer juicing up, I watched tutorials on how to work with the wand. There are no buttons (which means there's also no way to tell when it needs a charge), so you just touch the top of the wand to your skin to start your facial. The suggested movements are similar to jade rolling: Work from the center outward, avoiding your eyeballs. You should get about 2 hours of use from a full charge.
The Solawave fell right into place in my calming morning routine as I wash my face, apply the slick Conductive Serum (made with soothing aloe vera, blue tansy and hyaluronic acid), and sit next to my bedroom window going over my face with the buzzing device for about 5 minutes.
The gentle vibration is subtle and sounds like an electric toothbrush while you're using it. Where a jade roller is shockingly cool, a SolaWave is increasingly warm, up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. You can twist the head of the device to glide under your eyes or along your jawline. After using it for the recommended 5 minutes, my skin tingles like it does after a massage.
Two important notes to highlight from the brand's FAQ:
• You can use any serums or oil you already have. The device will help your skin absorb the product.
• Wait a bit before using the Solawave on areas that have been recently treated with Botox or Juvaderm, since the microcurrents can work against the injections.
The new ritual added a dose of joy to my mornings, but it did not result in any dramatic skin changes after a month of use. I don’t see a major difference in the fine lines on my forehead and around my mouth, or the deeper “elevens” between my brows. The redness around my nose and cheeks is about the same, too. I did, however, notice a healthy flush and glow directly after applying the serum and using the SolaWave.
Call me crazy, though — I will keep using this device. I'm not convinced that visible results are possible after just a month, let alone two weeks. Unless I'm buying blue hair dye, I'm wary of any dramatic before-and-after photos with at-home products. As a 32-year-old, I think of my skincare habits as making deposits into an account that will hopefully make me a little bit richer down the road. I'll take the undetectable boost in collagen production now if it's accompanied by the pleasant dopamine hit from accomplishing a skincare task. An at-home facial feels nice!
What's the bottom line?
If you like the ritual of jade rolling and you want to see what all the fuss is with red-light therapy, the SolaWave is a solid entry point. Before you commit to pricier treatments at the dermatologist or spa (where a single session at a New York spot could be $55), you can test the waters with this $150 device that you can use on your own schedule, again and again.
And please, if you're taking a morning stroll down my block, be sure to give me a shout and I'll give you a Sola-wave as I do my window-side facials!
Read More:
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The Best Beauty Gifts that Just Keep on Giving
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