Raise your hand if you’re simply *over* your esthetician trying to upsell you on a very expensive 15 minutes of red light therapy during facials?
After a lot of researching for at home red light therapy tools, I landed on the Solawave 4-in-1 Red Light Therapy Skincare Wand and used it for 3 months before sitting down to write this review for you. This little device is pretty nifty, and now I get to tell my esthetician “Nah babe, I use red light at home I’m good!”
What Is Red Light Therapy?
Red light increases the production of collagen (aka helps texture, smooth fine lines, fade wrinkles and makes your face skin look healthier), so doing it a few times a year during your facial isn’t that beneficial. It needs to be integrated into your skincare routine to see results.
There’s still a lot of ongoing research on the benefits of red light therapy but it’s considered to be helpful for many skin types, especially if you have skin damage due to acne scars, eczema, etc.
You’ve probably seen the red light masks that look a little intense. Those are incredibly expensive (easily $400+).
About SolaWave
I wasn’t ready to bust out $400 on a beauty mask that I couldn’t be certain would even do anything, so I found SolaWave instead.
SolaWave is located in Santa Monica, California, United States and was founded by Andrew Silberstein and Eli Bailey in 2020 (so they are a relatively new company!) According to PRNewsire, “SolaWave strives to make beauty and self-care accessible for all. With an ethos of simplicity, SolaWave empowers its customers by offering holistic tools and products at an accessible price, ensuring that everyone–in every tone–can feel beautiful in their own skin.”
But I personally view them as a rad company offering handy beauty tools at an attainable price.
My Skin Type
Before we dive into using the SolaWave wand, it’s important to note my Skintype as tools and beauty treatments impact skin differently. I grew up with eczema but have mostly grown out of it as an adult, though sometimes my skin can be sensitive to products with too many ingredients in them.
My skin is mostly normal but leans on the dry side thanks to my eczema past, and recently in my 30’s I’ve been struggling with hormonal acne. That’s actually a big reason I decided to use red light therapy in my skincare routine — I heard it could help with breakouts and I am TIRED of waking up at age 32 with a giant pimple on my chin.
So, my Solawave wand before and after the experience is all based on this — if you have drastically different skin, I do think red light therapy will help you but I can’t guarantee if you see will results in the same time frame as me.
My Honest SolaWave Wand Review After 3 Months Of Using The Light Therapy Wand
The 4-in-1 Red Light Therapy Skincare Wand & Activating Serum Kit is about $180, though they frequently have sales and you don’t need to buy the renew complex serum which helps make the wand more affordable.
Personally I don’t use the Complex Activating Serum in my skin care routine, but many like it as it has Hyaluronic Acid Serum in it (I already use acid from The Ordinary in my skin cycling routine so I don’t like to mess that up!)
The Solawave Radiant Renewal wand combines four perks: Red Light Therapy, Galvanic Current, Facial Massage, and Therapeutic Warmth. These work together to provide clear, glowing skin over time if you use your radiant renewal skincare wand with regular use.
You have to start slowly with this — just a couple times a week and slowly over time move to using it daily or every other day. After about 6 weeks I started using it daily in the morning after I apply my morning serums and lotions.
I use the wand by slowly moving over my face, which is why it’s important to use it only after applying a lotion or serum so the tool has something to glid over. Just like with Gua Sha, you don’t want to pull or yank on your skin!
I like to focus more on my chin area, as that is where I have the most breakouts but will do a quick pass on my whole face.
I love my little red light therapy wand. It's small but mighty to target wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, blemishes, and dark spots while de-puffing and energizing my skin! I take it with me when I travel, too, since it packs well.
- Compact
- Red Light Therapy
- Galvanic Current
- Quick Charging
Do Not Over Use The Wand!!
There is a ton of important information that comes with your wand package to read, but the most vital to know: don’t over use it! You shouldn’t use the wand for more than 5 minutes a day, and I honestly don’t even use it that much. More use can cause serious damage to your skin.
I find that the wand gets very warm and my skin gets too warm if I’m using it too long and that’s a good sign to turn it off and get at it again the next day.
I’ve seen TikTok videos of people using the wand for 60+ minutes which is a big no-no!
SolaWave Dermatologist Review
According to Anna H Chacon, MD, “it’s particularly beneficial for those dealing with skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis. It can also be used for anti-aging purposes as it may help stimulate collagen production, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.”
She warns that “the timeline for seeing results varies depending on the individual and the condition being treated. For minor skin issues, some people may notice improvements within a few weeks. For more severe conditions, it might take several months of consistent use to see significant changes.”
Does Solawave Actually Work? My Final Verdict
I’m pretty obsessed with my wand. I wasn’t sure it was going to work and it took a while to see results so I was almost ready to throw it in the bin for a while there, but I stuck with it!
I also was admittedly bad at using it on a regular basis as first so it probably took me longer to see results than most people. It is important to note that around the same time I also committed to a consistent skin cycling routine with products so I do think my improved skin is partially to buckling down on my favorite routine but also I know the wand is doing a lot of work.
For instance, I spent a week in Madison last month visiting family and didn’t bring my wand. All that cheese and beer and dry air caused me to break out and normally I would be able to zap that away with SolaWave but I couldn’t!! But once I was home I was able to clear my skin again with the tool in about a week.
Overall I see an improved skin texture and acne is kept at bay.
Does SolaWave Help With Acne?
YES! My secret trick is to use the wand whenever I feel a breakout happening. I will target that area with the red light wand to really zap away growth, and 9/10 a zit never full forms.
My routine is: wash, apply serum or lotion, use the wand for 2 minutes on the zit area, apply a spot treatment cream and then, over night, also a pimple patch. I usually wake up without any pimples!
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Kara's Pick
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My Solawave Review Before And After Photos…
The SolaWave before and after results took a while to see – this isn’t something that will happen overnight. But as you can see here, but skin is clear compared to before when I was struggling with acne every month!
Frequently Asked Questions About SolaWave Wands
How Is SolaWave’s Return Policy?
It’s a very generous policy! According to their site “In the rare case you do not see results with any Solawave product, you may return it for a full refund within 60 days of receiving your product(s). Satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! We allow returns of used & open products, and we also cover return shipping costs. There’s truly no risk to trying out Solawave products!”
SolaWave BBB Review
Solawave IS accredited and has an A+ rating which is great!! Any Solawave negative reviews seem to just be around slow shipping.
Which Is Better Nuface Or Solawave?
They’re different! And to be honest I am eying a Nuface device for myself to work into my daily care routine. Nuface is an at-home microcurrent device that increases the tone of the facial muscles – it’s basically a special facial massage that tones your cheeks or jaw bones.
While young it aids in that “snatched” look but as you age, it’s very helpful in maintaining skin elasticity and muscle strength so your face doesn’t get all droopy.
The Solawave facial wand does have a current but it’s at a low level and is more targeted towards the skin vs the muscles. Most certified dermatologist would suggest using both and as I mentioned, I am planning on buying a Nuface soon. I’m only 32 though so I feel like I have a couple more years until it becomes vital! (Right?? Please tell me it doesn’t all go down hill at age 33!!!)
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Kara's Pick
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A current device that targets face muscles to tone them. Sculpt the face & neck, smooth lines, lift brows and make cheekbones pop in minutes. |
I love my little red light therapy wand. It's small but mighty to target wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, blemishes, and dark spots while de-puffing and energizing my skin! I take it with me when I travel, too, since it packs well. |
A current device that targets face muscles to tone them. Sculpt the face & neck, smooth lines, lift brows and make cheekbones pop in minutes.
I love my little red light therapy wand. It's small but mighty to target wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, blemishes, and dark spots while de-puffing and energizing my skin! I take it with me when I travel, too, since it packs well.
Red Light Therapy Mask vs Wand
Masks work to expose the whole face to the red light while renewal wands work best for targeted use to spot treat but also use red light and galvanic current at the same time. The wands are also less expensive and easy to pack for trips.
Got your own Solawave reviews to add? Drop a comment below so we can all see!!
1 comment
Your skin in the after pic looks amazing! I also suffer from hormonal acne (and I’m 42…) and used to rely on birth control pills for clear skin, but since I aged out of the pill it’s been a downhill battle. That after pic is my dream skin! I found your website searching for honest reviews of Halara, think I’m going to buy this instead of clothing that probably won’t fit and cannot be returned, lol. Thank you for the honest reviews!