I’ve accumulated lots of random, bad advice over the years about hair removal, and I’d be willing to bet I’m in good company. “Don’t shave above the knee.” “If you pluck one gray hair, two more will grow back.” “If you shave your face, you’ll get stubble like a man.” Sounds familiar, right? But, guess what, ladies: all this is rubbish! Go ahead, shave above your knees. If you have any grays, pluck whichever ones you want. And, yes, by all means, definitely, women, shave your face. WHAT???
Apparently, one of the secrets that models have been hoarding for years is that they shave. About a decade ago, this idea was suddenly all the rage with aestheticians advocating “dermaplaning.” Never one to simply stand back and wonder, a decade ago I decided to dive right in and have my face shaved dermaplaned. (Dermaplaning, which simply shaving, but with a technical-sounding name, is done with a single #10 surgical blade by a trained professional.) I have to say, I didn’t realize how much that peach fuzz was bothering me until was GONE. And, truth be told, I have never walked out of a facial with better-looking skin.
Is it bad for women to shave their face? No — not at all!
Immediately after my facial, I went to have my eyebrows done. (Yes, it was a day of beauty.) My eyebrow guru said my skin looked great and I told her my secret: no hair. This came as no surprise to her as she confirmed that shaving your face (starting at the cheekbones in a light, downward motion) once a month with a single blade razor not only removes the peach fuzz most of us have, it also offers a nice exfoliation – both of which allow your skincare products to penetrate more evenly and your makeup to look practically flawless. She said, “It’s a well-kept secret of many beautiful women… just don’t let your husband catch you doing it!”
I originally did some online research, 10 years ago, and found that the message boards were FILLED with women advocating dermaplaning, aka shaving, for the whole face. Yes, even the forehead. Shaving your whole face helps with wrinkles, scarring, pigmentation issues and does indeed make for better product penetration. This extreme exfoliation is almost magical.
I have been shaving on and off now, for over 10 years, and ladies, this is one thing is a game changer. I try to remember and shave every two weeks, but let’s be honest, I shave when I notice the peach fuzz. And, I look for it.
One caveat, if you have acne-prone skin, shaving your face may not be the route for you. Those baby-fine hairs actually help bring the oil out of your skin to prevent clogged pores. And, while I love how smooth my skin is with shaving, I did fight some cheek acne for a bit and was not typical for me. But, in general, I do fight some acne as a part of life. So, if this is your skin situation, too, heed my caution. That said, my little cheek pimples did calm down, and I have kept up this whole dermaplaning/shaving thing.
I did stick with the professional route for a bit, but I’m not one to get monthly facials, or even yearly facials, so did easily succumb to the at-home route.
Please know, your hair will NOT grow back thicker, darker or scarier. But, once all those little blonde hairs are gone, you will most likely be thinking, “Why haven’t I done this earlier!” And, those with a mustache? Shave it off. No more wax or yucky smelly hair removal foam. Does this leave you wondering WHY these hairs don’t grow back thicker? In a nutshell, here’s what I found out after talking to several beauty pals and, of course, endless online research:
The fine, translucent hair on your face is vellous hair and is found on your face, chest and back (ladies). This is totally different from terminal hair, which is far coarser and grows on your head, underarms, pubic area and brows. Because vellous hair is so fine and different from terminal hair, cutting it does not make it grow in thicker or feel stubbly afterward. Men’s facial hair is terminal hair, ours is vellous.
Make sense?
Here are two razors we suggest using for shaving your face at home:
Around here, we don’t keep secrets like big-time models do. We think we all deserve the inside track to beautiful skin. Shave away!
