Beauty And The Blog

No woman wants a mustache. Or those weird chin hairs that magically appear one day with no warning. We all know about waxing, tweezing, bleaching and depilatories.

And now in addition to electrolysis we have lasers that are very effective for removing unwanted hair not only on the face but other areas of the body as well.

Now, what would you think if I told you that dermatologists and estheticians have been recommending shaving as a real alternative to the methods of hair removal for the face? I’m an esthetician and I hadn’t heard about it! But I haven’t been working in a salon or medical spa since 2003.

I was roaming around on the internet looking at new information on hair removal (quite a while ago, I have been meaning to write this post for ages) and this shaving thing kept popping up. Dates on most of the posts are 2005-2006. So it isn’t new news. Women are actually doing this on the advice of doctors and facialists.

I can see the panic in your face already, right here though my computer screen. It was my first reaction, too.  Nooooo, I’m not shaving my FACE!  What the hell are they talking about? It’s just not RIGHT! What would a husband or boyfriend think? How UN-feminine!

OK, stop. Right there. Are you interested in anti-aging? You want to minimize lines and wrinkles? Exfoliation is important to you, right (it better be)?  You want smooth glowing and radiant skin. Without some weird hair sprouting front and center from your chin, or a fine layer of dark peach fuzz setting up residence on your upper lip. OK, maybe it is light peach fuzz, but you still don’t want it, do you?

Well, here is what caught my attention about this whole female-face-shaving-thing: Shaving your face is an anti-aging treatment that has been found to be very effective.

Here is what it can do for you. Exfoliate, which we know is the removal of the dead and unwanted layer of cells on the surface of our skin. Shaving also causes very minor irritation to the skin which in turn causes a tightening and plumping to take place over time (and that is what will minimize the fine lines and wrinkles). Now, who wouldn’t like that? I don’t see any raised hands, so, you do like/want that, huh?

Another interesting point…  Japanese women have been shaving their faces for generations! It is considered a very common beauty treatment.

Are you game? Scared? Worried that the hair will grow back thicker, darker, coarser? It won’t. Your hair follicle determines that, and you aren’t going anywhere near your hair follicle when you shave. You are probably thinking, “But, when I shave my legs the hair feels like stubble when it grows in”. That is because you have created a flat or blunt top edge on the hair you have shaved. When a hair grows and hasn’t been shaved it is tapered so it feels softer to the touch. Plus, the hair on your face is just not the same. It’s finer, it won’t feel the same as your legs do when the hair grows back. You may have to shave your face daily, depends on color of the hair and how much you have. I know some of you don’t shave your legs daily so that may not sound so good. (I do, I am obsessed with smooth skin).

So. Hair on your face. That you don’t want. Starting to think about it, aren’t you?

Ever heard of Dermaplaning? It’s the same thing as shaving. Only it is done in a spa or dermatologists office. And it does remove a bit more skin than plain shaving. It’s a well known fact that it is good for the skin and a powerful tool against aging, the appearance of lines and wrinkles. In addition to helping to maintain plump, firm skin.

But you need to keep regular appointments and spend a considerable amount of bank for Dermaplaning.

So why not try shaving at home? It’s affordable. You can shut the bathroom door and who’s to know? If you keep your mouth shut no one will know. And since you are trying it at home you can do it daily, so no waiting for regrowth long enough to wax, no burning depilatory or bleach. And tweezing an area such as the upper lip is very painful and impractical.  The hair on female faces isn’t the same as on a male, anyway. Our facial hair tends to be more of a fuzz. So you aren’t going to see the 5:00 shadow I know all of you are imagining right now.

Before I give you a couple links to check out on the subject of facial shaving I have one more little gem of information to pass along.

Do you wear foundation makeup? Want it to apply incredibly smoother than ever? Virtually melt into your skin? Shaving your face will let your foundation do that, and allow for a better application of translucent powder or powdered mineral makeup. What do think about that, huh?

Still thinking? One of those things that make you go, hmmmm?. Right? Well, take a peek at these articles (below) I found. Then, please do come on back and leave me a comment. Tell me what you think. Is it “Ewwww, never!” or is it “This sounds interesting, I might try it”.

And if you would like to visit a forum on the subject, EssentiallDaySpa has one going on. The most current posts begin on the bottom of the 2nd page. But the whole thread is interesting.

Plastic Surgeon Wants More Women to Shave Their Faces

By Dr. Edward Domanskis on PRWeb

Shaving – Why Women Should Shave Their Face

By Lauren Cross via Ezine @rticle

Japanese Beauty’s Best kept Secret

By Aphroditi on Beaut.ie: The Irish Beauty Blog

Dermaplaning

By Pam Zagula, LE, LPN  from Sandel Center Facial Plastic Surgery

Photo by caperuccita