Why Women Should Try Shaving Their Face

You may have seen it trending on TikTok, or perhaps you have read about it in SHAPE. Although a bit out of the ordinary, women are shaving their faces. Women naturally have hair all over, including on the face. While shaving it used to be considered taboo, for many, it has turned into a regular beauty treatment — providing benefits like brighter skin and better facial treatment absorption (via Cosmopolitan).

Women have two types of facial hair: peach fuzz (vellus hair), which are the fine strands of lighter colored hair that can also be found all over the body, and terminal hair, the thicker, darker hair that can grow at your side burn area, upper lip, or chin area (per Healthline). Many women use waxing to remove the unwanted terminal hair. But more women are now turning to dermaplaning, using a single blade tool for scraping the hair and dead skin off of the entire face (via Women's Health). 

Dermaplaning expert and StackedSkincare founder Kerry Benjamin wants to eradicate the stigmas surrounding shaving — especially the belief that when women shave, the hair will come back thicker and darker. She tells Bustle, "your hair will grow back exactly the same color and thickness as it was previously. You can't change the structure of your hair follicle by simply shaving your hair off." 

Another common myth is that face shaving will cause breakouts. Benjamin asserts you will attain just the opposite result, explaining that "by exfoliating the dead skin, [dermaplaning] will help to keep your skin clear." Dermaplaning supporter Joyce Imahiyerobo-Ip, M.D. tells Women's Health the benefits of face shaving are many, stating that "it gives skin a smooth appearance and makeup goes on better. Because it's a form of physical exfoliation, it will also help with pore size, tone, and texture."

As excited as you may be to try this beauty hack, there are some women who should first check in with a skincare professional. If you already have pimples and acne, an allergy to nickel, or have recently used the acne medicine Accutane, you'll want to avoid taking a blade to your face as that can cause further damage to your skin, esthetician Elena Tsiaklis tells Good Housekeeping.