#AskHauterfly: Is Shaving Your Face *Actually* Good For Skin?

#AskHauterfly: Is Shaving Your Face *Actually* Good For Skin?

For scores of us women, shaving our arms and legs is a cumbersome activity we could totally do without. The things we have to do for beauty…sigh! While we’re no strangers to shaving our limbs, a not-so-recent trend that just caught me by surprise is shaving your face, which BTW has been creating quite a buzz on the internet over the last few days. While I’ve seen a few girls enduring an agonising face waxing session at the salon, the concept of women shaving their faces is a radical one indeed.

Apparently, Korean and Japanese women are really big on this trend and two iconic beauties well-known for their amazing skin — Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe — shaved their faces regularly as well. And the obvious benefit is this: besides taking off peach fuzz, face shaving also exfoliates dead skin since it mimics dermaplaning. Dermaplaning is the procedure where a straight-edge facial razor is used to exfoliate the skin mechanically. The process takes away deep layers of dead skin cells and peach fuzz. It smoothens the skin, enables skincare products to penetrate deeper, and promotes cellular turnover.

Regular female practitioners of facial shaving claim that it helps plane off any small growths that you may have, and also softens the appearance of fine lines, while also stimulating collagen production.

Avid YouTuber and perhaps one of the most influential beauty bloggers in the world right now — Huda Kattan of Huda Beauty — swears by facial shaving too. Catch her in action below:

 

 

Sounds too good to be true? I simply had to get an expert opinion on this, so I spoke to dermatologist and cosmetologist Dr Farida Modi, who says, “Shaving acts like a mild exfoliant and improves blood supply to the skin. It also stimulates the production of collagen, so it has an anti-aging effect. Men who shave age better because the stimulation in collagen production leads to firmer skin. However, there’s a risk that the increased blood supply to the skin can trigger finer hair to come out thicker in some women, because of increased friction and stimulation. While thicker hair is fine on a man, it can be a problem for women. I’d suggest limiting shaving to once every week if you really want to go this a go.”

Although Kattan likes to shave dry, you run the risk of cutting yourself like that. You can always use an oil or shaving foam before shaving your face. However, make sure you invest in a razor meant especially for the face. Going to town with a Mach3 isn’t going to cut it!

I’m still trying to make up my mind about whether shaving your face is actually a good thing in the long run. While the obvious benefits are interesting indeed, I think I’m going to pass on this one. I’d much rather go to my dermat and get a proper cleanup instead.

Shop some of the most recommended facial razors for women below:

 

Feather Flamingo Facial Touch-up Razor Pack_Hauterfly

Feather Flamingo Facial Touch-up Razor (Rs 1,197)

Tinkle Eyebrow Face Razor Trimmer_Hauterfly

Tinkle Eyebrow Face Razor Trimmer (Rs 840) 

Gabriella Womens Eyebrows & Facial Razor_Hauterfly

Gabriella Womens Eyebrows & Facial Razor (Rs 1,036)

Hauterfly Staff

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