Ask the Editor: Removing Facial Hair

The pandemic is a lesson in duality.  I’ve never thought more about my personal appearance.  I’ve also never cared about it less.

Without makeup to cover them, I notice my enlarged pores and dark circles every time I look in the mirror.  With visits to my stylist limited, my grey hairs are just a part of life that I am learning to accept.  But I’m also trying new products, tools and treatments like never before.

I’m torn between wanting to use this time to improve my appearance and using this break from society to become more comfortable in my own (natural) skin.  And I’m not the only one who spends their newly minted free time thinking about new beauty treatments to try.

Hi Abra!

Have you ever used a face shaver? I feel like it’s a good thing to start in quarantine BUT it freaks me out a bit. Like I’ll become dependent on it. Or, I know it’s a myth that if you start shaving it grows back thicker/darker etc but…can’t shake the feeling that it will.

I’ve got very fine blond hair on my cheeks near my ears and above my upper lip. I’ve gone 37 years without doing anything about it (I didn’t notice it until about a year ago) but it is starting to bother me. Please keep me anon if you talk about it!

Thanks. -K

The hair growing back darker and thicker if you shave it myth is pervasive.  Even The Mayo Clinic felt the need to let people know that this common belief isn’t true.  But I understand the concern, no one wants to remove a bit of barely visible upper-lip hair and wind up looking like Groucho Marx.

I don’t wax my facial hair.  I had a bad experience as a teen that could have disfigured me for life, so I’m done putting hot wax on my face.  Instead, I remove my upper lip hair with a Flawless Instant Facial Hair Remover.

This painless electric razor is sized for small areas and makes quick work of unwanted hair.  A couple of quick passes, and my upper lip is fuzz free.  And unlike shaving with a traditional razor, the Flawless device doesn’t clog my pores and give me lip acne.

The Flawless brand also makes a razor with a tapered head to use on your eyebrow area.  I decided to use quarantine to tackle the final stage of regrowing my eyebrows, and this device has kept things looking tidy while preventing me from going overboard with the tweezers.

Several readers over the years have extolled the virtues of a face shaving technique known as Dermaplaning.  The treatment removes all of the fine facial hair and exfoliates the skin.  In a spa, the treatment is sometimes performed with a scalpel and is used not only to remove hair, but also to treat uneven texture and dark spots..  But you can also dermaplane at home  for hair removal without surgical tools.

At-home dermaplaning begins with an ultra-fine razor blade.  Most dermaplaning aficionados swear by these inexpensive Tinkle Razors.  They’re sharp, easy to grip, and disposable.  Others prefer an electric device.  You can find inexpensive ones from brands like Flawless or invest in the gold standard device from Dermaflash.

You can read more about at-home derma planing on Byrdie or watch this video from Caroline Barnes.  But developing a good technique requires some practice.

The results of dermaplaning at home can be subtle or dramatic depending on the person.  I had my face dermaplaned before my wedding last year.  My skin was a bit smoother, and makeup adhered a bit better, but there was no huge change.  Ultimately, I decided not to keep doing it because I was concerned it would make my breakouts worse, since dermaplaning with acne-prone skin gets mixed reviews from dermatologists.

Removing facial and body hair is a very personal choice.  If you don’t mind the hair, don’t add a new personal maintenance chore to your plate.  But if you want to give a new treatment a try, now would be a good time.

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