In the next (probably ridiculous) attempt to get women to lengthen their beauty routines even more (sigh), women everywhere are now swearing by shaving an unusual area—their face.
In a recent New York Times article, celebrity facialist Kate Somerville admits to shaving her face weekly. What started as an attempt to ditch a painful and irritating wax ended in a habit—one that apparently exfoliates and makes makeup slide on smoother (okay, now we’re seeing some benefits).
According to the New York Times, 3 out of 4 young women are already removing some sort of facial hair. The majority of maintenance is done on eyebrows, with upper lip waxing coming in as a close second, so it’s no surprise that shaving is the next big thing. After all, who wants to make frequent salon visits when a solution can be found at home?
The Benefits
Peach fuzz is without true pigmentation, meaning the mystical powers of laser hair removal are ineffective at addressing it. Coupled with the fact that waxing can be painful, shaving seems like an easy alternative.
For those who do it, it’s also not painfully often. In the New York Times story, many interviewees reported shaving only once every couple of weeks or months. That’s probably because it’s unnecessary to do anything more: it’s a total myth that you’ll grow back a wildly thick beard after a face shave (thank goodness). Rest assured that if you try it, there’s no way that hair is getting coarser or darker. And if it feels like it? It’s only because the hair has a temporarily sharp edge after a fresh cut!
So, if you’d really like to be bare of hair, the trend is definitely doable, and it’s good to hear that women aren’t embarrassed of admitting that we’ve all got hair on our faces!
For high-quality care, it’s always good to see an expert, but face shaving can also be totally DIY. If you’re interested in starting, here are some handy quick tips:
- Use a men’s razor for better precision and efficacy.
- Prep your face with shaving cream, lotion, or oil to prevent cuts.
The Problem
Have you ever been at the salon, about to get your eyebrows done, when the beautician asks if she should address your mustache? We have, and it’s not a fun feeling—we didn’t even realize we had one! Why should we be ashamed of something that’s totally natural, and why does society feel the need to always find something new to fix?
In the New York Times article, interviewee Marie Goldberg says, “Women, especially blondes, think they have no facial hair because it’s so light, but when the sunlight hits it, it looks like you could run your fingers through it. I just want to grab them and be like, ‘Here’s my Tinkle.'” A Tinkle being a type of razor, we’re a little shocked at Goldberg’s harsh comments. Is it really that bad to have barely-there facial hair?
What’s problematic is that this new trend instills a whole new level of body shaming. Can’t women catch a break? Last time we checked, a little bit of peach fuzz wasn’t hurting anyone, and just because something’s trending doesn’t mean it’s good or necessary. Ladies, embrace that fuzz if you want to, rock those Cara Delevingne brows, and never fear a little ‘stache (let’s be real, they’re inevitable). You’re beautiful with or without a clean shave, and honestly, we can barely keep our legs in check as it is—ain’t nobody got time for an extra thirty minutes of razor time or an upper lip razor burn (cringe).