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Many women are now shaving their faces, but should you?

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In 2015 the practice of taking a razor (a micro one specifically designed for your face) to your facial area for the main purpose of removing “peachy fuzz” (soft hair) and the added benefit of exfoliation became a much-talked about and hotly contested subject.  

Fast-forward to 1 March 2017 and the “trend” is still fascinating the world. Insider Beauty posted a video on Facebook featuring women shaving before applying makeup  and it has already acquired more than 496K views and counting. Good bye primer, hello razor!

A common Japanese trend

This practice is not that fringe, however. According to Refinery29.com  kao sori (dermaplaning or face shaving) is very common in Japan. And what are their reasons for opting for the razor rather than waxing or threading? 

To achieve “fuzz-free complexions, as well as to maximize penetration of their multi-product skin-care routines,” reports Refinery29.

In the States dermaplaning has been employed for a few years to treat hyperpigmentation, mild scarring, fine lines and wrinkles.

Why so strange?

The thought of cis-gendered women shaving their faces is pretty weird, I admit. Funny how the masochistic practice of waxing, where we have our pubes ripped from their very follicles in a process that feels like being struck by lightning, has become completely normal, but this is weird?

Am I being anti-feminist? I mean why can’t women shave their faces? We already wax, pluck and thread the living bejesus out of our faces, so why not go for the seemingly more painless option of shaving dat baby beard?

Well, it might not be as simple as that. The Guardian‘s Anita Bhagwandas notes that “…regrowth as the result of a razor – compared with waxing, threading and depilatory creams – is a colossal ball-ache.” To put it mildly.

And she also challenges the idea that shaving leads to more youthful looking skin. When we break it down, the sexes are programmed to age differently. Male androgens cause an increase in skin thickness and dudes produce more sebum (natural oil keeping the skin plump and youthful-looking) than us women folk.

Oh and the kicker? In the article she also notes that men have more collagen than women. So comparing a man shaving his face to a woman shaving her face is basically like comparing Zuma to Justin Trudeau. We all know Justin has a much superior bottom.  

So while shaving exfoliates the skin, it can be inflammatory. It can in fact cause skin damage like drying out and over exfoliating which will see you aging faster.

So with that in mind as well as the potential issue of getting stubble, ingrown facial hair and razor burn you have yourself a party!

But, at least your makeup will go on much easier.

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