Why Some Women are Shaving their Faces

Would you shave your face? Apparently, some women are secretly lathering up above the neck. A recent story in the New York Times reports on a trend of women shaving their facial hair on the regular.

In the piece, Kate Sommerville, facialist to stars such as Jessica Alba and Deborah Messing, tells the Times she shaves her face daily with a men’s Mach3 razor. Not only does the ritual remove the hair she says she  ‘hates’ to say she has, but she also swears by the blade as a great exfoliant that helps her makeup go on better.

Sommerville isn’t the only one taking a razor to her facial hair. In fact, the Toronto Star reports that dermaplaning, a face-shaving procedure offered by estheticians, is on the rise among Toronto spa-goers. It’s touted as a super exfoliating, anti-aging treatment that results in smooth, glowing skin.

Star reporter Katrina Clarke went so far as to shave her face for this video. She used a multi-blade cartridge razor typically marketed to men, but there are face-shaving razors on the market that are targeted to women, like the Twinkle Eyebrow Razor, which retails for about $13.

I must admit I have never shaved my own face because frankly, it just doesn’t appeal. It’s not that I think face shaving is an inherently male thing to do ‘ after all, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I all purportedly did it. Nor do I fear thicker, coarser regrowth, which is a common shaving misconception. (According to the Mayo Clinic, shaving doesn’t cause hair to change colour or thickness, though stubble is obviously a concern). The real reason I’m turned off is that I’m nervous about nicks and razor burn. My husband deals with these on the regular, and it looks painful.

Of course, I could learn how to do a proper face shave by watching one of the many YouTube tutorials available. Still, the scar on my shin from an unfortunate high school shaving accident warns me off.

If you are going to try shaving your face, take note: excess facial hair could be a sign of a medical condition, so speak to your doctor if you’re concerned.