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I’m no stranger to strange and obscure beauty hacks, as I’ll willingly try anything in the name of beauty. Seriously, go ahead and ask me about those insect feces creams, (yes, it’s a thing!) I tried back in college, or prepare to wince once I tell you that pickle juice toner is a beauty staple I can’t live without. I swear, I could go on and on.
But before I proceed to horrify you with all those TMI beauty experiment details, (cough, pepto bismol facials, cough) I will tell you that some of the strangest beauty hacks out there really do work. Among the most successful ones I’ve tried include the art of shaving your face. Yes, you totally read that right.
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The idea of using a razor on your face may seem cringeworthy, but skin care experts and YouTube stars swear by it. Not only does exfoliation from shaving helps rid your complexion of dead skin cells, but it also supposedly helps your creams and serums penetrate your skin more effectively.
To see if shaving your face is the real deal, I grabbed some some coconut oil and a special facial razor and tested this hack out for seven days straight. Read on to see just how everything turned out.
Day 1
Shaving your face may seem like a super awkward task, but if you invest in the right tools, the job should be a piece of cake. Now it may be tempting to use some Schick or Venus razors on your complexion, but most online beauty gurus recommend opting for a small facial hair razors available at your local beauty supply store, as these mini bladed tools allow you to shave facial areas carefully and precisely without any nicks or cuts.
Image: Sally Beauty
When it comes to shaving cream, feel free to use whatever you’d like. However, being that a lot of shaving creams tend to be on the drying side, I opted to use coconut oil, as the moisturizing oil can be used as a shaving cream substitute, if you are careful.
Once I had a good amount of coconut oil on my face, I began to shave my face in slow upward and downward strokes. Sadly, I didn’t notice too much anti-aging benefits on the first day, but I did rejoice over the massive amount of peach fuzz removed from my face.
Day 2
Upon waking up the next day, I was surprised to find how well my night cream absorbed into my skin, thanks to last night’s shave. Normally, night creams and facial oils tend to sit on my skin, so I was very intrigued to see how supple and hydrated my skin was the following morning. While I can’t exactly prove that shaving my face is making my products function better, the velvety feeling of my skin makes me pumped to shave again later today.
Shaving my face again before bedtime proved to be simple and easy. Surprisingly, the mini razor blades aren’t cutting or irritating my face, as I don’t feel any razor burn on my skin. I do however, see a pimple forming under the skin on my cheek. This may be caused from using too much oil, or from the extremely hot temps we’ve been currently experiencing on the East Coast.
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Day 3
By now, shaving my face daily has me totally obsessed. Not only as the hack been super easy to incorporate into my routine, but it’s keeping my complexion soft, without any dryness or icky bumps. I haven’t noticed a dazzling facial glow or a younger-looking appearance, but my moisturizers are still absorbing into my skin fast, making me one happy camper. Even my facial masks seem to behaving better after shaving, as my charcoal pudding mask was able to shrink that nasty zit lingering beneath my pores.
Although I am tempted to shave twice a day, I don’t want to run the risk of irritation. Yes, my facial razor is super gentle on my skin, but I’ll admit to being very accident-prone. Therefore I want to do this process slowly and carefully.
Day 4
OK, I swear I can’t shut up about this hack, as I’ve ranted and raved about it to everyone I know. Still, I can’t say it’s revolutionized my skin altogether, but I do know it’s keeping dead skin and those dreaded chin hairs at bay.
Upping the stakes a bit, I decided to slap on a full face of makeup to see if my products would go on smoother than before. Of course, this proved to be a success, as my usually globby primer instantly melted onto my face, giving my foundations and cream highlighters nice staying power throughout the day.
Day 5
Secret’s out: I’ve officially dubbed myself the facial shaving pro. I do see a little shine popping up on my cheeks, but that could be from regular use of facial oils and vitamin C serum. Whatever the case, I’m still enjoying my buttery-soft skin, and will admit to touching it a little obsessively. Now that I’ve gotten that creepy tidbit of info out of the way, I’m off to shave once more before bed.
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Day 6
Even though shaving regularly is going along well, I’m honestly shocked my skin isn’t dry or irritated yet. Perhaps it’s because I’m remembering to moisturize frequently, as my serums and oils are keeping my face free of roughness. Which reminds me, I really need to start moisturizing my legs after shaving my legs and underarms more.
Day 7
As my experiment comes to a close, I’ll proudly say that I’ve grown quite fond of shaving my face. I may have not seen miraculous anti-aging benefits, but softer skin and better-performing skin care products makes me more than eager to continue it in the future. Shaving daily may be too much though, as after some time I was afraid that I was hacking off my own skin. However, this is something I may tone it down to once a week in the weeks to come.
What the Expert Says
It may feel pretty strange at first, but shaving your face reaps benefits your skin will want to take advantage of. Not only does shaving regularly rid your skin of pesky facial hairs, but incorporating the practice into your everyday routine also keeps your complexion exfoliated and a lot smoother than before.
“The biggest advantage of shaving the face for women is that not only are they getting rid of hair, but they are also exfoliating the top layers of skin,” says New York dermatologist Debra Jaliman, MD. “This can make their skin look smoother and give it more glow. It can also help increase the penetration of anti-aging products.”
