Remove facial hair with wax, not razor

By Al Varela

A reader wants to know: Recently my lifetime girlfriend admitted to me that she occasionally shaves her face. She claims that shaving not only rids her of any unwanted hair, but that it also keeps her skin smooth and free of any breakouts. What do you think about this procedure? Should a woman shave her face?

This question reminds me of one of my makeup mentors, who I met at the beginning of my career in New York. She was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen and she always attributed her gorgeous skin to the fact that she shaved her face on a daily basis.

She was well over 60 years old, and did not look a day over 40, and claimed to have been shaving since the tender age of 16. She also said she took care of her skin and never baked in the sun.

I think she would be surprised to know that her shaving had less to do with her incredible skin than her daily skin treatments and sun protection. This practice possibly was more of a contributor to her gorgeous skin than the actual act of shaving.

The practice of face shaving has almost always been associated with a daily male ritual. In addition to removing hair, shaving helps to exfoliate and remove dead skin cells that accumulate on a daily basis. Using exfoliating creams recommended by your skin care expert can give you better results without the damage that can also result from shaving.

There are exfoliating creams available that are gentle enough to use every day. Avoid any coarse exfoliating products that contain ground seed particles, since they can be too abrasive to the skin. One of the best I have found is made from finely ground corn cob meal and also contains citric acid to help stimulate skin cell renewal.

Your friend seems to be using shaving to remove hair as her primary task. Remember the amount of facial hair is genetically determined and can fluctuate with changing hormone levels.

Birth control pills can also cause an increase in facial hair growth and as women age they can get hairier as the level of estrogen in the body falls relative to testosterone.

Shaving should not be the first choice to remove the hair. A more popular and effective method is waxing.

Waxing can be less irritating to the skin and also prevents the occasional nick associated with shaving. Always remember that nicks and stubble blend well with snakes and snails and puppy dog tails but not with sugar and spice and everything nice.

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