I’d like to preface this article by informing you that no, I’m not Helga the lunch lady with long black hairs stemming from my chin. In fact, I’m naturally fair-skinned with naturally light brown hair. In other words, I’m not the girl who’s been getting her lip waxed since middle school and has to shave her arms everyday. (Shouts out to those girls, because I can barely bring myself to shave my armpits on a daily basis, let alone the rest of my body, so respect.) Point is, I don’t have to shave my face out of necessity. Rather, I choose to shave my face because of its undeniable beauty benefits.

Now, before I share said benefits, I’m going to debunk the myth that I know you’re all thinking right now: “If I shave my face, the hair is going to grow back thicker, darker, and faster.” False, false and false. I think this is a rumor that the waxing ladies at the salon started so they wouldn’t lose all their business. But, Big Waxing, we see you. 

This myth is based on the illusion that the hair is growing back thicker and darker. According to a salon specialist in an article from InStyle, this is due to the fact that cutting off the hair at its thickest point leaves a blunt edge, giving the appearance of thicker hair as it starts to grow back. Like, think about the hair on your head. As you get to your ends, your hair becomes thinner because that’s just how hair grows. If you cut off the thin ends, your hair looks thicker, even though the actual hair follicle hasn’t changed. If you need more proof, just look it up.

Anyways, now that we’ve settled that, I’ll tell you why I choose to shave my face.

1. Bye, Bye Peach Fuzz

I don’t have a thick mustache. What I do have is some not-so-cute peach fuzz above my lip that becomes super visible in broad daylight. I’ve tried plucking and Nair-ing it, but both resulted in a new mustache of red bumps. So I shave my face. By shaving it, I don’t have to hide away like a vampire at the slight chance of sunlight (or risk having a red bumpy ‘stache in its place).

2. Exfoliation

If you’ve ever gotten a spray tan or used self-tanner then you know that when you shave your legs, they all of a sudden look a lot less tan. This is because shaving removes dead skin cells, acting as a means of exfoliation. Shaving your face has the same effect. Not to mention, exfoliation is ESSENTIAL to anti-aging because it removes the build up of dead skin cells, leaving the skin brighter and more even looking.

3. Product Penetration

Due to the effectiveness of the exfoliation aspect, shaving your face allows your skincare products to penetrate deeper and more effectively into the surface of the skin. Which, considering I spend enough at Sephora to be VIB Rouge for the rest of my life, is vvv appealing to me.

4. Smoother Makeup Application

Besides the removal of unwanted hair, smoother makeup application is the most noticeable immediate effect. Since your skin is exfoliated and hairless, your foundation will go on smoother than ever. Like, legit, you can expect airbrush flawless, Olivia Culpo-smooth status.

I shave my face with a Tinkle razor, and I recommend it, although different people will say different things. You want to make sure you shave in the same direction that the hair grows and to only do it on clean skin. Some people suggest using shaving cream; however, I find this unnecessary and personally don’t want to risk clogging my pores and causing a breakout. Rather, I use a face oil and, from my own experience, this has worked phenomenally. 

Note, if you have acne-prone skin or have any current breakouts, you shouldn’t try face shaving. But, if not, grab a (new) razor and get to it!

Images: Kevin Reinaldo / Unpsplash; Giphy (3)