Dermaplaning 101: Why I Shave My Face

Exfoliation on steroids.

Dermaplaning is, essentially, shaving your face with a sharp, scalpel-like tool. It gets rid of any unwanted peach fuzz, and is insanely exfoliating without being harsh on your skin (and it is totally pain-free!). But it’s a little more nuanced than just taking a Gillette to your face. Keep reading to find out the benefits of dermaplaning, and how to do it at home.

Dermaplaning How-To

My first experience with dermaplaning was with Kerry Benjamin, esthetician, founder of Stacked Skincare, and my personal skin care guru. (I’m a loyal user of her TCA Multi Acid Face Peel and PSC Peptide Serum.) I met with her at her spa so she could give me the scoop on her new Dermaplaning Tool, and teach me how to use it. Luckily for me (and anyone else out there who is similarly not dexterous) it’s incredibly easy to use.

First, start with totally clean, dry skin (this means no product on it). Pull your skin taut at your cheek, then position the blade at a 45-degree angle. Make short, small, downward strokes, making sure you always keep the blade in contact with your skin to prevent nicking yourself. Repeat for your entire face, being especially mindful around your brows (this is a razor, after all!) and avoiding any areas where you have breakouts. Check out the video below for a demo!

Okay, so why go through the trouble of shaving my face? And won’t my facial hair grow back weird, making me look like a Duck Dynasty extra? These are the first two questions I lobbed at Benjamin, who was totally unfazed by them because that’s basically how everyone reacts.

First off, she says that your peach fuzz — aka vellus hair — won’t grow back darker or thicker. My vellus hair was never dark or thick, so it’s not going to grow back that way. That’s because dermaplaning shaves off your hair and doesn’t change the follicle of your hair.

The benefits are definitely worth the five minutes every week or so you spend dermaplaning. Benjamin says that it evens out your skin tone and texture, leaving you with brighter, glowier skin. It helps increase cell turnover and slough away potentially pore-clogging dead skin cells. And because you don’t have all those dead skin cells in the way, your skin is able to drink up your other skin care products more effectively.

Upon Benjamin’s recommendation, I apply her TCA peel immediately after dermaplaning. It’s packed with five exfoliating acids and is surprisingly hydrating and gentle. I layer her Peptide Serum on top, then apply a gentle moisturizer and then pat on a face oil. Seriously, my skin *glows*. As a beauty editor, I’ve come to hate the phrase “lit-from-within” because it’s seriously overused, but in this case I’ll say it because how else could you possibly describe skin that looks like this:

via giphy

And I don’t compare my skin to Cate Blanchette’s lightly.

Have you tried dermaplaning? Will you try it? Let us know in the comments below!