15 Crazy Facts About Why Women Are Shaving Their Faces

Marilyn Monroe, Betty Paige, and Elizabeth Taylor all share the same beauty secret: they shaved their faces. For generations, women have known that the secret to soft, glowing skin involved shaving their face one to four times a month. However, these women didn't talk about it out in the open and they would have rather died than admit to the public that they were shaving their faces.

Most women don't want to tell anyone they shave their face because they think it is somehow shameful and they believe people would make fun of them. Then there is the old myth that shaving your facial hair will make it grow in darker and coarser. This is absolutely not true. It is a beauty myth meant to scare women from doing something that is commonly associated with men.

Thanks to the internet and women becoming more open about their beauty secrets, more and more women are now coming out to talk about shaving their faces and how they do it. It is no longer a beauty secret, but a beauty revolution.

The types of razors women use vary. Some women use their regular razors or a man's razor to do the job, but many women are turning to a razor called Tinkle that was made to shave and shape eyebrows. Whatever type of razor you use, it has to be sharp and clean for the best and safest results.

15 It's Super Cheap

Shaving your own face is far cheaper than having someone else do it. It's cheaper than laser hair removal and it is generally safer than buying a bottle of smelly chemicals that promises to melt away facial hair. While razor blades are not cheap, and it is best to buy a blade you are comfortable using, the breakdown of the costs of shaving versus many other treatments available will almost always show that shaving with a razor is the cheaper option.

14 Dermaplaning

Dermaplaning is a relatively expensive (compared to shaving at home) treatment that can be purchased at some spas. It involves a specialist scraping the skin with a scalpel. The process removes dead skin and light hairs, or peach fuzz. Dermaplaning is often performed on people's faces before they undergo a chemical peel or laser surgery because it removes debris off of the facial skin. Basically, it is just like taking a new, clean razor to your face, but, in this case, someone else is doing it for you without the personal discomfort and stigma of having to do it yourself. Of course, the stigma of face shaving is being dropped as more women admit to shaving their own faces.

13 It Prevents Wrinkles!

For older women, such as myself, preventing wrinkles as naturally as possible is a main goal in our daily beauty routine. Face shaving falls right into the routine because it is believed to help prevent wrinkles. When we shave our faces, we are removing the outermost layer of our skin and forcing our bodies to create fresh, new skin. Face shaving has long been believed to help prevent or delay the formation of wrinkles because men who shave their faces on a regular basis tend to get fewer wrinkles than women who do not shave their faces.

12 Slows Down Aging

When you shave your face, you increase collagen production. Aside from easy hair removal, increasing your collagen production has got to be one of the best benefits to face shaving. Collagen is a protein in our bodies that holds us together, from our bones to our muscles and skin. As we age, our collagen production naturally decreases, but production can be temporarily stimulated through laser therapy, retinoid acid, and shaving. Diet also affects our collagen production and by increasing our intake of egg whites, meat, blackberries, blueberries, and other fruits and vegetables, we can provide our bodies with the nutrients it needs for collagen production.

11 Kao Sori

Face shaving, called kao sori, is popular among the women in Japan. Kao sori salons are available through the country, offering women a clean, safe shave to remove unwanted hair. One of their kao sori salon companies, Beauty Face, has even developed a razor specifically for women who shave their face at home. Aside from removing facial hair, they claim that a face that is shaved properly will have increased skin oil that will naturally moisturize the face.

10 Easier than waxing, bleaching or threading

The most common and obvious reason why women shave their faces is to easily remove unwanted facial hair. Women with dark hair can readily relate to this reason because many have tried everything from bleaching to upper lip waxing with disastrous results. I know I went through this stage when I was 16 years old. A classmate looked at me and cruelly said that he liked my mustache. I tried everything to get rid of the dark hairs, from waxing to plucking to chemical removers. Then I picked up my razor and decided to start shaving and haven't looked back since.

9 Allows Your Skin to Absorb Moisturizer Better

When you shave your face, you not only remove unwanted hairs and promote collagen production, you are also removing dead and dry skin. You are scraping away the oil and dirt buildup on your skin that can clog your pores. After all the gunk is removed, your face will not only feel cleaner, but your skin will also be able to absorb moisturizers better. The best moisturizers to use on your skin after shaving are natural moisturizers. Many women use a small amount of coconut oil on their face after shaving, as well as olive oil and shea butter.

8 Creates a Better Canvas for Makeup

After your face is shaved, it will feel soft and smooth. It will also be a great canvas for your makeup. It doesn't matter if you choose to wear a little bit of makeup or if you are giving yourself a full makeover, having clean smooth skin makes all the difference when you are applying your foundation and blusher. Since your skin will also absorb moisturizer better after a shave, I find that the wait time between applying my moisturizer and applying makeup to be shorter because my skin absorbs the coconut oil quickly, leaving my skin moisturized, but not oily.

7 Prevents Acne

Heavy face scrubbing and constant skin washing can aggravate an acne breakout. Instead of risking another breakout, try shaving your face instead. Face shaving exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin and excess oils. It can also get rid of blackheads and whiteheads. You can use a new, clean razor to shave your face or, if hair removal is not an issue, you can use a clean electric razor to prevent breakouts. Face shaving will increase your collagen production, a protein in your body that can help heal your skin.

6 A Great Exfoliant

There are numerous exfoliants on the market. Some are great and some leave you feeling like you just rubbed sandpaper over your face. There are also expensive face scrubbers you can purchase in department stores that will help exfoliate your skin, but why should you bother? If you have a new, clean razor, you can exfoliate your skin and remove any unwanted hairs in one fell swoop. That is the beauty about shaving: there are so many health benefits associated with it that it would be a waste of time buying separate products instead of the one tool that does it all.

5 Better Than a Chemical Peel

With current trends turning to more natural beauty treatments, a chemical peel is off limits for many women. During a chemical peel, a chemical solution is put on the skin and for the next day or two weeks, depending on the strength of the peel, your skin peels off. This process can leave skin feeling red and raw. It can be uncomfortable for some. With razor shaving, however, you should be able to avoid any discomfort. Some women have experienced razor burn or red skin after they shaved, but there are many of use who can shave once a week without any bad effects.

4 Removes Blackheads

Besides removing the top most layer of skin on your face, shaving can also help remove blackheads and whiteheads. If these are a problem for you, use a new razor or a clean electric shaver on your face. Wash your face with warm water after you have finished shaving and apply a light moisturizer on your skin afterwards. Avoid using any abrasive soaps after shaving because this may irritate your skin and cause another breakout.

3 A Smoother Complexion

Have you ever looked at someone's face and just marveled at the smoothness of it? You can bet your bottom dollar that that woman more than likely shaves her face. The geisha did it (and still do it) and so do today's celebrities. A shaved face on a woman gives her a smooth, almost unreal, complexion that makes everyone want to reach out and touch her face. And yes, a shaved face is as soft as it looks and it feels sexy, too.

2 Youthful Appearance

There are the health benefits associated with face shaving and there are the beauty benefits, but we can't dismiss how face shaving makes us look. One of the first, most noticeable thing you will notice after shaving your face is how much younger you look. Facial hair is often associated with aging and, to be honest, when I worked at a local hospital, many of my mature lady patients asked me to shave their faces to reduce the “old woman” appearance. Shaving your face, especially if you are a mature woman, does give you a more youthful appearance and it gives us the boost in our self esteem.

1 Curiosity

As more women hear about face shaving, there are many that go ahead and try it out of sheer curiosity. They aren't always looking to remove facial hair, but they are curious about its other health and beauty benefits, such as gaining smoother skin and removing blackheads. These women are also finding their own, personal benefits to face shaving. Some, such as myself, find it relaxing and that it feels good. It is an easy way to pamper your skin and it forces you to pay attention to your skin when you might otherwise throw on some foundation to cover up and potential problems.