DERMAPLANING VS WAXING

Struggling with facial hair? If you’d like to get rid of your peach fuzz, do not worry! There are multiple different methods to remove the unwanted hair off of your face. Unfortunately, the skin on our face is ultra delicate, hence why the removal can become quite tricky. You need to be extra cautious about which facial hair removal method you decide to go with as some might be painful, and some might not even be safe for you.

Want to get fuzz free? Is dermaplaning different to waxing? Which method is better? 

What is waxing?

Waxing is a common method of facial hair removal, which is often done on the upper lip, sideburns, brows or chin. It’s performed by using a soft wax getting pulled off by cloth strips or by hard wax which can be pulled off on its own after it hardens. This method of facial hair removal is often done by a practitioner or it can also be done by yourself at home by using a waxing kit. 

What is dermaplaning? 

It’s a process of shaving your face with a single bladed razor to remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin. Even though the term “shaving” might sound scary at first, we assure you that your hair will not grow back thicker nor coarser - that’s just a myth! The best thing about derma-planing is that it can be easily performed at the comfort of your own home with our Take It Off Dermaplaning kit. Additionally, this method of facial hair removal can be done all on skin types, fuss free! It’s also a two-in-one treatment, where you get rid of your unwanted facial hair and exfoliate your skin at the same time!

How to wax your face at home

At home waxing is one of the most affordable methods of facial hair removal. However, you need to be very cautious as there are quite a few risks of disturbing your skin barrier or even causing various skin injuries. 

What you need: Wax Strips or wax and cloth strips

1. Make sure the hair on your face is optimal length (recommended 3-4 inches).
2. Wash and dry your face.
3. Warm the wax - always test the temperature on your wrist so that you do not burn your face .
4. Apply the wax on the area where you’d like to remove the facial hair and spread the wax in the direction that the hair grows.
5. Apply the cloth strip over the wax and leave on for up to 5 seconds.
6. Remove the cloth strip. Hold your skin taut with one hand and pull the strip quickly with the other. You want to pull the strip in the opposite direction that the hair on your face grows.
7. Soothe the skin. After waxing your skin might be very sensitive or even red and irritated. Some like applying cold packs or ice to cool and comfort the area that’s been waxed. Also, make sure you moisturise your skin afterwards and avoid using exfoliants and retinoids or other ingredients that could further irritate your skin for the next couple of days.

As you can probably tell there are quite a few steps to facial waxing and some of them might sound mortifying. Even though it is a very affordable method of at home facial hair removal, it comes with its risks. You can also visit a specialist who can perform the waxing. 

How to: at home dermaplaning

At home dermaplaning has quickly become a very favourable method of facial hair removal and has gained popularity on social media. All you need are dermaplaning razor or otherwise also called tinker razors and a hydrating product to apply with/or/after dermaplaning. 

1. Clean your skin and dry it. 
2. Decide if you’d like to go for oiplaning or dermaplaning, follow our guide to find out which dermaplaning method is suitable for your skin type.
3. If going for oiplaning apply a little bit of facial oil all over your face - especially the areas you will be removing the facial hair from. 
4. Place the dermaplaning razor in a 45 degree angle. If using our kit with two size razors- use the smaller razor for your eyebrows and chin, and the bigger razor for the rest of your face. 
5. Hold your skin taut and use small featherlight strokes to take off the hair in the downwards direction of your face in the direction of the hair growth. 
6. Repeat the small strokes across all areas of your face you’d like to shave. 
7. After you finish, wipe your face with a towel or a cotton pad.
8. In order to replenish your skin moisture apply a hydrating skin product. We’d highly recommend using Squalane oil that comes in our kit as it has extremely hydrating and nourishing properties which will help the skin to keep its moisture. 
9. Make sure you wear sunscreen daily ( which you should be doing anyways ) and enjoy the glowing fuzz free complexion!

Skin barrier and different skin layers

Now when it comes to risks of at home facial hair removal you need to think how different is the skin that’s on your face. The skin on our face is much more thinner and sensitive than the skin on our body and if you’re not careful enough you could damage your skin barrier by at home facial hair removal methods. 

Facial waxing can especially damage your skin barrier as it causes inflammation caused by the way you pull the facial hair and your skin. It’s very hard to then bring your skin back to health. On the other hand, when at home dermaplaning even though you’ll disrupt your skin barrier with a proper hydration right after the facial your skin will bounce back in no time. For the overall skin health it's crucial to maintain a healthy skin barrier. 

If you are considering facial hair removal at home you should understand the difference in methods. This can be best understood when looking at the different skin barriers and the way that facial hair grows. When dermaplaning you’ll be shaving the facial hair and removing dead skin cells from the top of your skin. However, when dermaplaning you’ll be pulling the hair from beyond layers of your skin which is a much more aggressive method. Bear in mind that when going for either of these methods you wouldn’t get rid of facial hair permanently and they would grow back in 3-4 weeks. Therefore, it’s important to consider the amount of irritation when performing either of the facial hair removal methods.

Risks of facial waxing

Be very careful when it comes to waxing as it may cause serious irritation or even harm to your skin due to various reasons. 

First thing you should look at are the ingredients that can be found in the wax. Despite being a very popular method of hair removal, wax contains paraffin which increases the risk of rashes and irritation and can cause issues to people with sensitive skin.

Additionally, incomplete extraction of your facial hair may cause skin inflammation, or even lead to ingrown hairs. This often happens when face waxing and often leads to redness, pimples or even scarring.

Also, when waxing your face there is a risk of pulling off your own skin alongside the hairs when waxing, which looks probably as horrifying as it sounds. Facial waxing can actually burn your skin and cause bleeding and infection which once again can even lead to permanent scarring and it’s very time-consuming to heal on top of being very painful.

Try to steer clear of facial waxing for your hair removal, there is a better and safer way!

Risks of dermaplaning

There are no risks and no irritation following this method of facial hair removal if you perform the dermaplaning correctly. Just remember to hydrate after derma-planing in order to nourish your skin.  We highly recommend using our 100% plant-based Squalane oil due to its hydrating and antioxidant properties. In case your skin is sensitive make sure to go for oiplaning which means using the oil with the razors for an easier glide.

Our favorite method of removing facial hair is definitely DERMAPLANING. No question in mind, it’s the easiest way to safely remove your facial hair at home. Hence why we’ve created our own dermaplaning tools Take It Off  to give us that glowy exfoliated fuzz-free skin!