Face Razor Guide: Dermaplaning Tools and What to Put on After

Face Razor Guide: Dermaplaning Tools and What to Put on After

A face razor is an old idea that has finally stopped being a secret. These are the razors and dermaplaning tools I would look at, plus the calming serums and barrier creams I would use right after.

Women have been shaving their faces for a very long time. The Guardian points to 16th century Japanese artwork showing the practice, and Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor are often said to have done it too. It stayed quiet mostly because nobody talked about it, and now a face razor is a normal thing to keep next to the tweezers.

The Metal Facial Razor is the one I would start with. It is a slightly curved metal handle that removes peach fuzz and shapes brows, and it comes with a protective cap, three refillable blades and a travel case. DERMAFLASH is the powered option, a sonic dermaplaning device the brand calls esthetician recommended. Flamingo makes two: the Refillable Dermaplane Razor has a weighted metal handle and stainless steel Japanese blades, and the Disposable Dermaplane Razors come in a pack of 3, made for peach fuzz only. StackedSkincare Dermaplaning Exfoliation Tool comes from aesthetician Kerry Benjamin and puts exfoliation first, with hair removal as a bonus. Jenny Patinkin Shape Shifter Touch Up Tools are two mini blades for small spots like the upper lip and between the brows. The Kitsch Terracotta Dermaplaners come as a 12 piece set, and the Schick Hydro Silk Touch-Up Dermaplaning Tool comes with a precision cover.

Safety first, and I mean it. Use clean, dry skin, hold the skin taut, keep a light angle with short gentle strokes, and never go over active breakouts or irritated skin.

Big numbers collage for Face Razor: six products from DERMAFLASH, Flamingo, The Ordinary and Aestura, each set beside a large numeral
Face Razor

Face razors and dermaplaning tools

Calming serums for right after

Right after a razor, skin wants calm and nothing else. The Ordinary Soothing and Barrier Support Serum is a pink, fragrance free serum with vitamin B12 that the brand makes for barrier support and redness. Erborian Centella Red Serum has 2 percent Korean centella and is lightweight. AESTURA A-CICA365 is a pH 4.5 serum with centella, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, labeled hypoallergenic. Dr. Jart+ Cicapair is a fragrance free serum with a cica complex and allantoin. Tower 28 SOS Intensive Redness Relief Serum is a hypochlorous acid gel that the brand made for chronically sensitive skin. INNBEAUTY PROJECT Calm The Red Down is a dual serum with 5 percent azelaic acid. Sincerely Yours Hit Refresh is a cucumber serum mist with ceramides, and Torriden Balanceful is a cica serum for combination and oily skin.

How to use them: apply a thin layer with clean fingers, pat, and stop there. The same evening is not the time to try a new acid or a retinol.

What I would skip: anything exfoliating for a few days after a session, including strong acids and scrubs. The razor already did that job, so a gentle serum like The Ordinary or Dr. Jart+ is enough.

Calming serums for after

Barrier creams to finish with

A barrier cream is the last layer and the one that keeps everything in. AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 Cream is a rich, non comedogenic ceramide cream that the brand says gives up to 120 hours of hydration, and the Cooling Hydro Soothing Water Cream is the lighter gel style one for oily and combination skin. Tower 28 SOS Daily Skin Barrier Moisturizer is described as intentionally basic, with hyaluronic acid and ceramides. rhode Barrier Restore Cream is a rich but light cream with peptides and shea butter. Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair is fragrance free and endorsed by the National Eczema Association, with Japanese indigo. ALPYN Super Peptide Barrier Repair Moisturizer has five ceramides and peptides, and Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask is a hydrating mask and moisturizer in one. The Soothing Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid has a green pigment to quickly reduce the look of redness.

Tip: put cream on while the serum is still slightly damp, then leave your face alone for the night.

What I would skip: a heavy night cream in the morning if you are going straight into makeup. Use the Cooling Hydro water cream or the Soothing Moisturizer then, and save Tatcha or AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 for bedtime.

Barrier creams and moisturizers

Using a face razor safely

Pick a tool you will actually use carefully. A refillable handle suits someone who plans to do this regularly, a disposable suits a quick tidy, and a mini blade suits brows and lip. Flamingo says to go once every two to four weeks and pass over each area only once, which is a good rule. Clean skin, light pressure, short strokes, and sunscreen the next day. Skip it on sunburn, active breakouts or anything irritated, and keep blades clean and capped. If you are unsure about your skin, ask an esthetician first. Then finish with a calming serum and a barrier cream, and let your face be boring for a day.