This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
We've all been told before not to shave your arms/face because it'll supposedly make the hair grow back thicker and darker. When dermaplaning, which is essentially shaving your face with a special type of blade, began to appear in mainstream media, this old wives' tale ran rampant. Can dermaplaning really have these effects? If not, why have we thought that for so long?
Will Your Hair Grow Back Thicker?
No! It won't be thicker at all. In order for the thickness or texture of hair to change, the follicle itself must experience a change. This can happen through processes such as aging or hormonal changes, but it cannot happen just by shaving the hair.
Why do people still think dermaplaning or shaving will make hair grow back thicker? Hair grows at a blunt angle that is more noticeable when it is short. When the hair is just starting to grow back in, you feel that blunt edge and it feels like the entire hair is thicker. As the hair grows back out to its normal length, it will no longer feel so thick.
Will Your Hair Grow Back Darker?
Again, no! This is for the exact same reason, dermaplaning does not change the hair follicle. Without a change to the follicle or using some type of dye, the color of your hair isn't going to change.
I believe there are two reasons people think their hair darkens after dermaplaning. When you shave, you get used to there not being any hair. Then when the hair grows back, it looks darker simply because you've gotten accustomed to not seeing it at all. Dermaplaning is also intended to exfoliate your skin. This exfoliation brightens your skin, increasing the contrast between the color of your hairs and the duller color that your skin was before dermaplaning. That makes the hairs appear darker by comparison.
What if You Don't Want Your Hair to Even Appear Darker and Thicker?
Dermaplaning is amazing! It exfoliates your skin for a brighter complexion and reduces acne. It also removes hairs and dead skin from your face for smoother skin and smoother makeup application. Another great thing about it is that you can easily do it at home! Dermaplaning blades can be really inexpensive, and they're very safe to use. The risk of at home dermaplaning is about the same as shaving any other part of your body, given that you don't miss and shave off an eyebrow. The ability to do it yourself means you can do it regularly! You can try dermaplaning, and if you think your hair looks darker or thicker (even though you read this post and know that it actually isn't) you can just do it again! You probably shouldn't dermaplane every day, not that you'd want to, but every three weeks or so is just fine! If you ever want to stop dermaplaning, your hair will just grow back to it's usual length, thickness and color like it never even happened. So stop fearing the old wives' tales and give it a try!
Like this post? Enter your email below to get updates on new posts!
Comments