Because I did it.

I shaved my whole entire face.

Well, most of it.

And I know you have questions.

Like, “Why would you shave your face, Amanda?”

And, “How did you shave your face, Amanda?”

AND, “JUST WHAT EXACTLY WERE YOU THINKING, AMANDA?!”

But, hear me out…

I have struggled recently with acne, particularly along my jaw line. And, if I’m honest, I have noted that my facial hair has gotten a little more, um, engaging with age. Not are-you-doing-Movember-this-year engaging, just slightly-thicker-and-more-resistant-to-going-unnoticed-in-places engaging.

It’s not that I have what I would consider an actual mustache, per se, but more of something that could be construed as one in certain light, at certain angles, and via certain people.

Then I read an article about face shaving for women, by a woman who swears by shaving her face.

I’d link you if I could recall where I’d seen it (Google “face shaving for women”) but, boiled down, they basically said tons of celebs do it, it helps exfoliate, it helps reduce breakouts, and allows your makeup to look better when you put it on. Plus, you’ll be a hairless goddess and most people won’t even notice (unless you blog about it).

Sold.

Sign me up for face shaving.

So … I did it and here’s what happened.

Lady Face Shaving: 5 Things To Know Before You Shave Your Face

1. A special razor made it better.

If I had to bust out my husband’s Gillette for this task I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. Something about lathering up and shaving down my cheeks like an actual dude would’ve made the entire experience too horrifying. Instead, I ordered these single blade eyebrow razors (they’re great for your brows too, btw) and gently handled my business (while my husband was at work and my kids were at school and the only one sitting there with their questioning eyes and confused head tilt was my dog—she watched the whole thing).

2. I didn’t use shaving cream.

Or soap. Or anything really. I did it clean and dry. It made the exfoliating process more real for me.

3. Moisturize after.

Because you should always after you exfoliate. I use this one from Neutrogena.

4. And then put on your makeup.

Doing something girly totally helps to erase the whole whoa-dude-I-just-shaved-my-face-like-a-real-life-man loop you may start to run in your head. That can take you to scary places you don’t want to go with yourself.

5. You won’t turn into a man.

You won’t become Lady Pube Face or anything. It won’t grow back super thick or super dark (in fact, mine apparently doesn’t even grow that fast). It will grow in exactly how it was before you shaved it off.

Want to read more about this experience? Get even more tips here: Face Shaving for Women!