I’ve been seeing a lot of references about a beauty secret, of the stars, called Dermaplaning. A recent Yahoo article said, “The treatment consists of scraping a tiny scalpel around the face to remove the vellus hairs, otherwise known as peach fuzz, which in turns acts as an exfoliant for dead skin cells… The procedure lasts a pain-free 25 minutes and costs between $85 and $150 per session.”

Hello! That’s called shaving! Men do it, everyday, but if you pay anyone that much to shave your face… Darlin’ you’ve got more money and time than you know what to do with.

It seems as though aestheticians and plastic surgeons have added—I’m going to call it what it is, shaving—to the other services they provide. The same Yahoo piece quoted a New York-based plastic surgeon who said, “If you are looking to have dewy, smoother skin, this is a great exfoliation treatment to add to your monthly regimen.”

Most of us have felt a man’s face after he’s shaved. Because shaving exfoliates the skin, it makes it feel smooth, like a baby’s butt, but shaving once a month? If your husband waited a month between shaves, it would be more than noticeable. While women can go longer than everyday without shaving, your peach fuzz will grow back. If you’re like me, you may also have a single, wild hair that grows out of the end of your chin. I can feel it after a week.

What if you save your $85-$150, and learn how to shave your face? It’s no big deal. I’ve been doing it for years. And no, shaving does not make the hair grow back darker or coarser. That’s a myth! Here’s what you need to know:

• Buy yourself a good razor, not one of those cute disposable ones made for women, and buy a cartridge of extra blades. Change them often and DON’T use it on your legs! My favorite is the Gillette Trac II.  The blades have a lubricating strip, so you don’t need shaving cream.
• Until you get comfortable shaving your face, you may want to look in the mirror. I don’t use shaving cream because it doesn’t allow me to feel the contours of my face. Instead, I make a lather with soap and water.
• Gently shave in a downward motion, along the sides of your face, cheeks, upper and lower lip, chin and neck area. Go slow, if you’re nervous.
• When you’re more comfortable, you can do it in the shower. I shave in the shower; have never used a mirror, and I’ve never cut myself.
• Moisturize as usual. There’s nothing special you need to do. Your makeup will glide on effortlessly and look beautiful.

If you’re interested, here’s a video I did almost five years ago , for my BreastCancerSisterhood site. It covers the causes of facial hair on women and what to do about it. It was filmed in Comfort, Texas, at the oldest barbershop in the state, and it’s a hoot. The barbershop and the video. Over the years, the quality of the video has been compromised, but as long as you’re not watching it on a big screen, it looks great.