I find myself quite intrigued by this little device, which apparently removes peach fuzz from your face, which is something I could really use. I used to own a magnifying mirror, but it got lost in my move last December, and it took me until last week to acquire a replacement. And reader, when I looked in that magnifying mirror, I saw a veritable sea of lengthy, mostly light hairs on my chin, which really bummed me out. How long had I been walking around like this?! I set about plucking them, but your chin can be tricky to pluck, especially the underneath part. So this device would appear to be the answer. It’s just like shaving, though, right? So could it be that maybe it makes hairs grow back thicker, darker, and nastier like some say? I await your word. (Also: yes, I know, it looks like a vibrator.)
About getting a super smooth face and no soft peach fuzz….similar to Tinkle, but more for the sides of your face. CHEAP and EFFECTIVE. Don’t spend more $ or think you need a gadget.
Get one of these little lightweight dealies because yes, they work. I get about 6 in a pack for less than $5 and they last a while. Asian markets and Daiso will have them too.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RDBUSM?linkCode=ogi
I have a similar one and it works great. No crazy dark/thick/extra long regrowth and I’ve been use it for a few years.
Same. I use the Flawless brand one and the regrowth doesn’t look any different.
just use a razor so much easier, cheaper and you get a nice finish……
Same here. The hair does tend to grow back stubbly (though not dark, thank God). Still, it’s better than having a bunch of little hairs growing out of your chin.
I used to have a black clay mask.
Mario Badescu I think.
It was a good mask but it was so strong it removed all the peach fuzz with it!
It was a few years ago and one of my kids used it up to make black slime to sell at school. I hate slime.
It may be time to buy it again.
I have one and love it. I’ve been using it for a few years. I have no problem with darker or thicker hair growth. I use it for “mustache” hairs. (Ugh, I cringe at writing / admitting that!)
LOL
Me too! I keep mine in my purse, and although I hate having a little mustache, this thing does the job well.
I have always had lots of blonde peach fuzz on my jawline. Been using one of these cheap devices (and tinkle razors)since I was a teenager and it works great. Added benefit is exfoliation of dead skin. My skin is very smooth afterwards. Makeup goes on easier and skin moisturizers and serums sink in . Note: Now that I’m in my mid 50s and sometimes get the errant nasty dark thick chin whisker it makes it easier to see and feel those as they are coming in and I pluck those.
I use this, which you can get from Amazon. Cheap, effective, fast, impossible to mess up. I use it about every two to three weeks. Hair does not grown back thicker or darker. Wish I had had it years ago!
https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-ES2113PC-Pivoting-Attachments-Battery-Operated/dp/B0009DT39C/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2XUBW1CX0KZY9&dchild=1&keywords=panasonic+trimmer+for+women&qid=1628527996&rdc=1&sprefix=panasonic+tri%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-5
Magnifying mirrors are tools of the devil. Throw them away (along with your bathroom scale).
I watched an influencer use her Billie razor and tried the same in the shower. I accidently shaved half of my eyebrow. My practitioner told me to NEVER use a razor again (bacteria, dull blade) and that surgical scalpels should be wielded by professionals only.
Silver lining is that I started using Neubrow and that product is hella good!
This is so helpful!!! But I’m still terrified. In the 4 years since I turned 40, I have sprouted so many dark hairs on my upper lip and chin area. I tweeze pretty much every day to keep it in check. I. HATE. IT. I also have peach fuzz and have been considering one of these devices or dermaplaning for a while, but really really don’t want to make things worse. I’ve book marked all your recommendations and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get the courage to do it.
Did you read that Target is doing a collab with Nili Lotan and 3 other designers? I know you love Nili Lotan and I thought you’d be excited.
I bought (and returned) dresses from Target’s collab with RIXO, Alexis and Christopher John. The designs and colors were outstanding, but the fabric felt and looked so cheap. I was really disappointed at how bad, considering how pretty the dresses were.
Same, Tammy. I have a couple of friends who look great in these collabs but I am wondering if it is because they are both tall & thin? I get my Nili from The Real Real or her sales. Will I be able to resist the Target collab knowing it will probably fail? No! Nili did a collab with Barney’s a couple years back and the sizing seemed off just FYI for loyal Nili shoppers. Wonder how Target will be.
Menopause has given me less hair on my head but has compensated by making the hair on my upper lip grow in all sketchy and fuzzy like a teenaged boy. I shave (very carefully!) when I am in the shower. So much easier than tweezing.
I am on the long-chin-hair struggle bus as well, and came across this contraption at Target several months ago. It’s not super precise, and you often have to go over the same areas several times, but it’s pretty painless, cheap, and really great for those tricky under-chin hairs that can be really difficult to spot. (I just use it for the long ones, not to remove general peach fuzz, but it might work for that as well with a little persistence!)
https://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Smooth-Finish-Remover-Assorted/dp/B00JVOU89E/ref=asc_df_B00JVOU89E/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242078500451&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3456738953526164895&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028720&hvtargid=pla-441924920365&psc=1
I have one of these. I used it once and only once because it hurts like hell as it rips hairs out. I switched to the Panasonic, previously mentioned in the comments.
This reminds me of the summer between 7th and 8th grade. I was at the country club pool one day (which sounds fancy until you understand this was in a tiny Texas town in the middle of nowhere and The Club consisted of a kiddy pool, a regular pool so small they only needed one life guard and, of course, a clubhouse where you could get dinner on Sunday after church and a takeout window where you could get a ginger ale for twenty-five cents during pool hours)––all the girls my age made fun of me because I was the only one who wasn’t shaving her legs. I shaved my legs that night and my mother was absolutely furious with me the next morning for doing so. Since my mother passed away a few years ago, I feel pretty confident I can remove the hair from my chin without repercussions…but, fingers crossed just in case.
I have to ask: which tiny Texas town in the middle of nowhere? My mother grew up in Rosebud, my father in Alice, and I have other family in Goldthwaite, San Saba, and Temple.
Uvalde. Between San Antonio and Mexico. It’s only saving grace is ConCan and Garner State Park which, during my growing up, were beautiful river places––now, both options are just crowded and expensive.
Thanks for satisfying my curiosity! I grew up in Austin but have never been to Garner State Park.
GSP was in its glory days when I was in high school. It’s still beautiful, but now sooooo packed with people! (sorta like Austin!!)
I have a ton of family in Uvalde! Small world.
This is a great thread. I tweeze and also do some shaving. But here’s a related quandary: aging has really hit the nose hairs and I have no idea what to do. How do you handle long, sneezy nose hairs? Advice, please, Kim & community!
Wait! Pulling nose hairs can lead to infections, which are no fun. But the nose hair trimmers are good.
I mentally prepare myself then I pull them, sneeze, endure the teary eyes, and wait for the pain to pass. I figure it’s the cost of doing business…
Ladies have nose hairs too! Just wander over to the men’s grooming section and buy a nose hair trimmer. At least most of us don’t have ear hairs….
My husband was always “walrus-ing” and I got a nose hair trimmer from Amazon for ten bucks! Works like a dream, just rotates in your nostril to trim the pesky growers!
ToiletTree Products Water Resistant Stainless Steel Nose and Ear Hair Trimmer with LED Light
I actually just went in to have my brows waxed and discovered you can also have your nose waxed! I tried it, of course, and can report it doesn’t hurt ANYWHERE near as much as tweezing individual hairs. Not something I’d do all the time but once in a while maybe?
another endorsement of the Tinkle razors here!
I’ve been using one of these everyday, for the past few years. It works really well, makes my face feel smooth, and does away with any unwanted facial hairs I may have missed with my tweezer and magnifying mirror.
A friend uses Finishing Touch Flawless. It works well for the peachfuzz upper lip, but not those random, pesky, coarse chin hairs, sadly.
Well, um, I have peach fuzz along my jaw line and I kind of think it’s a good thing? It actually softens the jawline — and of course I don’t look like ZZ Top or anything. It reminds me of how Vermeer used little dots of white paint just at the edge of figures and objects to refract light and give them a bit of luminosity. I don’t know, maybe I’m fooling myself. But lord getting rid of those light little hairs sounds like A LOT of work.
I had one, used it for a while. I was always accidentally scraping my skin and I just never got the hang of it. Plus I found having to order the replacement blades a pain. A few swipes with a cheap plastic razor works better, in my opinion.
any hair you shave off will continue to grow out, but now with a blunt end, so it just LOOKS like a coarser hair. i use an electric face shaver made for women that looks like a fancy pen (can’t remember the name) that is SO quick and easy. every few nights after washing my makeup off, i run it over my upper lip and along my chinline, literally takes 10 seconds.
Been using the same one of these https://www.cvs.com/shop/finishing-touch-lumina-women-s-personal-hair-remover-prodid-1670015 for 3 years and it still works, much cheaper!
I’m a hairy Italian American lady, and I recommend Tinkle, too. I have to use them daily (um, sometimes even twice a day), but they’re super quick and easy and don’t irritate my skin. They’re somehow better than regular razors, which made my regrowth feel more stubbly. I tried electrolysis once but it was SUCH a time commitment (and very painful in some areas). I gave up after six sessions or so, and it didn’t seem to kill any regrowth at that stage.
I love this comment thread..this is what I really need to know…I see too many “Perfect” instagramers who are older…I wonder how do they wear those high heels shoes/sandals ? Do they really go shopping or touring or walking around NYC all day?Do they wear the pretty shoes for the picture and change for real life? Am I just an old fart (60) ? but I literally can’t wear shoes that are comfy any more and have more hair on my face than I ever thought possible..Thanks for keeping it real on your podcast and blog! 🙂
I just use the same electric razor for the fine peach fuzz on my face that I use on my bikini line. Works great! Shaving does not affect how hair regrows; that’s a myth.
One – and this is the only one I can think of that involves bodily changes – of the benefits of growing older is that those hairs growing in places you don’t want them start to disappear. But they also disappear in some spots where you still do want them!
I started dermaplaning my own face during quarantine. It’s very satisfying to watch the dry skin and fuzzy hairs come off, and they do not grow back any thicker or darker. These surgical blades work the best. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SQRVDKP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use the larger size of the Dermaflash and love it. Highly recommend checking out YouTube videos to show the angle you’re supposed to hold it at for the best results. I only need to use it every 2 weeks (as opposed to the once a week schedule Dermaflash recommends) and the hair does not grow back thicker, darker, etc. It does, however, feel a little more blunt at the ends when it first grows back in.
I’ve also found that the night I use it I need to follow up with a very thick, plain moisturizer with no actives. I just used my regular moisturizer at first and found I was getting some itchiness and red bumps. Now I use one of the thicker Cerave moisturizers immediately afterwards and don’t have that problem.
Skip the dinky lady shaver and just get a men’s electric shaver. Been using my SO’s Philip’s for years. Doesn’t nick or cause skin irritation and whisks away all facial hair quickly and painlessly , but don’t use it on brows obviously, and cheaply. I’ve been using the same model for over a decade no problem.
You can just shave. It’s okay. This article helped me see that.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/fashion/sometimes-even-women-need-a-smoothly-shaved-face.amp.html
I have something similar (but cheaper) from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Finishing-Touch-Flawless-Painless-Remover/dp/B071KW9GTT/ref=sr_1_1_sspa? and it works pretty well. I tried shaving the peach fuzz off my face, though, and it took months for my pores to look OK again. I use the shaver mainly for upper lip hair removal.
Same – this. I also have a thing I use to dermaplane those fine peach fuzzy hairs but the finishing touch one is great for everyday
I have one like this I bought at Walgreen’s for $10 back in December (while shopping for stocking stuffers). It’s a very gentle electric razor that removes peach fuzz without making my skin red. Takes care of the problem in seconds; doesn’t hurt like excessive plucking.
I use the Finishing Touch Flawless gizmo too, which works quite well, and tweeze thick hairs too. But the absolutely best way to deal with peach fuzz, chin whiskers, errant neck hairs and nose hairs is threading. It’s a technique used for eyebrows but you need a salon that will do threading on your whole face. When I lived in L.A. I’d get a threading treatment once a month. It’s quick, not expensive, leaves your face smooth and soft and is actually good for your skin, which it stimulates. It can hurt a tiny bit, but nothing worth whining about. No one in my town, much less the Pacific Northwest state where I live, offers face threading, so whenever I travel I let my fuzz grow out and find a threader (thank you, Google). I’ve scored in Montreal, Paris, Dublin, Santa Fe, Philadelphia, etc. I tried a dermaplaning facial once and hated it. Call it whatever you want, it’s basically a shave. IMO a magnifying mirror (12x), looked at in bright sunlight, is my friend.
Cross the boarder into BC. threading is common, popular and inexpensive.
I love threading! Used to get all the time before COVID, now I don’t want anyone that close to my face. My dermatologist said it is safer than waxing which can burn the delicate skin of the face. For now I think I’ll need to get one of these defuzzers!
I often get my chin/neck (!) threaded for those pesky hairs. Works well, and lasts a while. I’ve tried derma planing which I like to remove the peach fuzz all over; makeup look better. I think I need a treatment right now!
As for does it make it grow back thicker or darker: No. Unless the hairs were already thick or dark.
That’s what my dermatologist told me, and I am sticking to it until proven otherwise.
I have a similar contraption that I got for the time between dermaplaning at my facialist. It works well and makes my skin much so much smoother for make up application. The hair comes back as fuzz – before my first dermaplaning, my facialist told me it was a myth that the hair would come back thicker and darker, and that’s proven to be true.
I use these, (https://www.amazon.com/Tinkle-Eyebrow-Razor-12-Pieces/dp/B008N1NFLO) which you can find at an Asian grocery store. No, the hair doesn’t grow back thicker and darker: https://www.healthline.com/health/women-shaving-face#facial-shaving-tips
Love these razors too. Use them for the peach fuzz on my upper lip once a month or so and to shape my eyebrows. They are so inexpensive and precise. Great for a first foray into peach fuzz removal, no?
Yes, I swear by Tinkle. I only use it on my upper lip, but I have friends who use it on their whole face and swear that it actually improves their skin—it’s like a micro-exfoliator or something.
I’m also a fan of using the Tinkle razors. I first read about them in a 2015 NYT article on women shaving off their peach fuzz. They’re cheap and effective.