If you’re a fan of hair removal, you’ll know there’s no shortage of methods to choose from. The most common ways span waxing, IPL, laser, creams or shaving, but when it comes to getting rid of any peach fuzz (aka tiny hairs around the lower half of the face), dermaplaning is one of the most popular options.
Not only does it keep your skin silky smooth and baby soft, but it can also improve the way your make-up applies and lasts. Consultant dermatologist and founder of Self London, Dr Anjali Mahto, has the lowdown: “Dermaplaning is a procedure where a sterile surgical scalpel is used to gently exfoliate the top layer of the skin, removing dead skin cells and fine vellus hair, which is often referred to as ‘peach fuzz’. This treatment is typically performed by a trained professional and aims to smooth the skin's surface and enhance the absorption of skincare products.”
In the last five years, it’s also become popular to remove facial hair at home using a fine razor. However, this is not classified as dermaplaning, which is specifically an in-clinic procedure done by a trained professional. When carried out at home, it’s simply facial shaving with a less sharp razor, despite the two often being used interchangeably.
Facial shaving is also not suited to all skin types, explains Dr Mahto. “Those with normal or oily skin typically tolerate shaving well, while those with dry or sensitive skin may be more prone to irritation, redness, or razor burn. If you have any active acne, eczema, psoriasis or any other skin condition that is flaring, it’s paramount you avoid shaving and dermaplaning.”
If you are keen to try facial shaving for yourself, she advises using a gentle cleanser before and applying a fragrance-free gentle moisturiser afterwards. “Avoid anything with active ingredients for at least 48 hours post-shaving.” In a bid to find the best facial shaving tools on the market, I’ve put a range of brands to the test before narrowing it down to the top eight. Here are my top-rated buys.
How I tested
Over the course of two months, I’ve put a series of big-name brands through their paces, using various razors across multiple price points to remove peach fuzz, tidy up eyebrows and keep upper lip hair in check. Just an FYI, make sure you’re always using a facial razor in a downward motion while holding your skin taut for an even and safe hair removal practice. I examined each tool on their value for money, ease of use, price and if I spotted any irritation after. Here are the eight that made the final cut.
The best dermaplaning tools for 2024 are:
Gillette Venus dermaplaner kit
Most facial razors are sold individually or in a multipack, but Gillette is one of the few brands that offer a comprehensive kit for every step of removing facial hair at home. There’s a 200ml cleansing primer, a sleek silver razor and cap and a hydration serum to apply after. There’s a QR code inside the packaging too that you can scan for a tutorial video on how to use the kit safely and with proper technique and detailed written instructions. It’s foolproof.
Despite my acne-prone skin, I found the hydration serum to be a lovely, lightweight texture, made in collaboration with Olay, that was fast absorbing and kept any flakiness at bay in the days after shaving.
Buy now £35.99, Boots.com
Kitsch eco-friendly dermaplaner
This is one of the largest multipacks of facial shaving tools you can find. There are 12 razors inside each pack and on the back is a simple set of instructions on how to use them properly. I’d best describe them as feeling and looking cheap and cheerful, but foolproof to use. I liked to apply a drop of facial oil in the area to help the blades glide over the skin and not once did I cut or find any bleeding afterwards. This pack are ideal if you’re constantly losing things, as there are so many you can have to hand, and you can pick up a new one if you haven’t cleaned your old one properly.
Buy now £8.00, Lookfantastic.com
FFS metal dermaplaning facial hair removal & exfoliation kit
This metal razor comes in seven different colours spanning pastels and metallics – I tried the rose gold version. It’s weighty and feels much more expensive than the price tag, and it includes three blades, a silicone cover and a soft suede drawstring pouch.
It has a textured handle and the blades come individually so you can easily insert them yourself. The blade is slightly smaller than other brands I tried, but this meant it came in very handy for shaving with more precision, especially to tidy up overgrown eyebrow hairs. It’s easy to use and clean and offers a detailed instruction guide on its website too. It gets bonus points for plastic-free packaging too.
Buy now £16.00, Amazon.co.uk
Wilkinson Sword intuition perfect finish women’s eyebrow styling & facial shaving
While this trio is designed to shape and tidy up unruly eyebrow hairs, it’s multi-purpose too and can be used to shave lower areas of your face too. They’re very lightweight with a textured handle for better grip and come included with a safety cap for when you’re not using them. This also comes in handy at preventing them from building up dust in between uses, when sitting on the bathroom shelf. I found it to do a decent job at removing hair, they’re not life-changing but they’re very reasonably priced and do what they say on the tin. I can fault them.
Buy now £3.00, Amazon.co.uk
Estrid dermaplaning kit the precision razor
You’ll probably recognise Estrid from its pastel-coloured razors that can be fixed to your shower wall for legs, bikini lines and underarms, but its facial razor is well worth a look. These single-blade razors come in a three-pack and have a fun, foldable design and a handle made from recyclable wheat straw. You can also use them on a dry, clean face and get the same results as if you chose to use an oil for extra slip, all without irritation. When using short, quick strokes pointing downwards, they’re a very speedy way to get rid of your peach fuzz, and they have published an in-depth guide showing how to use them on their website, which you can read here.
Buy now £4.95, Estrid.com
Tweezerman facial razor
In my opinion, Tweezerman tweezers are unrivalled – I find the sharp, precise blades ideal for plucking pesky eyebrow and chin hairs. It’s no wonder then that it has also created a facial razor that’s equally as good at removing hair from other parts of the face. It’s a weighty metal handle with a blade already inserted, alongside two spare blades and a plastic cover. The blade is very sharp, so be careful when using it, but it’s a very precise way to remove hair that would be a lot more painful to wax. Tweezerman recommends using an alcohol wipe in between uses to prevent any bacteria build-up, which can be bought relatively cheaply.
Buy now £18.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Philips touch-up pen trim body & face
This electric razor pen has a smaller blade than the others in this review, but it’s a great tool to have on hand for tidying up eyebrows and smaller patches of hair in between your eyebrows or around ears. It’s battery operated, one triple AAA Duracell is all that’s needed, and it has an on-off switch, so it couldn’t be simpler to use. It’s easy to use and effective at removing hair, it’s gentle enough that it causes no irritation on my sensitive skin. Better yet, it doesn’t make much noise when it’s switched on, so you can quickly use it on areas first thing in the morning, without waking your partner or your flatmates up.
Buy now £24.99, Boots.com
The verdict: Dermaplaning tools
Taking the top spot was the Gillette Venus dermaplaner kit, which has a complete skincare routine for ensuring minimal irritation. It’s a sharp blade but it didn’t cut my skin or cause any bleeding, the instructions on how to use it are easy to follow and it feels as expensive as it costs.
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