Now that I am fulltime and needing to hide the facial hair that is not permanently gone, I needed to come up with a way that looked natural, rather than putting on a thick coat of makeup. I thought I would share what seems to work for me and maybe this can help others.
To start with, I scrub the dead skin cells off my face. This can be done in a couple different ways:
1. You can buy an abrassive daily facial cleanser like those offered from Oil of Olay and apply to the area where facial hair grows and scrub the skin with that.
2. If you don't have that, you can use an abrassive scrubber like a shower poof and wet the area with water and scrub.
This step is important in order to get the closest shave possible. Otherwise, the hairs will be slightly longer due to a layer of dead skin cells.
Next, I use a facial moisturizer spread somewhat liberally over the areas with facial hair. Next I use a high quality razor - I prefer the Gillette Mach 3, since I haven't found better - and shave against the grain, but don't press too hard or you may bleed. If you do, I recommend a styptic pencil which will instantly stop bleeding. At this point, your face should be fairly smooth. If the moisturizer is too thick, water can be mixed in to smooth it out a bit.
Next, if you have a thick dark beard, you can use a beard cover such as thos offered by physicians formula like their magic cube concealer. Apply just a little and rub it into the pores/hair follicles where the hair is very thick. Wipe away any excess with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. This step can be skipped if you have a lighter beard.
Next, get a concealer like Maybelline instant age rewind concealer. Apply a light coating to the areas where the hair shafts are visible. Rub this into your skin as well. Next, apply foundation such as the Maybelline instant age rewind foundation. This should go on lightly and evenly. Hair should be well hidden at this point.
Smoother skin yields better results. I named products that I have personally used in the past that I have found to be the most effective, but you can use substitutes or something that works better for you. I don't use the beard cover anymore since I started laser treatments. I have been asked by several people how I was able to get my skin to look smooth, so I thought I would share my personal technique with everyone, which uses standard products found in most stores that have a makeup section. The entire process took me about 10-15 minutes after doing it for a while.
I don't know if this will work for everyone, but I thought I would at least share it.
Melissa
