37 Winter Skincare Essentials We Swear By

Before you do anything, you need to exfoliate your face. We're not talking about a regular sugar scrub, we're talking about shaving your face. It sounds insane, but we're sure you've heard the rumors that Marilyn Monroe used to do it and a lot of celebrities swear by it. So we asked Karee Hays, owner of luxury medical skincare center Karee Hays Esthetics in Nashville, what she thinks of this idea and she gave us the green light. 

Karee mentioned the act of shaving exfoliates dead skin cells as well as removes the little peach fuzz that prevent your foundation from sitting evenly on your face. Our go-to product is the Dermaflash 2.0 Luxe, which is a gentle electric razor made for facial exfoliation. The device is rechargeable and comes with a 2 year warranty - not that you'll need it. The best thing about the device is that it removes the barriers to penetration, which Karee says is vital to receiving the full benefits of your face creams. We've been using it for three weeks and our skin is baby soft, our makeup stays on longer, and we are glowing. 

If you're not ready to dish out on a professional device, Karee says you can shave your face with any razor, even a single blade from the deli. Make sure it's new so it doesn't irritate the skin and before you shave, exfoliate with a scrub like you would your legs before shaving them. We like to clean off the excess peach fuzz by going over with a toner and cotton ball after shaving, and then we apply our serum and moisturizer. It makes a world of difference, and no, your hair does not grow in thicker or darker.