How To Shave Sensitive Skin
A research has shown that one in three men claim that their skin gets irritated by shaving. The fact that you’ve decided to read this article means that you’re probably one of those guys. If your face gets all red each time you shave, you might have sensitive skin. And such skin needs to be treated differently.
But, before we go anywhere further, there’s one thing you need to check – do you really have sensitive skin?
How to Know if Your Skin is Sensitive?
In some cases, it’s not the skin that is to blame, but poor-quality shaving equipment. If you’re using a bad razor or a shaving cream that’s not doing its job properly, those things might be the real cause of the irritations.
To be certain that you actually have sensitive skin, take a moment to answer these questions:
- Does your skin get rashy even if you skip shaving your beard?If the answer is yes, it means that your skin can get irritated easily. In that case, you will have to take another skincare approach.
- Is your skin overly dry? If your skin is dry, it won’t do a good job protecting the nerve endings. In turn, this will make shaving feel like a torture.
- Do you have problems with ingrown hairs?If this happens to you a lot, the reason might be that you have overly sensitive skin.
- Do you have problems with razor burns? Your skin might be too gentle for the razor you’re using, which is what’s causing the irritation.
If you’ve said yes to one of these questions, your skin can probably be classified as sensitive. But, even if you don’t have sensitive skin, taking a different approach to shaving would definitely do you good. Speaking of which, in order to make shaving a much more pleasant experience, here are some things you can do.
Establish a Good Skincare Routine
In order to ensure no problems will occur while shaving, you need to do all in your power to improve the overall health of your facial skin. Healthy skin is not sensitive and won’t get red and rashy each time you shave. So, how are you supposed to achieve that?
Well, first of all, we urge you to establish a routine of daily face cleansing, especially if you’re having problems with problematic skin. By washing your face with a gentle face wash one or two times a day, you will get rid of all the dead skin cells, excessive sebum, and other impurities.
But, if your skin is too dry, you must not forget about using a moisturizer on a daily basis. Otherwise, you might end up with even worse problems. A good face cream will feed your skin with all the nutrients it needs, improving its ability to fight off irritations caused by shaving.
Of course, even if start doing a great job taking care of your skin, it doesn’t mean that your shaving problems will magically disappear. You may continue having issues with burns, bumps, and whatnot. But, there are solutions even for these kinds of problems. For example, a good advice is to use some kind of product that will make your beard softer, thus easier to remove by shaving.
Start Using Pre-Shave Oil
Pre-shave oil or pre-shave cream will make your beard softer and smoother, thus allowing the razor to slide alongside your face. This way, the risk of razor cuts and burns will be decreased significantly. Of course, this is only true if you get yourself a quality pre-shaving product.
But, buying a good pre-shave cream/oil doesn’t mean all your problems are gone. You also need to make sure you’re applying it the right way. Doing it with your fingers is definitely not a good idea. Why? First of all, your hands aren’t too sterile, meaning that the risk of irritation goes up. On top of that, you probably won’t be able to massage the pre-shave oil/cream properly all over your beard.
The solution is pretty simple – getting a badger brush. The bristles are soft and gentle to your skin, while also being very easy to clean. So, basically, applying a pre-shave product using this type of brush will not take too much of your time if that’s what you’re concerned about.
Furthermore, this kind of beard brush is also great for coating your beard, every single part of it. So, the shaving process will go much, much smoother. Of course, assuming you have a good razor.
Pick the Right Razor
You’ve probably seen adverts claiming that razors with multiple blades are far superior to the old-fashioned one-blade razors. But, the truth is that it all depends on the type of your hair. For instance, if you have curly hair, using a multiple-blade razor might not be that good solution. Those types of razors are good for straight hair types, particularly if the beard hasn’t grown too big.
Speaking of which, another good idea is to trim your hair before shaving it with a razor. This way, you will ensure that the hairs won’t get entangled in-between the blades, which could cause severe irritations.
Use the Right Shaving Technique
Another good advice is to follow the direction in which the hair grows. Actually, this is the rule to remember if you have sensitive skin. You also need to forget about pushing it down hard, as a good razor doesn’t require pressure to do its job. It needs to glide down smoothly – the less friction, the less irritation.
Speaking of friction, it’s always wise to rinse your razor with warm water while shaving. Not only will you keep the blade clean of hairs, but you will also prevent the shaving foam or gel from becoming dry.
Shaving Off the Beard Isn’t the End
Once you’re done with shaving, you need to rinse your face with cold water. This way, the coldness will make the skin pores close, which will prevent inflammation. And once your face dries, it’s time to apply an aftershave lotion, or even better, an aftershave balm that’s designed especially for sensitive skin.
Unfortunately, many men have been complaining about having problems to find an aftershave that would soothe their skin properly. If you are one of them, perhaps using an aftershave isn’t the right solution. You need something else, like aloe vera gel or licorice root extract to apply to the painful area.
Other aftershave alternatives include:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Alum
- Bay rum
- Lavender oil
- Virgin coconut oil
- Wheat germ oil
By applying these solutions you will sooth your skin, while not clogging the pores. This way, you will also make the skin softer, which will prevent hairs from ingrowing.
Staying Hydrated
It’s essential to keep your skin hydrated, not only to avoid shaving discomforts but also to improve its general health. Skin dryness is actually one of the main causes of irritation, but the worst thing about it is that treating it is far from being an easy task. For example, if you true to use a moisture-rich lotion to combat this issue, you might end up clogging your pores, causing all kinds of other problems include blackheads, greasy skin, and whatnot.
The problem is that for some men, the same reactions can happen when they use moisture-rich shaving foams or gels. The solution to this problem lies in choosing the right kind of cosmetics, that is, the products specially designed for sensitive skin.
On top of that, you are also advised to stay away from the sun, especially right after finishing with a shave. The UV rays will make your skin red and dry, which will only make the things worse for you. But, even using a sunscreen won’t do you any good, as these products are almost always too greasy, so they’ll clog up your pores.
Instead, you’re advised to stay inside after shaving. A good trick to achieve this is to shave right before going to bed. In fact, some experts even suggest that the nighttime is the best part of the day for shaving. We’re not completely sure this is true, but shaving before bed is definitely a better solution than shaving first thing in the morning.
There are many reasons for that, starting from the fact that your face and eyes are puffed up when you wake up, making it more difficult to shave. And people usually feel very drowsy in the morning, so missing a few hairs here and there seems like a real possibility.
Final Advice
Extreme times require extreme measures – so, if you’re feeling extreme discomfort after shaving, why not let professionals do it for you? Instead of trying to figure out how to shave without causing yourself any irritations, a much better solution might be to simply go to a barber’s. After all, it’s their job to know how to deal with these kinds of problems plus they have plenty of experience shaving people with sensitive skin.
