As men, we are fortunate enough to not have that many cosmetic or beauty routines in our daily lives. Most of us probably just brush our teeth, maybe put a little gel in the hair and shave daily or several times a week. Just because our morning routine might be easy, that doesn’t mean that sometimes issues will not come up.
One of the most frustrating aspects to deal with is razor burn or acne that comes from shaving. Does traditional shaving cause acne? Yes, it does, but there are ways to prevent it. Those annoying red bumps or a few pimples here and there can be bothersome, painful, and even hinder our confidence. Well, we’re going to share some tips to help you get rid of the undesirable side effects of traditional shaving.
If you’ve ever wondered how to prevent acne after traditional shaving and eliminate razor burn, you’ll be happy to hear that it can be solved (or at least significantly reduced) by a few different approaches. The first step is understanding what causes these skin irritations; then you will see that much of the results depend on prevention.
The Causes of Skin Irritations
Acne and pimples
Unlike when kids go through puberty, acne after traditional shaving is slightly different. In general, acne occurs when hair follicles and pores become clogged with a number of substances (shaving creams, gels, foams, oils, dirt, dead skin cells, lotions, etc.) and become inflamed/irritated. When shaving traditionally, the act itself stirs up dead skin cells with shaving foam, gel or cream of your choice and oils that get deposited in the freshly shaved hair follicles.
Razor burn
This painful irritation can be caused by a few things -- dull razor blades, too many razor strokes on the same spot, not applying warm water prior to shaving, no lubrication, too much pressure, and even your shaving cream, gel, or foam. Razor burn often feels like you shaved the top layer of your skin off and can be extremely uncomfortable, red and inflamed.
Tips for Fighting Acne and Razor Burn after Shaving
Proper pre-shave routine
Before you shave, take a hot shower, moisturize the shaving area with warm/hot water, or apply a warm towel for at least 30 seconds. The heat and moisture will help soften the hair, open the pores, and remove any loose surface dust. There are pre-shave liquids on the market that say they help, but often adding more chemicals -- potential irritants -- to the skin is mostly a bad thing.
The right shaving cream “saga”
Choosing the right shaving cream or gel for your skin is important… at least that is the “advice” that the multi-billion dollar companies are telling us. In reality, most of us know that in most cases this is just another trick they use to make us believe we are the problem not their questionable ingredients.
Razors
Angled-blade razors that offer as many as five blades in one razor head, help get closer shaves and reduce the amount of pressure by spreading it over five blades. However, do yourself a favor and stop buying razors with “lubricating” strips. The “lubricating” strip is filled with harmful chemicals and it does more bad than decent.
The number of razor blades
There is a lot of conflicting information out there about whether more or fewer blades are better. Razors that offer five blade cartridges will be better because they disperse the pressure and make several, increasingly closer cuts to the hair, thus reducing skin irritation and a high possibility of cutting yourself if you choose a lower number of blades.
Shaving direction
Shave in the same direction that the hair naturally grows. This will reduce the “pulling” and irritation.
After shaving tip
You can choose to use an aftershave cream or lotion to help moisturize your skin and reduce irritation. However, most of these products are made with harmful ingredients which may increase the irritation and inflammation because your pores will be still open and the chemicals in the products may lead to adverse results.
Often, the best finishing step is to use cold water on your freshly shaved skin. This will close your pores and the cold temperature will help reduce the inflammation.
If you’ve tried all these tips already with no avail or are tired of wasting money on shaving creams, foams, gels, and razors with “moisturizing” strips then maybe it’s time you try Aqua Jet Razor.
This razor is the first and only razor in the world that uses water instead of shaving creams, foams and gels. The water flows through the razor between the blades onto the skin, thus, eliminating clogged blades, skin irritation, and the need for ever buying gels or creams. You will shave and moisturize at the same time, getting the most natural shave you’ve never had with 5-blade razors.
Let razor burn and acne from shaving be a thing of the past. To learn more, check out https://aquajetrazor.com/pages/faq.