If you shave, you have no doubt experienced razor bumps or ingrown hairs. Ingrown hairs occur when the end of the hair shaft is shaved very low, curling back into the same hair follicle as it grows. This causes inflammation, which includes redness, itchiness, and/or raised infected area, and voila, you’ve got a face full of sore, itchy bumps!
You can take steps to reduce or prevent razor bumps from ruining your smooth look;
- Get your hair ready first. Wet hair is much easier to shave than dry hair, so it’s helpful to wet shave every time you shave, and to use shaving oil to provide lubrication, which helps the razor slide over hairs easier. We recommend Face Guard which carefully cleanses your skin & softens the facial hair to prepare it for shaving. It then creates a barrier, lubricating your skin & protecting it to allow closer contact from the shaver, while active ingredients work to penetrate & moisturise, leaving your skin feeling ultra smooth.
- Shave after a shower so the warm water will soak into your hair, making it easier to shave after you’ve stepped out of the shower.
- Shave with an electric shaver. Electric shavers have a foil over them that effectively create a barrier between your skin and the blade, making it very difficult to cut the hair under the follicle.
- Choose the right blade. Clean the blade regularly, using light pressure to prevent razor burn. We recommend Shaver Guard which blasts away all of the unwanted hair left hanging around after a shave. Its anti-bacterial properties then work hard to break down stubborn skin oils or left over pre-shave products, to leave your shaver completely clean & fresh every time you shave.
- Shave with the grain. Shaving with the proper technique can go a long way toward reducing ingrown hairs. The grain is the direction your hair grows in. If your hair angles a certain way, shave in that direction.
- Pamper your skin after you shave. Rinse your skin with cool water to tighten the pores and you use a good-quality aftershave, but preferably one that doesn’t have alcohol in it, as they can cause dryness, inflammation, and cellular damage.
If you do have a break out of razor bumps, you can try exfoliating with a light facial scrub or you can use a product that has salicylic acid or glycolic acid which is essential as they will dry out the inflamed area, drawing the ingrown hair to the surface for easier removal. Salicylic acid is naturally derived from plants such as the bark from a willow tree. Glycolic acid is derived from fruits, such as citrus fruits and even cane sugar. Both acids work as an exfoliant to the skin, removing dead skin cells and drying out the area.