Razor Burn and how to avoid it

Razor Burn

Razor Burn is more often preventable. It is caused by haste and carelessness. Most times it happens when you don’t properly prepare your skin or when you use an old razor, or when you neglect post-shave recovery routine. If you want to know how to prevent razor burn, maybe it’s time to learn about a thorough shaving routine, so you can feel fresh-faced and burn free each and every time. These are t important steps you can take to ensure a clean, pain-free shave.

1. Properly prepare the skin with hot water and pre-shave oil

Warm the area with a hot shower or towel immediately before the shave. This softens the skin and hair and opens the pores, giving you a smoother shave with less friction from your own stubble. Secondly, apply a pre-shave oil to further relax the hairs and condition the skin for the harsh dragging of the blade. We love BlueBeards Revenge Pre Shave Oil. It helps to prevent infections from the razor. DON’T rinse off the pool before applying the shave cream or soap. Do both of these things and you will prevent ingrown hairs and irritation, since the hairs cut cleaner and the blade glides easily across the skin with so much less friction.

2. Use a clean razor with fewer blades

TV & Magazine advertising would have you believe that more blades means a better shave. Sure, it might mean you can avoid a second pass at the stubble, but if you properly prep the skin in the first place and are shaving with a fresh blade (meaning, there’s no dead skin and bacteria accumulated on it), you shouldn’t have any problems with a standard 3-blade cartridge. The reason you might want fewer blades—or to switch to a single-blade safety razor—is that you can minimize the number of blades that are combing over your sensitive skin. Sometimes too much is just too much, and that fourth or fifth blade will only irritate the skin instead of offering any real benefits. For a reliable 3-blade shave, you can’t go wrong with Gillette Mach3.However, if you make the switch to a double-edge, single-blade safety razor, Muhle is the name to trust. Swap a safety razor each time you shave. However we do recommend that if you can, ditch the cartridge razor.
Muhle razor R89 Grande       Pure badger shaving brush        Muhle Aloe Vera shaving Cream

3. Consider a badger brush

If you’re shaving hairs that are more than a few days old, you might be able to lift them up away from the skin by applying your shave cream with a badger brush. You simply wet the brush in warm water, poke a hole in the centre with your finger, then fill it with cream, before applying it in circular motions against the grain on your face, to build a milky lather while also pulling the hairs up and priming them for a nice, gentle shaving I’ve yet to be disappointed the badger brushes from either Kent or Muhle. The shave soaps and creams from Muhle are 1st class and offer greta value. The blade, the oil and the cream or soap are the real key to reducing Razor Burn. For more on Shaving Brushes watch here.

4. Lighten your grip

If your razor is clean and sharp, if you have properly prepared the skin with warm water and pre-shave oil, and if you’re lathered in shave cream, then all the elements are in place for a smooth, friction-free shave. Don’t add any unnecessary force, which will only irritate the skin. Instead, just lightly glide the razor against the grain of the hair, and it should cut on the first pass.

5. Lather again if necessary

If you do need another pass, don’t hack at it with the razor immediately. You’d be begging for a bloody nick. Instead, rinse the blade in warm water, reapply shave cream to the spot, and then shave the patch again in the same direction—against the grain of the hair.

6. Calm the skin with cold water and an aftershave balm

Just as you opened the pores and relaxed the hairs before your shave, you need to close everything back up and make it firm again after the fact. Just splash some cold water on the face after you shave, which will close the pores. Then a rub over with an Alum Bloc followed by an application of balm / moisturiser. This nourishes the skin with vitamins. Balm also protects the skin like a shield, preventing anything from clogging itself inside your pores. We love Men-U facial moisturiser, which energises the skin while also protecting and nourishing it. By taking these steps to help your skin properly recover from the shave, you in turn prevent redness, irritation, bumps, and ingrown hairs.

 

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