Whenever you shave your legs or around your bikini line, you start developing a temporary rash. It doesn’t appear instantly, but after a day or so there are little red bumps everywhere. It can be extremely itchy and irritating, bordering on painful for some people.
This is commonly referred to as razor burn and it can affect anyone. Men get razor burns on their necks after shaving, but women can get it anywhere. When you shave your body, there are more issues than just skin irritation. If you’re exposing your legs or wearing a bikini, you feel self-conscious if there are obvious signs of razor burn.
As such, you’re keen to prevent this problem from happening when you shave. The obvious solution is to avoid shaving and let your hair grow. You may not want to do this, so what are the other options? Here are some suggestions you’ll find incredibly helpful:
Shave in the direction your hair grows
Look at your body hair and figure out how it grows. Using your legs as an example, the hair will normally grow downwards. This means the hair points down to your feet when laid flat. Razor burn typically arises when you shave against the direction of hair growth. In this example, you get your razor and perform long strokes UP your leg. You’re shaving against the grain, which basically means you’re ripping out the hairs with more force. As a result, irritation occurs and you develop razor burn.
Instead, you can minimize razor burn by shaving in the direction your hair grows. Instead of moving your razor up your leg, perform long strokes DOWN it. You’re following the hair’s direction, so it’s easier to remove them. They come out in a more natural manner with less force, so the skin isn’t as irritated.
Exfoliate your skin before shaving
It’s never a good idea to whip out your razor and shave your body on a whim. Sometimes, you get the urge to do this – particularly if you’re about to go out and you realize your legs look a bit hairy. Or, you’ve just matched with someone on Tinder and you want to tidy things up downstairs. Either way, you’re in a rush so you quickly go to the bathroom and shave.
The problem with this is that your skin is probably dirty. It may be slightly oily, there could be debris on the surface, and you’ll likely have lots of dead skin cells. When you drag your razor across unclean skin, all of the debris and dirt can get caught in the blades. It dulls them, meaning they’re not as effective at removing hair. It usually means you’re going over the area more often, which can lead to skin irritation and razor burn.
To prevent this, exfoliate your skin before shaving. Exfoliating isn’t just great at preventing breakouts, it will also remove dead skin, debris, and dirt from the skin’s surface. In essence, this provides your razor with a smoother surface to glide along, ensuring it makes cleaner cuts and doesn’t cause as much irritation.
Stop dry shaving
Again, this happens when you’re in a rush and need to quickly remove some hair. You wet the razor blade and shave dry legs – or worse, other areas of the body. Dry shaving is like asking for razor burn. It is incredibly bad for your skin and there’s a high chance you’ll develop irritating razor bumps and rashes.
Always shave using water and some type of lubricant. Soapy water works well, but you can also use a shaving gel or foam – it’s up to you. Perhaps you should experiment with both and see which option leads to the best results. In either case, you should experience much smoother shaving. The blade can glide along your skin without getting caught on hairs and tugging them out. This means you should have a smoother shave with few bumps and red areas.
Dry shaving is tempting, but please don’t do it. You’ll make your razor burn even worse, so plan your shaving sessions in advance. If you have to shave last minute with minimal notice, it’s honestly worth being late and hopping in the shower quickly. Your skin will thank you in the morning!
Use a natural moisturizer straight after
Razor burn often occurs because you’ve not moisturized the skin after shaving. You remove hair from your body, and your skin becomes quite dry. Therefore, it’s only natural for some irritation to occur if the skin isn’t getting enough moisture.
So, be sure to apply a moisturizer as soon as you are out of the shower and have stopped shaving. This moisturizes the skin and helps to repair the skin barrier. The key here is to use a natural moisturizer rather than one packed full of chemicals. Avoid anything scented as this will add to the skin irritation and make things worse.
The best post-shave moisturizers will include things like aloe vera and witch hazel. Both have proven benefits for your skin, with each ingredient helping to soothe the area, accelerate wound healing, and reduce redness. As you can imagine, all of these things can calm down any razor burn irritation and prevent it from either forming or getting worse. If you already have razor burn, aloe vera and witch hazel are both amazing treatments for it.
Don’t shave your hair as short as you normally do
Usually, you get a razor and shave as close to the skin as possible. The aim is to remove as much hair as you can from your body, so you’re left with smooth skin and nothing else. Yes, this looks good, but it also means the chances of razor burn are exceedingly high.
One possible option is to avoid shaving as close to the skin as you normally do. To do this, you should swap your razor blade for an electric shaver. These shaving devices let you shave without completely removing all of your hair. There will still be a tiny bit left, but this means you’re unlikely to see razor burn.
Of course, this may not be a great idea for some of you. You might hate the idea of showing a bit of hair, especially on your legs. However, consider instances when your legs aren’t going to be exposed. If you’re wearing long pants or a dress, do you really need completely smooth legs? You can still shave so the hair doesn’t get too long, but without taking it down all the way and causing razor burn.
Likewise, in the bikini line area, you’re not always exposing this part of your body. You can shave using an electric shaver to remove most of the hair while not going too far down to the skin. The chances of anyone noticing there’s hair there are slim, especially when out in public. At the end of the day, it’s just a suggestion – not shaving close to the skin will certainly reduce your chances of developing razor burn.
Seek alternative hair removal methods
On the topic of electric shavers, you may also consider other hair removal methods. Shaving with a traditional razor is the number one way of getting razor burn. You’re less likely to develop it by using different hair removal techniques.
For instance, laser hair removal will not leave you with razor burns. It sounds quite obvious as you’re not using a razor, but this technique also delivers the best of both worlds. You can find a clinic like Infinity Laser Spa and go there for regular treatments. Over time, the lasers blast away your hair and stop the follicles from growing back. As a result, you get long-term hair removal that’s as close to permanent as possible. This gives you the smoothed skin look a razor provides, without the rashes!
The downside of laser hair removal is that it doesn’t provide instant results, so you may need to keep shaving while getting the treatment, or just be patient. Alternatively, you could consider waxing. This divides opinion as some people can’t stand the pain of waxing their legs/body. You will develop a pain tolerance over time, but it’s understandable if you don’t like it. Waxing will remove the hair at its root, so your skin should stay hairless for longer than after shaving. It just takes more time and is more painful.
Still, if razor burn is a huge issue for you, it might be worth looking into other hair removal methods to stop the pain/itchiness.
Try to shave at night
If you are going to keep on shaving, try to do it at night. Follow the other tips mentioned as well, but night-time shaving means you can go straight to bed. As such, you can avoid wearing tight clothing that rubs against your skin and causes further irritation.
Shave, then sleep either naked or in loose-fitting pajamas and your skin will thank you in the morning. Razor burn is typically worse if you shave and immediately put on tight clothes that rub against the skin.
And on that note, you’ve reached the end of this guide. Those of you suffering from razor burn will find some great solutions here. It’s not something you have to deal with – a few tweaks to your shaving routine can be all that’s needed to prevent it. Or, if all else fails, switch to a different hair removal method.
