Men's grooming tips: prevent razor burn

Razor burn can cause uncomfortable burning or stinging sensations and the red, agitated skin isn’t all that attractive either. Most men have experienced the pain of razor burn at least a few times in their life, and they’d rather not do it again. Luckily, there are a few things that men can do to keep from getting razor burn so often.

Razor burn is caused by irritation to the skin. The skin really wasn’t made to be run over with sharp razors, so it doesn’t take too kindly to the process! So, to nurture the skin and help appease its sensitivities men should use a facial moisturizer once a day. Sure, this may seem too feminine at first, but it really is good for your skin and will help delay the onset of wrinkles and may prevent breakouts. There are facial moisturizers formulated just for men, so there is no need to worry about flowery scents anymore! Moist skin will not become irritated as easily, and this simple step will help prevent razor burn.

Another step to preventing razor burn is to exfoliate the face before shaving. Exfoliating the skin before you shave will help the hairs to stand up, and will also make them softer so shaving isn’t so rough on the skin. Because the hair will cut more easily, the razor won’t have to be run across the skin so hard and it will cut down on the chances for irritation to develop. There are several exfoliating products made just for men that would be ideal for this use.

Now, probably the most important factor to preventing razor burn has to do with the razor itself. A razor that is dull will pull the hair out instead of cutting it, or it will cut in a rough manner, leaving microscopic tears in the skin. A dull razor is the biggest cause of razor burn, so taking care to use a sharp razor will cut down on the amount irritation you experience. This is probably the most important step, as well as the easiest, so pay attention to how sharp your razor is before you start!

One of the most obvious steps is to use enough shaving cream. A lot of men think using a bar of soap will work just as well, but it doesn’t soften the hair and protect the skin like shaving cream does. You don’t have to have the most expensive shaving cream, but a good amount of lather on the face will protect the delicate skin from getting irritated to the point that you develop razor burn.

Then, the last thing you can do to prevent razor burn is to apply a moisturizer or aftershave to your face immediately after shaving. A moisturizing or calming formula would be best, since you just removed many of the oils that protect your skin from bacteria, wind, and cold. If you use the product immediately after shaving and you have followed all of the other steps, you should have a smooth shave with little or no razor burn.

Because the skin is so delicate there is no way to truly eliminate razor burn, but if you take a little more time and take these steps, it should significantly decrease your chances of suffering from razor burn in the future!