How To Prevent Razor Burn
So many people that want to know how to prevent razor burn have often never heard of the following tip. If you are someone who just can’t seem to get that perfect shave, perhaps part of the problem is the time of day you choose to shave at.
You might have heard of the rule to never buy a pair of shoes late in the day because that’s when your feet will be at their most swollen point, making the size of shoe you choose inaccurate. And we’ve all heard the wait 30 minutes after eating before going swimming rule. Well, there’s a somewhat similar rule that you should follow when it comes to shaving: To help eliminate razor burn wait 20 minutes after waking up before shaving.
Why Wait?
No, it’s not because everybody’s groggy in
the morning and had no right to be handling anything that’s
razor sharp; it’s because you swell when you sleep.
Men, please take your mind out of the gutter. You may very
well swell down there when you sleep too, but that has nothing to do
with shaving now does it?
What really happens is that while you’re sleeping, body
fluids build up and puff out your skin and effectively hide hairs in
the process. Have you ever woken up with really puffy eyes before? Same
thing happens, although on a less noticeable level, all across the skin.
The result is that your razor cannot get nearly close enough to the
hair follicle for a close shave using a normal amount of pressure, so,
you end up pushing too hard with the razor until that hair is gone.
Even if you’re shaving with the grain, using too much
pressure while shaving will have your skin very angry with you.
Gladly though, the simple solution is to wake up a little earlier, or
wait longer. If you shower in the morning, shave after you shower
– the extra moisture in your hair will make shaving easier to
boot as explained in How
To Prevent Razor Bumps.
Have You Been Working Out?
Your skin is really quite sensitive just after shaving and
there are a lot of things that can irritate it, but one of the most
common things is sweat. Many people exercise in the morning shortly
after they shave. This is a bad idea as that salty cocktail and fragile
skin don’t mix well at all and may alone be enough to cause
significant skin irritation in some people.
So remember, exercise either before or long after shaving and always
wait at least 20 minutes after waking up before you start to shave. We
hope you enjoyed these tips on how to prevent razor burn.