the 10 COMMANDMENTS for PREVENTING RAZOR BUMPS & INGROWN HAIRS 1. THOU SHALT NOT USE DIRTY BLADES! Avoid shaving with dull, over-used razor blades. And be sure to keep your slightly used tools as clean as possible. Scrub the cutting heads of your tools with soap, hot water, and rubbing alcohol to destroy bacteria. Pro Tip: even brand new blades still need to be cleaned. 2. HONOR THY DELICATE SKIN! Avoid too many blades! If you are prone to ingrown hairs then you don’t need 3 or more blades. More blades equal more passes causing the hair to fall beneath the skin and become ingrown. Plus, more blading the skin leads to micro cuts through which bacteria is more likely to enter and this leads to razor burn. 3. DO NOT TAKE PREP TIME IN VAIN! Wash or steam the skin for 2 to 3 minutes with warm water. Then apply the shaving cream leaving it on for at least 2 minutes to really soften the hair. 4. THOU SHALT NOT GO AGAINST THE GRAIN! Shaving against the grain (upwards) may get you a closer shave but doing so also increases ingrowns. Shave in the direction of hair growth…it’s usually downwards. Confirm this by doing a face/ body inspection to see which way your hair grows. 5. THOU SHALT NOT PRESS! Avoid pressing too hard on the skin with the blade. If you follow STEP #3, then a gliding, light touch is all you need. The hair stubble should literally fall away with little or no pressure from the blade. Pressing hard is the main cause of shaving irritation! Be gentle so as to prevent the hair from being cut so low that it falls beneath the top layer of skin. 6. THOU SHALT NOT PASS, PASS, PASS! Avoid too many quick passes with the blade. One pass per hairy area - going 1-2 inches downward at a time - will prevent ingrown hairs. Always shave like you might cause damage, not like you’re mowing the front lawn. 7. THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT OVER SHAVING! Avoid shaving too often. This rule is hard to follow, especially if you have to be beardless for your job…but if you are prone to ingrowns, try hair removal with electric clippers (the barber kind of clippers). The results are not super close but no one but you will know the difference. Provided your skin can handle these alternatives try waxing, depilatory, lasering or an epilator. 8. THOU SHALT NOT CLOG! Avoid using skin/pore clogging creams or lotions since they keep hairs from growing up. After a shave, keep your skin bare; let the tiny army breath, and allow those newly shaved, microscopic hairs to grow out just in time for the next shave. If your objective is smooth, bump-free skin following a shave or wax, then right after hair removal allow the skin to heal first. Promote healing by proper shaving techniques followed by 70% rubbing alcohol which kills any bacteria that may enter those micro cuts created from the shave and prevents the onset of razor burn. Sure your skin will be a little dry at first but this is a temporary tradeoff. Wait 2 hours then moisturize. 9. KEEP THY SMOOTH SKIN FREE! At least for the first day or two, try to avoid tight fitting clothing around the Adam’s apple (neck) and/or below the waistline region. Newly shaved hair follicles need room to grow up. 10. REMEMBER TO EXFOLIATE! Whether you shave, sugar, wax or epilate, not enough exfoliation to remove excess layers of skin can lead to ingrown hairs. There are two types: chemical exfoliation (AHA, BHAs) and physical exfoliation (beads, coffee scrubs, gloves, brushes). Exfoliators like the WIZKER brush have soft and firm bristles. When you follow these 10 tips religiously, you’ll prevent razor bumps and ingrown hairs permanently!
