Razor Bumps and Ingrown Hair

We’ve been doing this all wrong! Doing what all wrong you ask? Shaving! How many of you shave against the grain just so you can get that silky, smooth feeling? I admit, I personally do. And how many of you also try to use your razor until you “feel” that it’s not performing as well as when you first unwrapped it before changing it? Yes, me again.

I have to admit, razors are pricey. First tried buying the disposable razors…they just didn’t seem to last as long. Upgraded to a razor with disposable cartridges…well, the cartridges costs almost as much as the razor itself and don’t get me started on these disposable cartridge razors…the more blades you want, the higher the cost is. I’m already on 5 blades and looking for 6! This is where I try to use the cartridges beyond their normal life expectancy to save money.

But did you know shaving against the grain and using a razor beyond its normal life expectancy increases the chances of having ingrown hair as well as razor bumps?

Yes, shaving against the grain may give a closer shave, but it increases the chances of ingrown hairs and razor bumps! So let’s take a closer look on what are ingrown hair and razor bumps.

This happens when the tip of the hair gets trapped and grows back into the skin. The chances of this happening would increase if your skin is inflamed or using a dull razor which will leave jagged edge on the hair that’s more likely to grow back into the skin.

This is basically the inflammation of the skin from shaving…dry shaving, aggressive shaving, or shaving with old, dull blades. You will normally notice a rash a few minutes after shaving…and it can be in the form of a rash if bad enough. You can calm the skin with high-quality aftershave moisturizers or lotions. Petroleum jelly is also recommended, but if you have sensitive skin, this ingredient may actually clog your pores.

This term is usually used interchangeably with Razor Burn, but this is actually a different condition. Razor bumps are the result of shaved, waxed, tweezing of the hairs growing back and becoming ingrown. When this happens, your body’s natural reaction is to treat the curling of the hair back into your skin as a foreign object and produces an inflammatory response. In turn, it causes bumps, pus, discoloration, and possible keloidal scars. And unfortunately, a person who has natural curly and coily hair will be more prone to razor bumps which then turns to ingrown hair.

Now that we know what’s what…let’s see how we can prevent them from happening.

We’ve been taught since young, “shave against the grain”. Shave from your ankle to your knee, this will give you a closer, cleaner, smoother, longer lasting shave. Wrong. Stop. This may work for some, but definitely would not work for all. Especially for our naturally curly haired readers. When shaving against the grain, you’re basically lifting and pulling your hairs to cut them below the surface of the skin. When this occurs, the hair will start to curl and grow. Think of it as curling a ribbon with a pair of scissors. Once you pull on the ribbon with a pair of scissors, the ribbon curls…and this is similar to what’s happening to your hair when shaving against the grain.

1) Don’t skip your shaving barrier.

We have a variety of shave cream available. From the original Coochy Plus, Citrus Elixir, The Origin, and our top selling Coco Allure and Sweet Bliss to our newly released Fragrance Free for the sensitive skins. We also just launched our Sweet Diva for the textured, naturally curly, coily hair.

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2) This can’t be emphasized enough…shave WITH the grain, NOT against it. This will help reduce the nasty razor bumps and ingrown hairs.

3) Try using a single blade safety razor rather than the multi blade razors. This is especially beneficial for people with textured hair. Multi blades makes it easier for curly hair to grow back in to the skin. Where the single blade will create blunt ends making it harder for the hair to grow back in to the skin. Make sure your blade is sharp; when in doubt, change your blade. Also, a razor with some weights on it is better than the light weight plastic razors as the razor can sit naturally on your skin during your shave without putting additional pressure to cause irritation.

4) The best time to shave is in the shower. Don't start chopping away those hairs as soon as you hop in...wait a bit...let the warm water and steam hydrate and soften your skin and hair.

5) Rather than making single long shaves, try multiple short strokes and rinse off the razor every 1-2 shaves. This in turn will keep the razor blade from getting clogged with hair and shave cream. Clogged razor will most likely leave ends of your hair ragged.

5) Finish your shaving routine off with an aftershave moisturizer.