Shaving for Sensitive Skin

For many with sensitive skin, shaving is an unpleasant experience with lingering aftereffects: You shave, your skin is smooth, and then it itches, becomes riddles with bumps, and forms an irritating rash. You most likely have sensitive skin, and you need to take special steps before and after you shave to take care of it. Check out these must-know tips for shaving sensitive skin. 

What is sensitive skin?Sensitive skin is thin, fine-textured, and easily irritated, and it reacts to heat, cold, windburn, the sun’s UV rays, commercial products (laundry detergents, skin-care creams, cleansers, cosmetics, shampoos, etc.) and, undoubtedly, razor blades. The symptoms of sensitive skin range from slight itchiness to extreme discomfort and rawness. Shaving makes sensitive skin worse. But there is hope. Here are several ways to decrease the discomfort associated with shaving. 

Reactions to Shaving Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you have sensitive skin and you shave often, you may experience one or all of these symptoms:

• Razor burn. Razor burn is a temporary irritation, redness, or swelling of the skin that develops after shaving. It looks exactly like the name suggests — an overall redness of the skin.
• Razor bumps. These small, red, inflamed bumps result from hairs that grow out of the skin, curl around, and then grow back in.
• Rashes. Rashes other than razor burn may be caused by allergic and adverse reactions to the skin-care and/or shaving products you’re using. If you believe this to be the case, try unscented products and/or products designed specifically for sensitive skin.
• Ingrown hairs. Ingrown hairs form when hair, growing back after shaving, fails to grow out of the follicle. Ingrown hairs also cause razor bumps.

How to Shave Sensitive Skin

• Wet your beard before shaving. Men, make sure you wet your beard with warm water for at least 5 minutes before shaving. The best time to shave is immediately after you shower. Wet hair is much easier to shave — that way your razor will cause less pulling and irritation.
• Use a sharp razor blade. Shaving with a sharp razor is important if you have sensitive skin, because dull blades will chafe the skin rather than glide over it and will likely cause an undesirable burning sensation.
• Buy the right products. Use shaving gels and aftershave balms specifically designed for sensitive skin
• Lather up. Regardless of where you’re shaving — your legs, bikini area, face, underarms — remember to lather. Mild soap lather or a shaving cream works well.
• Take your time — your skin will thank you! Shave slowly and make sure you don’t go over areas you’ve shaven already or you’ll irritate the sensitive skin even more.
• Shave less! Fewer strokes means less irritation.
• Shave with the grain of your hair growth, not against it. This is the key to shaving sensitive skin!
• Let go. Excessive pulling and stretching of the skin causes the hair to protrude a bit farther out than normal. Shaving over stretched skin may cut the hairs below the surface of resting skin, thus increasing the risk of ingrown hairs.
• Exfoliate. Use an exfoliating facial cleanser at least once or twice a week to remove dead cells and help free up trapped hair.
• Mind the bumps. Avoid shaving over already irritated razor bumps. Shaving over bumps can cause them to bleed and become more inflamed.
• Moisturizing is crucial. Use lotion with aloe or one that’s been formulated for sensitive skin and apply it regularly.