Shaving cuts and razor burn is sore, look bad, and slows you down in the morning when you haven’t a second to spare.

Our top 6 tips to avoid Razor Burn and Cuts are:

 

Shave Slowly

 

Shave slowly, in short strokes, and against the direction of the hair

The old saying less haste more speed holds true here. Shaving your face too quickly will inevitably lead to being too rough and to cuts. Razor burn happens when rough shaving lifts the top layer of the skin and the skin becomes sore and red. It takes much longer to find bits of loo roll to stick on your face and to fanny about the house looking for Aveeno cream or Aloe Vera gel to cool irritated skin than it does to shave slowly.

 

Lubricate

 

Use enough lubrication so that you don’t scratch the skin off your face when shaving

For most men wetting the face with warm water and using a good shaving gel such as Gillette Fusion Shaving Gel or Nivea Men, shaving gel gives enough glide to your razor to avoid serious damage in a morning shave. Some men, who have more sensitive skin may benefit from shaving in the shower or immediately after the shower. The steam from the shower opens your pores, softens the skin, and allows the shaving gel more contact time. Most men will shave armpits in the shower and their face directly after (i.e. when they have a mirror to look at). Shaving oil, such as Total Shave oil, can be a godsend to men with very sensitive skin.

 

 

Use Fresh Good blades

 

The tools of the trade are essential here. Blades that are blunt or dirty will need extra pressures to be used to get any sort of a clean shave. Extra pressure always leads to scratching the skin and cutting it in places. Great blades that allow a really close yet safe shave are Gillette Fusion or Gillette Mach 3. Any Man who has swapped to these from cheaper older blades never goes back. These blades just glide over the skin protecting it from damage while being so sharp with their triple cut to allow for hairs to be cut right back to the minimum.

 

Shave with the grain of the hair

 

Shave in short strokes in the direction of the hair. Going against the hair will lead to ingrown hairs. These will lead to spots and bumps, which will inevitably be cut on the next shave. Using a facial scrub, like Garnier Pure Face Scrub will remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin and stop pores from becoming blocked. This means there isn’t dead skin for the hairs to be “ingrown” into it is a great product to use for men who suffer from ingrown hairs.

 

Clean your razor when you have finished a shave

 

This is a no-brainer. Cleans blades are sharper. They allow you to shave with less pressure. Rinse your razor in warm water and shake it dry.

 

 

Splash your face with Coldwater

 

Just as warm water and steam open the skin's pore cold water closes them. This helps constrict the skin and close small cuts. It also reduces the chance of hairs growing.

 

Keep your face well Moisturised

 

It’s not just to stop your skin aging or to make your skin more comfortable than you moisturize, a moisturized face will have fewer dry patches and dead skin on it. This in turn means that your skin will be less easy to scratch or cut with a razor (as it has more lubrication in it) and that there will be less chance of ingrown hair as there won’t be dead skin lying on the surface of the skin for the hairs to re-grow into.

 

What to do if you cut yourself

 

The old-fashioned styptic pencils work a treat to stop bleeding fast. They really are an essential thing to have and last forever. Wet the top of the styptic stick and press it on the cuts. It hurts a little bit but at least you don’t look like a fool with a loo roll on your face. When the cut has stopped bleeding, wipe the pencil residue off with a damp towel (or a wet finger). Some men use aftershave, which works similarly to a styptic pencil (i.e. alcohol constricts the blood vessels and stops the bleeding) but smells nicer. Some men like the bracing feeling of aftershave others prefer the more modern balms. Any oil like lip balm, Vaseline, or good face cream will seal a cut (if it’s small) and will also soothe the skin.

 

What to do if you get razor burn

 

Razor burn is sore and will annoy you for the morning. A simple face cream like L’Oreal men Expert works a treat normally. If it’s very bad or if you have sensitive skin Aveeno cream will really calm it down and remove the redness. It works like magic. Other options that work well are Aloe Vera. Nivea Sensitive Shaving Balm or Simple Face cream.