How to get rid of razor burn guide

Guide on How to Get Rid of Razor Burn

Almost everyone who shaves their body hair frequently has experienced razor burn at least once in their lives. Razor burn is the result of frequent improper shaving. It causes the skin to become covered with an itchy rash, and can lead to painful ingrown hairs and even skin infections. Razor burn is caused when the skin gets irritated by a razor making too much contact with the skin while shaving.

Many times this is due to:

• Using a blade that has not been disinfected after each use
• Dull razor blades being too dull
• Improper shaving techniques
• Lack of moisturizing or exfoliating the skin after shaving
• Sensitive skin

Fortunately there are a few remedies that can help if you failed to prevent razor burn.

Razor burn can feel like a rash or a sunburn. The skin will usually be bumpy and red, and may have some blistering. This skin will feel rough because there will be a few to several rows of irritated skin bumps depending on how large the affected area is. The skin may also be incredibly itchy. It is comparable to the feeling of an allergic reaction rash, like poison ivy, or like rug-burn.

How to get rid of razor burn before it occurs:

The main steps one can take to prevent razor burn include general skin care and cleaning practices that may add a few minutes to a daily routine.

Prep:

1. When using a razor anywhere on your body, be sure to disinfect the blades with alcohol daily and keep them dry after use. Wet blades can be a breeding place for various bacteria that could easily enter your skin through a cut and cause many health problems and contribute to razor burn.
2. To help prevent skin irritation on the body, it is important to use a daily moisturizer. There are special creams and balms for men who have problems with ingrown hairs available in many drugstores. A good balm will contain an oil, like tea tree oil, to help soothe irritation and moisturize the skin. Many men don’t like to moisturize, but they can use special moisturizing soap when washing their face.
3. Shaving soap, not cream or gel, is also beneficial in helping the razor slide across the skin and reduce chances of razor burn.

Shaving:

1. If you are using a dull razor, this can also contribute to razor burn. The dullness of the blade may cause you to push the blade closer to the skin, which will irritate the skin, and also contribute to ingrown hairs. If you just bought a new, sharp 5-blade razor and are still getting razor burn, then that could be the problem as well. Safety razors are great because they are effective if kept sharp and provide less irritation to the skin than many blades hitting the same spots over and over again.
2. It is wise to use a shaving soap applied with a badger brush. The brush makes the hairs stand up and allows for a better shave. The soap provides lubrication for the razor, and allows for the razor to slide easily along the skin.
3. You must hold any loose skin tight to help prevent contact with the razor.
4. Remember to take short, light strokes. When we take longer strokes while shaving, we generally apply more pressure to the razor and end up dragging it across the skin.
5. Making sure the razor is applied with minimal pressure will greatly reduce the chances of irritation. The razor must be rinsed in between every stroke to keep it from clogging and to keep it sharp.
6. Finally, to prevent having to go over the skin many times, you should shave in the direction of the growth of the hair.

Post Shave:

1. Exfoliating the areas you shave regularly can also help relieve razor burn. A great home remedy involves a cup of brown sugar, a half a cup of almond oil, and some vitamin E. If you mix them together and apply them to the skin, it gently exfoliates the area to help reduce the chances of ingrown hairs.

How To Get Rid Of Razor Burn

If prevention did not help and you need to know how to get rid of razor burn, then you will need an effective way to treat it:

1. The first step to treating razor burn is letting it heal. While it is healing, you can try using a mild exfoliant. Just keep in mind that scrubbing the skin is not a good idea. It can be very painful, and even cause infections if blisters that have formed are damaged.
2. After shaving, make sure to chill the skin with cold water, or even an ice cube. Making the skin cold will close the pores, which is highly effective against preventing ingrown hairs. Alcohol or products that contain alcohol will help tighten the skin, but they may dry the skin and contribute to irritation. Cologne should never be applied to an area that is regularly shaved as it often contains skin-irritating alcohol as well.
3. Until the skin is healed, do not try to go for a close shave. Try to shave as lightly as possible. You may miss some spots but this will help your skin heal a lot faster. It is also a good habit to keep, as shaving softly every time you shave will help prevent skin irritation and razor burn in the future.

Preventing skin irritation can be difficult if you already have razor burn. Remember, do not apply anything containing alcohol to a razor burned area, as this may cause burning and extreme discomfort. Again, this includes aftershave or colognes. If your skin is already damaged you do not want to cause any more pain or irritation to the area. Razor burn will usually heal itself within a week, if the skin is taken care of while it heals. If it happens to be a more serious case, which may require medicated ointments prescribed from a doctor.

Hope this helps and please let us know if you have any additional questions or comments on how to get rid of razor burn.

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