Sun, sea, beach: that screams silky smooth skin! Some people get their monthly bikini wax, while others prefer to grab a razor and do it themselves. Shaving is easy, painless and relatively inexpensive, but many women experience an immense, all-consuming discomfort feeling the day after. And that is not what you had in mind when you turned to your razor to get a baby-soft and even-toned skin! To get blemish-free skin after shaving, all you have to do is follow our 8 tips on how to get rid of razor bumps.
What are razor bumps?
Razor bumps are ingrown hairs that develop after shaving or using other hair removal techniques, such as waxing or plucking. After removing hair by e.g. shaving, the hair may curl and turn inward. As the new skin cells grow over the hair, it becomes trapped and causes a bump to form.
How to get rid of razor bumps?
Shaving your legs, bikini areas and armpits is basically removing the top layer of your skin. That allows bacteria in the skin to form red bumps on the inflamed skin. The best to avoid razor bumps is to prevent them. That sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, it is easy peasy lemon squeezy! All you have to do is follow these 8 tips on how to get rid of razor bumps after shaving.
#1 Invest in a good razor
Picking the right razor is the first step to ensuring silky smooth skin. A clean and sharp razor gives the best results and it is essential to replace your razor blades regularly. The golden rule is to replace the blade if the rubber soothing strip at the top of the blade shown signs of wear, or if the blade doesn’t easily glide over your skin. A sharp razor blade causes less trauma to the skin surface, and the hairs are cut bluntly, decreasing the risk of ingrown hairs. How often you need to replace your razor blade depends on how often you shave. To be sure you replace the razor blade on time, you can follow these guidelines:
- Daily shaving: replace your blade after 1 to 2 weeks
- Shave every other day: replace your blade after 2 to 3 weeks
- Shave twice a week: replace your blade after 4 to 6 weeks
- Shave once a week: replace your blade after about 8 weeks
Note: If your razor looks rusty, always toss it out.
#2 Prep your skin by exfoliating
Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, preventing them from clogging the hair shaft and causing those annoying ingrown hairs. You can use a wet washcloth or body scrub to lightly exfoliate your skin to remove dead skin cells. It doesn’t matter what you prefer, as long as you tease out any stubborn ingrown hairs prior to shaving. Exfoliating benefits your skin leaving it soft and smooth, plus your razor blades last longer. It’s best to exfoliate the day before shaving rather than on the day itself. If you exfoliate your skin and run a razor over it straight after, your skin is likely to get irritated and cause itching.
#3 Prep your skin by warming it up
Most women shave when they’re taking a shower. Lukewarm water opens up your pores and softens your skin. Now gently run your razor over the areas you want to shave. Are you done? Then rinse off using cold water. (yes, you can do it!) Cold water helps close the pores and reduces the likelihood of getting razor bumps.
#4 Use shaving cream
Shaving cream is not just for the boys! When you shave your hair, your shaving your skin as well. Shaving creams create supple skin and help your razor to glide over it with the greatest bits of ease. A shaving cream with moisturizing ingredients will give a proper buffer for your razor while hydrating your skin. Apply a thin layer of your boyfriend’s shaving cream to the area that needs to be shaved. Make sure you can still see the skin and the hair shaft underneath to avoid moving the blade back and forth on the skin.
#5 Shave in the direction of hair growth
The direction you shave does matter, especially for women who are prone to bumps. Going in a ton of different directions with your razor makes cuts and subsequent ingrown hairs more likely. Shave in the direction of hair growth; going against the grain of your hair makes irritation much more likely You don’t really need to re-shave to get rid of unwanted hairs; one pass should be enough to get silky smooth skin.
#6 Rinse your razor
Dead skin cells and clipped hairs clog up your razor, causing irritation, itching and those awful red bumps. To prevent this discomfort, you must rinse your razor with lukewarm water while shaving. Rinsing removes any dirt that gets stuck between the blades and reduces the risk of irritations, itching and red bumps.
#7 Moisturize your skin after shaving
Are you done shaving? Rinse off with cold water to get the best and smoothest result. Yes, that is a bit of a struggle! Rinsing with cold water helps to constrict the open pores and stop minor nicks you might have picked up. Gently pat yourself dry and generously apply a nourishing body lotion to get beautiful skin without hairs and red bumps.
#8 Wait for one day before wearing tight clothes and underwear
That lacy thong and those tight trousers may look stunning on you, but it’s better for your skin to wait a day after shaving before wearing any tight clothing. After shaving, your skin is sensitive and abrasive clothing will only cause itching, irritation and those annoying red bumps. To give your skin some rest, it’s best to wear loose-fitting, cotton clothes.