Razor bumps are common with people who shave, and lots of razor stick companies pride themselves with the fact that their razors don’t cause ingrown hair and for that reason, people should choose their razor sticks. They use this line because they are trying to reach out to the pain points of people who are prone to razor bumps.
The truth is bumps have always and will always be a side effect of shaving and most people will experience it at some point of their life to varying degrees and while prevention is better than cure, there are still things that can be done to reduce, not eliminate, the occurrence of razor bumps in most people.
What are Razor Bumps?
Razor Bumps, also know as Pseudofollicultis barbae (PFB) or shaving bumps, can occur after shaving and is often caused by hair follicles being trapped under the skin that then continue to grow under the skin instead of above the skin. To simply put it, razor bumps are an aftermath of ingrown hair.
It is mostly common with black men because of their curly hair which is responsible for hair growing inward instead of straight out. As you know, shaving cuts the hair follicle and this increases the chances of having ingrown hair. As you can tell, removing the hair from the root is the best way to prevent ingrown hair and bumps altogether.
How to Prevent Razor Bumps
The coolest way to prevent ingrown hair is to leave the beard and just trim it with scissors. To be honest, I feel this is not the solution you are looking for if you are reading this blog post because you want to cut your beard to reveal smooth skin and leaving it out is most likely not the option so let us look at options that you can still use with shaving and without shaving.
While shaving follow these steps:
- Exfoliating before shaving is a great way as it will scrape away all dead skin before you start to shave since dead skin can promote the growth of ingrown hair.
- Never use a dull blade. It is advisable to realize how many times you can shave with your razor before changing blades.
- Shaving in the direction of hair growth will help to prevent the repositioning of the hair follicle and avoid the hair growing inwards.
- Right after shaving, it is a great idea to use an after shave. This will help to prevent infection and catalyze healing of small wounds that can accompany shaving. This way the hair pores close faster and there’s room for the hair to grow straight out.
- In addition to after shave, you can also use Aloe vera or Tea tree oil as often as possible because they come with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties
If choosing not to shave, use any of this options:
- You can keep your beards and visit your barbershop to groom it, most times you barber has all the kit you will need to ensure that the minimal shaving that’s needed to groom your beards will ensure that you don’t develop ingrown hair and even when that happens, they will help to treat the ingrown hair.
- If you need an alternative to shaping that will uproot your hair and lasts longer, you are advised to try waxing or sugaring. While waxing and sugaring can also cause ingrown hair it is often due to hair breaking off sometimes instead of being uprooted. If, however you visit a well experience professional, you would quickly realize it is a viable option as you would rarely have hair breakage. For a more permanent result, you can pair your sugaring/waxing treatment with Epilfree.