Shaving Irritation
How To Treat And Prevent Shaving Irritation
Shaving irritation is quite a common problem in both women and men. Along with being pretty unsightly, especially on the face, it can also be painful and itchy. Of course, what makes things worse is since it is usually not an option to allow the hair to grow freely while it heals, you generally keep worsening the situation. The good news, is, you don't have to deal with shaving irritation another day because there are ways to both prevent and treat it.
Causes
Folliculitis, razor bumps, barber's itch or shaving irritation, regardless what you call the problem, they all have the same causes. In most cases, where the hair that has been shaved and is beginning to grow back, it will cause a rash. For whatever reason, the hair decides to curve inward which irritates the surrounding skin. This will result in a lump forming that simply worsens if you try to shave the hair again because the razor will often slice off a part of the lump.
Another cause can be due to bacterial infection which also can worsen significantly when shaved over. Many cases of shaving irritation are directly caused from a fungal infection. People who most often experience these concerns are those with course or curly hair. Folliculitis appears most often on the face, armpits and pubic area but it can happen anywhere. Serious cases often resemble acne.
Treatment
Bumps from shaving irritation usually clear up by themselves but there are a few things that you can do to ease your discomfort.
- If possible, discontinue shaving while the area is healing so you don't cause more irritation.
- Rub pure aloe vera gel on the irritation. This has both anti-inflammatory and soothing properties that will really make it feel a lot better. You can buy pure gel in health food stores and pharmacies or you can get yourself a plant and break open a leaf as needed.
- If you notice an ingrown hair, gently extract it with tweezers. This is easiest done if you relax your pores by placing a steamy cloth over it.
- If your rash is infected, you should apply some type of antiseptic cream on it. An outstanding remedy is to add a few drops of tea tree oil to some water and dab it on the infected area. Tea tree has very powerful antiseptic properties which clears up fungal and bacterial infections.
- For very severe shaving irritation, you should consult a dermatologist who can prescribe a stronger treatment option.
Prevention
It is always better to prevent shaving irritation when possible rather than deal with treating it later.
- Never shave dry hair or skin. Make sure that the area is wet and apply shaving gel or cream. This is a really important step on stubborn facial hair. If you have sensitive skin, choose a product with as few chemicals as possible.
- After shaving, never rub your skin, always pat it dry and apply a gentle moisturizer.
- Avoid shaving any skin that is irritated for obvious reasons. Your skin is very vulnerable to inflammation and infection during this time.
- To minimize further irritation, never share face cloths, towels or other questionable items of clothing.
- Consider trying alternative hair removal methods such as waxing, epilation, depilatory creams, laser hair removal or electrolysis.
- You may want to try a different razor. If you use a manual blade, try an electric razor and if you use an electric one already, try your luck with a manual razor. Also, some razors have two blades, sometimes switching to one with three blades can remedy the problem as well. However, other people feel that the triple blade shaves too close, especially if there is already irritation present. Experiment and find what works best for you to prevent any further shaving irritation.