How To Shave Acne Prone Skin

How To Shave Acne Prone Skin

Naked Armor

We’ve all dealt with acne before. For most of us, that is one aspect of our adolescence that we wished we skipped over.

Published by Naked Armor

And just when we’ve thought we’ve escaped it upon reaching adulthood, imagine the dismay when we suddenly wake up one morning to see it all coming back again.

Because, yeah, nobody really escapes acne.

Especially people with dark skin. That’s because acne occurs in dark skin more frequently and with more severity than other skin types. Also, most common forms of acne treatment can sometimes aggravate the condition when used on people of color.

And if it isn’t bad enough dealing with acne again now that you’re all grown up, try shaving with an acne irritation. It’s painful as hell. Which is why some people would rather let their beards grow out than go through the ordeal of shaving. It’s one solution that acne-sufferers can adopt. But what about those whose jobs require them to be clean-shaven. Like our men in uniform?

How Does Acne Form?

Acne formation starts when a skin pore is clogged with sebum, an oil produced by the sebaceous glands under our skin. Sebum production is our body’s way of protecting our skin by keeping it moisturized and supple. The glands release the sebum into the bottom of the skin pore, whereby it moves up the follicle and outside the skin.

Too much sebum and the hair follicle becomes clogged. If it clogs the follicle passage but is open at the surface, it’s called a blackhead (which, btw, isn’t because of the color of skin cells but rather the way the light reflects irregularly from the clogged hair follicles). If the clog occurs on the skin surface where the sebum and dead skin cells are preventing the follicle from opening, it’s called a whitehead.

When skin bacteria feed on the clog, it causes some of these to become inflamed, tender and sometimes infected. Generally, an acne is considered mild if one has fewer than 20 whiteheads/blackheads, less than 15 inflamed pimples and fewer than 30 lesions. Anything more than that and you’ve got a severe case.

Despite what the modern razor industry may want you to believe, multi-blades aren’t really the answer to shaving acne-prone skin. That’s because skin bacteria can easily be trapped in the spaces between the blades. This increases the chances of the bacteria reinfecting your skin during the second pass of the blade.

— D'Rock, Naked Armor Founder

Sensitive Much?

It’s even harder if one has sensitive skin. Acne formation is accompanied by symptoms of itchiness, dryness and soreness. That’s twice or even thrice the suffering.

Natural skin sensitivity, unfortunately, can’t be cured because it’s caused by one’s genes. This means that you will have to cope with it by finding ways to reduce its symptoms.

The best way to do this is through wet shaving. Shaving, using water-based methods, helps reduce the discomfort caused by blade friction on the skin. Similarly, an acne-prone skin would also benefit from wet shaving as it will make shaving an easier and smooth experience.

So How Does One Shave Acne Prone Skin?

1. Take a Hot Shower First

Before even starting with the actual shaving, you need to prepare your skin by taking a hot shower. The hot moisture softens the skin and opens the pores up so that it will be easy to shave off your facial hair.

Gently wash your face with non-comedogenic soap. The soap will wash off the dead skin cells and dried sebum oil on your skin, furthering opening your pores.

If you can’t shower, place a hot moist washcloth on your face for about 5 minutes. Under no circumstances should you scrub your face with the washcloth since it may rupture the ripe zits on your face.

At this point, all that warm moisture will make some of the whiteheads and pimples really ripe for bursting. So you might as well prick them beforehand. Just do it the right way, or you can shave with cold water to help calm down any inflamed active acne by numbing the area.

You might also want to put on a pre-shave oil. While not a necessity, a pre-shave oil can go a long way towards making your shaving experience comfortable since it moisturizes the skin so that there will be less friction when shaving. You can even actually make one at home since it’s easy to do. Just remember to use it sparingly; a few drops will do and spread it over the shaving area carefully.

Despite what the modern razor industry may want you to believe, multi-blades aren’t really the answer to shaving acne-prone skin. That’s because skin bacteria can easily be trapped in the spaces between the blades. This increases the chances of the bacteria reinfecting your skin during the second pass of the blade.

A single blade, like a straight razor, is best for shaving acne-prone and sensitive skin. It is easier to clean and maintain. One can also use a safety razor but it doesn’t have the same maneuverability as a straight razor, which you will certainly need when you’re shaving over or around a pimple patch. High quality straight razors are also very sharp so that they shave the hair off at first go, reducing any need for another pass. You also don’t need to exert heavy pressure in order to shave off your whiskers.

3. Don’t Use your Shaving Brush

The thing with shaving brushes is that they’re efficient in spreading stuff around. On normal skin, that would be helpful in spreading the lather on your face. But on acne-prone skin, it becomes problematic. Along with the shaving lather, brushes may also spread pimple-causing skin bacteria around so you end up having an acne break out. Instead, use your fingers to apply the lather gently around your face.

4. Shave with the Grain, Slowly.

If you think wet shaving on normal skin requires slow and precise movements, shaving on acne-prone is twice as slow. That’s because you have to be careful in shaving with all the acne around. Shaving experts agree that one should shave with the grain, that is, along the direction of the hair growth. This makes the shaving easier and comfortable, with less incidents of nicks and cuts which can aggravate your skin condition.

5. Skip the Pimples

As a general rule, don’t shave over the zits. Shaving over them can make them rupture, spreading skin bacteria over freshly shaven skin. You’ll end up having a fresh batch of pimples the next morning.

But if you have to, then shave over them as lightly as possible to avoid irritation and cuts. If you’re using a straight razor, the narrow blade will allow you to try all sorts of angles in successfully shaving the acne-filled spot area. A safety razor may be more difficult; a multi-blade razor,even more so.

If the acne pops, stop shaving and immediately wash the area to get rid of the pus. Likewise, rinse the razor blade before using it to shave again. This is to wash away all skin bacteria before it manages a new foothold on your fresh shaven face.

6. Rinse with Warm Water

After shaving, always rinse your face with warm water. The warm water gets rid of the shaving lather residues on your face which can cause pores to clog if they are not washed off. While you’re at it, rinse your razor over running water to clean it. Finish with splashing cold water on your face. It will close the pores and snap you to wakefulness.

7. Don’t Forget the Aftershave

Always splash on an aftershave after shaving. An aftershave contains astringent that closes the pores and helps kill the remaining pimple-causing bacteria on your face. Most aftershaves contain natural ingredients that have anti-inflammatory or moisturizing properties so its beneficial for you to use one after shaving.

The type of aftershave one uses will depends on the skin type. Liquid aftershaves are good for normal skin,while lotion and gels are good for oily skin. Balms are best for dry skin.

Give your razor a similar treatment. Wipe or rinse the razor blade with rubbing alcohol in order to disinfect it. Do this every after shaving.

By using proper steps and the correct products, shaving acne-prone skin need not be a traumatic experience. Straight razors, in particular, are very useful since they have the versatility to shave from different angles, allowing you to skip over areas with acne, while giving a clean and smooth shave.

Here at Naked Armor, we have a variety of high quality straight razors, all manufactured to give you a smooth and easy shaving experience. Our top-of-the-line products give a new meaning to luxury, so that the next time you shave, you won’t be thinking about how painful it is, but rather how luxurious it is, even with the zits around.

Click here to learn more.

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