Thursday, March 28, 2024

Black Men; 8 Great Shaving Tips…

August 31, 2011 by  
Filed under Misc., News, Opinion, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Pseudofolliculitis barbae, better known to us brothas as, “razor bumps“, occur on the faces of men with coarse, wiry, curly hair. Between fifty and eighty percent of African-American men live with the problem of ingrown hairs and razor bumps, daily.

These razor bumps appear when beard hairs, most likely around the neck area, curl as they grow and burrow into the skin adjacent to the hair follicle. Shaving sharpens the hair ends, making it easier for them to penetrate the skin.

Razor bumps itch, burn, can cause scarring, and make shaving  virtually  impossible. Many Black men have resorted to depilatory creams which seem to work significantly better than blades. However, some depilatories, if not used correctly, may irritate the skin.

Cortisone-based creams have also been available for some time, but many cannot be used long-term due to blood stream absorption and other side effects.

How Ingrown Hairs Start
Both men and women suffer from ingrown hairs. But men tend to suffer the most because of the coarseness, or thickness of the hair follicles on the face and neck. Ingrown hairs form after the hair has been cut or otherwise removed below the skin surface. As the hairs grow, they curl over within the follicle and fail to exit to the surface. The result is an unsightly, “bump” on the skin.

Some razor bumps also form when a growing hair exits the follicle and bends back towards the skin surface. When these sharp, shaved edges of coarse hair touch the skin surface, they burrow back into the skin causing puffy, pimple-like bumps to appear.

Fighting Ingrown Hairs
Many men have found that the only way to remove these irritating bumps is by tweezing their faces. While this isn’t very comfortable, most Black men haven’t discovered a better solution.

Below are 8 shaving tips that may help ease some of the pain and more importantly, save your face:

1. Applying a shaving lotion after shaving will reduce the appearance of redness. This is also great for women after shaving legs, bikini lines and underarms.

2. Be sure to always use a clean blade when shaving with a razor. This can be best achieved by only using new blades and discarding ones that have been previously used three or more times.

3. If you use an electric razor, replace the rotary blades or foil after a few months. Of course if you’re required to shave daily, you may have to replace them sooner. This can be a headache since many rotary blade components cost more than half of what the entire razor is worth.

4. While shaving with a handheld razor, always shave in the direction of hair growth. Most hair on men’s faces, slant downward, so be sure to shave in that direction. This is also important around the neck areas since shaving against the grain is one of the main causes of pointy, sharp hairs that can burrow back into the skin.

5. Don’t stretch your skin while shaving. Pulling your cheeks, chin or neck while shaving in order to get a closer shave, can cause darkness and discoloration of underlying skin tissue. This is especially true for light and fair-skinned Black men who have dark, coarse hair.

6. Watch what you eat. A lot of skin irritations may subside if certain foods are avoided. Fatty foods, foods containing oils, cholesterol and sodium, can make your skin more susceptible to damage while shaving.

7. Give up on razors and use a depilitory. Depilatories work well on most skin, but not on all. They can remove facial hair in a matter of minutes, but just like blade shaving, can cause a bit of irritation and redness. Be careful not to use alcohol-based aftershaves or creams immediately after using a depilatory. Mixing the two is like throwing flames onto your face.

8. Grow a beard. This may not be the best solution for those required to shave daily, such as the military and other business professions. But if you can swing it, why not? You will totally eliminate the razor bump worries and ingrown hair issues. Even better, you can get rid of those sharp blades!

 

Have any shaving tips that will help out your fellow brother? Do share, yes leave a comment below… 

Via; http://MyBrotha.com

 


Comments

5 Responses to “Black Men; 8 Great Shaving Tips…”
  1. I want to bring to your attention our efforts at BREEJ Technologies to ensure that all Black men are bump free and can shave without fear of getting bumps

    Our take On Shaving Bumps
    BREEJ Technologies disagrees with the widely held view that Shaving Bumps are caused by “in-grown” hairs – wiry, curly hairs that curl and grow back into the skin.” This concept of “in-grown” hairs has led to a lot of poking & probing of the shaved area with tweezers often further aggravating the problem. BREEJ discourages this practice as the additional trauma can lead to infection, hyper pigmentation and significant skin damage.

    BREEJ postulates that “Shaving Bumps are Primarily caused by Trauma from Shaving, resulting in inflammation of the shaved area manifested as “bumps” as the body reacts to the trauma, compounded at times by Bacterial/Fungal Infections. Induction of Melanogenesis by Irritated keratinocytes during shaving produces additional inflammatory mediators exacerbating the condition[this is the main reason why men of color with higher levels of melanin have a higher incidence of shaving bumps]”

    Ingrown Hairs/Entrapped Hairs
    Ingrown hairs [more appropriately referred to as entrapped hairs] result when existing shaving bumps block the opening of the hair follicles on the skin forcing the normally growing hairs to grow into the existing bumps [hence the name ‘ingrown hairs’]. Shaving Bumps [caused by shaving] precede ingrown hairs and as such ingrown hairs are not the cause of shaving bumps

    Please see our recent press release and blog post
    BREEJ Technologies Announces New Razor Shaving Guide for Black Men
    http://www.prurgent.com/2015-06-26/pressrelease388247.htm

    Shaving Bump Treatment And Razor Shaving Guide for Black Men Issued By BREEJ Technologies
    https://bumpdoc.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/shaving-bump-treatment-and-razor-shaving-guide-for-black-men-issued-by-breej-technologies/

  2. George says:

    Wow great ideas, though not very new ofcourse. Been a bit lucky coz am a grooming & beauty fanatic and swinging with the times when it comes to male grooming. Definately for a wet shave coupled with a four bladed razor and have been for a long time, great results!

  3. Baldheaded Foo says:

    nothing new offered here for long-time razor bump sufferers. But I have recently got into “wetshaving” and am using a safety razor now. It gets much closer shaves than the “pull and tear” disposables which are bad for any type of skin, not to mention the expense. I encourage all black men to research the art of safety razors. in the long run it could save you money and pain.

  4. KoolBro says:

    Thanks for the tips. What type of razor you brothers using? I need to get rid of the Gillette MACH3 Turbo I’m currently using. It got my face feeling like a bumpy road. Not a good thing.

  5. Dell Gines says:

    My problem is that if I shave with the grain of the hair I don’t get a clean shave. The only way I get a clean shave is if go against the grain, and this often leaves me with little blood dots unless my beard has grown for a couple of days.

    I am interested in a depilitory, I have never used one.

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