Razor Burn
Though it's not certain, it seems likely that men invented profanity as an explicit response to the pain and injustice of razor burn.
After all, anyone who has to draw a sharp blade across raw skin every morning to dispense with an overnight growth of stubble needs a grab bag of colorful expletives. How else to endure the cuts, nicks and scrapes that occur all too often?
Of course, there's always Styptic--that mysteriously named drugstore item that you can apply to a nick or scratch to stanch the telltale red droplets that say "I goofed" more clearly than words. And if that morning meeting is an urgent one that will be attended by lots of honchos, Styptic may be your best bet for instant damage repair.
But here are some other tactics recommended by razor researchers and dermatologists for getting through your morning shave without getting burned in the first place.
Delay your morning shave. If you reach for your razor the minute you wake up, you're probably walking around with an irritated face. When you sleep, body fluids tend to puff up the surface of your skin and hide the hairs, says Fred Wexler, director of shaving research for Schick, a division of Warner-Lambert Company in Milford, Connecticut. "If you shave right after you jump out of bed, the razor can't get as close to the hair follicle (the place where the hair comes out of the skin). It takes at least 20 minutes after you get out of bed for those fluids to disperse and for your skin to become taut again."
If you're a morning exerciser, shave after your workout and shower, suggests Wexler. Your sweat is acidic and can irritate freshly shaved skin, so that burn will feel worse if you shave before you run or exercise.
Soften your bristles. "About 25 percent of men experience razor burn or other forms of shaving discomfort," says John McShefferty, Ph.D., president of the Gillette Research Institute in Gaithersburg, Maryland, one of the corporate research laboratories of the Gillette Company. The reason? "Most of them don't take the time to properly soften their beards before shaving. You need about two to three minutes of soaking before you actually start shaving."
The key, according to Dr. McShefferty, is to not dry your face after you wash or take a shower. "While your skin is still wet, apply a shaving gel or foam. Wait for a minute or two and then shave."
For Women: Ways around Razor Burn Shaving legs and underarms can result in razor burn, too. But here are some ways around it. If you get underarm pain, it might be from antiperspirant applied after shaving. "An antiperspirant is very irritating--especially when you consider that the underarm skin is highly sensitive," according to John McShefferty, Ph.D., president of the Gillette Research Institute in Gaithersburg, Maryland, one of the corporate research laboratories of the Gillette Company. "It might be better to shave underarms at night, so you don't have to apply antiperspirant right away. "For legs or underarms, you can cut down on some of the irritation by using shaving creams, gels or foams," suggests Dr. McShefferty. |
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Shave the way your hair grows. Most men shave against the grain, thinking they get a closer shave. "Maybe they do, but they also get more razor burn that way," says dermatologist John F. Romano, M.D., clinical assistant professor of medicine at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. "You should always shave in the same direction as the way your hair grows. That means shaving on an angle, perhaps, or shaving from the chin to the throat--not the other way around, as most men do."
Use short strokes. "When you use long strokes, you tend to press down harder and cause more friction--and friction causes razor burn," according to Dr. Romano. "It's always better to use short strokes. You'll get just as good a shave, with a lot less irritation."
Make your mug moister. "Don't use colognes or commercial after-shave lotions, because they contain alcohol, which is drying and irritating to a freshly shaved face," says Dr. Romano. "You don't need an antiseptic on your face if you wash it regularly."
Dr. McShefferty recommends applying an over-the-counter moisturizer, after shaving, to soften your skin. "Women tend to do this after shaving their legs, but most men don't, because they think the fragrances of their wife's brand may be too feminine." But there are several products that have more masculine fragrances.
Beware of hydrocortisone creams. These over-the-counter medications for skin irritations are okay for occasional use and quick healing of nicks, cuts and other abrasions caused by shaving. But according to Dr. Romano, you should use them no more than twice a week. "Use them only when your skin is really bad," he says, "because eventually they can cause thinning of the skin."
