Razor bumps

September 25, 2006 11:53 AM

What do you recommend to get rid of razor bumps? Products, shaving techniques, whatever. We're talking about shaving a face here, although I am under the impression it's the same issue with legs/pits.
posted by kavasa to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (21 answers total)

Good info here.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:58 AM on September 25, 2006

Tend Skin has been recommended to me by a couple of different waxers and seems to work well.
posted by echo0720 at 11:59 AM on September 25, 2006

This may or may not apply, but I used to get a lot of razor burn which completely went away after I started rinsing my razor between scrapes in cold water. I still use hot water to prep my face, but rinse with cold. It works wonders.
posted by OmieWise at 12:00 PM on September 25, 2006

just take the time and once and for all figure out which ways your hairs grow - and then always shave in that direction. Also dont apply to much pressure to the shaver.
After years of suffering this is what worked for me. Now i have stopped shaving - thatll work as well.
posted by FidelDonson at 12:00 PM on September 25, 2006

exfoliate before shaving
posted by jengineer at 12:07 PM on September 25, 2006

When I was an acne-fied teenager, my dermatologist recommended Bump Fighter, "specially designed to meet the special skincare needs of African American men."

I am as white as they come, but Bump Fighter worked very well for me.
posted by infinitewindow at 12:11 PM on September 25, 2006

Best answer: I got a $50 shave at the Grooming Lounge in DC, and learned a great deal about the "grain" of my beard, and strategies for shaving with and against it. The folks there also sold me some Tend Skin, which works great. The Tend Skin was quite pricey, but it's lasted me many months.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:11 PM on September 25, 2006 [1 favorite]

Seconding OmieWise's comment about cold water. I find that washing my face with cold water shortly before shaving helps as well.

I also picked up a trick from Lifehacker: when you apply your shaving cream, either use a shaving cream brush or simply your hands and keep lathering for a minute or so.

I used to apply the foam and immediately shave it off, leading to both bumps and burns. Maybe it's common knowledge, but it's something I'd never done prior to reading their article.
posted by owenkun at 12:15 PM on September 25, 2006

What FidelDonson said, except that if you want a closer shave, you can follow the with-grain cut with a counter-grain cut, not applying too much pressure. I had originally thought that would be too harsh, but when I take the majority of the hair off with a with-grain cut, the remaining stubble -- which I can feel with my fingers but not see -- comes off with no burn if I then proceed in the opposite direction.

Going to try the cold water rinse as well, OmieWise, to see if that improves things even more.

(And for some reason, the quality of the water where I've recently moved means no dulling of the blade -- seemingly ever. I'm on about my 35th shave on a disposable, with clean cuts and no burn...)
posted by dreamsign at 12:17 PM on September 25, 2006

The advice about the grain is great, but if you are like me, you have "grain" that is actually a swirl, and it's impossible to shave with it without also shaving against it.

I gave up after trying the Mach 3, wet shave, razor blades, etc, and got a $60 braun electric razor. No more bumps, no more cuts, and it's a closer shave.

After 2 years, I accidentally broke the razor and switched to the norelco speed something or other (the three-circle kind), and it's good too, but takes a little longer than the braun.
posted by Pastabagel at 12:22 PM on September 25, 2006

My dermatologist told me that some people simply can't get rid of the bumps, at least not without cortisone creams and the like. I don't want to sound like a defeatist, but if you're not willing to spring for the expensive prescriptions, you might be better off growing a beard or using a beard trimmer to achieve a 5 o'clock shadow look.
posted by c:\awesome at 12:24 PM on September 25, 2006

That may be true, c:\awesome, but I recommend the poster try some of the other suggestions here, first. I might not be one of those people, but I used to have the bumps and rash, too, and now, no more.
posted by dreamsign at 12:29 PM on September 25, 2006

Don't pull your skin tight when you shave. That has pretty much done it for me. Oh, and avoid the Schick Quattro, which kickstarted the whole problem in the first place for me.
posted by knave at 12:48 PM on September 25, 2006

I think I heard this tip on ask mefi... anyway, it has worked quite well for me in the bikini area, which is notoriously bad for razor bumps: deodorant. Kind of crazy, but if I apply deodorant to the area I shaved, right afterwards, I don't usually have razor bumps anymore. YMMV, especially since it's the face, but you can try.
posted by Amizu at 12:52 PM on September 25, 2006

Oxy 10 wash with 10% Benzol Peroxide used just prior to shaving helps some people.
posted by caddis at 1:00 PM on September 25, 2006

I recently found Aveeno shave gel which has been great for my very sensitive skin, and pretty much eliminated bumps.

Other things I've found that help include:

Short strokes, with the grain, rinsing the blade after each stroke to keep it as clean as possible.

Rinsing my face really well after shaving, particularly the neck area, with water as cold as I can get it.
posted by valleys at 1:08 PM on September 25, 2006

DO. NOT. PUT. PRESSURE. ON. YOUR. RAZOR.

I'm not accusing you of in fact doing it. I use this tone because I know most people do use pressure. I catch myself using pressure all the time. I usually regret it. Let your razor slide across your face. Make sure your blade is sharp. If you do use pressure, ceasing to will vastly improve your experience. Using aftershave, or any moisturizing face lotion will also help eliminate the burn, and I find helps against irritation and razor bumps in the long run too.

If you're willing to spend some money, you can try wet shaving. Otherwise, a tip a friend of mine gave me, that really seems to help, is to put some soap on your face before your shaving cream. I had never heard of this. If you haven't give it a try. To me it would seem that it approximates the effect that wet shaving has because the soapy water sticks to your face better than just plain water, so your razor has that layer of moisture to glide on.

When you put your shave cream on, don't just slap it on, make sure you massage it up against the grain of your hair to get them to stick up.

That's all the tips I can think of.

Again. Do not use pressure. This in most cases is probably the single most important factor.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 1:08 PM on September 25, 2006

Argh. I should have previewed. Meant to also include this askme question on wet shaving.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 1:10 PM on September 25, 2006

Response by poster: Ok thanks folks. Some of the suggestions are going to have to wait a while for implementation for reasons I won't go into here, but this is good stuff.

And I'm very tempted to go to the Grooming Lounge when I have an opportunity to do so. Even if it does sound like a place for pets.
posted by kavasa at 1:16 PM on September 25, 2006

I Nth Tend Skin. I've seen it work really well on men, and hear it works for ladies, too.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 3:55 PM on September 25, 2006

All your woes will be gone.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 4:49 PM on September 26, 2006