Is Shaving Daily Bad for Your Skin?
May 02, 2011, By Craig J. Heimbuch 0 comments
Some mornings, I just don’t want to shave. I wake up and I look at myself in the mirror and think, “maybe I’ll grow a beard.” Then, a day or two later, I realize I'm incapable of growing a beard, so I shave. Big mistake.
I end up with razor burn. In part this is a sensitive-skin issue, but it also has a lot to do with the curliness of my facial hair. Men with curly facial locks—like me, African-American men in general and others—are doing themselves a disservice by not shaving every day. According to treasuredlocks.com, not shaving daily allows facial hair enough time to grow and curl, which can result in in-grown hairs, razors bumps and other nasty skin irritations.
You could make a case that shaving daily only leads to skin irritation of other kinds, not to mention the hassle of actually having to do it. Still, it’s better to shave every day and take steps to minimize irritation than to let things go.
Scform.com recommends a series of steps to reduce irritation, and it all starts with prep work.
- Before you shave, take a shower or wash your face. Hot water will help soften both skin and facial hair and make shaving a lot easier and smoother.
- Next, use a pre-shave oil. I like this one from the Art of Shaving. A little oil goes a long way in create a thick, smooth barrier between skin and blade without actually effecting the closeness of the shave.
- Look for a shaving cream that’s as full of lipids as possible. Sounds weird, but the fat acts the same way as olive oil on a grilled steak - it helps to maintain moisture.
- Sharp blades are crucial. Shaving every day with a broken down razor is like driving a six cylinder car with three broken rods. You can do it, but it’s going to get rough as hell.
- Follow the grain. Remember in shop class when your deranged, shell-shocked teacher with eight and a half fingers taught you about wood grain? Sand with it for a smoother finish. Same goes here. Most men’s hair grows down, so you want to shave down. Going against the grain will be rough. You may think you get a closer shave, but the fact remains that you are mangling the end of the hairs you are cutting and just asking for bumps and in-grown hairs. Don’t do it.
- Follow-up. Use an alcohol-free post-shave moisturizer. This isn’t about smelling good, it’s about maintaining the moisture of your skin. Dry skin irritates more quickly. Alcohol dries skin. Look for something smooth. Aloe is a good additive.
If you still need more convincing that daily shaving is the way to go, I direct your attention to this little bit of news that ran in the Times of London a few years back. Researchers from the University of Bristol followed 2,438 men from the early 1980s through 2000. Those men who did not shave daily were 30 percent more likely to die of heart disease and 70 percent more likely to have a stroke. Researchers acknowledge that daily shaving may be an indicator of how a man takes care of himself, but also found instances of hormonal imbalances that affected the growth of their beards.
So the next time you get up and face yourself in the mirror with that shaving-related dread, just remember: You may not want to shave, but your life just may depend on it.
