I really don’t think I’m being too over the top or dramatic when I say razor burn can ruin your day. Let me tell you about my worst experience with razor burn.
It was December 2013 and I was flying from Texas up to Denver for a job interview. I’m not sure if you know this, but Denver gets pretty cold in December.
So I fly up to Denver but I forgot my razor back at home. Shouldn’t be too big of a deal, I’ll just pickup a decent razor at a nearby drugstore.
The problem though was that the night before my interview I had dinner with the company I was about to interview with and it went way longer than I expected. And by the time it was over, I couldn’t find anywhere open where I could buy a cheap razor.
So I just ask the front desk at my hotel for a disposable razor. After all, what could go wrong?
Terrible decision. I used it and the next morning my face felt like it was on fire. And it only got worse throughout the day as the cold, windy weather just intensified the razor burn.
I’m pretty sure every guy has a story like that unfortunately. So today the goal is to help you learn from the mistakes you have been making so you can start preventing razor burn.
What Is Razor Burn?
Razor burn is essentially any type of skin irritation that is caused from shaving. And that covers a wide range because there are many reasons you can get razor burn.
I will get to the causes of razor burn in a second, but the most common form of razor burn is when you’re just overly aggressive while shaving. Being overly aggressive can take off some of the surface level skin cells in addition to the beard. Ouch.
With a perfect shave, you are just cutting the hair follicles at the surface and not taking any skin off. You’re not using a razor to exfoliate your face.
Common Signs/Symptoms of Razor Burn
I would imagine you are already pretty familiar with what razor burn looks and feels like. Pretty much every guy has experienced it before, but the severity of it can vary pretty significantly.
When razor burn is mild, it can just be slightly irritating. But at it’s worst, razor burn can look like a bad red rash and make those areas feel like they are on fire, hence why it’s called razor “burn”.
It can vary on how quickly you will feel the effects. Some guys can feel the effects of razor burn as quickly as 10 or 15 minutes after a shave while it might take several hours or even longer with other guys. When I get razor burn, I don’t usually feel it until about a day after I shaved.
Are Razor Bumps the Same Thing as Razor Burn?
Razor bumps are definitely not the same thing as razor burn. Razor bumps don’t really have anything to do with skin irritation; they are a type of ingrown hairs. Strangely enough, razor bumps and razor burn can be caused by many of the same mistakes or “causes”, but they need to be treated very differently.
What is good though is that many of the techniques that prevent razor burn also help prevent razor bumps. If you’re suffering from razor bumps, some of the following techniques should help, but you might need to do some more research in finding out the reason why you’re getting razor bumps in the first place though.
Prevention Is Better Than Treatment
When it comes to razor burn, your main goal should always be to try and prevent razor burn, not just treating razor burn. What’s the difference?
Prevention is all about taking preemptive measures to make sure you don’t actually get razor burn in the first place. Or at least minimize how often you do and how severe it is.
But a treatment gameplan basically says “well there’s really nothing I can do to prevent razor burn so I’ll just try to figure out what is going to help treat it the best afterwards.” This is a losing strategy. Why?
Because it’s actually much easier to prevent razor burn than it is to treat. If you get razor burn, no treatment option is perfect. It takes time for your skin cells to regenerate and heal. It’s very similar to treating a sunburn. When you get sunburned, you can do stuff like apply aloe vera to help soothe the pain, but there’s no magical treatment that heals it overnight.
The 11 Most Common Reasons You Are Getting Razor Burn
#1) Not Enough Pre-shave Preparation
Good pre-shave preparation is essential if you consistently want to prevent razor burn. If you want to get a great shave, your beard needs to be clean, hydrated and soft before you start applying a lather.
A dry, dirty and/or hard beard will lead to a rough and abrasive shave that will aggravate your skin. But shaving with a soft beard is much less abrasive on your skin because it's easier to shave the hair off. It's kind of like trying to cut through a steak that is cooked well done versus trying to cut through a steak that is medium-rare. The nice soft and juicy medium-rare steak will allow your knife just to slice right through it.
So what all do you need to do to know you did enough pre-shave preparation? Well let's just say it’s definitely not enough just to splash some water on your face right before you lather up and think that’s doing enough. It takes more time and effort to really get the beard as soft and hydrated as it needs to be. So make sure you develop a pre-shave routine that really cleans, softens and hydrates your beard.
Also, don’t forget that there are some really great pre-shave oils if you need a little extra lubrication insurance. I used to think that pre-shave oils were overkill and unnecessary, but then I actually tried one and was proven wrong. I highly recommend looking into a pre-shave oil if you consistently get bad razor burn. There’s probably another underlying problem as to why you are getting razor burn, but a pre-shave oil will help reduce it until you can figure out what’s causing it.
#2) Inadequate Lather
You definitely don't need to become an expert on lathering in order to get a good shave, but you do at least need to understand some of the basics of how to lather and what products you should use if you want to consistently prevent razor burn.
Why? Because your lather is the key layer of lubricant that helps reduce friction between the razor and your skin.
First of all, you need to understand how to lather. Most guys don't really know how to lather properly. All they do is put some cream or soap on their brush and apply to the face. Once the face is covered, they assume they're done.
There's a lot more to it than just getting your face covered. When you drag a razor across your beard, it can cause a lot of friction. But if you get your lather right when it comes to the amount and consistency, this has a huge impact on helping reduce the amount of friction, but at the same time still allowing the razor to do it’s job.
Second of all, you need to actually use a quality lather. There’s a huge difference between the aerosol can of shaving gel you buy at the drugstore and a high-quality shaving soap or cream that is made from natural ingredients.
Please stop using any lather or lubricant that uses a propellant or comes out of an aerosol can. Just take a good look at the ingredients and you’ll understand why.
#3) Making Passes Over Skin That Doesn’t Have Any Lubrication (aka re-strokes)
So I just covered how important it is to make sure your face is properly lathered before shaving. But guess what the most common area are that guys shave over that are not properly protected with lather? Areas of the beard where they make multiple strokes, sometimes referred to as re-stroke.
What is a re-stroke? It’s when you take a stroke and shave an area, and then immediately make another stroke (or multiple strokes) over that same area.
Lots of guys love to make short, multiple strokes over the same area. It’s tempting to make another pass when you see a few stray hair remaining or a spot you didn’t quite get perfectly, but you’ve got to re-apply lather if you want to avoid razor burn. Re-shaving over spots that don't have a lubricant is a sure fire way to get razor burn.
#4) Multi-blade razors
I hate to break it to all you multi-blade cartridge razor users out there, but they are a big reason why lots of guys get razor burn. One of the (many) reasons why I recommend men switch to either a safety razor or a straight razor is because you are much less likely to get razor burn than with a disposable razor.
Why are multi-blade razors much more likely to cause razor burn? Because more blades is overkill on your skin and just increases friction.
Remember how I just talked about re-shaving spots without lube will cause razor burn? Well that's basically what a multi-blade razor is designed to do. What any cartridge razor commercial and they tout the fact that if the first razor blade misses the hair, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th blade won’t. But by the time that 5th blade is making contact with that area, what has happened to all your lubricant? It’s probably gone from that spot.
So I hate to break it to you, but more blades does not lead to a closer shave -- it just leads to either tugging on hairs and ingrown hairs or “re-shaving” spots and razor burn. Either way, not an ideal shave.
#5) Using Blades That Are Too Aggressive
It should be fairly obvious, but using a blade that is too aggressive or sharp for your skin can lead to razor burn. Some guys just have more sensitive skin and an ultra-aggressive razor is going to lead to lots of inflammation and razor burn.
How do you know what blades are too aggressive?
Unfortunately, you’re just going to have to try out different DE blades to get a good understanding of what your beard and face respond to. You may think you want to use an ultra-aggressive blade to get a super close shave, but your face may feel like it’s on fire afterwards.
And since it takes some experimenting to figure out what blades work best for you, I recommend getting a sample pack of blades. This way, you can try out a whole range of blades with different features and levels of aggressiveness and figure out which are the best DE blades for you.
#6) Using Blades That Are Old or Dull
It probably makes sense to you that really sharp blades could possibly lead to razor burn, but did you know that old or dull blades can too?
The main problem with using old or dull blades is that they don’t do a good job at cutting the hair follicle. So instead of cleanly slicing off the hair, they kind of tug at the hair. And this will subsequently make you overcompensate and start reverting back to your old disposable razor days and apply pressure. (BTW applying pressure is up next on the list.)
Don’t confuse “old” or “dull” with meaning you should only use a DE blade once and then change it out. There are a lot of factors that go into determining how long a DE blade should last, but I can typically get 4 or 5 shaves out of a good quality double-edge blade.
The only recommendation I will make though is that it is better to change your blade 1 shave too early than 1 shave too late. Don’t be wasteful, but on a cost/blade scale, safety razor blades are incredibly cheap so don’t try to make them last longer than necessary.
#7) Applying Pressure With the Razor
I just briefly touched on it, but applying pressure is a big no-no when wet shaving. Remember, the entire goal of shaving is to reduce your beard; you’re not trying to exfoliate or take off any skin in the process. But when you do apply pressure with the razor, this causes a lot of friction between the blade and your skin which irritates the skin.
When you shave with a safety razor, you should not be applying any pressure. Instead you should let the weight of the razor do the work for you. Unfortunately though, lots of wet shavers have difficulty learning this because they always had to apply pressure when using a cartridge razor or electric razor. It’s a hard habit it break, but you need to ease up on applying pressure if you want to prevent razor burn.
#8) Holding the Razor at a Bad Angle
It’s really important to get the angle right between your safety razor and skin when wet shaving. Luckily, you have complete control over the angle when it comes to safety razors and straight razors. With cartridge razors, not so much. Why?
Because the razorhead on a cartridge razor has to be able to pivot so that the entire surface of the razor is making contact with the skin. No matter what angle you hold the handle at, once you apply pressure the razorhead will pivot to be parallel to the skin. So when you switch to a safety razor, it can be difficult to learn this new technique and get the angle right.
And what is the “optimal” angle for a safety razor? Most veteran wet shavers would agree that something around a 30 degree angle between your blade and skin is ideal, but don’t try to be too exact. Keep practicing and you’ll know when it feels right.
#9) Using a Blade That Has Bacteria On It
You don’t need to use a new blade every time you shave -- but you do need to use a clean blade every time you shave.
Shaving is pretty abrasive on your face. I mean you are taking a sharp razor to your skin and slicing the hair off at the surface. And sometimes, you’re going to make a pass that is too aggressive and maybe even get a few nicks or cuts. That’s not the end of the world. It happens to the best of us.
But what you don’t want to do is let any bacteria get on any of those nicks and cuts or any other area that is wounded. Any bacteria on these spots could lead to some bad skin irritation, or worse an infection.
So what’s the best way to make sure no bacteria is getting on your face from shaving? Clean and disinfect your razor blade after every shave.
Luckily, it's really easy to clean and disinfect your safety razor. All it takes is a mason jar and some rubbing alcohol. Once you’re done cleaning your safety razor after a shave, just dip the razorhead in the rubbing alcohol. This will kill any bacteria and leave you a nice clean razor blade for your next shave.
Cleaning and maintaining your safety razor isn’t just so you will have a nice, shiny razor; it’s really important for your hygiene.
#10) Shaving Against the Grain
Shaving against the grain is one of the most common reasons as to why men get razor burn. Why? Because it’s incredibly rough and abrasive on your skin. There’s just nothing smooth about shaving against the grain with any razor.
What’s crazy though is that most men already know not to shave against the grain but continuously do it on accident. So why does it happen so frequently if men know not to do it?
Because most guys don’t really understand what direction their beard grows. Or at least they don’t understand how frequently it changes direction. Do you? If you have never mapped your beard grain before, I highly recommend you do it before your next shave.
#11) Skin Reaction From Your Lather
The last cause of razor burn is a little less common, but it still does happen. Some men just have reactions to certain types of soaps or creams. It could be something as severe as a an allergic reaction, but it’s usually something more minor like it dries your skin out.
That’s why my recommendation is to use a high-quality shaving soap or cream that is made from natural ingredients. There’s certainly still a chance you could have some type of reaction to one of the ingredients, but it is much less likely.
Try Your Best to Prevent Razor Burn
So That You Won't Have to Treat It
Look, every guy that shaves is going to get some occasional razor burn every once in awhile. It even happens to the best of us so don’t beat yourself up about it.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t take active steps to help prevent and/or at least minimize it the best you can. Always make prevention your #1 goal.
So what are the best ways to treat razor burn though? Find out in Part 2 of our Razor Burn series.
Tell me though: what is your worst razor burn story? How often do you get it? Any prevention tips you’ve learned over the years you can share with fellow wet shavers?
