How Can You Get Rid Of Razor Bumps On The Face
Razor bumps on the face which are also referred to as Pseudofolliculitis Barbae in a more formal setting i.e. amidst medical and skincare professionals are usually caused by ingrown hairs. This phenomenon happens when the hair grows and instead of popping out of the skin, it curves back into it, thereby causing some sort of inflammation and the appearance of what can be characterized as a bump.
Due to the fact that this skin condition phenomenal is most recurrent among African American men. There are a number of proven ways to treat this dermatologic problem.
There is no worse feeling in the world that can be compared to what men with bumps feel when they discover those little lumps appearing all around their face regardless of how careful they might have been during their morning shaving routine and several men who use the blade regularly to trim their facial hair can relate with the frustration that comes with getting razor bumps and the oddly satisfying thing about these itchy rascals is how angry and reddish they appear in their early stage.
Regardless of how cute razor bumps on the face might occur to you when you imagine them, they are not to be wished for as they can ruin your smart look no matter how sharply dressed you are.
No matter how many techniques there are out there to get rid of razor bumps, the best and most effective way to tackle this phenomenon is a careful shaving technique that helps with proper prevention or leaving the facial hair to grow.
While this post is all about razor bumps prevention and various treatments available from home remedies to the very extreme end, there is the need to highlight some key points about shaving and razor bumps that you can start practicing immediately in order to prevent and totally get rid of bumps no matter its location on your skin.
Before we get into the rusty details of things to avoid in order to ensure a much better shaving experience, let’s take a moment to highlight a few things about razor bumps and how they occur:
How To Get Rid Of Razor Bumps On The Face – What causes razor bumps?
At the forefront of habits that brings about razor bumps on the face and other parts of the body is a technique, tools, and shaving routing sitting comfortably, undisputed. Some get this whole shaving tools all wrong, it’s not about the quality of tools you have but how you utilize them.
Even if you happen to have the best of the best cartridge razor money can buy, if you have a poor shaving habit/technique, it will, in most cases lead to razor bumps.
As earlier mentioned that razor bumps on the face occur when you trim your facial hair and its regrowth process happens to be uneven.
For instance, the trimmed hair while sprouting back is supposed to directly come out of the skin but when it starts to curl and grow directly into the surface of your skin, the hair grows longer to match its peers that are out of your skin. The likelihood of infection gets heightened, pain sets in gradually until it becomes unbearable and then, boom, a bump appears from nowhere.
Cartridge Razor Snag
Lots of mega cartridge razor companies have already started adopting a new technique referred to as the lift-and-cut technology that works differently when the blade grazes over your skin hair. Each independent razor blades on the head of the cartridge work in tempo or otherwise hand-in-hand with every other razor to give you a close shaving experience.
In a simpler and more understandable sentence, the blade works differently from others sold on the market as the fore blade that first comes in contact with your skin raises the hair follicle and the other blade behind it will do the trimming.
So far, so good, the technology has proven to be effective in getting a really close shave when trying to have a near-skin trim experience. Having a razor bump with this kind of cartridge razor is a rare occurrence except of course in cases where some men want an even closer shave experience by making the cartridge razor go closer to the skin, which will, in turn, cut the hair follicle lower than what’s ideal.
Even though this singular act might make some feel like they have smoother skin, as the hair is being trimmed for the hair follicle to remain just beneath the surface of the skin.
It is a risky venture for those who are trying to stay away from razor bumps as when the time comes for the hair follicles to grow back and take the place of the previously trimmed ones, they begin to grow in a curved manner as opposed to a straight growth and the curved growth happening in the hair follicle will force the tip to the hair strand into the inner layers of the skin instead of the outer layers.
As the curved growth continues into the skin, irritation begins to set in alongside infections in some cases and this is the ultimate setting for razor bumps to stage a grand entry.
As a rule of thumb, it is advised that when you are looking to reduce or in some cases eliminate the occurrence of razor bumps on your face, and you are looking to do so with a cartridge razor, it is advised that you should never go against the shaving instructions for using a cartridge razor.
Safety Razor Snags
When making use of safety razors to trim the hairs on whatever part of your skin, the technique employed is way different from what you can get from the cartridge razor as in the former, only a blade is present while in the latter, two blades are present.
Shaving with a safety razor can be done in three basic ways; (1) Across your hair growth (2) Towards your hair growth (3) Against your hair growth.
These techniques are not foolproof against having bumps, even though there can only be a few and this can be attributed to the fact that safety razors do not employ the earlier lift-and-cut technology employed by the cartridge razor and when you shave the same way as the direction of your hair growth, there is a relatively low risk of having razor bumps.
The drawback to using a safety razor is the fact that, in a way, it is not for people who are looking to save time by doing menial tasks faster, it takes a great deal of time to shave without cutting through your skin with a safety razor.
Electric Shaver Snags
The choice of an electric shaver is usually a tug of war between foil or a rotary device, the choice can be a cumbersome task when it comes to the prevalence of razor bumps. Rotary shaving heads act very much alike like a weed Wacker and it does not do a completely clean cut on the shaft of the hair follicle. Foil razors, on the other hand, works a bit better since its cutting pattern and trend is in an oscillating manner.
Regardless of the type of electric shaft used the trim on the hair follicle is usually uneven no matter how much you try, the cut will never be even unless of course, you used an artificial intelligence robot that is yet to be developed.
Electric shavers can never be compared to the aforementioned hair trimming tools i.e. safety razor and the cartridge razor as the former won’t get to your hair grain just as the latter will. It is for this reason that it should be noted on all accounts that this trimming tool preventive measures will have varying effects from person to person.
This is more understandable and relatable as the choice of trimmer differs from man to man and the old saying about “a man’s food being another man’s poison” fits this scenario perfectly well as some men prefer electric shavers to blades and vice versa.
On the flip side, if you experience any form of irritation that might ultimately lead to a congress of itchy bumps on your face and neck area, you should consider changing your trimmer, technique or simply incorporate the use of shaving creams into your shaving routine.
Regardless of the tool, when wet shaving, follow your hair grain
This experience might be totally or partially relatable but regardless, let me share my first-ever shaving tutorial with you so that you can understand where I was coming from.
When I hit puberty and I was first learning how to go about trimming the hair on my skin as they somehow weigh me down as I was one hairy lad.
The first-ever male figure I could summon the courage to ask anything about my newly attained milestone was my very own cool old man, he communicated to me what he thought was the perfect shaving technique that he had been using for long and I can’t recall ever seeing a bump on his face or neck area, I can’t say about down there though.
Back to the matter at hand, I can remember the tutorial my old man gave me to be one that was short and precise, he wasn’t totally wrong about what he told me as I was able to shed off some extra hair I had been wanting to do away with for long but, it wasn’t until quite long ago that I discovered that even though the technique I learned might have been termed as effective.
The shaving habit I incorporated alongside was a really bad one and I copied them without doing a proper check cos it was from a trusted male figure and I had no reason to doubt him.
What I didn’t know was that, what worked for him might not work for me.
Even now, with all the enlightenment about shaving, you can head to any search engine to input all of your queries and you will be presented with thousands if not millions of answers in a jiffy, without no atom of stress but, the thing is, even when going through video tutorials on YouTube.
You need to be extra careful as most tutorials on the video-sharing platform are usually one way i.e. they tend to address the shaving and hair trimming issue from the perspective of the YouTuber which is a wrong approach as the technique applied in that one video cannot work for everyone as the hair grain for each and every man is different and as aforementioned under the cartridge razor snag.
One wrong move against the growth direction of your hair can lead to you having bumps.
This means no matter how careful you are, that single mistake can ruin the smooth skin you’ve been craving for. This is the more reason why you should shave when you have the time for it, not when you are in a hurry and deprived of time as there is a need for you to study your hair growth and follow the trend.
You should keep your razor must be sharp at all times
Keeping your razor shaving blades sharpened at all times is not as easy as getting your pencil sharpened, in the real sense of it, if you are to go about this the old way sharp tools like knives and cutlasses are being sharpened, you might have to make do with a dull razor for the rest of your lives but, we are in the 21st century and things are available for our own convenience.
Safety razors are no exception as you have a dull blade ever had been ruled out, and this can be achieved for only token i.e. changing blades every now and then as shaving with a dull blade for people who are looking to get rid of razor bumps is a bummer as dull razors increase the chances of you trimming your facial hair the way its’ not meant to be cut, thereby leading to the likelihood of you having razor bumps days after your shaving routine.
Men with a double-edged razor might think it’s an expensive buy at first but in the long run, they will get to realize and come to the reality of how cheap the shaving tool is, to begin with, and replacing the blade once or twice shouldn’t be much of a discomfort.
Cartridge razor users, on the other hand, will have to bank on luck and the goodwill of the manufacturers as these are the only checked-out criteria for how long the tool will last as it varies from person to person and manufactures skillset plus quality of materials used.
How to get rid of razor bumps on the face
Here is a comprehensively detailed guide on how to get rid of razor bumps on your face:
- Shave less often. According to research by top dermatologists, the best way to get rid of razor bumps on your face area is to allow the hair in that region i.e. facial hair grow unhindered. The logic behind this is not farfetched as when the hair grows to an extent, it will totally stop growing into the skin thereby allowing for enough time to aid the healing of the already existing bumps. Refusal to shave for three to four weeks after you have noticed the formation of bumps on your face will hinder the hair from curling back into the skin and acts as a booster to the healing power of the skin.
- Remove the ingrown hair. This option is usually exploited by men who do not buy into the idea of leaving their facial hair to grow for long. Removing ingrown hair from bumps is usually the best option in cases of acute razor bumps and it entails moisturizing the skin with a warm towel, you then proceed to use a tweezer or needle(depending on which one you have access to) to pull out the ingrown hairs.
- Buy and apply ointments that will help boost the healing prowess of the skin and this result can be quickly achieved by looking through the skincare section of the store near you or you can buy based on recommendations by a dermatologist as they are in the best position to point you to products with the tendency to increase your skin’s mending rate.
- Change your shaving routine. This is the next line of action immediately you notice your bumps have totally healed but, it can also be tweaked as a technique to gradually eliminate the bumps that are already present on the skin. During this phase, an electric shaver is your best bet as it does not in any way cut close to the skin, which in a way help prevent trimmed hair from being curly and growing back into the skin during the process of regrowth. An alternative to using electric shavers if you can’t afford them is to massage your face with a warm towel immediately aftershave and couple of days after that, this is to help keep the trimmed hair from curly regrowth. The only other option available when changing your shaving routine is to shave in the direction at which your hair grows, that way when you cut close to the skin and the hair gets trimmed down to its follicle pore, and you can rest assured that it won’t grow back as a curly hair.
- Attempt chemical shaving solutions. These products can be likened to the best things that have ever happened in the history of shaving and as against trimming your hair, these products dissolve the hair instead but, they are only to be used once your already existing razor bumps have totally healed. These products can be gotten from stores near you, all you have to do is ask the store attendant or simply check the internet for recommendations, you need to be careful though as applying these solutions for more than the stipulated time on the product’s label might lead to a variety of reactions depending on your skin.
How to get rid of razor bumps on the neck
Razor bumps are not limited to the facial area alone, they sometimes extend to the neck area and despite the fact that neck bumps are not a rare occurrence, most men still don’t know how to go about eliminating them, to that effect is the reason why this section “how to get rid of razor bumps on the neck” has been compiled, without further ado, below are the proven ways to get rid of neck bumps;
- The hot towel method. As highlighted some paragraphs ago, hot water helps a lot in getting the trapped air out of its follicle. The trick is to get a warm towel and press it directly on the neck area until you feel the towel is getting cold, repeat the steps until you are certain and satisfied with yourself. There is no dosage or any sort of “how-to” to this. What happens underneath your skin is that, the curled hair that is trapped under your skin will get the chance to sprout out like every normal strand of hair once you apply enough warm water to open up the pores. This ultimately helps to eliminate the razor bump in your neck area.
- Use essential oils. The all-natural way to go about the removal of bumps from the neck area is to literally go natural by sourcing for essential oils as they contain a vital antiseptic property that helps out in flushing any type of bacteria that is trapped within your skin pores thereby reducing your chances of getting any infection whatsoever. Essential oils like the tea tree oil are incredibly abrasive in nature and there is the need for you to tone down that abrasiveness by adding some carrier oil so as not to burn your skin while under direct sunlight. This might not apply to African men as their skin is a lot more tolerable but to be on a safer side, the carrier oil is essential in the application.
- Witch Hazel. The witch hazel method is a lot more similar to the warm water method with the only difference being the fact that witch hazel closes up the pores instead of open them up. It looks a bit tricky but that is how it works as it is a natural antiseptic and it contains an anti-inflammatory agent. So, basically, what it does it help reduce the swelling that might occur from having a razor bump while keeping the pores free from any sort of infection at the same time.
- Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera no matter the form of the plant you can lay your hands on, either the raw branch that you just snapped out of the whole plant or a finished product from a cosmetic company, regardless of what you have, it is important to know that the plan does an excellent job in providing a soothing and cooling relief when it is applied to your skin. This wonder of nature plan will not only provide an instantaneous physical relief but, it will also help with the reduction of any kind of irritation i.e. itchiness alongside helping to clear any sort of redness that might appear in your neck area.
- Razor bump reduction product. Men who are dead serious about not having razor bumps at all in any of its stages take to the use of aftershave balms and they have been proven to work just as well with their incredibly soothing properties. Aftershave balms are a preventive measure against razor bumps in the neck area when you happen to have the bumps already, you might have the need for one of the aftershave products on the market as they are products pushed into the market to combat the rising neck razor bumps phenomenon and just when you might have been bothered about where to look and which product to get, you might want to try out the bump patrol.
How to get rid of razor bumps overnight
Razor bumps being what it comes with a lot of discomforts which is the main reason why several men who are suffering from this aftershave of an improper shaving routine effect turn the internet upside down looking for an instant miracle, sorry to burst your bubble but there is no instant miracle. The good news is, you can make your razor bumps disappear overnight.
Hell yeah, we duly understand how appalling it is to walk around town and show up on occasions alongside casual gatherings with your bump-filled lower face making you appear less attractive because of the redness of the affected area, this is the reason why we’ve gone the extra mile to put together a shortlist of how you can get rid of your razor bumps overnight. Here we go;
Aloe Vera lotion’s age-long homemade remedy is for a variety of skin-related infections including stubborn razor bumps. And just a few other solutions on the market can match the bumps cleansing prowess of Aloe Vera and apart from acting as an agent to hasten up the skin’s healing process, the plant is used in a lot of beauty products, and, this only points to one thing, there is lots of goodness in this plant than meet the eyes.
- Moderate heat application on the areas where you have razor bumps for up to 10 minutes can help to get rid of them. As against the warm water method of getting rid of razor bumps, the heat application method works in a way that the heat itself acts as a shrinking agent to the bumps. Even better, the application of heat destroys other agents with the potential to make the razor bump appear worse.
- Cornstarch. This razor bumps solution is undoubtedly lying idle in the kitchen of most homes but unknown to many, it is an effective agent for getting rid of bumps in the shortest time possible. Depending on how much time you have on your hands, you can apply the cornstarch to the affected area for about 20minutes or more depending on how badly you want the bumps to disappear, when you are satisfied with the amount of time the cornstarch has used on your skin, you can then proceed to rinse it off.
- Aspirin. This over the counter tablet does more than just relieve you of migraine and every other type of headaches, the inflammatory property present in the tablet aids it in tackling skin redness as well as inflammation. Dissolve two aspirins in a teaspoon of water, leave it to totally dissolve until you have a paste, then in that form, rub it on the razor bumps and leave it to settle in for about ten minutes. When the duration of application time has elapsed, wash off the aspirin with warm water. A note of warning though, this solution is not for people with sensitive skin as not knowing your skin well enough before trying the aspirin remedy for your razor bumps could make matters worse.
- Cold compress. Yeah, I was making that face while going through the post all over again too, I was like this is definitely contradictory to the hot water and heat application method we have up there, how can these work at the same darn time? Thing is, they all work, it is left for you to settle for one that is more convenient and within your reach.
Thing is, cold water works a lot better as a relief agent to any sort of burning sensation that you must have been experiencing due to the razor bumps on your skin. Asides the pain relief, cold compress also helps to prevent further forming of razor bumps. The application is easy peasy, keep a damp towel in a refrigerator for long or alternatively, you can make use of ice cubes in a towel, then place it on the affected area. Try this as many times as you are opportune to.
Honey. Besides being embedded with lots of antibodies and antibacterial properties that help with the quick treatment of bumps, honey also acts as a moisturizer to the skin. It can be directly applied to the bumps in its raw form or it can be mixed with plain yogurt then applied on the skin.
VieBeauti Razor Bump Stopper with Dark Spots Remover, After Shave Solution Women 3.38FL OZ
If you are prone to razor bumps mostly aftershave as well as ingrown hairs, folliculitis and irritation then this Viebeauti razor bump stopper is definitely for you. Finally, you are one step closer to saying hello to smooth skin once again.
The wonderful thing about this bump stopper is that it can be safely used on the face, nape of the neck, underarms, bikini area, legs or back.
Functions of the Viebeauti Razor Bump Stopper with Dark Spots Remover
- It removes redness and irritation
• Dark spots remover
• It helps you look gorgeous for days
• Calming ingredients remove redness & irritation to restore balance after shaving.
• Active ingredients like panthenol, hydrogenated lecithin, and vitamin C helps to brighten your skin colour
How to Use
- Use this treatment after hair removal on the face, arms, legs, bikini zone and more!
• Also, use after waxing or shaving to prevent ingrown hairs and irritation
• Use twice daily on black spots
• Elegant roll-on design helps to apply serum exactly where you need it with no waste
Active Ingredients
- Avena sativa peptide
• White birch sap
• Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate
• Panthenol
• Hydrogenated lecithin
• Vitamin C
Pros
- The product is very effective in the treatment of ingrown hairs
• It is very convenient to apply due to the roll-on design
• It works to soothe redness and irritation of the skin caused by shaving
• It clears bumps that appear on the face after shaving
Con
If you have sensitive skin then it’s going to make your skin dry
Urban Releaf Razor Bumps Soothing Salve! 1 oz
The urban releaf razor bumps soothing salve quickly soothes razor bumps, rashes, ingrown hairs, and razor burn. It is 100% natural, Vegan, pure shea butter, Tea tree, lemon balm for face, neck, bikini, body.
It is produced to solve absolutely any problems arising from shaving while leaving your skin smooth and succulent.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
Functions of the product
• It quickly soothes bumps, rashes, ingrown hairs, and razor bumps.
• It calms and heals freshly shaved delicate skin
• It is deeply moisturizing
• It is concentrated hence you only need a tiny bit to rub on the skin
• It takes the red and angry feeling out of shaved areas
• Perfect for faces and necks, bikini lines, underarms just any shaving problems
Ingredients
• Raw shea butter
• Tea tree
• Lemon balm oil
• Essential oils
Directions for use
• Apply after shaving
• Massage well into the skin
Pros
• It quickly soothes the skin on application
• It removes the redness and irritation on the skin after shaving
• it leaves the skin smooth and healthy
Con
• The product seems hard probably because shea butter was used in the preparation
• The quantity seems small for the price of the product
Organic Aftershave Balm for Women, Razor bumps Treatment, Body moisturizer with Argan oil
This aftershave balm ensures that there is no pimples or bumps after shaving hence leaving your skin smooth and succulent.
We all know the stress and series of irritations that the body passes through after shaving, hence the need to protect the skin with this aftershave balm.
All ingredients used in the production are natural and free of parabens, silicone, mineral oils, propylene glycol.
This aftershave balm is developed by dermatologists using the best oils worldwide to prevent rashes and bumps after shaving
Features of the product
• It solves shaving problems like irritation and redness. This razor bump treatment can be used as a natural aftershave balm for men.
• The formulation developed by dermatologists helps to refresh and nourish sensitive and irritated skin after shaving. Vitamin E and A contained in this aftershave balm and argan oil make sensitive skin wonderfully soft and open pores. As a result, hair can grow back freely without clogging the pores.
• The ACARAA aftershave balm is made with the finest organic oils which are cacao oil from the Amazon, the healing weapon of wellness rich in vitamin A and E, organic cold press Moroccan argan oil which provides strong hydration, almond oil from Spain delivers deep care to hair follicles and organic jojoba oil from Peru provides lasting protection against harmful substances
How to use
• The practical pump head makes the after shaving cream easy to dispense
• 1-2 pumps are sufficient for each part of the skin that was shaved
• Massage it evenly into the shaved areas just as you would with an aftershave lotion
• The balm is not greasy and quickly absorbed into the skin
Indications
WITHOUT: Animal testing, parabens, silicones, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and mineral oils
Ingredients
• Aqua
• Caprylic/capric triglyceride
• Glyceryl stearate
• Pentylene glycol
• Glycerin
• Isoamyl laurate
• Caryodendron orinocense seed oil
• Prunus amygdalus ducis oil
• Argania Spinosa kernel oil
• Simmondsia Chinensis oil
• Bisabolol
• Sucrose stearate
• Xanthan gum
• Cinnamic acid
• Butyrospermum parkii
• Butter
• Sodium hyaluronate
• Helianthus annuus seed oil
• Tocopherol
• Sodium citrate
• Citric acid
• Citrus limon(lemon) peel oil
• Alternifolia oil
• Melaleuca
• Citrus aurantium dulcis
• Bursera fagaroides wood oil
• Citral
• Limonene
• Linalool
Now that you have learned how to get rid of bumps on that face, it is time to put what you have learned so far into practice and you can do this by getting any of the products on Amazon and using them to confirm their efficiency. I bet you will enjoy the smooth flawless skin you have always wanted.