How To Prevent The Inevitable Shaving Bumps

While many people assume that shaving bumps are a problem that mainly men face, many women actually encounter that problem too. People also refer to shaving bumps as ingrown hair (except this kind is a result of shaving and not something you’re born with). Shaving bumps can affect your appearance greatly and they also cause irritation and pain.

Shaving bumps also have another name—“shaving pimples.” This is mainly because these red bumps that appear looks similar to acne. But don’t worry, this problem is a lot easier to solve than cystic acne because it doesn’t involve unpredictable hormone changes.

It’s easier to prevent the problem of shaving bumps all together. And that’s to…not shave all together.

That’s probably not the solution you’re looking for. As I said in the post about whether women should shave their face, shaving bumps are definitely possible if you do shave. But if you look into other options like waxing and epilating, you can very well avoid these annoying and painful bumps all together.

If you’re dead set on shaving and you think that’s the best way for you, then you can consider cutting back the amount of times you shave. Legs and underarms don’t require constant shaving.

Because some people are a little pressed for time, they sometimes shave in a hurry. This can also result in shaving bumps. It’s important to let the shaving cream do its job of softening the hair before your shave. You can also borrow the magical power (okay, maybe not that magical, but you’d be surprised what hot water can do for you) of hot water and steam to further soften your hair. But many women already caught on by shaving their legs in the shower. You can also get a closer shave easier by doing so. Now, aside from shaving cream, I heard that conditioners might do an even better job than shaving cream. I’ve never tried that myself so I can’t really say whether it’s true. But I guess there’s no harm in experimenting.

You shouldn’t try to shave against the grain (the direction opposite to which the hair grows in). Some people do it for a closer shave but it makes it much more likely to get shaving bumps. In addition, don’t shave more than twice in the same area just for a closer shave. The cuts will be much more angular and the hair will end up curling and penetrating your skin.

Remember to keep the shaver you use clean because you’ll be using that on a weekly basis. Sanitize the blades thoroughly to avoid bacteria growth and wash your face before you shave. You can decrease the chance of irritation if you keep everything clean.

If you do The only thing you should do with shaving bumps that did develop is to use antiseptic treatments to clean the area—this prevent further infections. For the irritations, apply tea tree oil or other kinds of ointment to soothe the irritated area. Exfoliation is a nice solution to treat ingrown hair because it will allow the hair to grow properly. If you exfoliate on a daily basis, it’s possible to decrease the chances of getting ingrown hair in the first place.

The best way to prevent shaving bumps is to just stop shaving all together. Because there are so many other hair removal methods, you don’t have to just stick to one. It’s always good to experiment for better ways to do things. Plus, waxing and epilating keeps hair away longer, so those are definitely good options to consider.

Do you choose to shave instead of waxing or epilating? How do you prevent the nearly inevitable shaving bumps that come with shaving?