For a quick read on how to prevent facial ingrown hairs and bumps skip to 5 easy steps:
Step 1: Pre-shaving routine
Step 2: Shaving
Step 3: Post shaving routine
Step 4: Products that can help you maintain a soft face and glow
Step 5: Why is it important to use the same brand?
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During the approach of puberty, we go through various changes. By grade ten you occasionally get those looks from your peers and also sometimes teachers, perhaps you gave off a smell or maybe they notice you with untidy facial hair.
If you were never guided by your dad, step by step on how to shave facial hair, or how important it is to make sure you use the right deodorant, you would feel embarrassed in general public places, especially going to school. The occasional morning soccer or touch rugby before school starts for your first lesson makes it even worst. Sometimes one would walk to the back of the room trying to hide away some of the smells, but what you can’t hide away is the facial hair.
You’ve tried your first time to shave but didn’t know what to do actually, all that your older brother or father said was to shave downwards. You tried it and suddenly your beard grows faster and you are at the point of life where you need to shave regularly.
Some of your peers at school might have warned you to not dive into using a razor blade because it will increase your hair growth, others might have suggested that you start with using a hair machine or an electric hair shaver.
Nevertheless after trying a razor blade for the first time, you realise a bit of ingrown hair and some bumps on your face and you wonder what is the point of shaving if it creates those pimples on your face, that’s probably also the reason why you have avoided using razor blades. This might have given you low confidence when you are with your peers, and you can see some people staring at you.
Most schools and worksplaces have strict dress codes, which require you to always be neat and look professional.
Some people love to grow their beards, they even start to brag and show their beard coverage as it is mostly believed that you are now reaching maturity or its a symbol of being a man, is this perhaps not a way to avoid going through the painful bumps? others on the other hand prefer to shave because the moment the beard comes out, it becomes itchy and you start scratching, I learned it the hard way, until a friend once yelled at me not to scratch!
I prefer to be clean shaved at all times, I don’t like the idea of messy beards and having my skin start feeling itchy, I will be compelled to scratch, and this is where I will create ugly marks on my face.
After many years.
Most of my friends asked me how do I not get those bumps when I’m shaving with a razor blade ? (well it took a while to perfect it)
An ingrown hair can be painful and you don’t want to experience it, I had one once, it was not nice and not even the fancy products in Clicks could have helped me.
Here is what I did to minimize ingrown hair and also to avoid bumps or pimples appearing on my face after I shaved.
Pre-shaving routine
This is the most important step that most people skip, they dive straight into applying shaving cream and shaving. Our face contains lots of bacteria and often when we sweat after a gym session, the sweat on our face fills our face with particles that make our face dirty. You need to first start by washing your face so that you can clear out your face of the toxins and sweat that create pimples. Use normal face soap that you prefer and are comfortable with.
After washing your face, you should rinse your face off with a medium to hot water, enough for you to feel a soothing surface, after that you can also rinse your face with a little bit of shaving cream in between the hot water splashing and rinsing.
Your face has now received the care it needs, this might seem like a long process but it can all happen in about 4-5 minutes.
After the pre-routine, apply a little bit of shaving cream on your face, obviously not the entire face but the hair area.
Shaving
The most important part that almost all of us have been taught, is to shave downwards and not upwards. This means that you need to move your shaving blade downward in verticle movements, in the shape of the face. Remember to only shave on the facial area where you have applied shaving cream.
Post shaving routine
After a clean shave, make sure to once again rinse your face with luke to hot water, the water rinsing allows your face to have a calm effect after the harsh blade against your face, In doing the rinsing regularly, your face will become smoother after a shaving session, in this way it prevents bumps or pimples from forming
Products that can help you maintain a soft face and glow
It is always advisable to invest in a product that’s rather expensive than a cheap shaving product. Good shaving blades comes with the necessary technology to help your face to get a better sensitive shave. Avoid cheap disposable shaving blades at all costs as cheap blades can damage your face.
A product I have used over the years is Schick accompanied by the Schick sensitive shaving cream, it can be found at any Clicks or Dis-Chem. It is a double blade with a sensitive strip on, it allows you to have a clean shave but is also at the same time good for sensitive skin.
Why is it important to use the same brand?
If you use the same blade and shaving cream your face will become use to it and in that way, it reduces the risk of your face reacting to a blade or shaving cream your face is not used to, this, is the basic practice to allow your face to be smooth and not get pimples or bumps after you have shaven.
