Shaving and Beard Maintenance for Sensitive Skin

Shaving and beard styling can be an aggravating and painful experience if you suffer from sensitive skin. If your skin appears red and or you feel a burning sensation when you apply products to your face, more than likely you suffer from sensitive skin, and you avoid shaving at all costs.

The good news is that you no longer need to shy away from the razor; in this article, we take you through the tips and tricks for shaving with sensitive skin, and how with some simple techniques you can enjoy a pain-free shave all the time.

Tip #1: Cleanse your skin with sensitive products

Your skin is the base of your hair growth, and it’s essential to take care of your skin based on its specific needs. Sensitive skin especially needs certain types of cleansers that are free of irritating ingredients and harsh soaps. Whether you are shaving, trimming your beard or leaving it ungroomed, use a sensitive cleanser every morning and night, which should help to level the oil in your skin.

If soap is something your skin is sensitive to (which is quite common), you might want to avoid shave soaps or creams and use a soap-free clear shave gel instead. These gels will help the razor glide over the skin, without the soap which could otherwise dry the skin out and cause irritation. 

Tip #2: Moisturise morning and night

Just like cleansing, your skin needs a sensitive-specific moisturiser. Whether you suffer from dry, oily or combination skin, it’s essential to use a moisturiser to help restore the balance in your skin. Also, shaving is more difficult when your skin is dry, and the blade can feel additionally painful to the touch without adequate moisture.

Tip #3: Shave less often

If shaving your sensitive skin proves too much for you, we recommend adjusting the number of times you shave. Aim to avoid the razor for two to three days between each shave, allowing the skin to calm down and your other products to take effect. While this may not be ideal, consider growing your beard and opting for longer styling, to help you avoid having to shave all the time.

Tip #4: Find the perfect razor

The type of razor you use will be significantly affecting your skin’s reaction, and the flare-ups you are experiencing while shaving. Finding your perfect razor can be challenging. However, it’s essential to go through trial and error until you find one that doesn’t cause you pain.

Investigate different styles of razors; while most people assume more blades are better, try single blade systems like cuthroat straight razors, ring-grip shavettes or double edge safety razors, to help you with a smooth application. Multi-blade razors work by having relatively dull lead blades to help stretch the hair for a closer shave. They work great at achieving this but unfortunately for some, those dull blades dragging across the skin causes redness & irritation. 

With a single blade, on the other hand, there is no dragging. Unless, of course, your blade is dull. But by using a shave system that utilises disposable single blade razors, you're assured of a razor sharp edge every time. At this point it is possible to still get irritation unless you use a shave lubricant and proper technique. Click here for or a 5 min tutorial on getting an irritation free shave with a single blade cut throat.

Tip #5: Be gentle in your shaving

As we just touched upon, the way you shave is just as important as what you put on your skin. If you suffer from sensitive skin, it’s imperative you treat your skin kindly during shaving, opting for slow, considered strokes while taking your time to execute it correctly.

Always make sure you pre-soften the hair by soaking in a warm wet towel for 1-2 min or shaving right after a hot shower. The warm water will soak into the hair and cause it to swell. This reduced the sheer force required for the razor to cut the hair, meaning less drag and a smoother shave without irritation. 

It's also important to use your free hand to stretch the skin ahead of the blade. In this way your skin becomes like leather and the razor will glide across it, instead of into it. Shave with the grain, following the direction of the hairs. For many guys this may mean shaving downwards on the cheeks but upwards on the neck.

After shave care is key to finishing the process with beautifully refreshed skin. A modern alcohol-free after shave with moisturisers, toners & aloe vera is the ideal choice. 

That's everything you need to know to shave with sensitive skin. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. We're happy to help if you need to know more.

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