Did you know that 20% of the material removed during the shaving is skin?? It’s not just hair – shaving actually damages skin, especially over long periods of time.
Shaving destroys your skin’s barrier integrity and leads to “increased epidermal hyperproliferation” (AKA thickening of the skin). When the skin loses so much of its barrier, it reacts by overproducing skin cells. Enter ingrown hairs. This is why areas that have been shaved chronically tend to get rough and uneven.
Just look at your razor – most of that plastic isn’t recycled because it’s hard to remove from the metal bits, so both plastic and metal razor become trash. A permanent fixture in our landfills.
This tender red rash develops right after you shave and is usually accompanied by raised bumps and a burning sensation.
If you’ve ever shaved, you’ve had razor burn at one point in your life, because it’s caused by So…Many...Things.
They go dull so fast! If you often start shaving and realize the razor’s gone dull, and you’re out of replacements. You might find that a product that lasts an entire season is a better fit for you.
After a close shave, your hair curls and retracts (like running scissors across a ribbon) and often gets pulled back under the skin. That’s why it looks so smooth right after, without a trace of hair in sight.
But Razor Bumps can also develop a day or two after shaving, as a result of shaved hairs growing back, since they start under the skin. If it can't find its way back out, it becomes an ingrown hair. But even as it’s trying to find its way out it pokes around the follicular ring. See #10 (strawberry legs).
Ingrown hairs are ones that were unable to find their way out – and they can get quite painful!
They cause inflammation, making them look like pimples, and at worst can become infected. Sometimes they’ll heal on their own, other times they require a doctor to make a cut to allow them to grow out. But even in their best form with enough ingrown hairs you’ll look like you still need a shave.
It’s not fun, but a shave only lasts a few days at best. And trying to rush through it risks cuts, irritation, or razor burn… There are other options that last 3-5 weeks longer 👀
Razors damage skin, so it makes sense that a little shave can cause big irritation. If you’ve ever tried to go into the ocean after a shave, you know what that irritation feels like.
Itching after shaving may be a sign of razor burn or folliculitis. Shaving incorrectly, using a dull razor, or shaving a sensitive area of skin can all cause skin irritation. Using shaving products that contain artificial scents and harsh chemicals, such as alcohol, can irritate the skin and contribute to the irritation.
Don’t you love that scratchy feeling of stubble rubbing against your jeans? No? Yeah, neither do most people.
Stubble is prickly hair that grows back after a few days after shaving. It’s freshly cut, so it’s sharp at the ends, and has grown just enough that it sticks out of the skin but not enough to bend, so it’s sharp and stabby. If you don’t want stubble legs but still want to remove hair, look into removing hair from the follicle so it grows back soft. You can also slow down the whole regrowth process.
Ever seen dark & pitted spots resembling strawberry seeds on your legs? Yeah, that’s caused by shaving. According to Medical News Today, this condition arises when large pores or hair follicles become filled with dead skin, oil & bacteria. The oxidation of these substances then causes the darkened appearance, which also resembles the scar tissue.
You know what people who sugar complain about??? None of these 10 things.
If only one of these is a problem for you, it’s probably time to reconsider your relationship with your razor. Look into other options, like sugaring. Sugar Sugar Wax is non-irritating, and will not only leave your skin smooth and glowy, but it will heal your skin from all of your shaving damage in just 3-6 months.
