Men's Acne Shaving Tips for Clear Skin
Calling all men! Have you been victim to breakouts from shaving? You are not alone. If you have been experiencing acne around the beard line, the way you are shaving could actually be aggravating or triggering your breakouts. In this post, we’ll explore why this happens and an ideal shaving routine to avoid future pimples. To first understand how to stop this, let’s explore why shaving might even cause acne to occur.
Many pores in our face have a tiny little hair that is rooted at the base of our pore and continues many millimeters outside our skin. This tiny piece of hair serves the delicate purpose of being the delivery man for oil to travel up and out of our pores, and moisturize the surface of our skin. For some men, shaving too close to the skin inhibits the oil from escaping, trapping it inside the pore, leading to a dreaded pimple.
1. Get an acne-safe razor. Most razors cut too close to the skin which can trap oil in the pores. I recommend this Gillette SkinGuard razor or an electric razor like this one.
2. Use a non-comedogenic shaving cream. Most shaving products contain one or more comedogenic ingredients, particularly palmitic acid which is often the first ingredient in shaving products. These can cause bumps to form in acne-prone skin types. Here are two acne-safe picks:
- Bulldog Natural Skincare Original Shave Gel
- King of Shaves Alpha-Gel Shaving Gel, Sensitive Super Cooling
3. Shave with cold or tepid water. Hot water may open up pores, but it also brings blood closer to the surface and increases inflammation + chances for irritation. Use a tepid temperature and keep to a cool shave.
4. Go with the grain, not against it. This lessens irritation and chance for hairs to break off. Try to avoid going over areas multiple times as well.
5. Make sure all products used before + after are non-comedogenic. You can get my full list of comedogenic ingredients here for free: https://skinutritious.com/blogs/articles/comedogenic-ingredients-official-skinutritious-list.
Happy shaving, gentlemen!
Elise May, CN + LE, is the owner and practitioner behind SKINutritious. She has helped over 1,000 clients clear acne with detoxing treatments, clear skin coaching, and holistic skincare.
Work with Elise. Book online here.
