Shaving shouldn’t hurt but it sometimes does. If it hurts when you shave your face, here are a few things you can do better to eliminate the pain.
Shave More Frequently
Are you waiting two or more days between shaves? I find that if I skip a day shaving my face, I immediately notice a difference when I shave the next time. Just that one extra day makes a big difference. Your face has longer and more whiskers being pulled on by the razor so you’re going to feel it.
And it works the same with an electric razor. In my experience it’s actually worse with an electric shaver. Skipping a day hurts me even more than with a razor. With a razor you can adjust your speed and shave slower. An electric shaver’s motor turns at a consistent rate and cuts whiskers the same regardless!
I don’t think I necessarily have very coarse facial hair but it does get coarser after 2 days of not shaving. Speaking of which…
You Have Coarse Facial Hair
Some men grow thin, patchy facial hair that is fairly soft. Other guys grow coarse whiskers. Unless you go around touching the facial hair of your male friends how exactly do you even know what you have?
The morning after shaving, most guys have prickly beards because the hair is short. Once you get to day 2 or 3 without shaving, you probably still notice the prickly feeling but moreso. It’s around now that shaving tends to become difficult. Your razor obviously has longer hairs to cut which can cause more irritation.
Think about mowing a thick lawn once every week and then mowing that same lawn after one month. Which is harder on the lawnmower and the grass?
The coarser your facial hair the harder it will be to delay shaving. So shave everyday and don’t skip a day. And don’t be afraid to use hair clippers to trim facial hair first to shorten it before shaving if needed.
Shave Slower
Some shavers try to set the land speed record when shaving. Shaving slower may help to reduce cuts and nicks but it will also reduce the tugging by the razor on your skin and should hurt less as a result.
Also, take shorter strokes with the razor and rinse the razor blade under running water regularly. If you shave without rinsing the razor as you’re going, you’re making it harder on the razor to work properly. A razor clogged with hair and shaving cream doesn’t cut as effectively as a clean one.
And rinse the razor one last time before putting it away. Once the hair dries, it’ll be harder to get it out the next time you shave. Store your razor in a dry place so it doesn’t rust or become unsanitary if it keeps getting wet.
Change Your Pre-Shave Routine
Shave after showering. The hot water and steam from a hot shower softens whiskers and your skin and gets it ready for shaving. Plus the longer you delay shaving after waking up, the more time your face has a chance to get rid of the puffiness associated with lying horizontally in bed overnight. Puffy skin = harder to shave.
Use a pre-shave lotion to soften and moisturize your skin.
Use a shaving cream meant for sensitive skin. This type of shaving cream adds ingredients to take sensitive skin into account. Let the shaving cream sit on your face for a few minutes before shaving to further soften your whiskers.
Change The Type Of Shaver You Use
Consider using a single blade razor such as a Double Edge razor (shown above). A Double Edge or DE razor has two sharp edges on a single blade. So only one blade cuts the hair but both sides of the blade can be used, one at a time.
DE razors existed well before all the twin and multi-blade razor blade products that exist today. The benefits of a DE razor include:
- Less chance of ingrown hairs.
- Only one blade scraping against your skin which reduces the chance of skin irritation.
- One blade cuts your whiskers at skin level. Multi-blade and electric shavers lift each whisker (hence the tugging feeling you get) and then shave the hair below skin level.
Change Your Shaving Cream
If you’ve only ever used a regular canned shaving cream product, try something new.
Shaving cream from a tube: Try shaving cream from a tube. It doesn’t foam up as much but goes on your skin more like a regular soap but thicker. The Palmolive tube on the left cost me less than $1, it works very well and has a nice smell, too.
Shaving gel: Maybe shaving gel would suit you better. Shaving gel is more concentrated than shaving cream. So while shaving cream is fluffy and foamy, it contains water and isn’t as good a lubricant as shaving cream. When you squirt shaving gel into your hand, you then need to rub your hands together to lather it up. So you have control over how much it lathers moreso than with cream.
Shaving soap: Try a bar of shaving-specific soap. Many soaps have ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil and other things that help to soothe skin and possibly provide you with a better shaving experience. Like shaving cream from a tube, shaving soap won’t necessarily foam up as much as cream but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good option for you. They tend to contain more natural ingredients and fewer additives, too.
Change Your Razor Blade More Frequently
One sign of a razor blade that is past its due date (ie. it’s dull) is that you notice a tugging feeling when shaving. You might also need to re-shave the same area several times to clear all the hair.
Don’t keep using the same razor blade beyond its shelf life. Razors don’t come with a “Replace Me Now!” warning light so you need to figure this out for yourself. More expensive, higher quality products may offer a longer shelf life so it’s difficult to simply say “replace your razor every X number of shaves” without knowing what brand and product you use.
Plus your shaving style, coarseness of hair and amount of hair you shave matters. I shave my head and face with the same razor so it needs to replaced much quicker than if I had a full head of hair and a partial beard.
Conclusion
- Why does it hurt when I shave my face? If it hurts when you shave your face, change up your routine until you figure out what the problem is. Shaving shouldn’t hurt.
- Shave more frequently and don’t skip a day. Longer whiskers = harder to shave them.
- Consider a DE razor for the reasons mentioned above. A double edge blade has benefits over multi-blade razors.
- Look at different shaving cream options outside regular canned products. Shaving cream from a tube, shaving soap and shaving gel each offer benefits.
- The coarser and thicker your facial hair the more things you might need to change in your shaving regimen to deal with the pain of shaving.
If you experience pain while shaving, how do you deal with it? Let us know in the comments below!