Shaving face becoming a bumpy ride?Dermat shares 4-step face shaving routine to avoid ingrown hair

Avoid all the shaving woes like ingrown hair or nicks with the help of this easy routine that a dermat has shared.

Shaving is one of the most common, easiest and quickest ways to get rid of facial hair. But as smooth as it seems, it can also be quite dreadful when irritation, bumps, nicks and ingrown hair decide to crash the party. But turns out, shaving can actually be relaxing and not a battlefield. By shaving the correct way and incorporating the right products, your routine will leave behind smooth, peach fuzz-free skin. The correct shaving routine will leave your skin glowing and not irritated.

London-based Consultant Dermatologist Dr Aamna Adel took to Instagram to share her easy shaving routine, from prepping with the right products to post-shaving skincare.

She started by addressing the most common myth concerning facial shaving, whether hair shaving makes your hair grow back thicker. She debunked it and said, “Anyone who says that shaving makes your hair grow back thicker, it absolutely does not.”

You can't directly put the razor to your skin, as it requires a bit of groundwork that helps you prevent the post-shaving issues like bumps or ingrown hairs.

She said," I exfoliate twice a week already. I use glycolic acid, this step is absolutely essential for stopping ingrown hair."

2. Do not shave on dry skin

Facial hair is less coarse, making most make the common mistake of directly shaving on dry skin. You may think your razor is enough to shave, but a proper base needs to be set otherwise, dry shaving is a very big red flag, worsening your skin condition.

Dr Adel explained, “We are not gonna be dry shaving because that is the worst thing you can do for your skin, so instead you can something like an oil which is what I love to do or you can even use a conditioner shaving foam whatever it is. The whole point is that you want to make your skin nice and slippery but you also want to soften the hair which makes it easier to shave.”

3. Correct shaving technique

The directions and strokes of shaving are what make all the difference. Despite common beliefs about shaving against the hair growth direction, Dr. Adel shared the correct shaving technique.

She elaborated, “You are going to pull your skin up nice and tight, and you are gonna do short strokes in the direction of hair growth, not the opposite direction. Again, this is just going to stop you from getting ingrown hair so I just work in little sections and go the whole way around my face and then I use a cotton pad to take off the excess hair from my razor."

4. Post-shaving care

After the shave, proper care is essential to soothe the skin. The skin naturally gets a bit irritated after contact with the razor, so use calming skincare products to calm it down.

She added,"Then I just remove my excess hair with a micellar water and put on a moisturiser because you want to hydrate your skin cause it can be a little bit dry and irritated."

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.