Body Hair Removal/Afterwards

shaved legs

Lotions

Apply lotion after shaving for smoother skin!

Cleaning up

Body

It's best to use cold water to clean up the skin after shaving, as this closes the pores.

Equipment

high pressure water

Rinse off your blade in water (unless you're using an electric shaver). Dry and oil the blade. Drying and oiling blades will reduce dulling of the blade from oxidation of the edge. Even a cheap disposable razor may shave comfortably for months if the blade is dried and oiled after each use. Surprisingly, a quality straight razor, dried and oiled after each use and occasionally stropped, can go many years before needing sharpening. A safe oil like food grade mineral oil or Vaseline should be used rather than vegetable oil, which may corrode the blade, or machine lubricating oil, which may be toxic.

If any hairs remain tangled in the blades be very careful about removing them. Do not try to pick out hairs from a safety razor with your fingers, this is unsafe and you can cut your fingertips trying. Try to blast out any hairs with high pressure water. If this doesn't work, you can typically use a small cleaning brush, toothpick, or even tweezers to remove hairs from a safety razor.

Place

Wash hair down the drain, or wipe up with a towel. If you shave in the shower, clean the hair out of the drain after every time you shower. Leaving it there can eventually result in a clogged drain.

Healing

This chapter is on healing from shaving errors.

Razor burns

Most people will experience razor burns at some point for various reasons. There are several ways to reduce your chance of getting a severe inflammation. Start by always using a clean and relatively sharp razor and never use old or rusty razors. This will reduce your chance of getting an infection if you get cut, and make it less likely you will need to go over the same area of skin more than once. When rinsing a blade never use hot water; tepid water, a little cooler than what you would find comfortable for washing your hands is best. Shave the face with the grain and against on the neck, other body parts may be better with one or the other. When you are done rinse off any excess soap cream or hair with tepid water before a final rise with cold water. Dry your face immediately with a clean dry towel. If you have sensitive skin you may want to consider this when purchasing shaving cream or soap as well as using a lotion or lotion based aftershave. Some people have extremely sensitive skin that is irritated merely by the act of shaving, if so you should try to only shave every other day or less if necessary. It is also important to note that if you have not shaved in a while or do not shave often your skin will be more sensitive.

(see Folliculitis)

Cuts

Even though most razor cuts are small in size, they tend to bleed profusely. They are usually quite easy to treat because most shaving takes place in a bathroom where medical supplies are present. A styptic pencil or block (aluminum sulfate) can be used to stop bleeding from razor cuts. This inexpensive product is available at any drugstore.

Running cold water or placing ice over the wound usually closes it up quickly as well. An old trick that might look tacky but effective, is using a small piece of cigarette paper (the type that is sold separately and used to roll self-made cigarettes). You can also use a band-aid with a dab of polysporin.

"Tickling"

Very mild cuts may be treated by applying pressure for a brief period or lightly blotting ("tickling") away the blood with (clean) fingers until they clot on their own.

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