Shaving with Acne

How to keep from irritating your acne during shaving

Shaving when you're experiencing an acne breakout can be harrowing. The wrong razor or the wrong technique can exacerbate your breakout, resulting in more pimples.

Based on the available information, we can offer you some useful tips for shaving with acne.

Shaving with acne - choosing a razor

Choosing the right tools for the job is vital. Irritating the skin can only make acne worse -- and poorly-chosen razors can irritate the skin. Use these tips when choosing a razor.

More blades are better

Generally speaking, the more blades the razor has, the smoother and closer the shave. This isn't true in all cases. However, we strongly recommend avoiding single-blade razors and disposable razors.

The Gillette SensorExcel razor is the hands-down winner, according to the authoritative Acne.org. Though the SensorExcel only has two blades, it is more affordable than the latest developments and a good choice if you don't have a lot of experience with razors and shaving.

Avoid electric

Electric razors irritate the skin. Unless you've been using an electric razor with good results, we strongly recommend choosing a blade-type razor.

Techniques for shaving with acne

Get a shower mirror so you can shave in the shower. Lather up with a cleanser -- go for thick lather, because you're going to use it as shaving cream. (Why? To avoid using products that might irritate.)

Shave with the grain, with smooth strokes. Don't go over the same area more than twice. After you finish shaving, grab your cleanser and gently wash the rest of your face.

Following these suggestions will help to insure that your daily shaving won't contribute to your acne.