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Shaving is the oldest way people would remove their hair. This goes back to the old days, primitive days. Now there are a variety of shaving tools and equipment. Razors with advance motion technology. I don’t even know what that is. But the pressures of competition in the shaving industry is pushing BIG manufactures to produce weird shaving products. But most do deliver a great shave. So great they want to shave every day. But is daily shaving good for your skin?
Is shaving good for the skin?
YES, SHAVING IS GOOD. It’s also a form of exfoliation if you can believe it. When you shave not only are you removing hair but all the dirt, dead skin cells, and all the daily skin debris that is left on your skin from day to day life. The dirt that’s there probably won’t really be removed unless you exfoliate your skin daily.
On another note as to why exfoliation is great is because your skin grows new cells over and over. When the old cells die, they stay on your skin and leave it looking really dull, and dry. More dead skin cells means more oil deposits, more oil deposits mean more clogged pores.
This all results in more acne and bad skin overall. Now I’m not saying to completely forget about any of the other exfoliation methods out there because you shouldn’t. But shaving does hold some benefit when trying to rid the skin of the dead skin cells.
Recommendations
So lets say you hate shaving, maybe because your technique is all wrong or maybe because the razor itself is bad. So here is how you can fix that. Buy a better razor.
I suggest the Gillette Fusion5 Proglide Men’s Razor Handle. It comes with 4 blade refills so you wont waste more money running back and forth the store to buy blades. They should last you a while. I like this razor because of the pro-glide function. A jaw a weird jawline and it adjusts comfortably to the contours of face. Another similar one you can try is the Gillette Fusion5 Men’s Razor Handle.
Note: Women can use mens razors and vice versa. Some women may have manly hair follicles that respond well to a mans razor and vice versa.
For women
I recommend Gillette Venus Platinum Razor. It has about 5 blades that seem to run over your skin as though it is gliding. Then the handle is built to contour to your hand. It’s amazing. If that one doesn’t fancy your interest, then you can try the Gillette Venus Extra Smooth Swirl Women’s Razor
Is shaving daily good or bad?
It depends on your skin’s sensitivity. It’s not necessarily good but not bad at all. I wouldn’t even recommend you shave daily if it wasn’t for some job that you have and then you must have a clean-shaven face. But I had some good and bad results.
I know I’m not able to shave every day because my skin can’t handle all that every day or even every 2 days. I would get bad razor bumps due to the ingrown hairs and a lot of irritation. The irritation would make it difficult to touch my face and sometimes to talk.
I even thought my preparation had something to do with it. So, I changed my prep. I used to take a pre-shave cream (one that exfoliates), lather up, then start shaving. I do 2 passes with the grain, 1 pass across the grain, and another pass against the grain. Then I would add the usual aftershave lotion and moisturizer. This took anywhere from 3-5 minutes.
Now I don’t use any pre-shave. I mostly use a glycerin type soap (clearly natural), rub it on my face, and start shaving. I shave with the grain a maximum of 2 times, and again across the grain.
This change of process helped a lot. Which leads me to this point. If you found yourself shaving daily and had bad results. Sometimes you may have to change the way you do things. You must switch the pre-shave prep. Or maybe change your aftershave lotion.
I found much success changing my shaving techniques. You should listen to how the blade sounds when you’re shaving across your skin. Scraping the skin, then your shaving angle is too shallow. You can’t feel anything, then your angel is a tad bit too wide.
You can ditch the disposable razors if that is what you are using. Pick up an old school razor. The double edge single blade razors like what your grandpa used to shave with. The shaving cream you use can also be a problem. Try different types. I tried Noxzema and it was a good replacement for me. Or you can try an all-natural shaving cream, one without all the hazardous chemicals.
The best thing I did was drop the AGT(across the grain) pass.
But worse comes to worse. You just must stop shaving every day. And then shave every other day. Maybe every 3 days.
Dangers of multiblade razors
Some have three or more blades. The first blade acts as a levy and pulls the hair through. The second and third blade will slice that hair right through. But so many blades cutting the skin at once. It can cut the hair under your skin. This can increase your chances of razor bumps which are caused by ingrown hairs.
Now you have razor bumps. You are going to have to take a few days off from shaving for the bumps to heal. Now your hair is growing back. Now you increase the razors chance of tugging on your hair. More tugging leads to more irritation.
My daily shaving tips
I like to add a little bit of glycerin to help improve the lather of my cream/soap. This can help improve your shave, giving you more to lather up with.
Use a double edge razor. It’s the marketing of today’s world that has come in with the new and pushed out the old. Razor companies such as Gillet have done a good job marketing to the public that they must have a multi-blade razor. Buy yourself a double edge razor kit. Try it out. You won’t regret it. Or you might. It’s one razor. A very sharp one too. A few passes. It’s always better than a multi-blade razor.
Try fewer passes than you would usually do. Shaving is also an exfoliation process. It removes a lot of the skin top layer. The dead skin and cells along with the hair. And when you do it every day, it makes the skin difficult to heal properly. So, if you do more passes then it can cause even more irritation. But since you’ll be shaving every day, you probably won’t have to do that many passes. The hair won’t be long, so it doesn’t require it. So, keep it a minimum.
If you can, shave while in the shower. Hot shower. The steam, the hot water makes it very effective in giving an easy shave. The steam and hot water will help open the pores. Go with the grain, against the grain, and across the grain. Most people go with the grain because it prevents razor bumps.
But you can try all three and see how your skin reacts. Say no to alcohol. No not the drink. The alcohol in your aftershave. It’s the time of the natural and all good. So, go for a natural aftershave the organic/natural ingredients that help your skin a lot more. Alcohol dries out your skin. That witch hazel aftershave balm is a very good choice. It works well on any skin.
When you shave, go slow. And steady. Fast strokes are for seasoned vets only. So, if you really know what you are doing. Then, by all means, go fast. But slow strokes across the face is the way to go. Makes sure your hand is steady. Don’t press down into your skin. Take your razor and use its weight to do the job. Use the weight of the razor to do the cutting. If you press down too hard. You can cut yourself.
Wash the razor after every pass. Hair clogs the razor. Clogged up razor can’t cut, now can it? Or it will still cut but not effectively, so, wash it out after every pass.
What are some daily shaving side effects
Get ready for irritation. You can get the same type of side effects from shaving daily that you would get from shaving every other day. Ingrown hairs and razor burns. In some situations, you get razor burns. But it I believe with daily shaving you could get more razor burns since you are continuously passing the razor across your skin.
Also, when you shave every day. There is this thing called “consistency.” You must be consistent and keep at every day. You keep at it every day, then you keep the irritation away. Keep the razor bumps at bay. Now if you miss a day or two. Irritation sets in. the razor bumps come and now it’s hard, and painful to shave.
Does shaving every day grow hair faster or does make your beard thicker?
These two questions are the two most common questions I’ve come across.
No. it’s just a myth. I don’t know how this became a “thing.” But it’s not true. Hair doesn’t grow faster because of shaving. Hair only grows fast due to your hormones and genetic makeup.
If your family members from either your mom or dads side are known for growing hair fast, then most likely you’ll have that same trait. Your hair might grow fast also. Sorry to burst your bubble if you thought this was true.
Does shaving everyday help grow a beard?
To some people, this may appear true. But it’s not. I believe I answered a similar question up above. The only thing that can help you grow a beard is your own genetic makeup and hormone production.
Some men grow beards when they’re only 18 years old or even younger. Others won’t fully grow a beard till they’re in their late 20’s or early 30’s.
Still a little confused. You can start off with this shave items.
Something a little different:
- Neutrogena Face scrub
- Pre-shave cream
- Double edge razor
- Neutrogena moisturizer or any moisturizer of your choice
Push come to shove, if you’re still on the fence about daily shaving. You can try it for a few days. The most important thing is to listen to your skin. If it breaks out with razor bumps after you finished. Stop. Go back to the drawing board and figure out what you did wrong.
If anything, it’s probably the way you choose to pass the blade on your face. Remember you can always go WTG, ATG, XTG.
WTG (with the grain), ATG (Against the grain), and XTG (across the grain). Most people always go against the grain. This is common among all shaving techniques.
Try all three, see what works for you.
Conclusion: So shaving everyday can be good for you. But how well will your skin hold up? Is your skin sensitive? Or is it not? These are the questions you should be asking yourself before that blade touches your skin. That is all up to you and your skin. I myself like to shave every other day. Daily shaving is just too much for me. I have to prep myself, go soft and slow. I not a master at the art of shaving yet. Plus my skin can’t really hold up to daily shaving. But I do find that my stomach and legs can withstand daily shaving. But other parts is a no-go.