How to Get Rid of Razor Burn Fast

Razor burn for men can be a daily menace because they shave almost every day! But if you think razor burn is only limited to men, you must correct your facts. Women too suffer from razor burns, thanks to their everlasting wish to have smooth skin without any unwanted hair all over!

Shaving seems the quickest and the most affordable means to them, especially in the season when they just can’t resist wearing swimsuit. And thus they not only suffer from razor burn on legs and armpits, but also on bikini line areas. On the other hand, men mostly get razor burn on neck area due to hurried and inappropriate ways of shaving. Let’s discuss how to get rid of razor burn fast so that your skin remains smooth. While many razor burn remedies given here are similar in effect for men and women, some are exclusively meant for men, especially those related to preventing razor burn on neck and face (as is obvious! After all, women don’t shave their face and neck!) But before we proceed, to know how to treat razor burn, let’s know what it is!

What is a Razor Burn?

Razor burn can be defined as a red or pink rash, sometimes having bumps on the skin. These rashes, with or without bumps, appear after shaving and thus the name razor burn. If your skin starts having a burning sensation after using the razor blade within a couple of minutes, you have got a razor burn. Sometimes it starts itching just after you apply water to the area. If you wonder why you get bumps sometimes with the razor burn, here’s the answer. Razor bumps are actually ingrown hair leading to inflammation to the skin that surrounds the area where you shave. Your shorn hair curls back into your skin. Your immune system takes it as a foreign object and triggers an immune response that causes swelling and redness of skin that you call razor bump.

Causes of Razor Burn

There are many causes for getting a razor burn.

• Using soap or a shaving cream that doesn’t suit your skin.
• Not using soap or shaving cream or something else that would help your razor glide over the skin’s surface smoothly.
• Using a blunt blade in the razor.
• Pressing the skin too hard while shaving.

Now if you think that it’s easier to avoid razor burn given the causes that you have just read, you are right. Let’s know how to do so.

How to Prevent Razor Burn?

Using right ingredients that are friendly to your skin and shaving in the correct manner can prevent razor burn. Here are some tips on how to avoid razor burn.

1. Shave after Shower

When they are soft, you are able to remove unwanted hair easily. Your hair is naturally soft after you take a shower. You can consider using razor at this time. This is equally true for men’s beard. After a shower or even a hot steam, your beard gets softened up.unwanted hair

2. Soften the Hair

If shaving after a shower doesn’t suit you, there are other ways to soften hair. Men can rub some hair conditioner on beard. Then leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. You’ll find your beard soft enough to avoid razor burn while shaving. Women, on the other hand, can use a shaving gel or cream, especially made for them by various companies. But before you buy one, go through the ingredients list and avoid those containing certain ingredients you are allergic to. After you apply shave gel or cream, wait for a few minutes. Then shave using razor in small and clean strokes.

3. Exfoliate to Prevent Razor Bumps

This tip is especially for men who face the problem of bumpy razor burn on the face. Use a facial scrub or a loofah to rub your skin gently. This will remove the dead skin cells and bring potential ingrown hairs that give you razor bumps, out of hiding. If you are a woman and have a razor burn with bump on legs or hands, you too can exfoliate your skin using a scrub.

4. Men Should use Shaving Brush

If you remember the causes of razor burn given earlier in this article, one of it said not using proper material that makes your razor glide through smoothly onto your skin. If you have been using shaving cream, gel or foam etc. and then also getting razor burn, think over it. Applying these things using fingers doesn’t work properly. Use a shaving brush to lather up your beard. A badger brush works fine as it helps get the shaving cream up there under each whisker. This gives you a better, smoother shave without any razor burn.

5. Always use a Sharp Razor

A gentle razor with a high performance blade is what you need to prevent razor burn. Those razors that expose less of the blade edge when shaving are gentler. A sharp razor blade is also needed to prevent razor burn on the neck, which is one of the very sensitive areas. Why a sharp blade? Because you need to efficiently cut the hair and do not want to create drag and tears at your whiskers. Just imagine a blunt knife cutting a vegetable and how it ends up tearing the veggie instead of cutting it off nicely! The same happens when you use a dull blunt blade in your razor. It doesn’t cut hair, but tear down the hair to be followed by irritation and razor burn.

6. Shave with the Grain to Avoid Razor Burn

In an attempt to get a closer and smoother shave, men sometimes shave against the direction in which their hair grows ss. This can cause razor burn and bump too by increasing the chances for ingrown hair. Therefore, to prevent razor burn on face, shave with the grain, in the direction of the hair growth. Definitely when you do this, you will not be able to remove your beard in one pass, but that’s the price you pay for avoiding razor burn. You just have to make another pass with your razor and that will take a minute or two more than usual. It’s better to spend a little more time while shaving than to suffer from razor burn!
Women should also shave in the same direction as that of hair growth. When you shave your legs, start moving from thighs to feet and not upwards. Sometimes women, who suffer from Hirsutism or excessive growth of body hair, too need to shave their face to get rid of unwanted facial hair. Such women need to know that facial hair generally grows downward towards the neck. Thus, they should shave in downward strokes in quick, short movements when removing facial hair to prevent razor burn on neck and face.

7. Shave in Short Quick Strokes

This is to avoid too much pressure on your skin as it is one of the major causes behind a razor burn. The weight of the razor is enough to cut your hair and you don’t need extra pressure to do so. When you use short quick strokes, you avoid applying too much pressure. Avoiding pressure means you can successfully avoid razor burn too.

8. Clean the Razor Blade after Every Stroke

Whenever you make a pass giving a stroke with your razor, its blade collects bits of hair and shaving cream or gel or whatever is there. Next time, when you will glide your razor over your skin, it will not be able to cut hair so efficiently because of the things collected there. It will become as good as a blunt dull blade that doesn’t cut, but drags the hair giving you razor burn. Thus, you need to rinse your blade after every stroke.

9. Rinse with Cold Water after Shaving with Razor

This will help close up the pores of your skin that get opened during the process. Once the pores are closed, it becomes rather difficult for the hair to curl back into the skin. Thus, you are saved from ingrown hair and the resultant razor bumps and burn.

10. Apply Moisturizer after Shaving to Avoid Razor Burn

When you shave, you remove the top layer of skin too, along with the hair over it. Applying moisturizer will provide much wanted relief to your skin that loses all its moisture due to the drying soaps and gels. In fact, it is better to use a moisturizing shaving gel instead of soaps while shaving. In any case, applying a moisturizer not only soothes the skin that has gone under the harsh metals of the razor but also soothes razor burn if any.

11. Dry the Razor Blade after Shaving

This helps prevent your razor blade from getting dull. Just after you have shaved, dry off the blade with a clean towel. This way, it will remain sharp for the next use. If you are a man and have used the shaving brush, you need to dry it off too. Hang it or leave it at some place where it gets some air to dry out. A wet brush can be a breeding ground for bacteria that can give you many skin infections next time when you shave with it.

How to Prevent Razor Burn On Neck?

This is the question generally asked by men you suffer from razor burn on neck quite often. If you had read the tips on how to prevent razor burn in the previous section, you would know well how to avoid them on neck too. However, here are some quick pointers to help men prevent razor burn on neck.

1. Prepare your neck for shaving too- While you wash your face and apply shaving gel or cream there, do not forget your neck. Wash your neck along with face and while applying shaving cream, do not forget to bring your brush downwards till the end of your neck so that all the hair there get lathered too. Scrub your neck too, along with the face to prevent ingrown hair.
2. Apply pre-shave oil on neck- Some people find pre-shave oils useful to reduce irritation on neck after shaving. After you wet your face and neck, apply the oil. Apply your shaving cream after applying the oil.
3. Use cold water- Because the skin on your neck is highly sensitive, warm water may lay the pores open or affect it in other damaging ways. Using cold water for shaving may prevent razor burn on neck.
4. Use a sharp blade- these remains crucial for all the areas including neck. If you use blunt blade, you increase the risk of your sensitive neck area of getting a razor burn easily.
5. Don’t over-stretch the skin of neck- Even if your neck is not a flat area, you should not tilt your head upwards and pull the skin of your neck too much. You may in fact, lean forward and tilt your head back slightly. Only slightly. Then use shorter strokes to cover flatter areas.
6. Shave with the grain- Run your razor with the grain of your beard. When you shave in the direction in which your hair grows, you might not get too close of a shave. However, closer shaves usually lead to hairs curling back into your skin and give rise to razor bumps.
7. Don’t put pressure on neck- This has been already emphasized. Pressure on any area, including neck, while shaving will give you razor burn. So, no pressure. Use short quick strokes to avoid pressure.
8. Clean off the neck thoroughly after shaving- You may rinse your neck properly with cold water. You may use witch hazel on a cotton ball to wipe off your neck after shaving followed by another rinse with cold water. This will remove any remaining lather or hair pieces from the neck that may otherwise stuck into the curves of neck and give rise to ingrown hair. Witch hazel is also a mild astringent that will help close the skin pores properly.

These were all to prevent razor burn. Let’s now move to know the razor burn relief with the help of certain razor burn treatment that you can do at home with the help of common ingredients.

How to Get Rid of Razor Burn

Prevention is one thing and cures another. While preventing razor burn is always the best policy, you also need to know what to do if you get razor burn! These razor burn remedies will sure soothe razor burn and give you relief from these rash and bumps.

Use Cold Compress to Get Rid of Razor Burn Fast

Wherever there is burning sensation, a cold compress works like a magic. Nothing soothes razor burn like cold compress does. It brings instant relief from that burning sensation and also soothes the area by reducing inflammation.

Get this:

• Ice cubes or Ice cold water
• Towel or a wash cloth

Do this:

• Take ice cubes and wrap them in the towel to make your cold compress.
• Place this cold compress on your razor burn to get relief.
• Hold it there for a few minutes.
• Alternatively, soak the wash cloth in cold water and wring out the excessive water.
• Fold it and place it over the burning area of razor rash.
• Remove it after a couple of minutes, soak again in cold water and place it on razor burn.
• Do these till you get relief from razor burn.

You may repeat it several times a day.

Honey-Apple Cider Vinegar to Get Rid of Razor Burn

Honey is popular for its antibacterial properties and also for its soothing and moisturizing as well as healing properties. When applied to razor burns and bumps, honey may excellently treat them.
Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties and it too cools your skin well. When you use both, honey and apple cider vinegar, together, you may expect to get rid of razor burn fast.

Get this:

• Honey
• Apple cider vinegar
• Cold water

Do this:

• Apply honey to the area with razor burn. Your skin should lightly cover with the layer of honey.
• Leave it for 5 minutes.
• Now wash it off with cold water.
• Pat your skin dry.
• Now take the apple cider vinegar and splash it over the affected area that you just treated with honey.
• Let it air dry.
• This remedy will treat razor burn faster than you expect.

Black Tea Bags for Razor Burn Relief

The humble black tea bags can also make you get rid of razor burn and even razor bumps. Black tea has tannic acid that helps reduce redness and inflammation. It also soothes razor burn. You don’t need to buy expensive black tea because cheaper black tea bags have more tannic acid in them.

Get this:

• Black tea bag
• warm water

Do this:

• Dip the tea bag in the warm water to moisten it.
• Take it out and rub it over the area where you have razor burn.
• Repeat 2-3 times a day or as needed by you.

Baking Soda for Razor Burn Treatment

The exfoliating effects of baking soda help smooth skin to get you rid of razor bumps and burn. Baking soda’s mild antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties also make your burning skin cool and calm. So, to soothe razor burn, you can easily use baking soda lying in your kitchen cupboard.

Get this:

• Baking soda- 1 tbsp
• Water- 1 cupboard
• Cotton ball

Do this:

• Add baking soda in water and mix well.
• Soak the cotton ball in this water.
• Apply this soaked cotton to the affected skin.
• Hold it there for about 4-5 minutes.
• Wash off with cold water.
• Repeat 2-3 times daily or as needed.

Apply Aloe Vera to Get Rid of Razor Burn

Aloe vera is nature’s wonder when it comes to skin. It is soothing and cooling with amazing properties that heal almost any type of skin discomfort including cuts and burns. The cool sticky gel of aloe vera when applied to skin gives you a soothing relief that you may instantly recognize. Apart from its soothing property, aloe vera also has excellent moisturizing properties that also help speed up the healing process of skin where you have razor burn.

Get this:

• Aloe vera leaf or Aloe gel

Do this:

• If you have an aloe vera leaf, cut a part of it and with the help of the knife, cut one of its side to open it up.
• Take out the gel from inside the leaf with the help of your fingers.
• Apply this gel to your razor burn and rub it gently for a couple of minutes.
• Leave it there for some time.
• If you feel too sticky, wash it off with cold water. Even if you let it remain on your skin, aloe vera gel will do no harm to your skin.
• Repeat 2-4 times a day.

Cucumber-Yogurt Mask for Razor Burn Relief

No one can ever have doubt about the cooling properties of cucumber. Thanks to the hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties of cucumber that treats razor burn fast. Cucumber also has vitamins C and K that too help relieve pain and swelling that razor burn may give you. When you mix cucumber with another skin friendly and equally cooling ingredient yogurt, you can rest assured to get rid of razor burn faster. Yogurt also contains lactic acid that helps gently exfoliate your skin.

Get this:

• Cucumber (peeled)- 1/2- 1 (depending upon the area to be covered)
• Plain yogurt- 1-2 tbsp
• Lukewarm water

Do this:

• Blend the cucumber and yogurt together using a food processor or a blender.
• Apply this cucumber-yogurt mixture to razor burn affected skin.
• Leave it for about 20 minutes.
• Wash off with lukewarm water.

Use Tea Tree Oil to Treat Razor Burn

Tea tree oil has excellent antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it a very effective essential oil to get rid of razor burn. However, because tea tree oil is quite strong, it should not be used undiluted. You can use water or olive oil to dilute it before using it to soothe razor burn.

Get this:

• Tea tree oil- 3-5 drops
• Water- 2 tbsp

OR

• Olive oil- 1 tbsp

Do this:

• Add tea tree oil to water and mix well.
• Apply this to the razor burn affected skin.
• Leave it for about 10-15 minutes.
• Wash off with lukewarm water.
• Repeat twice daily.
• If using olive oil to dilute tea tree oil, add 3 drops of this oil to 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• Massage the affected area gently with this oil mixture for a couple of minutes.
• Do this 2-3 times a day.

Coconut Oil Soothes Razor Burn Fast

Coconut oil is an amazing gift of nature that is practically a boon for your skin. As far as razor burn is concerned, the lauric acid in coconut oil does the wonders. It has antiseptic properties that heal cuts and burns and off course rashes miraculously. Not only this, it keeps your skin moisturized effectively.

Get this:

• Coconut oil

Do this:

• Apply a thin layer of coconut oil on the affected area.
• That’s it. Just repeat the process 2-4 times a day or whenever you feel like applying something to your razor burn.

Witch Hazel to Get Rid of Razor Burn

Witch hazel has been yet another great remedy for almost all skin problems. It is a natural astringent that soothes razor burn and get you rid of it quickly. The tannins in witch hazel promote faster healing of skin inflammation and thus you can depend on it to get rid of razor burn too.

Get this:

• Witch hazel
• Cotton ball Or spray bottle

Do this:

• Dip the cotton ball in witch hazel
• Apply this to your razor bur affected area.
• Do this 2-3 times a day.
• Alternatively, fill a spray bottle with witch hazel.
• Spray it over the affected area 2-3 times daily or as needed.

Essential Oils to Get Rid of Razor Burn

There are many essential oils that soothe razor burn effectively. Some of these oils include lavender, chamomile and calendula essential oil. You may use any one of these essential oils to get rid of razor burn. These oils have excellent healing and soothing properties. However, do not apply them undiluted.

Get this:

• Lavender/ Chamomile/ Calendula oil (any one) – 6-8 drops
• Cold water- 1/4 cup
• Cotton ball

Do this:

• Add the drops of essential oil to the cold water.
• Mix well and soak the cotton ball in it.
• Apply this to the affected area to get rid of razor burn.

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