How To Shave Without Damaging Your Skin

Are You Causing Damage To Your Skin?

In general, what men want in their skincare product is something that works and simple to use. Unfortunately, skincare is not as easy and basic as the "3-step system" - cleanse, tone and moisturize or that simplified "wash and go" routine. As a result, most men don't use sunscreen regularly and leave their skin at risk for cancer and wrinkles. This also means that most men don't know what irritating ingredients their shaving products might contain, and they end up with razor burn, (which is often really "product" burn).

Over the past several years, there has been a remarkable increase in the sales of men's skincare products on the market. With such a selection of products flying off the shelves, it would be hard for men to differentiate between a good and bad product. This can be summed up to the fact that men are generally reluctant "cosmetic" consumers and are hesitant to spend too much time and effort looking into consumer information on the topic, resulting in wasting their money on unnecessary or problematic skincare products.

While it would be great if it were simple enough to recommend products from skincare lines "designed" for men, it turns out that most of those products are either poorly formulated, contain far too many irritating ingredients, or are overpriced and not worth the extra expense..

How To Shave Without Damaging Your Skin

Shaving is the most typical start to a man's skincare routine. It is also the first area where they can make mistakes. Most shaving gels, creams or lotions, pre- and post-shave products, especially those geared toward men, contain irritating ingredients such as alcohol, menthol, mint, and camphor, as well as high levels of potassium or sodium hydroxide. These ingredients are skin irritants that make the hair follicle and skin swell, forcing the hair up and away from the skin, supposedly allowing for a closer shave.

Unfortunately, the irritation and resulting swelling cause some of the hair to be hidden by the swollen follicle and skin. Note that sodium hydroxide is used in many skincare products at very low levels (the lesser amount of an ingredient in a product, the lower it will be on the ingredient list on the label) to adjust the pH value. In these low quantities, it is not irritating to skin.

Additionally, the swollen skin makes it harder for the stubble to find its way back out. If the hair begins to grow (which it does almost immediately) before the swelling is reduced, the likelihood of ingrown hairs is increased.

Do you know you can cause damage to your skin by shaving incorrectly?

Shaving with a razor abrades the skin enough to cause havoc, but then men typically splash an alcohol-based post-shave lotion with irritating ingredients over that broken skin. Try splashing some post-shave lotion on a cut or scrape on any other part of your body. Now, why would you want to do that to your face and damaging your skin?

By Chris Chew

Alan Sim is the President of the Mister Singapore Organization. He is a much sought after grooming and skincare consultant. More free tips at his sites Male skin care and Good looking and well groomed men
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com