Get a smooth shave without red spots – how to get smooth results without shaving spots
More and more people shave the intimate area at least to some extent. Some prefer a light trim, while others want to shave themselves completely smooth. Unfortunately, instead of a smooth shave, they may also get tender red spots, which spoil the streamlined, smooth look.
But with a few simple precautions you can in fact get a smooth shave and avoid the red spots.
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What are red shaving spots?
The red spots or pimples that often appear in connection with intimate shaving are a form of infection in the pores and hair follicles. These symptoms are also called barber’s itch, caused when hair follicles open and become infected with yellow staphylococcus. That is also why the spots sometimes look like yellow pimples. It is the bacterial infection in the hair follicles that makes the skin feel tender and causes itching.
These red shaving spots can appear anywhere on the skin after shaving or hair removal. They are particularly common in the intimate area, which is both sensitive and extra exposed to bacteria. If you get red spots after shaving, it is important to ensure that they do not get worse. They can sometimes lead to a rash, or even to blisters or painful boils under the skin or on the surface.
So it is a good idea to make an effort to avoid shaving spots in the first place, and take care to treat them if they appear in spite of everything.
The right shaving technique prevents red spots
It is popular to remove all hair down below – both for men and women. It gives you a comfortable clean sensation. However, many people have at one time or another ended up with irritated skin and lots of ingrown hairs and red spots after intimate shaving. Everyone will agree that this neither looks good nor gives the desired sensation of cleanness.
As with all other ailments and ill-health, the best treatment is prevention – which also applies to intimate shaving. The best way to get a fine, smooth result is to use the right techniques.
Both men and women shave themselves in the intimate area to get a neat, attractive appearance – but it is a delicate area that needs care if you want to avoid red spots after shaving.
You should therefore be extra careful to care for your skin the right way before you start using a shaver, during the process, and when you have finished. It requires the right shaving equipment and products.
Your guide to banishing spots
If you follow this guide step by step you will create the best conditions for your skin when you do an intimate shave, so that you do not end up with a mess of ingrown hairs, irritated skin and red spots.
- The first step in intimate shaving is to cleanse the skin thoroughly to ensure that no bacteria are swept into the open hair follicles during shaving. Take a hot shower and wash yourself thoroughly, e.g. with Intimate Wash from Australian Bodycare. Under the warm shower, you will not only wash bacteria away from your skin with soap, but you will also soften both hair and skin, so shaving will be easier.
- If you have fairly long hair in the intimate area, it is a good idea to take some of the length off with a trimmer or ordinary scissors. Then it will be easier to shave without long hairs sticking to the blade.
- When you start the actual shaving, it is important to have good lighting, so that you can see properly what you are doing. That way there is minimal risk of cutting yourself. It is even more important to be sure to use a sharp razor for your intimate shave. A blunt scraper is the skin’s worst enemy, because it can cause scratches and skin irritation.
- Before you start using the razor on your skin and hair, you should apply gel or foam. You could for instance use Intimate Shave, which is a transparent shaving gel that lets you have full control of your intimate shave. Spread the gel thinly over the intimate area that you want to shave, and allow it to penetrate and work on the skin for about a minute. Intimate Gel helps the blade to glide more easily on the skin, so you get a comfortable, close shave.
- Shave your intimate area in the direction of the hair. Even though the shaving gel forms a protective layer on the skin, using a razor against the direction of hair growth will pull and be extremely hard on your skin. You are most gentle with your skin if you shave in the direction in which the hair grows. As you shave, stretch the skin in the area very gently.
- When you have removed all the hair and achieved a smooth result, rinse the skin thoroughly to get rid of hair and remnants of products. You may want to apply a new layer of gel and go over again with the razor, if you did not get all the hair off the first time.
- To round off your shave, you need to care for your skin the right way. Use a product such as Intimate Balm from Australian Bodycare to give your skin the optimal treatment when you have finished shaving. The balm calms and cools the skin, and at the same time it adds lots of moisture to the dry, shaved skin. Like Intimate Wash and Intimate Shave, Intimate Balm contains Tea Tree Oil, which is especially known to be effective against bacteria. That is why these products are especially suitable for smooth intimate shaving, to avoid red spots, ingrown hair and irritating itches.
- After shaving in the intimate area, your skin may be slightly irritated, and it is therefore a good idea to avoid tight trousers or underwear immediately after shaving. Your skin needs to rest and breathe, and can do it best in loose clothing.
If you follow this guide, you give yourself the best chances of a smooth shave that really is smooth – without red bumps on your skin.
Treating red spots after intimate shaving
As we have already mentioned, the best treatment for red spots is what you do before you start shaving in the intimate area. But if you still have red spots after an intimate shave, that is how your body lets you know that it needs a rest before you start using the razor over it again. Then it is important to listen to your body and take extra care of it.
The very best thing is to give your skin time to heal. That may take up to a week – and during that time you must not bring a shaver anywhere near the infected area. The red spots are a type of ulcer, and you can probably imagine what a shaver would do to an ulcer. Definitely not a good combination. If you do, the infection will spread like wildfire from one hair follicle to the next.
Apply a moisturising cream to your skin, so that it does not become even more irritated. You can also treat it with Intimate Balm to give the skin an extra cooling and soothing boost. The better you can keep your skin free of bacteria, the better and faster it will heal. Remember too that you should go for loose cotton panties or underpants if red spots have already appeared on your skin. You really do not need to exacerbate the skin irritation, which tight underwear can easily do.
Good advice for a smooth shave
- Practice makes perfect. The first time, you can simply shave around the labia, and just trim the rest. Then there is less that can go wrong. It is not pleasant, after all, if your first attempt is not successful.
- Think about the timing. You should probably not try intimate shaving for the first time just when you are doing something important. The results might be less than perfect, and then it is really annoying to have to cancel something or feel embarrassed. It is far better to try when you can spend time and energy on it.
- How often should you shave? To begin with, not too often. Once a fortnight will be fine. When your skin has got used to being shaved, you can do it more often, perhaps a couple of times a week.
- Avoid tight underwear immediately after shaving. Give your skin some air and avoid panties in synthetic materials. Avoid washing your underwear with perfumed washing powder, too. Your skin in that area is delicate, especially just after shaving.
Take good care of your razors. If you re-use them, clean them with chlorhexidine when you have finished. Chlorhexidine or hand sanitiser will kill bacteria. It is also a good idea to drop the very cheap disposable razors.
