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Black Men's Skin Care Tips
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Skin Care Tips for Black Men
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Pseudofolliculitis barbae, better known as "razor bumps", arise on the faces of men with coarse, wiry, curly hair. Around fifty to eighty percent of black men live with the issue of ingrown hairs and razor bumps every day.
Razor bumps appear when beard hair curls back as it grows and burrows into the skin adjacent to the hair follicle. When you shave, you help sharpen the hair ends, making it easier for them to penetrate the skin.
Razor bumps itch, burn, can cause scarring, sometimes even making shaving a torture. Many black men have resorted to depilatory creams - which seem to work better than blades - but some of these creams, if not used correctly, may irritate the skin, worsening the condition.
How Ingrown Hair Begins
Both sexes suffer from ingrown hairs but men tend to suffer the most because of the coarseness or thickness of the hair follicles on the face and neck. Ingrown hair builds after the hair has been cut or otherwise removed below the skin surface. As your hair grows back, it curls over inside the follicle and doesn't make it to the surface. The result is an unsightly, "bump" on the skin.
Solving Ingrown Hair
A good number of men have found that the only solution to the "ingrown hair" dilemma are tweezers, but there are other solutions to this problem.
Below are 8 shaving tips that may help ease some of the pain and more importantly, save your face:
1. Using a shaving lotion after shaving should lessen the appearance of redness. This goes for the ladies too. You can use this technique for legs, bikini lines and underarms.
2. Be sure to always use a clean blade when shaving with a razor. This can be properly achieved by only using new blades and throwing away ones that have been previously used three or more times.
3. For those of you who use electric shavers, remember to replace the rotary blades or foil after a couple of months. Of course if you're required to shave daily, you may have to replace them sooner. This can be a headache since many rotary blade components are priced more than half of what the whole razor is worth!
4. While shaving with a handheld razor, always shave in the direction of hair growth. The majority of men's face hair slant downward, so be sure to shave in that direction. This is also critical around the neck areas since shaving against the grain is one of the main causes of pointy, sharp hairs that can burrow back into the skin. Use your hands to feel the direction of the hair.
5. Never stretch your skin while shaving. Pulling your cheeks, chin or neck while shaving in order to get a closer shave, may cause darkness and discoloration of underlying skin tissue.
6. Watch what you eat. Many skin irritations may subside if certain foods are avoided. Fatty foods, foods containing oils, cholesterol and sodium, can make your skin more propense to damage when shaving.
7. Depilatories got the work done fast, but its not a dream come true. Like razors, it can leave you redness and some irritation. Remember never to use an alcohol based cream after using a depilatory - unless you want to feel like your face is on fire.
8. Grow a beard. This may not be the right solution for those required to shave daily, such as the military and other business professions, but if you can handle this style, go for it! You will totally eliminate the razor bump worries and ingrown hair issues. Even better, you can get rid of those sharp blades!
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