When you know how to exfoliate properly, magical things can happen. Blemishes may vanish, the skin starts to emit a bright glow, and shaving becomes a whole lot easier. Exfoliation can help you achieve the smoothest shave possible, regardless of whether you shave your face, legs, arms, or armpits. Now, should you exfoliate before or after shaving for best results?

According to many dermatologists, the best way to achieve smooth, razor bump-free skin is to exfoliate before shaving. It’s quite possible that exfoliating post-shave may cause a burning sensation on the skin. This, however, depends on the type of exfoliant you use, as many typical ones can irritate the skin. It’s best to avoid scrubs or exfoliants that have harmful chemicals, so as not to contaminate the skin while cleansing it.

What Is Exfoliation?

Exfoliation works to slough away dead skin cells, unclog pores, even skin tone, and remove general debris. Regular exfoliation may also increase circulation to the skin’s surface and even stimulate the production of collagen. The type of exfoliating you do will depend on where you exfoliate. The skin on the face, for example, is much more sensitive than the skin on the legs. A more mild technique (gentle circles) may be necessary for the face, as opposed to the legs, on which you can use a loofa or wash cloth.

Why Is Exfoliation Important For Shaving?

Shaving, in and of itself, if a form of exfoliation, but it can lead to unwanted razor burn. While this has to do with shaving technique, exfoliating prior to shaving may reduce the likelihood of razor bumps. Physical exfoliants tend to have a mildly abrasive texture that helps to remove bacteria, dirt, and dead skin cells. Gentle exfoliation is the key because that can help free the edges of hairs that may be trapped under the skin.

When you remove dead skin cells, you prep the skin for a close shave. The exfoliation process also helps the hairs stand up, ensuring that the razor shaves them cleanly without pulling. If the razor has to work hard to pull hairs, you may experience cuts or tears in the skin. Depending on the area that you want to shave, exfoliating may loosen ingrown hairs, contributing to a more effective shave. 

Exfoliating The Legs

Not only is the skin less sensitive on the legs than it is on the face, but there is also more surface area. Using a gentle exfoliant may not be necessary, and it may cause you to use all of it during one session. Before you shave your legs, it’s best to exfoliate them with a sugar scrub, which you can easily make or purchase in stores. Exfoliating the legs prior to shaving helps the razor glide smoothly across the skin’s surface. This yields a much smoother shave and may reduce the chances of ingrown hairs developing. 

Exfoliating After Shaving

This probably isn’t the best idea, primarily because freshly shaven skin can be very sensitive, sometimes cut in certain places. Exfoliating after shaving may cause a burning sensation and irritation, which will only increase redness. Instead of exfoliating after shaving, you simply rinse the area, pat dry, and feel your softer skin. After drying the skin, it can also help to apply a moisturizer. The reason you want to apply a moisturizer after rinsing the skin or showering is to help lock in that moisture the skin just absorbed. This reduces the chances of dryness later on in the day. 

What About Waxing?

Waxing and shaving are completely different, and the same exfoliation rules don’t apply to waxing. Experts say that the last thing you want to do is exfoliate right before waxing. The skin barrier needs to be intact in order to reduce the risk of irritation or burning from waxing. It is, however, beneficial to exfoliate the areas you plan to wax, just not right before you yank those hairs out. Exfoliating encourages hairs out of the follicles as they grow, making it easier for the wax to adhere to them.

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People have been removing hair with hot wax for centuries. A lot of people are attracted to waxing because shaving can cause ingrown hairs, razor bumps, or irritated skin; not to mention, shaving is costly and you have to shave frequently to be silky smooth.

Waxing pulls the hair from the roots and, in turn, produces smoother results. When you wax, your skin feels smoother for a lot longer without being itchy, primarily due to the slower regrowth of hair. Additionally, waxing doesn’t discriminate against different hair colors like other hair removal techniques. Waxing removes any shade or consistency from all types of skin.

While the regrowth period varies from person to person, hair usually begins to appear after about a week or more. If you continue to wax, the hair follicles can weaken, making it very difficult for hair to grow back. Sometimes that even causes permanent hair loss.

The only downside is that waxing can be painful. Everyone tolerates pain differently, but there is no denying that waxing hurts. If you want to have the best results, make sure the hair is at least one centimeter in length. Try the wax and let us know if it worked for you in the comments below.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup water

Instructions:

• Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan over high heat.
• Once the mixture becomes bubbly, reduce to medium heat and stir constantly. Make sure that you stir because the mixture will harden if you don’t.
• Keep stirring for about five minutes until the mixture is golden brown. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for five minutes.
• You should have a thick consistency that resembles wax. Allow it to cool for 30 more minutes before transferring it to a bowl.

How To Use:

• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, grab a small amount of the wax from the bowl and roll it between your hands to form a ball.
• Press the ball onto the area you want waxed, and flatten it with the spatula. Alternatively, you can use waxing strips to press the wax onto the skin.
• Take a deep breath, pick up one end of the strip of wax, and yank it in the direction your hair grows. You can actually use this piece of wax a few times before you need to grab another ball of wax.

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