Do Safety Razors Stop Skin Irritation?

Safety razors like our bestselling Bamboo Safety Razor have existed for centuries and yield many benefits.

They’ve enjoyed a renaissance in recent years with so many discovering just how good they are!

Why?

Because safety razors provide a whole suite of benefits for your shave and your skin. They do require some practice but are satisfying to master, and once you do, you’re well on your way to a better shave.

However, one question we do still hear concerning the benefits of safety razors is “do safety razors stop skin irritation?”

Shaving and Skin Irritation

One common problem with shaving is various skin irritations, and some are worse affected than others. When we shave any part of the body, our skin is left vulnerable to razor burn, nicks and cuts. These can lead to ingrown hairs, redness and worst of all, infection.

Why does this happen?

Skin irritation occurs when shaving because of the razor pulling across our skin. Whilst razors are well-positioned to glide over the skin and cut just the hairs, they do also rub against the skin itself. This causes micro-abrasions that become inflamed, causing redness. Ingrown hairs can also occur when a razor fails to properly cut a hair. The remaining hair within the follicle may then grown into the skin, turning back in on itself.

These are all very common problems, but they can be avoided to some extent. Using a safety razor properly can vastly reduce the chance and severity of irritation.

Why Normal Razors are Worse for the Skin

Standard cartridge or disposable razors tend to cause the most skin irritation. They may be marketed with ultra-sharp, smooth blades, moisturising pads, etc, but really, it’s the multiple blades within modern razors that cause the damage.

When we use cartridge razors or disposable razors, it’s not just one, or two, or three blades we’re pulling over the skin, but up to six in the case of some main brand razorblades!

Think about it, you’re pulling 6 blades over your skin just to cut a hair!

Razor blades can cut through thick card and plastic with ease, so why do you need 6 to cut a tiny hair?!

Truth be told, this just marketing. More razorblades just result in increased irritation. Not to mention that cartridges and expensive and we often use them when they’re quite blunt, which makes the situation even worse. Last but never least, regular disposable and cartridge razors are pretty terrible for the environment. 

Do Safety Razors Stop Skin Irritation?

Yes, they can certainly reduce skin irritation dramatically when used properly.

Safety razors do not use multiple blades. They just use one ultra-sharp razor blade.

One razor blade is all you need to cut a hair, and this means contact between razor and skin is as low as possible. The less contact and rubbing on the skin, the less irritation. The decrease in friction and abrasion helps keep the skin safe from the blade.

Also, you have greater control over a safety razor. Safety razors use standard razor blades which are very cheap, so you’ll never be left in a position where you’re shaving with a blunt razor!

As mentioned, they do require a bit of practice, mostly because we aren’t so used to them.

But, they’re satisfying to use and once you’ve mastered it, it’s like riding a bike, you’re set for life and will never forget!