We imagine that the colour of our skin doesn’t really change much, apart from the odd suntan, right? But you may be aware of some changes – and you may be wondering how to prevent skin darkening after shaving.
This can be a bit of an irritating problem, but never fear – there are actually a few things you can do to prevent it.
How To Prevent Skin Darkening After Shaving
Seeing patches of darker skin after shaving is basically caused by the skin being irritated, so taking steps to ensure that you have as smooth a shave as possible is the key:
- Always use a sharp razor – a single blade safety razor is absolutely fine for this, or your chosen type – as long as it is sharp!
- Splash your face or legs with warm water before you start shaving – this helps to soften the skin and opens the pores.
- Apply a good pre-shave oil, which will help the razor to glide over the skin, taking off the hairs but leaving the layers of skin.
- Always shave in the direction the hair grows. This is not only more comfortable, but it can help to prevent irritating ingrowing hairs.
- After shaving, apply a moisturiser that contains anti-inflammatory ingredients. This is not only comfortable, but it can prevent bumps and scarring.
As long as you have a good shaving routine and you can avoid your skin becoming inflamed, you can avoid that annoying darkening of the skin.
Why Does My Skin Turn Dark After I Shave?
Unfortunately, skin darkening after shaving is a common problem, and one that we all try to avoid!
It is not actually the lack of the hair, or the products that you use – it is the act of shaving itself that can cause changes in the skin’s pigment.
When we shave, we are actually irritating the skin, which can result in inflammation, which in turn can lead to post-inflammatory-hyperpigmentation.
This basically means that your body is reacting to being irritated by producing more melanin, the thing that affects the colour of our skin.
There are a lot of techniques that can help you to avoid this; not least the right shaving technique and a few good products.
If you do it right, your shave will be smooth, painless – and it will leaves your skin the same colour as when you started!
If you already have darkened skin from shaving, it could take a little while for these to fade, even with your new shaving techniques, but don’t worry – they will fade.
This short video explains a little more the importance of having the right tools:
How Long Does Shaving Discolouration Last?
Once your skin changes colour, you would be forgiven for thinking that it will never change back again. Happily, this is not necessarily the case!
The darkened patches, like the whole of the rest of your skin, will be replaced over time as the cells regenerate, meaning that your usual colour can reappear.
Generally, shaving discolouration can go away on its own within a few months – however, you must make sure that you do what you can to avoid exacerbating the problem.
Because we generally shave quite regularly, if we are not doing it right then problems can occur and reoccur.
Make sure you are doing everything to avoid your skin becoming irritated when you shave, and you should be able to avoid the darker patches.
How Do You Get Rid Of Dark Skin After Shaving?
Once you have noticed these darker patches after shaving, you probably want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
There are a few ways you can try to change your pigment back – some of these may take a while, but it will be worth it.
- Ice the skin. Place a few cubes of ice in a towel and hold it to the affected area. This is best done straight after shaving, and may help reduce the inflammation.
- Use aloe vera. This wonderful plant has so many uses, and it can really help skin that has been damaged.
- Apply lemon juice. This natural lightener can have an effect on darker skin by helping it to become lighter – simply rub lemon juice on the area, leave it for a few minutes then rinse off.
- Try licorice root. This extract can also help to lighten skin by reducing inflammation.
- Topical vitamin C. A wonderful supplement for the body, vitamin C can also be applied topically and can help to lighten skin.
As well as these techniques, follow the best ways to shave to avoid inflammation, and this should prevent the problem happening again the future.
Does Shaving Cream Cause Dark Skin?
Although shaving does appear to be the cause of darkened skin patches – after all, you didn’t have them before you started shaving, right? – it is not actually the fault of any products that you use while shaving.
In fact, if you dry shave without any products before or afterwards, you are setting yourself up for skin problems!
Shaving cream can help to lessen the problem of the skin irritation that can cause dark patches, and it doesn’t matter what brand you use!
Anything that allows the skin to be more soothed and gently treated whilst it is being shaved will help it.
If you use a good shave oil before you shave, you are allowing your body the chance to not react quite so strongly to the action of shaving.
Although shaving oil is recommended more strongly than shaving cream, it doesn’t really matter what you use – as long as you use something.
Final Words
Shaving is something that most of us have to do, whether male or female, and we want it to be as painless and easy as it possibly can be, right?
Stopping your skin from changing colour after you shave is a big part of helping yourself to feel more confident and comfortable, so go live your best life!
