WHAT IS SHAVING?

WHAT IS SHAVING? 

    It may shock you to know that hair removal has started before our present age,it is said to be existence during the time of Cleopatra.

Tweezers and even sugar wax yes you read it clearly sugar wax was used during the ancient Egyptian period.

 What is shaving anyway? For women and most men it is a way to remove unwanted hair and to stay beautiful or handsome,we can’t talk about beauty without talking about shaving.

      Most women shave their Legs, hands, Armpits and private part. The legs and hand are not so necessary especially if you are not so hairy on those other areas. 

       TYPES OF SHAVING TECHNIQUES OR TOOL

There are a lot of shaving tools and equipment now in our modern age we have the

• Shaving stick or shaving razor.

• Waxing.

• Laser hair removal.

• Creams.

• Threading.

• Dermaplaning (also known face shaving).

   We will be looking at these topics each differently as these blog post will be dedicated to only the shaving stick method. Which is the most commonly used technique.

      WHAT IS SHAVING STICK OR SHAVING RAZOR 

    A shaving stick is a razor blade on a plastic body there are usually 3_5 blades on the shaving stick depending on the one you purchase and they vary in prices.  This shaving stick is commonly used by most Nigerian homes. It is a safe way to cut on wanted hair when done properly. 

  TYPES OF SHAVING RAZORS 

• The disposable non electric razors 

• Replaceable blade razor (non electric)

• Electric razors.

    Most people use the non electrical razor that are disposable because of the price. These razors are easy to get easy and to travel with and safe to shave with. But like everything that has a bad side these razor may cause you ingrown hair. 

        WHAT IS INGROWN HAIR?

    This is a situation where you have shaved and your new hair starts growing but instead of coming out of the skin and hair follicles it curls inside the skin and does not come out which cause such a place to swell and look like a boil or pimple. 

     Ingrown hair can be uncomfortable and cause itching  and even the pimples or boil may have fluid or pus inside them.

  WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF INGROWN HAIR 

• Incorrect shaving technique 

• Using dull or blades

• Shaving a particular place too often 

TIPS AND TRICKS ABOUT TO SHAVING YOUR PRIVATE PART AND AVOIDING INGROWN HAIR 

   Here are some tips and tricks to shaving these area  as it is sensitive to having ingrown hair especially with the African women and our curly and coarseness of our hair.

• Some people use shaving cream or hair remover these area but I don’t personally recommend these.  Firstly finding fragrance free creams are not easy to come by, and no matter how you raise your private part I still think that cream residue will enter your virginal and may cause infection or get irritated so i recommend you use only shaving razors.

• Use a small tail comb to comb through so as to know the direction where your hair is growing. So it will be easy to shave.

• Wet the hair to soften it water or if you have shaving gel.

• If your hair is very long you can first use a scissor before using your shaving razor.

• Shave your hair in the hair growth direction.

• Between stroke rinse your razor.

• Wash the public region and pat it dry.

• You can use a petroleum jelly or Aloe vera gel (trust me on these aloe vera has anti inflammatory properties which are great as inflammation can cause ingrown hair).

• Do not wear pants or any tight clothing to allow the place breath so as to reduce inflammation and itchiness.

• When shaving around your vulva you might want to use a mirror.

NOTE: Do not use a razor more  than one time or a dull razor. It is great to know that ingrown is normal for African women as we have coarse and curly hair. Do not shave during your menstrual cycle. Do not shave your face or brows with a shaving razor.

 TIPS AND TRICKS TO SHAVING YOUR  LEGS

• Wet your legs a bit or dampen your legs so as to shave.

• You can use a shaving cream  or skip this if you don’t have one. 

• Shave your hair against it’s hair growth.

• Shave from bottom to your knees.

• Raise your leg.

• Moisturizer as soon as your done.

These techniques also applies for you armpits, you can use your shaving gel or cream around your legs and armpits but like I said I don't really recommend it for your private part just to be safe.

 

       BENEFIT OF SHAVING 

There are significant benefits you will  see when you start shaving your body such as

• BODY ODOUR: As we know we sweat but did you know that body odour is not caused by the sweat itself but by bacteria which are mixed with the sweat. When sweat is trapped in the hair it becomes damp and it increases the rate of body odour. So shaving helps reduce body odour. This applies for all shaving techniques

• PREVENT SMELL FROM YOUR PRIVATE PART: One of the reasons you might have a funny smell from your viginal is because you fall to shave that area. Imagine going to the bathroom to urinate or even after taking a shower. You  might be in a hurry and not dry that area well which will bring about abnormal smell. First of you must know that your viginal also needs to breath and what other way to let it breath than to shave. Apart from that has your  hair ever gotten tangled to your pad gum? 

• CHEAP: Razor shaving is cheap an inexpensive. Such that the regular one sells for about 120 Naira a piece as at the time of these posts 

•  TIME EFFICIENT: Imagine going to the beach and you need to shave before your ride comes to pick in 30 minutes. With the razor you can shave in less than  10minutes and still have time for  a  cup of coffee.

• NOT PAINFUL: Unlike waxing razor shaving is painless as long as you do not cut your self. 

CONS 

Just like everything in the world we must talk about the disadvantage of shaving with a razor.

• First time shaving with a razor can be very itchy so prepare yourself. Though with time you get comfortable and it is less itchy.

 

• Razor shaving is not the best for people with sensitive skin.

• hyperpigmentation should be expected around the areas you shave it may not apply to everyone 

• It doesn't remove the hair from the root so you should expect to see hair growth between 3 -4 days  depending on your hair growth. 

• It can lead to cuts and bumps around the shaved area 

• Last but not least ingrown hair which we already talked about.

 THINGS TO AVOID WHEN SHAVING.

• SHAVING WITH FORCE: This is actually unnecessary as your can cut your self and even remove some part of your topmost layer.

• SHAVING YOUR HAIR ON DRY SKIN: A big no no to these as you will only irritate your self and to tell you a little back story I once tried these and I had serious razors burn it was so itchy and later I got bumps. So yeah don't try it.

• SHARING BLADES: Yes am talking to you! Don't do that it's not healthy and you know why.

• DON'T POP THE INGROWN: It is satisfyingly disgusting  to see  when a pimple pop we are so curious to know what it is in there. But it can cause more irritation and even itching. Just leave it be and  apply your inflammatory oil or cream. Avoid shaving on the ingrown.

• NOT EXFOLIATING: It is good to exfoliate before you shave your hair. If you have sensitive skin you might want to do these two to three days before shaving. 

  Exfoliation after shaving can irritate the skin so you can do these two days after you shave 

    With all these tips I hope I have been able to bring you a clean shave without ingrown hair or bumps. Visit your doctor for advice and recommendations.

 Much love 😘