The Art of Shaving for Black Men

For black Americans, hair can be a political thing. There’s a lot of history¹ and weight behind it, and even the simple act of grooming can have social and cultural implications.

And that’s not all. The physiology of Afro-American hair makes it quite a challenge to groom. It results in a lot of shaving problems for black men. For example, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, up to 60% of black men experience ingrown hairs³ after shaving.

This is because black men tend to have coarser, tightly curled facial hair that is more likely to curve and grow back into the skin, leading to painful irritation and inflammation. A study⁴ published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that this is because of a gene in black males that makes their hair 50 times more likely to become ingrown.

That’s why if you’re a bearded black male, you must have a good shaving, at par with a barber's shave, and skincare routine because there’s no foolproof way to cure your ingrown hairs. So here’s what you need to do to minimize the irritation you get from shaving if you’re a man of color.

• Tip 1: Shave Every Two Days
• Tip 2: Exfoliate
• Tip 3: Apply Pre-Shave Oil
• Tip 4: Keep the Lather on Your Face Longer
• Tip 5: Shave Along the Grain
• Tip 6: Always Use an Aftershave
• Tip 7: Upgrade Your Razor
• Tip 8: Get a Naked Armor Straight Razor

Tip 1: Shave Every Two Days

Unless you work in the armed forces, you do not need to shave daily. Shaving that frequently will only irritate your skin even more.

If you keep a consistent two-day shaving schedule, your skin will have time to heal, but your hair won’t have time to curl back into the skin. Read our guide on how often you should shave to know more about how different shaving schedules affect your post-shave results.

But if you’re experiencing razor bumps, wait until they’re gone before shaving again. Apply a warm compress to the area several times daily to help open the pores and ease the comfort.

Tip 2: Exfoliate

On the night after you’ve shaved, use a dry washcloth to gently rub your shaved skin before going to bed. This helps loosen and remove dead skin while preventing the hairs from beginning to curl back into the skin layer.

Exfoliation is also a great way to ensure your skin tone is rejuvenated and your pores clear. By gently massaging the epidermal layer, you keep it stimulated enough to produce keratin, which is important in hair formation, and collagen, which is important for skin nutrition.

If you feel the urge to shave again by the second day due to the five o’clock shadow growing on your skin, don’t give in to the urge. Because black men have darker skin tones, the shadow won’t be obvious, so there’s no need to aggravate your skin just to get a clean shave.

Tip 3: Apply Pre-Shave Oil

Pre-shave oil softens coarse hair, reduces irritation, and protects the skin, ensuring a smoother, more comfortable shave for black men.

Always use a pre-shave oil when prepping up your beard for a shave. Because of the coarse texture of African-American hair, a hot shower isn’t enough to soften the facial hair for shaving. You need to have an oil to help tame it.

A good pre-shave oil also hydrates and protects the skin. It reduces the “tug and pull” sensation when the blade shaves off your beard by forming a protective covering over the skin to protect it from blade friction.

It will also contain other natural essential oils, like jojoba or aloe vera, which can help nourish the skin further. This helps make your shaving experience even more comfortable.

Tip 4: Keep the Lather on Your Face Longer

When using a shaving lather, remember to apply it thickly and let it rest on your mug for at least 3 minutes. This will give it time to fully coat your facial hair while ensuring that the whiskers stand on edge, making it easier for the blade to cut cleanly through them.

Don’t apply the lather with your fingers. Using your fingers will pat down the whiskers, so you will do more passes with the razor. It will also expose your skin to more blade friction than needed. Always use a shaving brush to apply your lather.

Tip 5: Shave Along the Grain

Always shave along the direction of your hair growth. Don’t shave against the grain. That’s because when you shave against the grain, the blade changes the angle of the hair, causing it to curl back into the skin and create ingrown hairs. And for coarse and curly hair, it’s a recipe for disaster.

But if you’re not satisfied with the results from shaving along the grain, go across the grain instead.

Tip 6: Always Use an Aftershave

Aftershave disinfects, tones, and kills bacteria, helping prevent skin irritation and acne after shaving.

Never skip the aftershave. Beards can carry bacteria⁵, and when you shave them off, some of them may remain on your bare skin, waiting for their chance to spread around and infect your skin again.

Aftershaves often contain witch hazel essential oil⁶, which serves as a natural astringent, disinfectant, and toner. It will not only tighten and tone the skin but also kill off the remaining acne-causing bacteria.

Tip 7: Upgrade Your Razor

While there are practical and safety reasons to use a safety razor, a sharp, single-edge razor blade, like a straight razor, is better for a close shave.

Avoid using razors with more than one blade since the whiskers often get caught in the spaces between the blades. This causes the hair to curl downwards and back into the skin, resulting in razor bumps. Instead, use single-blade razors, which are easier to clean and don't require replacing blades.

If you’re already using a straight razor, always strop the blade before using it and hone⁷ it regularly after every two months. This ensures that the blade’s edge is aligned and sharp. Dull blades force you to go over the same area repeatedly, leading to irritation and razor bumps.

Tip 8: Get a Naked Armor Straight Razor

The Naked Armor Lac Straight Razor combines precision and artistry, offering Black men a superior shaving experience that reduces irritation and razor bumps.

Elevate your art of wet shaving into luxury by getting a Naked Armor straight razor, which can be used for coarse, thick hair or fine, straight hair.

It’s also made from high-quality Japanese steel forged in the tradition of Japanese samurai swords and has elegant wood scales made from sandalwood.

These make our straight razors durable and sharp, giving you the closest shave ever. So, if you want to reduce your razor bumps, consider getting a Naked Armor straight razor.

Check out our site for more of our razors and quality shaving products.

More Naked Armor Tips

How to Shave Like a Straight Razor Pro
How to Shave Acne Prone Skin
Shaved Curly Hair: 10 Best Shaving Tips

References

1. Saint Lous, C. (2009, August 26). Black Hair, Still Tangled in Politics. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/fashion/27SKIN.html
2. Hunt, K. (2015, October 19). Black hair: why it's time to stop politicising it. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/oct/19/black-hair-why-its-time-to-stop-politicising-it
3. Pseudofolliculitis Barbae. (n.d). American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. https://www.aocd.org/page/pseudofolliculitisb
4. Winter, H., Schissel, D., Parry, D. A. D., Smith, T. A., Liovic, M., Lane, E. B., Edler, L., Langbein, L., Jave-Suarez, L. F., Rogers, M. A., Wilde, J., Peters, G., & Schweizer, J. (2004). An unusual Ala12Thr polymorphism in the 1A α-helical segment of the companion layer-specific keratin K6hf: Evidence for a risk factor in the etiology of the common hair disorder pseudofolliculitis barbae. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 122(3), 652–657. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X1530693X
5. Specktor, B. (2019, April 23). Men's Beards Contain More Harmful Bacteria Than Dogs' Fur, Small Study Suggests. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/65293-beards-are-super-germy.html
6. Ajmera, R. (2023, April 25). 8 Benefits and Uses of Witch Hazel. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/witch-hazel-benefits-uses
7. Baran-Harper, A. (2014, April 9). How to Sharpen (Hone) a Straight Razor. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n87zEIfbgOM&ab_channel=AlexanderBaran-Harper