What Every Black Man Needs to Know about Razor Bump

Tips to Prevent Pseudofolliculitis barbae

I was walking through Walmart and saw several brands of prepackaged lotion & bodywash kits along with men’s skin shaving kits. These prepackaged kits seem to magically appear at Christmas time. I like to buy them for small gifts. I have purchased these shaving kits for my husband and son before I knew that they may not be the best thing for Black men’s skin.

Most of the commercials for these shaving products touts the close shave men can get with a specific razor that may be double edged or tripled edged. Little did I know that double edged and tripled edge razors were hazardous to Black men’s skin. I learned this through my son. He asked me not to buy these razors because they can cause razor bumps. I knew that Black men get pseudofolliculitis or razor bumps from shaving but I did not know why.

The reason Black men get razor bumps is because the hair on their face is not straight, it is curly. When men use a double edge razor it will cut the hair so short that the hair will turn inward and grow under the skin. The body sees these hairs are foreign substances just like it sees a splinter as a foreign object under the skin. The immune system will launch an attack against the ingrown hairs causing redness and irritation and possible infection.

As soon as young Black men or boys start shaving, they need to know how to prevent development of razor bumps. There are a few things a Black man can do to prevent pseudofolliculitis barbae or razor bumps from developing or healing.

Tips to Prevent Pseudofolliculitis barbae

1. Apply a hot wet towel to the face prior to shaving to soften the hair bristles.

2. Use a lubricating shaving gel to further soften the skin.

3. Use a razor that is effective against preventing razor bumps like Flicker razor or Aveeno PFB Bump Fighter Razor.

4. Shave in the direction of hair growth and do not pull the skin taunt.

5. Do not go over the same site multiple times.

6. Do not shave every day.

7. Gently cleanse your skin with an exfoliating product that contains 2% salicylic acid or 2% glycolic acid.

8. Loosen embedding facial hairs by brushing the face with a soft bristle brush at night.

9. For men grow a beard if possible.

Reference

Pseudofolliclitis. Available online at https://www.aocd.org/page/pseudofolliculitisb

Bradford-Love P, Kundu RV, editors. Skin of Color Clinical Cases. Clinical cases in skin of color medical, oncological and hair disorders, and cosmetic dermatology First edition, Springer, 2015.