By Laura
Updated: July 31, 2024
6 minutes
Shaving seems like a quick and easy solution for achieving smooth skin, but its aftermath can be a bit worrisome for some people. It makes the hair look thicker and darker while causing the skin to be itchy. In addition, the risk of ingrown hair, infections, and cuts makes everyone question “Is shaving worth it?”
Have you also searched “ I shaved my arms and now I regret it?” to learn about real-life shaving experiences? Well, it depends on how you do it and how well you know about shaving.
Understanding and learning to manage the risks of shaving can help you make your experience go smoother. Let’s discuss further!
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: Personal Stories and Experiences
- Part 2: Common Issues After Shaving Arms
- Part 3: How to Prevent Issues of Shaving Arms
Part 1: Personal Stories and Experiences
Has anyone ever regretted shaving their arms? Many individuals have posted their stories online; some regretted shaving their arms while others were thankful that they took this step.
Samantha shared her story about shaving her arms just because she was being bullied by her classmates for having hairy arms. After shaving, the hair regrowth process was a bit disturbing for her as the arms felt prickly and irritated. Additionally, she let others pressure her to change her appearance. After experiencing this, she has now learned self-love and is even okay with being hairy now.
In contrast, a Reddit User shaves their arms regularly and has never regretted it as they feel smooth. While the experience was smooth for some people, others were worried about the stubble hair growth after shaving.
Another Reddit User mentioned that they like shaving their hair but the prickly feeling of regrowth and visible stubble are a bit problematic for her.
Part 2: Common Issues After Shaving Arms
Razor Burns and Bumps
Razor burns and bumps are two of the most common problems caused by shaving. It occurs due to high friction between the shaving blades and the skin surface. As a result, the skin becomes red and irritated.
It can be stingy and painful, especially on touching the area. Bumps occur when the skin becomes inflamed.
Ingrown Hair
Ingrown hair is the painful curling of the shaved hair back into the skin. It is mostly associated with the wrong shaving techniques or improper aftercare of shaving. The skin becomes red and bumpy in the affected area.
You can find multiple bumps in a single area or just a single bump that continues to irritate you.
Dryness and Itching
Dryness and itching after shaving also occur due to insufficient skincare after you have shaved the unwanted hair. The shaving blade scrapes off the outermost skin layer as it rubs against the skin.
This also disrupts the natural moisture barrier causing the skin to be dry and sensitive. Even slight harsh ingredients, sun exposure, sweating, or dust exposure make it itchy.
Folliculitis
Folliculitis is also a form of inflammation that mainly occurs when the hair follicles are involved. It occurs when the hair follicles get damaged due to improper shaving techniques. Small cuts make openings in the skin that let infectious agents enter it and cause infection.
Hence, tiny fluid-filled bumps are formed on the surface of the skin known as folliculitis.
Patchy Appearance
Although patchy appearance is not a painful condition associated with shaving, it still can be a problem. Imagine having hair in some patches of the arm while some patches are completely hairless.
Quite embarrassing, right? No one would want this. Furthermore, when the hair grows back after shaving, it looks dark and thicker making you look more hairy. But this is not the reality. The blunt hair ends created by razors make them look thicker.
Cuts and Nicks
Lastly, cuts and nicks while shaving the hair are inevitable. The blade will cut your skin even if you lose focus for just a second during the shave. The chances of having cuts and nicks on the skin increase if your blade is not sharp enough.
You will have to press harder to cut the hair which increases the chances of the blade scrapping your skin.
Part 3: How to Prevent Issues of Shaving Arms
Allowing Hair to Grow Back Gracefully
After you are done shaving the arm hair, let it grow back gracefully. What does this mean? It implies that one should avoid frequently shaving their hair as it makes the skin drier, increases skin sensitivity, and irritates the skin.
If you do not want any hair on the skin, you can just trim them rather than shaving again and again. Shaving is enough once a week. Moreover, avoid wearing tight clothes over freshly shaved arms as it can make the hair curl back into the skin.
Regular Exfoliation
Shaving cuts off unwanted hair just above the surface of the skin. After a few days of shaving the hair, the hair below the skin surface starts growing out of the skin. Due to dead cells and dirt that pile up above the skin surface, the hair might curl into the skin rather than grow out.
This leads to ingrown hair. To prevent this, regularly exfoliate your skin. You can use exfoliating gloves, scrubs, or a gel. Exfoliating before shaving helps the blade to move over the skin smoothly while exfoliation after shaving allows the hair to sprout out of the skin easily.
Hair Removal Alternatives
A single hair removal cannot suit everyone. There is a possibility that the shaving razors might not be suitable enough for your sensitive skin. How about going for an alternative hair removal method?
You can go for waxing, tweezing, or hair removal depilatory creams but the chances of ingrown hair are still not zero with these methods. Rather go for a more long-lasting and safe method like IPL hair removal. It damages the hair follicles and stops regrowth for months to years.
Additionally, you can enjoy IPL hair removal at home with Ulike Air 10. It is an FDA-cleared device that shows visible results within 2 weeks of use and lets you complete a full-body session within minutes.
Considering Professional Treatments
If you continuously face problems like razor burns, bumps, ingrown hair, or cuts even after many tries, you can go for professional treatments. Professionals know the shaving techniques better than us. They even know the tricks to make the hair removal session go smoother.
This not only reduces the chances of shaving concerns from occurring but also lets you relax your mind. Do not want to spend much on shaving? You can also try other professional hair removal treatments like laser or electrolysis that offer semi-permanent to permanent hair removal.
Proper Shaving Techniques
As mentioned earlier, improper shaving techniques like dry shaving or shaving opposite the direction of hair growth increase the resistance of the razor against the skin. So, one must learn proper shaving techniques before using a blade on the skin. Here are some points you can follow:
- Apply shaving gel or cream to lubricate the area and let the razor maneuver on the skin smoothly
- Before shaving, rinse the area with warm water to make the hair and skin soft. This makes hair removal easy
- While choosing a razor, choose the one with sharp edges as it cuts the hair smoothly and reduces friction
- Shaving in the direction of hair growth reduces irritation and minimizes the risk of razor burns and bumps
- As the skin becomes dry after shaving, apply a moisturizer regularly to maintain skin hydration
Conclusion
Shaving comes with the risks of razor bumps, burns, ungrown hair, nicks, cuts, and even folliculitis. All this depends upon your technique of shaving and the aftercare steps of shaving. Only those who use improper techniques and are careless regret it.
So, ensure that you are using the right blade and following the proper preparation steps before starting to shave your arms.
The management steps can differ from person to person so understand your skin’s needs and then build your shaving and aftercare routine accordingly to ensure effortless hair removal.
