How to Shave and Deal With Acne?

Acne is the bane of many, if not all, teenage men. Most everyone has dealt with acne in their lives. Some adults still have to deal with occasional breakouts due to stress or other environmental concerns. This article will show you how to shave with acne.

Acne is caused by the blockage of hair follicles. A waxy plug interrupts the oils from leaving the follicle's pore. To stop acne, one must stop the blockage from occurring and interrupting the flow of oil. This is why all acne sources recommend exfoliation. Exfoliation is the removal of a layer of dead skin cells.

Our faces are made up of dead skin cells on top of a layer of live skin cells. The live cells produce the oil, hair, and surface skin. Hair and surface skin consists of dead cells, which is why we don't feel anything when our hair is cut. These dead skin cells can clog pores with the help of oil and dirt. This is why exfoliation is so very important.

Shaving is quite possibly the oldest form of exfoliation known to mankind. What the makers of exfoliation scrubs and peels don't want you to know is that a sharp blade scraped over your skin exfoliates extremely effectively. Better if the blade is truly honed. Don't believe me? Take a sharp knife and shave off a small patch of hair on your arm or leg. All of that other stuff that came off is dead skin cells.

So, shaving is clearly beneficial to our faces. Even women can possibly benefit. Although most would probably prefer to just use an exfoliating scrub. Yet, for us men, we get to shave. Before you go out and buy another Mach X 10 bladed razor, read on. Modern day multi-blade razors are the worst for your skin. First of all, they aren't sharp. Secondly, they are designed to keep the razor away from your face to "help eliminate nicks and cuts." So, not only do they perform poorly, but they don't even exfoliate well. Have you ever stopped to ask why 4 blades are better than 1? And then stopped to ask why you still have to do a minimum of two passes to get baby's butt smooth? No? You should.

A few acne sources recommend an electric razor. Others recommend staying away from electric razors. I personally am in the stay away from them camp. They don't really do anything for you and are more likely to spread bacteria and irritate your face. They don't even cut that close anyway. A viable alternative is a beard trimmer which will cut your beard to an even stubble. You won't be fresh shaven, but you'll look decent.

Acne sources also recommend single bladed disposable razors. Some sources don't even recommend any particular type of razor. That said, these sources are clearly unfamiliar with the shaving instruments our forefathers used. Double edge and straight razors are vastly superior to anything the current market produces. Yes, they are still being produced for a handful of stalwart adherents.

Both the double edge and the straight razor have the advantage of being both sanitary and sharp. They both require at least two passes to achieve super smooth cheeks, and a straight razor does require some learning on your part. However, the benefits vastly outweigh the costs. These blades are much better for people with acne.