This is a subject I have been wanting to talk about for a while. It is one that many men never really learn the truth on and as a result ruin their skin for life. Black men, here is how to get rid of razor bumps.
If you are African American or Afro Anything, chances are your hair probably grows coarse and curly. Commonly, we call that nappy hair. When your hair grows from the pore it curls in a S or C pattern instead of laying flat. Due to the unique characteristics of black hair, black men have to shave totally different.
How I Used to Shave (How Not to Shave)
When I first started growing hair on my face, I’d just let my barber clip it off during my haircut with clippers. Easy enough right? That was all fine and dandy until I started getting haircuts less frequently and my facial hair grew faster.
I decided to try different products on the market for shaving. The first thing I did was try something my barber told me about called Magic Shave.
Magic Shave is what’s called a topical solution. It is a chemical you put on your face for a few seconds and supposedly, it magically exfoliates the hair from your skin. Well it didn’t work like that for me. When I used magic shave, first of all it smelled HORRIBLE. Magic Shave smells like the inside of a trash can. I kid you not. And you have to put it on your face. Secondly magic shave BURNED MY FACE.
Yup, that’s right. I have pretty sensitive skin and probably had no business putting those chemicals on it. For a good 2 years after that episode I had dark brown burn marks on my face where the magic shave did it’s damage. I would never suggest anyone use it, unless they knew what the risks were upfront. Even then there are better ways.
Then I tried using a Gillette straight razor.
It sounded like a good idea at the time and it is what all my friends were using. I went to Walmart grabbed that Proline Fusion, the good shaving cream, and got to work. Small problem though… I wasnt supposed to be shaving with a straight razor either.
The next day my neck looked like a Nestle Crunch! Bar, full of razor bumps.
How to Get Rid of The Bumps
Due to the coarseness of the hair combined with the angle of your neck, black men should not be using straight razors. Especially not on the neck. I didn’t know this and had to suffer with razor bumps for weeks. That isn’t good, not at all.
I went online looking for a solution and found this stuff called PFB Pro Vanish and Bump Stopper. PFB comes in a “roll on” tube like women’s deodorant and the Bump Stopper comes in a bottle. I am not trying to sell you anything, I am just telling you the truth- it was the only thing that worked. All you have to do is apply the Bump Stopper to each bump with a cotton swab. Within 48 hours my neck was smooth again and I could throw my Gillette Razor in the trash forever!
That isn’t to say I never shaved with a straight razor again, I just stopped using it on my neck and only shaved my face. I would still bump up from time to time on my face though, even after applying the PFB Vanish solution after the fresh shave.
How I Stopped Getting Razor Bumps Forever
After getting fed up with the “Will I get bumps this shave or not?” game I decided to go back to the drawing board. It was clear I was not supposed to use a razor. Ask any white person you know- you are NOT supposed to get Razor Bumps! They never do!
So I said screw living with this and searched for a solution.
I found some razor called the Bump Fighter. It is sold in Dollar General and sometimes Family Dollar. My father told me about them, but I decided not to get them. I dont know why, but the idea of using a razor when razors always give me bumps seems kinda dumb to me. It seems like a marketing trick to get you to purchase some low quality blades. Maybe they don’t bump. But if they don’t are they going to give you a smooth shave? I think not.
I thought back to my barbers and realized they NEVER used razors and always had smooth shaves. What were they doing? Of course, they were using clippers. There was the answer to my problems right there staring me in the face every hair cut and I never thought about it.
When barbers shave you with razors you never bump. When they are done, they don’t need to hit you with any special solution (though to this day I still use PFB).
There are two types of clippers that barbers use. The Andis T Outliners work really well and you can get them from Walmart. Some people have their blades sharpened to get a closer shave. I own these personally and they are what I shave with.
You can also go with a foil trimmer if you are fortunate enough to get your hands on one. Most barbers have these but the good ones are hard to find. Remington made a foil shaver for black men a few years ago but it is off the market now. I have heard nothing but good things about it.
All in all if you want to get rid of razor bumps you have to use the correct product for you and your grade of hair. I have really nappy hair and the clippers are what work for me. Some black men have less coarse hair than me and can use straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, clippers, magic shave, anything their heart’s desire. However if you are like me and still walking around with Crunch and Munch on your face stop what you are doing! Re-evaluate how you are shaving and I am sure you will find a method here that will help you.