Please note: Most African-American males have to put more care into shaving. Here’s some shaving advice for African-American males… (this mainly is for facial hair).

• Applying a shaving lotion after shaving will reduce the appearance of redness. This is also great for women after shaving legs, bikini lines and underarms.
• Be sure to always use a clean blade when shaving with a razor. This can be best achieved by only using new blades and discarding ones that have been previously used three or more times.
• If you use an electric razor, replace the rotary blades or foil after a few months. Of course if you’re required to shave daily, you may have to replace them sooner. This can be a headache since many rotary blade components cost more than half of what the entire razor is worth.
• While shaving with a handheld razor, always shave in the direction of hair growth. Most hair on men’s faces, slant downward, so be sure to shave in that direction. This is also important around the neck areas since shaving against the grain is one of the main causes of pointy, sharp hairs that can burrow back into the skin.
• Don’t stretch your skin while shaving. Pulling your cheeks, chin or neck while shaving in order to get a closer shave, can cause darkness and discoloration of underlying skin tissue. This is especially true for light and fair-skinned Black men who have dark, prominently textured hair.
• Watch what you eat. A lot of skin irritations may subside if certain foods are avoided. Fatty foods, foods containing oils, cholesterol and sodium, can make your skin more susceptible to damage while shaving.
• Give up on razors and use a depilatory. Depilatories work well on most skin, but not on all. They can remove facial hair in a matter of minutes, but just like blade shaving, can cause a bit of irritation and redness. Be careful not to use alcohol-based aftershaves or creams immediately after using a depilatory. Mixing the two is like throwing flames onto your face.
• Grow a beard. This may not be the best solution for those required to shave daily, such as the military and other business professions. But if you can swing it, why not? You will totally eliminate the razor bump worries and ingrown hair issues. Even better, you can get rid of those sharp blades!

More advice (some tips may repeat).

• Always use a sharp razor blade and discard old blades after 4-5 uses. You might think this is excessive, but dull blades force black men to go over the same area of skin again and again, increasing the chances of irritation and improperly cutting hair. This goes for electric razors, too: replace the blades after every few months of use.

• Reduce your number of shaves by shaving every other day. Giving the skin time to heal will allow hairs to grow straight through the skin’s surface, without forcing too-short hairs back into the skin. Frequent shaving too close to the skin will trap hairs inside the follicles.

• Exfoliate! Exfoliating with a gentle scrub removes the top layer of dead cells and allows hairs to grow out more easily. It also helps soften skin, clears pores and evens out patchy skin tones.

• Many African-American men benefit from using a single-blade razor, or a DE razor. One doctor said, “I highly dissuade patients who suffer from razor bumps from using triple or quadruple blade razor systems. The closer the shave, the worse the razor bumps will be.”

• Always shave in the direction of hair growth. While shaving upward seems to give a closer shave, shaving in the hair’s direction reduces irritation and the likelihood of hairs growing back into the skin. Don’t pull skin taut when shaving since this can also cause ingrown hairs to form.

• Soften hairs before shaving by massaging warm water into the beard area and then applying a professional-grade, highly-lubricating shave creme. Allow it to sit on the face for a minute or two to completely coat hairs before shaving.

• Follow a shave with an after-shave solution that contains hydrating ingredients like aloe, witch hazel and tea tree extract like a post-shave repair creme to cut down on redness and discomfort. Stay away from products that contain alcohol since this can dry skin out and provoke an ashy appearance in black skin.

• Resist the urge to simply pluck ingrown hairs out. A new hair will just grow again, and you’ll be facing the same exact problem.

• Most importantly, take your time when shaving. Everyone’s been guilty of the 30-second shave on Monday morning, but shaving slowly and with care can dramatically reduce nicks, cuts and abrasions that can aggravate razor bumps.

• If you find that you are suffering from severe cases of inflammation or razor bumps, talk to your doctor or dermatologist. You may be a candidate for electrolysis (a low-level current is used to destroy follicles) or skin depilatories (chemical creams that soften and minimize growth).tips via menscience and mybrotha

Don’t forget to moisturize as well- especially in the winter.