Shaving can make your skin darker and hair grow faster — a myth or fact?

When it comes to shaving, many questions come to mind. Is it safe to shave? Will it make my skin go dark? Will this make hair grow back thicker? Well, getting worried before trying or applying anything on the skin is normal, but it’s important to check facts. To put a full stop to all your worries regarding shaving, read on!

There are a lot of options available for facial or body hair removal, but shaving is considered the most convenient, cheap, easiest, and painless method to get rid of unwanted hair. And naturally, a lot of women opt for it. Still, some women avoid shaving.

So let us bust some myths around it so that you can safely use shaving as a method of hair removal.

Can shaving cause hyper-pigmentation?

Well, shaving as a method of hair remover does not cause hyperpigmentation. It happens due to the aggressive nature of hair removal repeatedly in one area. Then the skin can take on a darker colour. In other words, the constant rubbing and scraping of the razor blades against your skin can cause irritation. When that irritation is repeated often, it can darken your skin.

What can you do to avoid the darkening of your skin?

Follow the safe way of shaving by following these rules:

Rule 1: Have a warm bath before shaving. This will relax and loosen your skin and reduce the chances of irritation or razor burn while shaving.

Rule 2: Exfoliate your skin just before shaving to remove dead cells and diet to give you a clean surface for shaving.

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Rule 3: Always apply a thick layer of shaving cream or a moisturizer before shaving to prevent cuts and burns.

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Rule 4: Do shave in the direction of hair growth for minimal irritation.

Rule 5: Also do not forget to moisturize your skin post shave.

Rule 6: Ensure that you don’t use anything that is high in alcohol content post-shaving such as lotion perfume or other products which contain alcohol.

Rule 7: Do nor save on the same day again and again.

Rule 8: Do keep the razor in a clean and dry place to reduce the chances of getting fungus buildup or infection.

Does shaving make your hair grow back thicker?

In the Western world, shaving is the most preferred mechanism of removing unwanted hair. Unfortunately, shaving is attached to a lot of common myths and misconceptions like hair once shaved grows back thicker or that the skin becomes darker on shaving. But they’re all myths.

Also, read: Here’s the best way to handle ingrown hair on your body

According to Dr Sejal Saheta, Dermatologist and Venereologist – InUrSkn, “The structure of your hair is determined by your physiology and your genetics. There is absolutely nothing that can be done to fundamentally change the same either by shaving or any other external mechanism.” Shaving does not encourage hair to grow back faster, and this is probably the most well known myth of all, and also the most inaccurate advice. Genes, not shaving frequency, control hair growth, thickness and colour.

So should shaving be preferred as a way to remove hair?

Women have always been told to avoid shaving their faces and body parts because it is a common belief that shaving increases the risk of cuts and infections. It is also presumed to cause redness and pigmentation and makes hair grow back darker and thicker as compared to waxing, threading and other forms of hair removal. It turns out that shaving is actually a great and convenient way to get rid of unwanted peach fuzz.

“Shaving absolutely does not alter your skin or hair in any way. As a matter of fact, it is one of the safest ways of getting rid of unwanted hair on your body as compared to waxing or using chemical depilatories,” says Dr Saheta.

The only catch? Follow the right technique, otherwise you will have a hard time hiding the nicks from a face shaving accident.

That’s true, shaving can cause itchiness and rashes if you don’t follow the right method, but don’t fall for myths like shaving causes darken skin and thicker hair growth!