Shaving Tips for man with acne?

The answer above is pretty good! i'd do as he says. You should was your face first with warm water and soap, and if you want you can leave a warm washcloth on your face for a few minutes prior to shaving this will help soften the hairs and open your pores and make it easier to shave. I have also heard that using a brush to apply the shaving cream can help; though i'm not sure how it would. Have you tried and kind of acne medication or aftershave? I use proactiv, and it works great. I only get breakouts after I shave, due to the irritation that shaving causes and I for one am 10X happier with my appearance now. It really helps. I think that most men usually shave at the mirror or sink, but I have actually started to shave in the shower with a mirror that sticks to the wall. This way, more water can run over your face after you shave and you can wash it better. hopefully lessening the irritation.

Well, that's all I can say!

Good Luck!

I know this topic is a little old now, but I wanted to reply because I have similar issues. I'm 29 and over the past 5 years or so have developed a few techniques to help in this area. I normally never had terrible acne after high school, but I found that every time after I shaved, my neck and underside of my chin would break out in white heads by the next morning. It was miserable.

I was taught to shave "against the grain", which apparently works well for most people and results in a nice, close shave. What I ended up finding was that close shaves were what caused most of my acne. The whiskers would get cut down a little below the surface of the skin, but then irritate the skin as they grew back up past the surface. I have real coarse facial hair, and it is pretty densely concentrated. The white heads were little tiny infections, much like you'd get with an in-grown hair follicle (that's basically what they were).

The first thing I learned was to shave with the grain of my facial hair. It results in a less-close shave, and that took care of most of the problems right away. I also found that using a good quality after-shave lotion (lotion mind you, not a liquid) and really taking time to rub it into the skin helped.

Before you shave, softening the whiskers is important. As others here mentioned, washing your face with soap and water first will helps - but if you want an easier way, start using the old-school shaving soaps that you mix up with a badger-hair shaving brush in a shaving mug. Apply the lather with the brush, and let it sit for a couple of minutes to soften the whiskers. Then reapply some more of the shaving lather and start shaving. I *highly* recommend that. Go to www.classicshaving.com for some really nice old school shaving accessories (brushes and soaps), I'm sure you can find them elsewhere too (and probably cheaper).

Lastly, don't make the mistake of applying too much pressure when you shave. If you use a good quality safety razor that has some weight to it, let the weight of the razor do the work without applying any pressure yourself. If you use the light-weight crappy razors that nearly everyone uses these days, then you'll have to apply a little pressure - but don't apply any more than absolutely necessary. That in conjunction with a good, beard-softening shaving soap lather will eliminate any razor burn and will help a little bit in acne-ridden areas.

Stick with it, keep trying different things until you find what works for you. I never thought I'd be able to shave, and had resigned myself to using a set of small clippers against my skin every morning to keep a constant 1/16" of growth, but I eventually found techiques that allow me to shave like a regular person and not look like a thug all the time. It took a few years of trial and error, but was definitely worth it.

First and foremost, avoid shaving when your skin is super inflamed or else you'll have a horrible, bloody outcome. You may want to skip shaving during these certain times and instead focus on treating your acne breakouts with your skincare products.

Second, do not shave against the grain. Shaving against the grain may give you a close shave but it puts you at risk of cutting your acne. It also helps to wet your face with warm water because it relaxes your face muscle and softens stubble so you'll make a better shave.

Make sure you're using a sharp razor so you don't push too hard with every stroke. Use a thick shaving cream made specially for sensitive skin like

It's not impossible to have a clear complexion and a smoothly-shaven face; you just need to practice good skin care routine with a good shaving routine.

My son uses FEET - senstive skin - the stuff ladies use to shave their legs - . I am sure you can use any of these types of products untill your acne clears enough for you to tempt a razor.