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Razor bumps. They arise on the faces of men with coarse, wiry, curly hair. Between fifty and eighty percent of Black men live with the crisis of ingrown hairs and razor bumps, every day.

Razor bumps turn up when beard hairs, more often around the neck area, curl as they grow and burrow into the skin adjacent to the hair follicle. So by shaving, your actually sharpening the haird ends, making it easier for them to penetrate the skin.

Razor bumps can make shaving torture. Many Black men have resorted to depilatory creams which seem to work notably better than blades. But, some depilatories, if not used correctly, may irritate the skin even more.

Some creams are able to help for some time, but sooner or later side effects for long term use catch up.

Ingrown Hairs
Both sexes suffer from ingrown hairs. However men are likely to undergo the most because of the coarseness, or thickness of the hair follicles on the face and neck. Ingrown hairs form after the hair has been cut or otherwise removed below the skin surface. The hair starts to grow, curling within the follicle making it impossible to reach the outer surface. The result is a "bump" on the skin.

A few razor bumps additionally form when a growing hair exits the follicle and bends back returning to the skin surface. When these sharp, shaved edges of coarse hair reach the skin surface, they burrow back into the skin making puffy, pimple like bumps to appear.

Going Against Ingrown Hairs
Numerous men have found that tweezers are the only hope to remove the irritating bumps. Most of us know it isn't the best sensation.

Next we listed 8 great shaving tips that will keep your face healthy and keep you out of pain:

Applying a shaving lotion after shaving could lessen the appearance of redness. This is also great for women after shaving legs, bikini lines and underarms.

Be certain to always use a clean blade when shaving with a razor. This can be better achieved by just 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 most rotary blade components cost more than half of what the entire razor is worth.

When shaving with a handheld razor, always shave in the direction of hair growth. The majority of men's face hair 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.

Never 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, coarse hair.

Watch what you eat. Many skin irritations may subside if certain foods are avoided. Fatty foods, foods containing oils, cholesterol and sodium, can make your skin more propense to damage while shaving.

Depilatories got the work done fast, but its not a dream come true. Like razors, it can leave you redness and some irritation. Remember never to use an alcohol based cream after using a depilatory. Unless you want to feel like your face is on fire.

Grow a beard. This may not be the right 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!

Joqtan A. writes for TPI Co. Concentrating on men skin care tips, advice and product reviews for men. See more at Razor Burn Relief