Should You Exfoliate Before or After Shaving?

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A shave done right can do a lot for a guy. With proper technique, it’s akin to rebirth for the face. BUT missteps can make it suck. Irritation defeats the whole purpose, turning what should be a restorative act into something more along the lines of degeneration. 

It doesn’t have to be this way, though. A few adjustments to the routine can give you that post-shave glory each and every time. 

One of the biggest questions of all: Should you exfoliate before or after you shave?

No gray area here. We are here to shout it from the rooftops: Exfoliate BEFORE you take that razor to your face. 

Trust us. It may not seem like it, but your face is a veritable wasteland of debris. Maybe that’s a little strong, but it’s a fact that dead skin cells and dirt are clogging up those pores. Exfoliating clears the grime, thereby reducing your razor’s workload. As the Cleveland Clinic stresses, exfoliating before you shave “helps keep the razor from getting overloaded with dead skin cells, which reduces its efficiency.” 

It stands to reason that eliminating the buildup and reducing your razor’s foe to the one it’s designed for—all those little hairs on your face—will give you a smoother, more enjoyable shave. It’s basically like clearing a hockey rink of equipment like gloves and sticks before the Zamboni takes to the ice. It just makes sense. 

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Now that that’s established, let’s talk about how you should go about exfoliating. First of all, you want the right product, like our bamboo facial exfoliant. Comprising walnut shells and bamboo stems and replete with hydrating sugar technology, it’ll leave your skin ready for the razor. All it takes is a nickel-sized amount, some warm water and a bit of circular massaging from your fingers.

Interested in trying a different exfoliation approach? Our body scrubber works out the grime and dead skin and leaves you with smooth, ready-to-shave-skin. As an added bonus, you can use it again and again, ensuring it will last you for manys showers to come.

Exfoliating is a refreshing practice—WHEN YOU DO IT BEFORE YOU SHAVE.

In case you’re still only like 95 percent certain that pre-shave is the right time to exfoliate, let’s consider what you’re doing to yourself if you exfoliate afterwards. Exfoliation is designed to get in there and dislodge the nastiness lurking on your skin. So if you shave and then choose to torture yourself with an exfoliating scrub, you’ve not only guaranteed a rougher shave, you’re then rubbing a mildly abrasive exfoliant into your already roughed up and irritated face.

Don’t do it. 

But the fact of the matter is that even with our bamboo scrub and a flawless shaving technique, you’ll find yourself dealing with razor bumps on occasion. But you don’t have to take that lying down. Arm yourself for the inevitable with our razor bump cream. Pairing a coconut blend that eliminates bump-causing bacteria with a cucumber extract that soothes irritated skin, it’s a wholly satisfying and ideal cream to apply post-shave.  

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If shaving feels like a chore, it’s probably because you aren’t doing it quite right. Let it be a little celebration for your face each and every time. One way to ensure glory each time you shave: Exfoliate before you grab that razor. 

A little pre-shaving prep makes sure shaving gives you that restorative sensation you deserve. And in case this needs to be spelled out, as well: Exfoliating can be a joy, too. Joy before the joy. Now that’s joyous.