I recently started shaving with an open razor and I thought I would share some acne-related tips with anyone who might be curious about open razors and how their acne might fare when shaving with them. These aren't general tips for open razors, for that you will have to look elsewhere (there is plenty of information on the Internet), these are just tips related to acne.

Benefits of shaving soap and brush

First, open razors totally aside, even if you shave with a safety razor, it makes sense to look into using shaving soap and a badger brush rather than shaving gel or foam. You will find that it irritates your skin less and leaves it feeling better, and from my experience it is better for acne. The reason for this is that what the brush and soap do through the lathering process--prepare the beard for a shave by getting the hairs to stand up, open pores, etc--shaving gels try to do (not as effectively) using chemicals that tend to irritate the skin. They also contain chemicals intended to numb the face, which may make you think you are getting a better shave but you are actually just putting more unknown agents on your skin, which if you are acne prone is probably not good. In addition to all this, the lathering process with a brush gently exfoliates your skin which is also important in itself.

Acne pros and cons of open razors

Aside from the general pros and cons of shaving with an open razor, there are some specific to acne.

PROS - You will shave less often (i.e. if you shave once a day now, you will probably reduce this to once every other day) thereby reducing the frequency with which your skin is irritated. You will get a 'cleaner' shave, which irritates your skin less with proper technique than does a safety razor, which clumps up lots of hair and gunk rather than moving it away from the skin. You will exfoliate the skin more, both in the lathering process and with the actual razor, which is generally good for your skin.

CONS - Particularly when you are first learning to shave with an open razor and your technique is not yet perfected, you will experience more irritation than with a safety razor. Expect to actually have a bit more acne while you are first learning, because you are probably going to irritate your skin with your beginners technique. It is also necessary to be extra careful particularly directly after shaving to not irritate your skin and not get anything on it for a few hours, because you have had a much closer shave and you have also taken off a few layers of dead skin (exfoliation).

Important things to note

- First, the MOST important thing when shaving with an open razor is proper technique, all the way through from how you sharpen your razor to how you wash up afterward. This is especially important for us acne sufferers because the most important thing is to reduce irritation, and the best way of reducing irritation is to shave properly. I highly recommend that if you are going to learn to use an open razor, you start with an open razor shaving lesson from a professional barber. It may be expensive but then so is the initial outlay on razor, strop etc, and it is at least as important as the tools themselves.

- A note about shaving against the grain: One of the prime benefits of shaving with an open razor is that you can (on the 2nd or 3rd pass) shave against the grain and thereby get a much closer shave, something you should NEVER do with a safety razor. This initially worried me because I knew that shaving against the grain can be a great contributor to acne. However, done properly with an open razor, there is no problem. The crucial thing here is to get the hair as short as possible shaving with the grain before you shave against the grain. If necessary, go over your face twice with the grain before your final pass against it. The shorter it is, the less you will be irritating the hair as you push against its direction of growth. Make sure your razor is SHARP.

- Aftercare: It's very important that you make sure your pores close properly after the shave and that you allow your skin to cool down. Some people do the right thing at the beginning, using hot towels to open their pores, but then simply splash cold water on at the end. Because of acne, you must NOT do this--remember that it is just as important to use cold towels at the end, preferably for a good couple of minutes, to close the pores. Alum block is fine, but as for skin food, I personally use it for lubrication during the shave (before applying shaving soap/cream) but do not put it on afterward, as I prefer to have as little sitting in my pores as possible! Using an acne regimen, I recommend washing your face with e.g. Neutrogena soap AFTER using alum block and cold towels, in that order. Also, remember to give your skin plenty of time to rest after this before applying acne cream.

My personal routine

As an example, here is the personal routine I have developed.

1. Hot shower, rinse face (opens pores, cleans away gunk)

2. Sharpen razor well!

3. Hot towels for 3-4 minutes (makes sure pores are very open)

4. Skin food for lubrication (make sure you rub it between your hands so the cold does not close your pores), then lather for a good 3-4 minutes with shaving soap and brush.

5. Shave once with the grain.

6. Give the razor a few more goes across the strop to make sure it is sharp as the first pass will dull it more than the others due to the length of the hair.

7. Apply some more shaving soap and do one more quick shave with the grain.

8. Rinse and then use skin food and lather briefly again, then shave against the grain.

9. Splash with cold water, apply alum block.

10. Apply cold towels for 3-4 minutes, making sure to change water frequently to keep very cold.

11. Wash face with Neutrogena soap--important here to get a good lather in your hands, because you will find that if you try to run your hands along your face with e.g. just water, your face is going to get irritated--splash rather than rub, except with the soap which lubricates.

12. Pat face dry. Wait for a good 5-10 minutes for face to cool down.

13. Apply benzoyl peroxide cream and moisturiser as usual.

Of course, shaving with an open razor is time consuming, but then, when you do it right you get such a close shave that you don't have to do it anywhere near as often as shaving with a safety razor, plus you can do it any time of the day, including afternoon and night, and be clean shaven for at least 24 hours.

Well those are my tips for now. The bottom line is, if you've been curious about shaving with an open razor but have been hesitant because of your acne, you should definitely give it a try. It's important to realise that there will be a learning and adjustment period, and you will have to figure out what works for you as well as learning the skill of using the razor. Read up on it, get the technique right, get the right tools for shaving, and keep taking care of your skin. It works well for me and maybe it will for you too!