Should You Exfoliate Before or After Shaving?

Exfoliate before you shave, not after. A gentle scrub before shaving clears away dead skin cells, lifts the hairs and gives the razor a cleaner run at them, so you get a closer shave, smooth skin and less irritation. Straight after shaving your skin is already sensitive, and scrubbing it then is a quick route to redness and razor burn.

Key takeaways

• The short answer: before. Exfoliating before shaving lifts the hairs, clears dead skin cells and helps prevent ingrown hairs and irritation.
• Not straight after. Freshly shaved skin has tiny nicks and is easily irritated. Wait at least a day, or two or three if your skin is sensitive, before you scrub the same area.
• Be gentle. A mild body scrub or a soft brush two or three times a week is plenty. Scrubbing hard every day causes more problems than it solves.
• Chemical exfoliants are different. Products with salicylic or glycolic acid are best used on days you are not shaving, or the night before rather than just before.
• The same rule works for your face, legs and body.

Why exfoliate before shaving?

Your skin is constantly shedding. The top layer, the stratum corneum, is made of dead skin cells that sit on the surface until they are washed or rubbed away. Shedding is natural, but it slows down as skin gets drier or older, and when the dead cells build up, they cause three problems for shaving.

1. They clog the razor. A layer of dead skin and oil sits between the blades and the hair, so the razor drags instead of gliding.
2. They flatten the hairs. Hairs that lie flat under a layer of dead skin get missed or tugged, and you end up going over the same patch twice.
3. They trap regrowing hairs. This is the big one. When a shaved hair starts to grow back, a layer of dead skin can block the hair follicle and stop it breaking through, and it curls back into the skin as an ingrown hair. That is where most razor bumps come from.

Exfoliating before you shave clears that layer away. The hairs stand up, the blades cut cleanly, and the regrowing hairs have a clear path out. The result is a closer shave, silky smooth skin that stays that way for longer, and fewer bumps. It is the easiest upgrade you can make to your shaving experience.

Why not exfoliate after shaving?

A razor takes off a thin layer of skin as well as hair, and it can leave tiny micro tears you cannot see. The skin’s barrier, which normally holds moisture in, is weaker for a while afterwards. Scrubbing over that straight away rubs at skin that is already raw, which is how you get irritation, stinging, redness and razor burn.

If your skin feels rough after shaving, soothe it instead. Rinse with cool water, pat dry and use a moisturiser or a little aloe vera to soothe irritation and hydrate the skin. Save the scrub for your next shave, or for a day off in between.

How to exfoliate before shaving

The best time is in the shower or bath, as part of your shaving routine, after a few minutes of warm water has softened the skin and hair. Avoid dry shaving straight after a scrub; the skin needs water and cream on it.

1. Wet the skin with warm water for a minute or two. Warm water softens the hair and the skin around it.
2. Gently exfoliate with a mild body scrub or a soft brush. Work it in with light circular motions for about 30 seconds per area. You are polishing the surface, not sanding it.
3. Rinse it off fully so no grains are left behind to catch under the razor.
4. Apply your shaving cream while the skin is still damp, and let it sit for a moment.
5. Shave in the direction of hair growth with a sharp blade and light pressure.
6. Rinse with cool water, pat dry and moisturise while the skin is still slightly damp to hydrate it and prevent irritation and dryness.

That is the whole routine for smooth skin with minimal irritation, and it takes about a minute longer than shaving on its own. The American Academy of Dermatology’s guide to exfoliating safely gives the same advice: gentle, not too often, and moisturise afterwards.

Scrub or chemical exfoliant?

There are two ways to exfoliate.

• Physical exfoliation means scrubs, mitts and brushes, ideally used in the shower. They polish dead skin off the surface, and they suit the minute before you shave.
• Chemical exfoliants use acids to loosen dead skin. AHAs such as glycolic and lactic acid work on the surface; BHAs such as salicylic acid get into pores. They are better at preventing ingrown hairs and clearing pores and blackheads, but they are stronger and carry more risk of irritation, so use them on days you are not shaving.

You do not need anything expensive, but the type of exfoliation makes a difference.

Whatever you choose, gentle exfoliation gives the best results. A sugar scrub before shaving your legs is fine. A coarse scrub with sharp grains, or scrubbing until your skin goes red, does more harm than good. Oil-based body scrubs with ingredients like coconut oil or shea butter leave soft skin but can make it slippery, so rinse well and make sure the shaving cream can grip.

Exfoliating for your skin type

Different skin needs a different approach. If you are not sure what yours is, wash your face with a mild cleanser, leave it bare for half an hour, and see how it feels. Tight and flaky means dry skin. Shiny all over means oily. Shiny in the middle and dry at the sides means combination. Stinging or redness means sensitive.

If your skin gets red, tight or stings, that is irritation, so back off whatever the table says.

How often should you exfoliate?

Two or three times a week is enough for most skin. Exfoliating every day can strip the skin’s natural barrier, leaving dry skin that is more likely to react with irritation when you shave. If you shave every day, exfoliate before every second or third shave rather than every time.

Watch for signs you are overdoing it: stinging, tightness, flaking, or skin that looks shiny and thin. If you see any of those, stop for a week and let it recover.

Exfoliating your legs and body before shaving

The rule is the same for body hair as for your face: scrub before, not after. Legs, chest and the bikini line are where ingrown hairs are most common, because the hair is coarser and clothing rubs against the skin, so a gentle body scrub in the shower before shaving makes the most difference there, and it helps hair growth come through cleanly. Our guides to shaving your legs, shaving rash on the legs and bikini area and shaving your chest cover the rest of the routine.

Use a separate blade for your body and your face, and change it more often for body hair, which blunts razor blades faster.

Exfoliating your face before shaving

The skin on your face is thinner than on your body, so go lighter. A gentle face scrub or a few circles with a soft brush is plenty, and keep body scrubs off your face. A shaving brush does some of this job on its own: working the cream in with a brush lifts the hairs and lightly polishes the skin as you lather up. There is more on that in our guide to why shaving brushes are worth it.

If you get razor bumps on your neck, exfoliating that area a couple of times a week is one of the most effective things you can do. Our guide to razor bumps and shaving rash goes into the rest.

Exfoliation is only half of it

Exfoliating gives the razor a clear run, but the blade still has to be sharp. A blunt blade drags and tugs however well you prepare the skin, and that tug is what causes most irritation. For the best results, pair a gentle scrub with a fresh blade and a proper shaving cream.

We would say this, because it is our own range, but this is what we would use.

From the Colonel’s shelf

After the scrub

A sharp blade, always Classic Fresh five-blade refills through your letterbox on the schedule you pick, so you never shave with a blunt one. The roller on the leading edge keeps the cream where it is needed. £10, then £10 for 4 refills Start with the Classic For skin that reacts Sensitive Shaving Cream Made for sensitive skin and allergen-free, with a fresh fougère scent. Gentle on skin you have just exfoliated. £8 for a 75ml tin See the cream Lifts the hairs The Shaving Brush Lifts flattened hairs and builds a thicker lather than fingers can, so the blade cuts cleanly instead of tugging. Vegan synthetic bristles on a hand-finished wooden base. £20, or £28 with the cream See the brush

Every first Classic or VIP order comes with 30 days money back. Shave with it for a month, and if it is not for you, we refund it in full with nothing to send back.

The easiest way to make sure the blade is never the weak link is to have fresh refills arrive by post before the old one starts to drag.

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