Shaving creams commonly consist of a mixture of oils, soaps, surfactants and water or alcohol, manufactured to ensure proper PH and consistency.
Shaving cream, also known as hair remover, can be used by both males and females and can be applied on any hairy part of the body such as the arms, legs, the bikini line and face.
A good way of removing unwanted hair, you would agree. But note that the side effects of shaving cream are not in any way encouraging depending on the skin nature and the cream formula.
Shaving cream contains enzymes that break down the protein in the hair, allowing it to be easily removed; as a result, this could cause damage to the skin. Such damage includes rash, redness, burning, scarring, and darkening of the skin.
Another very crucial side effect of shaving cream is the odour it emits. Not everyone is comfortable with hair-removal creams and their harsh smell, which is as a result of the chemical that breaks down the bonds of the hair. This can ignite an awful smell in skin roots leading to bad odour in the skin.
There is also the stinging effect. Stinging is quite similar to burning but stinging is when a person has a wound that produces a swelling or inflammation on the skin. The shaving creams are made of harsh chemicals that can be found in household cleaning agents. These chemicals are not too skin-friendly and could cause burning of the skin. There are alkaline chemicals contained in these hair removal agents that could cause permanent skin damage if the product is left opened for too long. Thus, the skin damages in the process.
It could also lead to skin discolouration? An uneven application of the cream leads to an uneven removal of the hair which subsequently results in uneven skin discolouration.
But it's not all about bad news. In a recent study, manufacturers tried to work on these side-effects taking the following measures:
- Use of fragrance to get rid of the unfriendly odours.
- They manufacture according to skin type. There are varieties of shaving cream and the advice is to go for one that suits your skin.
- Manufacturers are adding products that help to soothe the skin during removal.
To play safe, perform a test by using your hair-removal cream on a small patch of your skin. You will then know if you will suffer from an allergic reaction to the chemicals or not. Symptoms to watch out for are: swelling, redness or burning. Or better still; why not consult a dermatologist before opting for any shaving cream?
Adapted: www.livestrong.com
