How To Prevent Folliculitis After Shaving Your Beard

Folliculitis barbae is an itchy and sometimes tender papulopustular eruption of hair follicles in skin areas prone to shaving, such as the beard–line in men. In simpler terms, it’s an infection in the pocket from which hair grows. This problem occurs when highly curved hairs grow back into the skin,causing inflammation. Over time, this can cause keloid scars which look like hard bumps on the beard and neck area.

What causes folliculitis?

Folliculitis typically appears due to an overgrowth of bacteria, such as S. aureus. These bacteria usually live on the skin without causing harm, but if the bacteria get under the skin, they may grow and multiply, which can cause small infections of the deeper hair follicles. Other than bacteria, factors such as friction and sweat may influence folliculitis.

How to prevent folliculitis:

• Stay away from abrasive scrub brushes, bath sponges, and washcloths that can damage the skin’s surface.
• Gently pat skin dry with a towel.
• Moisturize immediately after washing. To trap in moisture, ointments, , and creams need to be applied within minutes of drying off.
• Use ointments or creams rather than lotions in order to minimize irritation.
• Never scratch the skin. Cold compresses and moisturizers should help minimize itching.
• Sleep on a silk pillowcase.

Sleep is when your body repairs damage from the day—this means your nighttime routine can make or break your healing progress (or prevention). We recommend pairing a silk pillowcase with tea tree oil. Why? Silk is super gentle on your skin, especially when it’s irritated from shaving or folliculitis. It’s hypoallergenic, free of chemicals, and the colors are only made with non-toxic dyes. Silk also ensures there’s no unnecessary friction on your already inflamed skin. Tea tree oil is a popular natural treatment for the skin because of its antimicrobial properties which help keep the skin clear and kill folliculitis-causing bacteria. 

Adding just a couple of drops on your silk pillowcase before bed is a great way to treat and prevent this painful infection. Guys, we know you like to tough it out when it comes to illness or infections, but how about you pamper yourself this time around and wake up feeling like the true king that you are?

Sources

Folliculitis barbae. DermNet. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2022 

M;, D. M. I. (n.d.). First step in the differential diagnosis of folliculitis: Cytology. Critical reviews in microbiology. Retrieved May 10, 2022