While shaving your private area is a personal choice, you may need to shave for aesthetic and hygienic reasons. Does down there become itchy immediately after shaving? We’ve got a list of remedies to help you stop itching down there after shaving.
To stop itching down there immediately after shaving gently apply a moisturizer on your pubic area to soften the dry skin, rub hydrocortisone cream topically 1-3 times a day on the shaved area to calm down follicle inflammation while avoiding the vaginal area and apply cold or warm compress to stimulate the nerves on the shaved part to relief itching immediately.
We all desire to get a smooth pubic area after shaving, but we advise you to take immediate measures to stop itching down there as excess itching may lead to psoriasis and folliculitis. Avoid using a dull razor when shaving your pubic area to help prevent itching after shaving.
Reasons You Get Itchiness and Irritation After Shaving
Using a razor to get rid of hair down there is the most common cause of itching and irritation after shaving. Now being the summer season, skin itchiness is likely to be your source of discomfort. And to avoid or stop it, you need to know the causes of itchiness especially immediately after shaving.
Here are the major causes of itchiness after shaving;
1. Dry shaving
If you shave without using shaving water and soap, gel, or shaving cream that’s dry shaving. Your pubic area can become itchy after dry shaving because of high friction between the razor blades and the skin. Shaving without exfoliating may cause nicks and cuts thus causing itching.
Since dry shaving involves cutting the hair at the skin level and scratching the skin, it often causes inflammation of the hair follicles and hence itching especially in people with sensitive skin.
2. Use of shaving products that contain alcohol
Using shaving products containing alcohol makes the skin dry since the alcohol drains the skin’s natural oils that maintain the skin moisturized. Sodium lauryl sulfate, artificial scents, and alcohol are ingredients known to cause irritation and itchiness. And to avoid these effects, avoid using pre-shave and aftershave products containing alcohol.
3. Razor burn
Can you see red areas down there, or are you feeling a burning or stinging sensation? That’s a sign of razor burn and can make you uncomfortable for days if not stopped. As you move the razor blades over the skin, the razor disrupts the skin’s outer layer which leads to loss of hydration, skin inflammation, and microscopic cracks that lead to itching.
Razor burn is avoidable. Exfoliating before razor shaving is likely to reduce the chances of skin inflammation. Again, moisturizing your private area immediately after shaving will replace the lost hydration and fill the microscopic cracks that cause the itchy feeling.
4. Folliculitis
When shaving, there’s a likelihood of shaving against the grain. This tampers with the hair follicle structure and causes follicle inflammation. Inflamed follicles which appear like small pimples are itchy and painful. Severe inflammation may result in crusty sores and spread down there causing more embarrassment.
A basic immediate intervention like applying a moisturizing lotion after shaving can stop itching and prevent the follicle inflammation from developing into more severe pus-filled blisters.
5. Temperature change on the skin’s surface
Especially when the temperatures are high, shaving an already warm area will raise the temperature of that area. According to the NLM study , an itch can be induced by a change in temperature on the skin surface. Improper shaving technique or dull razor is believed to cause heat/ warmth.
Some electric shavers do become warm when shaving thus drawing warmth to the private area. The result is inflammation, irritation, and itching.
Best Ways to Stop Itching Down There After Shaving
Don’t scratch down there even if the itch is too intense as it will make the area tender and increase the chances of bacteria or fungus infection. There are many ways to get rid of itching in your private area immediately after shaving. While the majority are effective on all skin types, others should be used with precaution.
The pubic area is very sensitive and the hair around there is usually thicker which makes the area more prone to itching after shaving.
If you’ve already shaved and down there is itchy, here’s how to stop the itching immediately.
1. Apply Cold Compress
Cooling the skin is an effective home remedy for itchy skin including the pubic area. Placing an ice pack on inflamed skin decreases the inflammation. Cold compress restricts blood circulation thus hampering the primary itch stimulus from conveying the itching message to the spinal cord and then to the brain.
To apply a cold compress you’ll need;
a) a sealable bag filled with ice,
b) to dampen a cloth with cold water, or
c) frozen a vegetable.
To quickly stop itching down there, freeze a small clean towel and compress it into your private area. Applying menthol will add a cooling sensation are reducing itching.
2. Try a Warm Compress
With a warm compress expect itching relief within seconds. As warmth is induced in the nerve cells, their ability to transmit itching is overwhelmed for hours. This relieves the urge for scratching. Avoid using hot water for a warm compress as too much heat will worsen itching.
How to apply a warm compress
immerse a washcloth or small towel in warm water and if possible add a little sea salt to the warm water to facilitate minimizing itching. Squeeze excess water from the washcloth and compress the itchy area for 1-2 minutes. Repeat the compress after every 5 minutes until the itching stops.
Alternatively, bathe with lukewarm and limit it to 10 minutes.
3. Use OTC Antihistamines After Shaving
Taking OTC antihistamines such as cetirizine, and diphenhydramine may help stop itching after shaving. If you feel the itching is severe, seek a doctor’s advice on the right dosage. Taking antihistamines will block the body from releasing histamine which causes itching and inflammation.
Blocking histamine will bring down inflamed follicles and relieve itching.
Take note of antihistamines that cause drowsiness such as cinnarizine, piriton, diphenhydramine, and hydroxyzine. Instead consider non-drowsy antihistamines like cetirizine, loratadine, and fexofenadine.
4. Apply Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar helps relieve itching by lowering inflammation and also moisturizing dry skin. If you used a shaving product that left your private area dry, applying ACV may be the best solution. Apple cider has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
To apply apple cider vinegar to itchy skin, mix apple cider vinegar with water in a ratio of 4:6 for more effective itching relief. If you’ve got sensitive skin, National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) recommends mixing ACV with water in a ratio of 1:1.
After mixing, use a cotton ball to apply the mixture directly down there.
5. Apply Moisturizing Cream or Lotion
Many shaving creams leave the skin dry after shaving. If you feel the skin is too tight or looks rough, or cracked, know the itching is caused by skin dryness. All you need to stop the itching is to apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to hydrate the outermost layer of your private area.
Choose a moisturizer containing humectants and emollients like NEA to draw water to the skin and lock in the moisture. This will hydrate the skin and stop the itching.
Some of the best after-shave moisturizers for dry skin worth mentioning include:
Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm – Doesn’t contain alcohol but is enriched with vitamin E and hydrating agents
COOCHY Intimate After Shave Protection Moisturizer – Known for soothing the pubic area and contains botanical organic extracts.
6. Spread a Thin Layer of Hydrocortisone Cream After Shaving
Applying a thin layer of hydrocortisone cream on your private area after shaving reduces itching. Hydrocortisone cream works by calming the body’s immune response thus dampening the itchy feeling.
Applying hydrocortisone cream will also help prevent body cells from producing inflammation-causing chemicals after shaving. This alleviates swelling and developing redness in your private area.
Hydrocortisone 1% is an ant-itch cream that temporarily relieves itching around the genitals.
7. Take an Oatmeal Bath
Whole uncooked oats or rolled oats are more suitable for making colloidal oatmeal that will stop itching immediately after shaving. Oatmeal bath soothes dry skin, helps stop itching, and eases inflammation. Oatmeal contains anti-inflammatory properties and helps moisturize the skin.
How to make colloidal oatmeal at home
● Put 1 cup of your rolled oats into a blender and grind to a consistently fine powder
● Add 2-3 teaspoonfuls of the powder into a bath and wash down there with the milky and silky mixture until the itching stops.
8. Rub Cucumber Down There
Cucumber has a cooling effect on the skin. Rubbing a slice on your private area after shaving will cool the skin, reduce inflammation, calm down itching, and ease pain. The cooling agent in cucumber soothes the burning sensation that causes the urge to scratch.
Slice or shred the cucumber and rub the small pieces down there and the itching will stop. The vitamin E in cucumber also helps stop itching by moisturizing the skin if dry.
Summary
If down there is itching apply hydrocortisone cream to prevent the production of inflammation-causing chemicals that cause itching, apply apple cider vinegar to moisturize the dry skin and ease inflammation and you’ll stop itching. Also, rub a cucumber on the itching area to soothe the skin and stop itching. Don’t forget to moisturize or apply an ant-itch after shaving cream, lotion, or gel if itching persists.
