My guide to the best shave for Acne prone skin

Shaving is a tricky art when you don’t have clear skin, or when seeking to maintain it. Below I’ve detailed three shave game plans, each a unique situation which could be applicable to yourself:

If you can grow a beard – do it

People love beards – they are both a mark of masculinity, and a feature of many light-hearted jokes and creative exercises – such as the dying, glittering and bejewelling of beards. Men’s barber shops have come back into fashion and the styling and maintenance of a beard is the epitome of good men’s grooming. What’s best is that they remove the need to shave. This reduces the risk of creating breakouts and creating sores from cutting acne whilst shaving.

If you can’t grow a beard, but can get away with stubble

Great! If your workplace, or your special someone, allows you to get away with some facial hair, I would take that opportunity and run with it. I certainly do. Whether it means waking up with no time to spare before work, creating the ‘scruffy’ men’s look, or simply not wishing to aggravate your acne, maintaining stubble is a great choice! You enjoy the same benefits as having a beard, but reduce complaints of bristliness or ‘looking unkempt’ to the uncultured eye.

If you must have a clean shave

There’s still hope! Clean shaven men look sharp, the trick is to achieve this look without causing breakouts. Here’s a guide on how:

Trim first. Get your facial hair short (if it isn’t already)
Open your pores – have a hot shower, or fill the basin in your bathroom with hot water Moisten a cloth with the hot water and press it to your face
Apply SkinB5 Acne Control Cleansing Mousse and gently massage it into your skin before rinsing it off with warm water. This clears the skin and softens the hair
Pat-dry your face
Apply shaving cream. Seek out a product that’s appropriate for sensitive skin
Ensure you have a relatively new, and sharp, razor blade
Don’t press hard against the skin, and run the blade gently along the skin
Rinse your skin with warm water when you’re finished
Apply SkinB5 Acne Control Moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated without creating breakout

Nick Bell: A mid-twenties Melburnian cliche, the bearded student suffers wanderlust, a soft spot of his city’s cafe culture and a love of cycling. He writes from experience, having suffered acne himself throughout both high school and university, and it’s something he still battles today. Nick also writes a personal blog where he is documenting his journey for clear skin with SkinB5, having previously given up after years of ineffective