A slip of the blade followed by a fountain of blood. Shaving cuts are more of an inconvenience than a threat to our very existence, yet inconvenient they are none the less. The truth is that a good shave often comes at the price of a few minor nicks. This is an inevitable part of looking good, but not everyone knows that they can use a styptic pencil to help prevent scars after face shaving.
Would styptic pencils cause a scar after shaving?
Many readers ask us what is the best way to prevent scars after shaving nicks and how styptic pencils help. The good news is that they can work miraculously well, but you should follow these simple steps to reduce the risk of scars.
Once you have cut yourself, you should immediately assess the damage. Although shaving cuts might bleed a lot, they are often only tiny lesions in the skin. This is because the skin on and around your face has a high concentration of capillaries near to the surface. Therefore, even the smallest slips can lead to a mighty pain in the proverbial. Just have a quick look to ensure that you have not severed a major artery, and then continue.
First gently rinse the wound with clean, cold water. The low temperature will help to slow down the bleeding before we have applied any treatment, but it won’t last for long so prepare your styptic pencil for action.
If you are a pro shaver, it is likely that you will have chosen a styptic pencil with a retractable case, a bit like a lip balm. This will ensure that the unused portion of your pencil remains dry and ready to use. If you only have a cheap drugstore styptic pencil then scrape the remaining mush from the waterlogged packet up and prepare to smear it on your face.
Wet and then hold your styptic pencil to your shaving cut, gently dabbing to ensure that the wound is given a nice even coating. This part might sting a bit, but grit your teeth and think about how good it will feel to take the train to work without toilet paper all over your face.
You should feel the skin tighten around the cut and the bleeding should slow and stop within a matter of seconds. Once applied, leave the residue on to work it’s magic, and get on with the rest of your life.
Styptic pencils allow you to heal minor cuts without covering them in ropey old band-aids, and make it easy to stop bleeding in a concentrated area, reducing traumatic treatment of the existing cut. Being kinder to your cuts reduces the risks of scars, and while band-aids offer some degree of protection, styptics allow your cut to breath and dry out quickly, speeding up the healing process.
So overall, styptic pencils are absolutely a good way to protect against scars from face shaving, and to treat minor nicks. Just remember to choose a modernized version of this toiletries classic, such as Glyder.io, to ensure that you don’t waste money on something that will last for only one shave.