Straight Razor Shaving and Tattoos

Shaving is a part of almost every man’s daily routine. Whether you are shaving before work, trimming your beard for the perfect visual effect, or getting the cleanest & closest cut on your head, we all do it. Straight razors are the preferred option for people who want better control, closer shave, and less friction and or irritation on your skin. People who have already began using straight razors find it hard to go back to the more commonly used disposable razors.

So, what if you have or want to get a tattoo how should shaving influence your decision. For people with old or settled tattoos, there is really no connection between the two, but for the people considering a new tattoo then there are things to keep in mind. What are those things? Let’s dig in.

Straight Razors vs. Disposable

Most of the world, uses the more expensive and easier to use disposable razors. If you walk into a barber for a shave or touch up of any type of facial hair, you will see that they will use straight razors. Straight razors deliver a better performance with a closer, more precise, and less irritation on your skin. It does take time to get familiar with straight razors, but once you make the switch, you will wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.

What about our brothers and sisters with tattoos? Well we got you covered.

New Tats and Shaving

If you are in the process of picking a new tattoo or just got one done, then shaving might be something you want to delay. Tattoos require time to heal as the ink settles under your skin. During the healing process, best option is to abstain from shaving, as any cuts to the skin can cause the ink to fall out of your skin. This can cause discoloration or require a further touch up from your tattoo artist. When a tattoo is brand new the best option is to avoid shaving, especially with the sharper and harder to use straight razors.

Once the tattoo is healed, you will be able to shave and do whatever you like without the risk of causing damage to your tattoo. But, how long does this take?

Tatted vs. Non-Tatted Skin

The time it takes for a tattoo to heal varies from person to person and from tattoo to tattoo. On average this time is between 2 – 4 weeks. If you are wondering what it means for a tattoo to heal completely, this means you have:

  • No scabbing
  • No peeling
  • No shininess on or around the tattoo

Once your tattoo has fully healed, you can shave to your hearts’ content. Healed tattoos are situated in the second layer of skin, while shaving only affects the first layer of skin. Shaving healed tattooed skin is absolutely the same as shaving non-tattooed skin. Once the process of settling and healing is completed your work of art is safe from any kind of harm that shaving can do.

Shaving is an art form on its own and straight razors are the paint brush for your canvas. Ask any of your tattooed friends and they will tell you that in fact shaving over a healed tattoo is even more gratifying. This is because not only do you get a close and perfect shave with your straight razor, but you also get to display your under-the-skin work of art with even more pizzazz. Shaving over tattoos actually cleans the dead skin cells and unwanted hair that might otherwise cast a shadow over your masterpiece.

If you are headed to get your first or one hundredth tattoo, remember to let it heal completely and then use your straight razor whenever you like to clean, display and even accentuate your tattoos.