Essential Oils for Razor Burn + Razor Burn Serum Recipe

There’s nothing quite like that perfect shave that leaves your legs, underarms, and bikini line silky smooth and hair-free. The downside? It never seems to last longer than a few hours before the stubble returns. During the summer months, this can drive any woman mad, and so we shave on a more regular basis, often half-hazardly, in order to save time and combat the regrowth.

The frequent shaving paired with wearing clothing that may rub the skin can cause uncomfortable and unsightly razor burn and ingrown hairs.

If you have been in this situation, then you know how hard it can be to heal the skin and get things back to normal.

What Does Razor Burn Look Like?

Razor burn is characterized by small red bumps that can look swollen, rashy, and tender to the touch. They often appear in areas where you have recently shaved such as the legs, underarms, and bikini line.

What Causes Razor Burn?

Razor burn is caused when the skin is not prepped properly before, during, and after shaving, tweezing, or waxing.

When the hair is removed or shaved, the skin becomes irritated and clogged and will appear red, rash-like, and may sting or itch after soon shaving. Tight clothing or certain products applied to the skin can cause further irritation.

When the hair begins to grow back, the hair follicle may curl into the skin and cause irritation, inflammation, and sometimes infection – this is often referred to as razor bumps or ingrown hairs.

The main causes of razor burn include:

Dry shaving
Not exfoliating before and after shaving
Not using a shaving lubricant while in the shower or bath such as shaving cream, oil, or soap
Pulling the skin too taught while shaving
Shaving against the grain of your hair
Shaving in a rush
Shaving too often
Shaving with a dirty razor that is clogged with old hair, shaving cream, soap, etc.
Shaving with a dull, chipped, or rusty razor
Shaving with products that irritate your skin

How to Prevent Razor Burn

Apply a good moisturizer to the skin after shaving to keep skin supple and prevent dryness
Avoid shaving when you have goosebumps
Avoid wearing tight clothing that rubs on shaved areas too frequently
Exfoliate the skin prior to shaving to remove dead skin cells and impurities
Keep your razor clean and dry between uses
Replace your razor blade frequently (if the razor feels like it’s dragging across your skin it’s time to change it!)
Shave less often
Shave with the grain of hair growth (this help prevent the regrowth from growing into the skin and causing irritation and ingrown hairs)
Use a shaving lubricant like shaving cream, soap, or oil
Use warm water and allow the skin and hair to soften before shaving (I usually shave right before I get out of the shower or bath)

Table of Contents

How to Heal Razor Burn Using Essential Oils

If you have razor burn, it will typically go away on its own within a few days. However, if you need to heal your skin a bit faster than that, essential oils can be extremely helpful when it comes to mitigating inflammation, redness, and discomfort.

Soothing Essential Oils for Razor Burn Relief

The following essential oils are perfect for healing razor burn, soothing the skin, and preventing further skin irritation.

Tea Tree Essential Oil

The best essential oil for razor burn, in my opinion, is tea tree essential oil.

Not only is it a powerful antiseptic, meaning it helps prevent infection by killing or slowing down the growth of microorganisms, but it is also anti-inflammatory and boosts wound healing. (source)

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, and soothing to the skin. It’s perfect for treating razor burn naturally because it helps kill germs and bacteria, encourage faster healing, and tighten the pores. (source)

Frankincense Essential Oil

Frankincense essential oil is perfect for calming red and inflamed skin due to its powerful tissue repair properties. Its antiseptic properties also ward off infection and reduce the chances of getting ingrown hairs. (source)

Soothing Razor Burn Serum Recipe

One of the best ways to help get rid of razor burn fast is to use a simple topical remedy that helps heal the skin, reduce inflammation, and protect it from irritation.

You can do this easily by mixing the above essential oils into a non-comedogenic carrier oil like hemp seed oil or jojoba oil and applying it over the razor burn 1-2 times daily.

You can also swap out the carrier oil with witch hazel or aloe vera gel depending on your needs.

Witch hazel is good for tightening the skin and reducing redness and irritation while aloe vera gel helps speed up cell turnover while also providing a protective layer on the skin.

Personally, I prefer the oil version since it feels most comfortable on my sensitive skin. Plus, you can use the oil version pretty much anywhere you need it including legs, underarms, and the bikini line.

To make it, you will need:

This recipe will make a 2% dilution.

Simply add the essential oil to the dropper bottle and top them off to the shoulder of the dropper bottle with a carrier oil.

Roll between the palms to mix.

To use the razor burn oil, apply a few drops to the affected area 1-2 times daily. Allow the oil to soak in for a few minutes before getting dressed so that the essential oils can work their magic.

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If you want to use witch hazel as your base, swap out the dropper bottle for a 1 oz spray bottle and swap out the jojoba oil for witch hazel. Shake well before each use.

For the aloe vera gel, Swap out the dropper bottle for a 1 oz squeeze bottle and the jojoba oil for aloe vera gel.

What have been your favorite remedies for razor burn? Please share them in the comments below!

You may also enjoy reading:

Dead Sea Salt Scrub for Dewy Radiant Skin
Highland Mint Body Lotion

Other Sources:

Battaglia, Salvatore. The complete guide to aromatherapy. International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy, 2003.

Lawless, Julia. The Encyclopedia of essential oils: the complete guide to the use of aromatic oils in aromatherapy, herbalism, health, and well being. Conari Press, 2013.

Worwood, Valerie Ann. The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, Revised and Expanded: Over 800 Natural, Nontoxic, and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty, and Safe Home and Work Environments. New World Library, 2016.