Shaving Science

Helping Prevent Shaving Rash: Gillette Precision-Engineered Blades

Soft Skin, Coarse Hair and Shaving Rash

Man touching chin
We get shaving rash because our skin is soft and delicate. But the hair that grows from it is as tough as copper wire, and if you have ever tried to cut a wire, you’ll understand why!

Stubble comes with added complications. It grows in different directions.

Stubble growing out of skin
Men often think skin is firm and smooth, but if you take a closer look, it’s actually very soft, undulating and gel like.
skin and hair
And it gets trickier.

What happens above the skin can create a reaction in the skin. The force required to cut the hair has a big impact on shaving comfort.

Irritated skin after shaving
High forces create stresses in the skin which are felt by the nerves around the hair follicle, are felt as tugging and pulling; this can lead to a feeling of irritation and discomfort.
gillette blade closeup
Razor blade technology has been steadily advancing ever since King C. Gillette first invented the safety razor.

Some razor blade design advancements are easy to notice: 5-blade, 3-blade cartridges, power handles lubrication strips. Other advancements in razor blade design cannot be seen by the naked eye, but make a huge difference to helping prevent shaving rash.

The key to a comfortable shave is a blade so sharp, thin, and precise that it can cut through hair with minimal cutting force.

crossection of hair in skin
The tip of the blade has to be thin. At its cutting edge, a Gillette blade is much thinner than a beard hair, even thinner than a surgeon’s scalpel. To enhance the performance of this ultra-fine blade we add a diamond-like carbon coating for strength and a thin telomer coating for glide. A comfortable shave is a technological achievement, resting on a simple necessity:

Precision-engineered blades:

Gillette Fusion5™ ProGlide & Gillette Fusion5 ProShield. Our Best Blades Yet.



Gillette

Gillette

Writer and expert