Burn-free intimate shaving

Thursday, just after seven. The doorbell rings at nine, the disposable razor from your holiday is still lying in the shower, and two minutes later everything's smooth. Friday it itches. Saturday there are little red dots exactly where you need them least.

Razor burn and ingrown hairs are rarely a question of sensitive skin. Usually there are three mistakes behind them: too close, too blunt, too last-minute. Reverse those and you've largely solved the problem.

Trimming is the default

The skin in the intimate area is thinner than on your face, lies in folds and constantly rubs against fabric, sweat and movement. A blade there always takes a little of the top layer of skin along with the hair. A trimmer with a guard leaves a millimetre or two, and that's enough: the skin stays untouched, and regrowing hair curls back under the surface far less often.

For many of us, the ass is the real work zone, especially before bottoming. That's exactly where everything points to the trimmer. You can barely see, the skin is uneven, and a blade on a spot you can only guess at over your shoulder in the mirror is more a dare than grooming. Trimmed short looks groomed and doesn't scratch on day two.

If smooth, then with a fresh blade

Smooth is a legitimate choice. Then the tool decides. A blunt blade tugs at the hair instead of cutting it: you press harder, go over the same spot more often, and your skin makes you pay. A fresh blade needs less pressure and fewer strokes. The razor that's been sitting in the shower for months has done its job.

• Soften first, then shave: a few minutes in a warm shower, then shave, not the other way round.
• With the grain: going against the direction of growth gets you smoother, but the hair is cut just below skin level and is more likely to grow in.
• Light pressure, short strokes: rinse the blade after every stroke and gently pull the skin taut with your free hand.
• Fragrance-free shaving gel: it lets the blade glide without adding irritation.

Exfoliate before, not after

A gentle scrub before shaving loosens dead skin flakes that fine hairs would otherwise catch on. The blade gets them more cleanly. Straight afterwards is the wrong moment: freshly shaved skin is irritated, and every grain rubs over tiny nicks. So take a day or two off, then go back to regular use, as often as your skin tolerates it well. That keeps the surface clear, and regrowing hairs find their way out.

For your ass, there's our Hot Coffee Scrub, the intimate scrub made for it: activated Arabica coffee neutralises unwanted odours instead of masking them, for up to 36 hours.

The night before beats the last hour

The most effective step costs nothing: timing. Shave the night before and you give your skin a night to calm down. Redness fades, minor irritation settles, and the next day everything feels normal rather than freshly worked over. Shave an hour before and you take the most irritated phase straight to bed with you, including friction, sweat and lube on skin that really needs rest.

Plus: with time on your side, you press less and cut yourself less often. The shave between clocking off and the doorbell is rarely the most careful one.

Aftercare: cool, calm, fragrance-free

After shaving, rinse with cool water and pat dry with a towel rather than rubbing. Then a light, fragrance-free moisturiser that doesn't sting on application. Anything with alcohol or fragrance has no place here: the classic aftershave, the scented body lotion, even the eau de toilette splashed on out of habit. Fragrances are among the common triggers of contact allergies, and on freshly shaved intimate skin there's little margin.

The day after, loose cotton is a better choice than tight synthetics. And if a hair does curl back in: don't squeeze, don't dig with tweezers. A warm washcloth and, after a few days, a gentle scrub are usually enough. If you keep getting inflamed bumps, pus-filled spots or painful areas, have a dermatologist take a look.

Smooth or trimmed is a matter of taste. Not burning the day after shouldn't be.