6 Fast Ways To Stop Your Shaving Cut From Bleeding - Men's Health

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When you shave on a regular basis, nicks and cuts are pretty much impossible to avoid. If you’ve been staunching the blood flow with a wad of toilet paper or just slapping on a Band-Aid, we have good news for you: There are easier ways to stop your cut from bleeding. In fact, you probably have a bunch of these options in your bathroom or kitchen right now.Most of the time, a shaving cut is super minor and will clot quickly, but there can be some reasons why the bleeding seems to go on and on.

“Any medications that you are taking that could adversely impact your platelet function, such as aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications will likely increase your bleeding time,” says Iberia Romina Sosa, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in hematology and oncology at Baylor College of Medicine.

If you experience other side effects such as bleeding gums, new nosebleeds, or easy bruising along with your shaving nicks, reach out to your doctor, she suggests.

But if you just get the occasional run-of-the-mill shaving cut, here are, six fast and easy ways to stop your shaving cut from bleeding. Your face will thank you for it.

Use aftershave to stop the bleeding.

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If your favorite bottle of aftershave includes some kind of alcohol—which many of them do—you’re in luck. Alcohol acts as an astringent and helps to constrict blood vessels. That’s important, because by making the blood vessel smaller, it clots more easily to stop bleeding, says Mary Gail Mercurio, M.D., a professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Not only that, but alcohol can also help to prevent infection, she says. Even a tiny shaving cut is an open wound, which provides a portal for bacteria to enter your body, potentially leading to infections.

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Use deodorant/antiperspirant to stop bleeding.

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Your favorite deodorant/antiperspirant probably has aluminum chloride in it, which shrinks sweat glands and in turn tones down your sweating. It also constricts blood vessels too, helping form a clot and staunch bleeding, says Dr. Mercurio. Dab some on your nick to help the process along.

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Use lip balm to stop the bleeding.

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No, you don’t have to smell like a bubblegum or a strawberry to take advantage of this one. Use one of these Men’s Health-approved chapsticks, or good old-fashioned petroleum jelly, to stop up your shaving cut.“Anything that seals the cut will enable it to clot faster and stop bleeding,” says Dr. Mercuio. Use toilet paper or a cotton ball to swab your chapstick and apply it with pressure to the cut.

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Use coffee or tea to stop the bleeding.

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Coffee or caffeinated tea also works as a vasoconstrictor, reducing puffiness and redness — particularly around the eyes, says Dr. Mercurio. (That's why you see caffeine as a primary ingredient in many eye creams and serums.) As a vasoconstrictor, coffee can get a cut to stop bleeding faster, enabling a quicker healing process.

You could try applying coffee grounds or a cooled-off tea bag to your cut. Just keep in mind that while there are plenty of anecdotal reports of this working, there are no good clinical studies to support this either, says Dr. Sosa.

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Use an ice cube to stop the bleeding

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Instead of using warm or tepid water from the bathroom sink, grab an ice cube and apply it with pressure to your cut. Ice will constrict the blood vessels, helping to form a clot.

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Use a styptic pencil or pen to stop the bleeding.

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If you want the most efficient way to stop your shaving cuts from bleeding, keeping a styptic pencil on hand is probably your best bet, says Dr. Mercurio.

A styptic, by definition, is a substance that stops bleeding.“Aluminum sulfate, a naturally occurring mineral, is the usual active ingredient in this line of products,” she says. “It’s a blood vessel constrictor, or vasoconstrictor, so it curtails blood flow when applied to a wound.”

The Art of Shaving Styptic Pen, $12

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