While a clean shave may cut down on grooming time, it may be damaging to your health, according to Dermatology researchers at the University of Cape Town. Up to 10% of South African men who have a chiskop suffer from folliculitis keloidalis, which is a scarring inflammation of hair follicles.

And even if no such symptoms are visible, you may still be at risk. Of the men sampled, 25% had invisible bleeding under their scalp post chiskop shave. This can lead to transmission of blood borne disease such as hepatitis and HIV. Professor Nonhlanhla Khumalo at UCT’s Dermatology Department says that cutting your hair very short causes it to recede and go back in the scalp. “When the hair grows, and because it’s so curly, it doesn’t find the hole, which causes what we call an ingrown hair.” We know hair can be a mission at times, so try these hair solutions for different types of hair.

Even though many barbers sterilise their hair clippers, Khumalo says it’s not enough because all it does is kill bacteria but not viruses. She advises against a clean shave, but if you really want to get one, to take your own clippers to the barber.

– via eNCA