Razor burn help needed

So I've been at straight razor shaving for a couple of months now and have tried several methods and products, but still seem to have razor burn on my neck that just won't go away. 1st off, the skin on my neck/throat area has always been sensetive to razor burn no matter what I shave with. If I tried to map that area it would almost look like a rose compass with hair growing every which way, so for now I just shave that area in small strokes straight down. I've read through archives and all the articles I can find on here and have not had any success eliminating this problem. I don't use any pressure and I keep the angle about 1-2 spine widths off of my face (about 30 degrees). I have tried wet shaving with hot, warm, and old water.

Pre-shave: I have done everything from water all the way to shower, towels, witch hazel, skin food, soap, rinse, oil, soap, shave. I have added and ommitted each step here and there.

Post-shave: I have done everything from rinse with cold water, apply witch hazel, apply
aftershave - and have added one at at time and mixed and matched the following - skin food, nivea balm, udder cream lotion. I have even used all products after the same shave.

I know you're supposed to wait cor the razor burn to clear up before shaving again, but that would be at least more than 3 days growth and due to work purposes I can't do that. It does get mostly clear, but then I shave and it's back with a vengence. I use small single pass straight down strokes. The razors were honed by Lynn and I know they're sharp. I have used several types of soaps/creams to shave with. I just really don't know what else to try and any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank You,
Kyle

Perhaps try some other edge on your razor?

Pressure and angle

Once you have the prep, lather, & razor down then it is all about pressure and angle get really light on pressure,, even after 30+ years with a SR I still have to remind myself to back off on the pressure.. I too have a sensitive side :rofl2: ok a sensitive face, and if I don't remind myself to ease up I will end up red faced.. It is just so counter-intuitive but I swear it works, just skim the face with a good sharp edge and your skin will thank you...

What's helped for me is to use olive oil pre shave and to make sure and stretch the skin tight. It's harder to tell in that area, at least for me due to the shadows, but make sure you have the correct angle on the razor as well.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

Perhaps try some other edge on your razor?

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Could you please elaborate? I'm not sure what you mean by this. Thanks.

This is a long shot since it sounds like a classic case of straight up razor burn. And if that is the case, the advice already given is my only contribution. But the long shot is that perhaps the soaps/creams you are using contain something that is irritating your skin or aggravating an allergy. I find that many of the highly scented creams (Truefitt and Hill, Taylor, AOS) to leave my face on fire after a shave. Its more of a chemical burn than a razor burn. Its not likely to be your problem but it may be worth considering if what you are using is all or mostly the same. And its possible that its a pre or post shave item as well.

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Originally Posted by 75kyle

Could you please elaborate? I'm not sure what you mean by this. Thanks.

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Sorry, was in the middle of making supper.
I meant that even tho your razor might be sharp and good for cutting the hair it might have an unforgiving edge.
Some people can shave with a razor sharpened on .125 um diamond strop, I can not, it hurts my skin.
If I take a razor like that and give it a few laps on a .5 um Chromium oxide strop it feels the same when shaving but now it won't give me any razor burn.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

This is a long shot since it sounds like a classic case of straight up razor burn. And if that is the case, the advice already given is my only contribution. But the long shot is that perhaps the soaps/creams you are using contain something that is irritating your skin or aggravating an allergy. I find that many of the highly scented creams (Truefitt and Hill, Taylor, AOS) to leave my face on fire after a shave. Its more of a chemical burn than a razor burn. Its not likely to be your problem but it may be worth considering if what you are using is all or mostly the same. And its possible that its a pre or post shave item as well.

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I kind of thought of that and have used Taylor of Old Bond Street (scented and for sensitive skin), SRD soap, and Proraso for sensitive skin with aloe and vitamin e.

I'm just kind of lost in a funk right now and I do appreciate all of the advice; looking for new options to try because I've ran out of ideas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lemur

Sorry, was in the middle of making supper.
I meant that even tho your razor might be sharp and good for cutting the hair it might have an unforgiving edge.
Some people can shave with a razor sharpened on .125 um diamond strop, I can not, it hurts my skin.
If I take a razor like that and give it a few laps on a .5 um Chromium oxide strop it feels the same when shaving but now it won't give me any razor burn.

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Ah, now I see. Thanks, I can definitely give that a try, I have a .5 pasted cloth side of a strop I got after learning how to hone from Lynn. This is what he recommended as the final step before normal stropping.

Thanks again.

I had the same exact problem when I started. It really wasn't until after 6 months or so that I finally realized that even though I THOUGHT I was using minimal pressure, it was still too much. What everyone else has said, it absolutely the truth. No pressure and triple check your angle...it's dark under there :-)

One more bit of advice. I also have a neck subject to high irritation, I do not normally have negative reactions to most of whats used in soaps/creams for shaving and soaps for general washing. Recently bought a bar of Shea butter soap. What a disaster. Talk about skin burn before shaving. I now check the ingredients of any soap/cream I am interested in to see if Shea butter was used and how far down on the list of ingredients. The lower on the list = smaller amount used. I can then tolerate if only a small amount used. As for after shave burn, again especially on the neck, I use two things. One: Gold Bond Ultimate Diabetics' dry skin relief and you don't need to be diabetic to use it: gives extra hydration and soothing effect. For my neck I add Aloe gel, a transparent bright green thick gel that is at once cooling and overtime healing. I also "cheat" sometimes and use my DE or SE to shave my neck when I've been having a streak of neck sensitivity. The Aloe gel might be hard to find, generally in the womens' area of creams, lotions and the like. I hope this helps.

This mornings shave was performed with LESS pressure in mind...it was my sole focus.
I backed off to just skimming the shave soap off my face.
What an amazing result!
Where my post shave routine normally 'lights up my face' this morning so notably less of that with still awesome shave results; Subjectively a DFS.

All Newbies, of which I count myself, Slow Down and back off on the pressure.
Second and third order effect MAY BE that your mileage will increase.

Thanks again for this informative thread...GREAT STUFF HERE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 75kyle

So I've been at straight razor shaving for a couple of months now and have tried several methods and products, but still seem to have razor burn on my neck that just won't go away. 1st off, the skin on my neck/throat area has always been sensetive to razor burn no matter what I shave with. If I tried to map that area it would almost look like a rose compass with hair growing every which way, so for now I just shave that area in small strokes straight down. I've read through archives and all the articles I can find on here and have not had any success eliminating this problem. I don't use any pressure and I keep the angle about 1-2 spine widths off of my face (about 30 degrees). I have tried wet shaving with hot, warm, and old water.

Pre-shave: I have done everything from water all the way to shower, towels, witch hazel, skin food, soap, rinse, oil, soap, shave. I have added and ommitted each step here and there.

Post-shave: I have done everything from rinse with cold water, apply witch hazel, apply
aftershave - and have added one at at time and mixed and matched the following - skin food, nivea balm, udder cream lotion. I have even used all products after the same shave.

I know you're supposed to wait cor the razor burn to clear up before shaving again, but that would be at least more than 3 days growth and due to work purposes I can't do that. It does get mostly clear, but then I shave and it's back with a vengence. I use small single pass straight down strokes. The razors were honed by Lynn and I know they're sharp. I have used several types of soaps/creams to shave with. I just really don't know what else to try and any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank You,
Kyle

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You know, after almost a year, I still get a slight burn on the right side of my lower neck, keep getting lighter and lighter on the pressure, but it still shows up. I'm also starting to think, with 12 razors, two of which are 6/8th, that I'm not liking the larger blades, prefer the 5/8th and 4/8th.

When I use those blades, get a much better shave with almost no redness. Might be due to the fact that I stuck with the 5/8th for so long??

I have a DD Satin Wedge and a W&B Wedge and found those much different as well, even though the forum suggests it shouldn't make that much difference.

Guess it's down to practice, practice, practice!!

This morning was my TI 6/8th Spartacus, and the red came flaming back, and this blade is virtually brand new.

Time and practice will tell....

try dove for men AS balm (sensitive is what I use) instead of the nivea...I've already mentioned this in another post today but I find it less irritating than nivea and less greasy...alcohol free as well.
The proroso pre post shave cream is pretty good to cool down razor burn but once you improve with your technique (pressure, angle, LATHER, and everything else mentioned above) your shaves should start to improve.

It's only been a few months as you said and while you may feel like you have the hang of using a straight, you still a long way to go...this is something that takes 6 months to a year to truly dial in. Keep patient and you should get there. :tu

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Originally Posted by kwlfca

try dove for men AS balm (sensitive is what I use) instead of the nivea...I've already mentioned this in another post today but I find it less irritating than nivea and less greasy...alcohol free as well.
The proroso pre post shave cream is pretty good to cool down razor burn but once you improve with your technique (pressure, angle, LATHER, and everything else mentioned above) your shaves should start to improve.

It's only been a few months as you said and while you may feel like you have the hang of using a straight, you still a long way to go...this is something that takes 6 months to a year to truly dial in. Keep patient and you should get there. :tu

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Yes, I like and use the proroso pre / post shave - works quite well to cool redness...don't use it all the time, but this morning was one of those times....the shaving gods must not have been in alignment for me this am!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phrank

This morning was my TI 6/8th Spartacus, and the red came flaming back, and this blade is virtually brand new.

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Phrank, Sounds to me like you need to sell off the TI 6/8 Spartacus immediately. You know what...I'm tight with a guy who wants one :deal:???

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Originally Posted by ColonelG

Phrank, Sounds to me like you need to sell off the TI 6/8 Spartacus immediately. You know what...I'm tight with a guy who wants one :deal:???

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You probably wouldn't like the Spartacus is have, it's really sharp and only been used a few times! ;)

Attachment 142178

Skin pulling was mentioned earlier. Another thing to experiment with is how you are pulling your skin when you shave. If I pull the skin on my neck down towards my collar bone, when I shave my neck, I will get irritation. If i shave my cheeks and jaw first and then lightly pull the skin on my neck up, when I shave my neck, I get no irritation on my neck.

One thing I would highly recommend against is shaving over razor burn. Please don't do it! Until you can figure out what is causing the problem, let the burn heal and shave that area with something that doesn't irritate it. I used a Double Edge on my neck until I figured out the right technique with my straight. Comfort over closeness.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phrank

You probably wouldn't like the Spartacus is have, it's really sharp and only been used a few times! ;)

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Well to help you avoid the 'red flaming razor burn' I'd be willing to take one for the team! :gth

Give cold water a try.

Splash on generously and frequesntly ;) As I've heard it hear, it's called wet shaving for a reason. Also, pressure and angle as mentioned before.

What Siguy said...

Also I read "can not remember what context or where" that some people use cold water instead of hot on the pre-shave to eliminate the razor burn. In fact the thread had a bunch of people posting how they were converts to cold water pre-shave and during shave ect.

I have not tried this but I do sometimes get razor burn on my neck and will be giving this a try to see the results myself.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Siguy

Give cold water a try.

Splash on generously and frequesntly ;) As I've heard it hear, it's called wet shaving for a reason. Also, pressure and angle as mentioned before.

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I pretty much cold shave all the time, love it...been a convert for quite awhile....:rock:

A couple easy things to try from a fellow former severe razor burn sufferer:

- Use a small amount of almond oil pre-shave to lubricate your whiskers/face. It makes a huge difference. The less time the blade spends on the face, the less chance of razor burn.
- A coticule honed razor. Sounds strange, but I find these hones to be a more comfortable edge than Jnats or other artificial stones.
- Find an after shave that is high in alcohol/antiseptic. You are taking the acid layer off your face every time you shave. You need to kill any germs on your face causing razor burn. I use Lilac Vegetal. I also like the classic Aqua Velva.

Good luck!

Use more soap to get creamier lather.
Use a flatter angle, and more passes rather than a steep angle.
Use less pressure.
Keep the toe-heel line angled (non-perpendicular) to the path you are shaving.
Do not stretch the skin too much - just taught enough to be flat.
Use a hot water rinse, cold water rinse, & non greasy shaving balm.

Similarly, my preshave routine is as follows:

-shower(in shower is some nutregena crap on face and rub into beard)
-pat dry face and put on Thayer's SuperHazel while I dry the rest.
-wet face and put on shave oil from shavesecret from Walmart(cheap stuff I found helpful)
-lather up
-massage lather into beard
-wet a little with cold and re-lather and start the shave
-I wet blade with cold water frequently and apply it and extra lather to my face in areas I feel I need to go over again.
-Wet w/ cold water.
-Lather and continue in the same fashion with XTG and ATG passes.

I'm coming to understand that the beard is an unweildy monster with one man's going this way and another's going that way.

One man's ATG is another XTG in the same spot.

-I finish up with a wet rinse.
-pat dry and allow Thayer's Superhazel to dry on my beard.

I also cold water shave.

I'm a big fan of keeping it simple and not adding a lot of extra steps to my shaving routine. A lot of the older shaving articles written at the height of straight razor shaving like "Shaving made easy" written in 1905 discuss the importance of proper lathering which draws the oils out of the whiskers making them stiff and brittle and easier for a straight razor to cut. I don't add pre-shave oils, hot towels or hot water, which in my case soften the whiskers making the razor slide over the whiskers not properly cutting them. Find what works for you.

My shaving routine is as follows:

1. 10-15 strokes on the felt or linen, 25-30 strokes on the leather. (X pattern on a 2" strop)
2. Cold water face lathering, making a creamy lather and really work the lather into the whiskers.
3. Straight razor shave with a sharp razor concentrating on good technique.
4. Cold water rinse.
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 if needed.
6. Followed by Witch Hazel or aftershave.

http://archive.org/details/shavingmadeeasyw0020th

I feel for ya! Been there myself but fixed it with a combination of things - most all talked about earlier - but - our faces and beards are like fingerprints, so your solution will vary from others. When I start to get burned or rashes here's what I revert to:

- Prep well including heat and oil

- Make sure the blade edge is "smooth sharp" - my term for a clean straight edge as opposed to nicks and raggedness you might see under magnification. A few folks have addressed that here above.

- Slow and careful strokes. I find that when I start to get mystery nicks on my face a rash tends to follow. Also, it's odd but ATG, WTG, and other strokes don't seem to make any difference on my face regarding irritation.

- Use soap or cream high in lanolin. MWF for me.

- Rinse off with COLD water (close the pores) and nothing but witch hazel afterward. The scented stuff will irritate sometimes.

After a few days of that process my skin reverts to normal and I don't see any irritation for almost a year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Pressure and angle

Once you have the prep, lather, & razor down then it is all about pressure and angle get really light on pressure,, even after 30+ years with a SR I still have to remind myself to back off on the pressure.. I too have a sensitive side :rofl2: ok a sensitive face, and if I don't remind myself to ease up I will end up red faced.. It is just so counter-intuitive but I swear it works, just skim the face with a good sharp edge and your skin will thank you...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fort

What Siguy said...

Also I read "can not remember what context or where" that some people use cold water instead of hot on the pre-shave to eliminate the razor burn. In fact the thread had a bunch of people posting how they were converts to cold water pre-shave and during shave ect.

I have not tried this but I do sometimes get razor burn on my neck and will be giving this a try to see the results myself.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phrank

I pretty much cold shave all the time, love it...been a convert for quite awhile....:rock:

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As Glen said and you noticed after less preasure it can make a huge difference. The quote that helped me was don't shave just wipe off the lather. You just keep the razor against the skin and remove the lather and hey presto.

Cold water shaving is also great as it keeps the skin tight and the pores closed. I use no hot water at all at any stage.

A good prep is to lather up and rub the lather in then rinse off, lather again and then shave. Comes from an old article on shaving.

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Originally Posted by eddy79

As Glen said and you noticed after less preasure it can make a huge difference. The quote that helped me was don't shave just wipe off the lather. You just keep the razor against the skin and remove the lather and hey presto.

Cold water shaving is also great as it keeps the skin tight and the pores closed. I use no hot water at all at any stage.

A good prep is to lather up and rub the lather in then rinse off, lather again and then shave. Comes from an old article on shaving.

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Yes, I read that booklet many months ago...very true....I always thoroughly rub the lather into my beard with my fingers (as the article states), then re-apply lather and I'm ready to go.

Cold shave works for many, but as my barber and many member say here, it doesn't work for all. I always thought I had a tough beard, but my barber told me months ago that in his experience, my beard isn't that tough at all, and that he's had many clients who's beard would literally have to be ripped out if he didn't hot shave them.

As many members here, use what works best for you, cold shave works well for me, but do enjoy a nice hot shave from time to time...

Did a total cold water shave last night and the results were very good.

1. Soaked brush in cold water then took shower and washed face with pre-shave face scrub.
2. Strop razor while my face air dries
3. Wet face with cold water and apply lather
4. Shave WTG and rinse with cold water
5. Apply lather and shave WTG again
6. Rinse with cold water
7. Apply lather and shave ATG then rinse with cold water.


Absolutely no burn or red patches. So I'll keep using this method and checking the results. The cold water was actually refreshing too.

I don't have a prep routine other than wetting my face with cold water. I then face lather and shave, repeat twice more and done. On the first pass I use an angle of about two blade widths but use less of an angle each additional pass going with the spine almost flat to my face on the last pass ATG. I try very hard to really use very light pressure on the blade. Post is Alum block followed by AS. If all goes according to plan there is little to no irritation.

I am thinking the key areas for a comfortable shave are a very good lather, a sharp but smooth blade edge, little to no pressure on the blade and reducing the angle on the blade to match the pass you are doing.

Bob

I don't like to advertise any, but you should look into some healing salve from "healin hollers" I've used it for cuts, bruises, a couple of mild burns and always had pretty good results as far as relief. However I've never tried it for razor burn.
It's all herbal based if that's any kind of concern for ya, and they print right on the label what alls in it. In fact if your of the make-it-yourself variety you could probably look up a similar recipe and make some yourself.