Thread: 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 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.

Originally Posted by Lemur

Perhaps try some other edge on your razor?

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.

Originally Posted by 75kyle

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :-)