Barber says I'm hopeless...

I took my newly honed Dovo to a trusted barber and had him shave me with 1 and a half weeks of growth. He said the blade was honed well and even used his strop to get the edge ready. He shaved me only with the grain, as I told him of my ingrown problems on the neck. After the shave he told me I have pseudofolliculitis barbae. I got irritation and bumps from him shaving me one pass WTG. So it wasnt my technique after all. I am not african american but I heard this is common with them due to curly hair. The barber recommended BumpFighter razors, which my father used his whole life. I am extremely disappointed I have to use the mildest razor known to man if I don't want my neck flaring up. Are there any other alternatives? I would give anything to have good skin to shave. Are some people just not meant to experience the awesomeness of a straight? I apologize for my pity party it's just I was looking forward to this for years. Would growing a beard out for a month or so help make sure there are no lingering bumps that get shaved over? Or am I doomed?

I cant give any medical advice so all I can give is my advice, take it for what its worth. you can try a hybrid shave a straight on everything but your neck.then the special razor that was suggested. and experiment with soaps and after shave treatment, like shave balms, alum blocks or astringents like witch hazel ,, now I remember one of our members is a dermatologist , hopefully he can see this and give some real value advice . I do feel for you I would hate to give this up tc

you can't overhaul a engine with just a pair of vise grips. I'm with tcrideshd you like the straight then use it where you can and touch up with what you need.

Maybe a pre-shave oil, hot towel. I know after I wash my face all the oils have been stripped away so the pre-shave oil really helps. Noxzema really helps with any red irritated skin. Noxzema as far as I can tell is the same as Proraso or Prep pre/post shave, only cheaper.

Sorry to hear about it. You don't mention who honed your blade, but if it wasn't one of the experienced honemeisters on this site, you might get a second opinion on the edge. Also, if you managed to meet with one or more of the more experienced members, maybe they could eyeball your shaving technique and demonstrate what "light" pressure and stretching mean for them.

Even if this doesn't solve the whole issue, it might allow you to make substantive gains on how much you can use the straight. Maybe you'll end up the "go-to" guy for shavers with this issue!

Casey,
I am not sure what the problem is. There might be a remedy for it, however, with perhaps a different lather and shave technique. I live in Milwaukee, about 100 miles north of Chicago, and you are more than welcome to come up for some personal training.

Thanks to Obie for mentioning the OP's location. Casey1991, if you look at Community > Groups on the main SRP site, you'll find the Chicagoland group: great way to see who's local and keep up on future meet-ups. Also, you can search user profiles for "Chicago" or "Illinois" in their locations.

Great ideas here....try a hybrid shave and see how that works! You've got nothing to lose....or as Obie offered, go and spend some time with him!?! Maybe it's just your technique and/or your face is still getting used to it.

I know when I started, I'd get awful burn on my lower, right side of my neck, really badly, but I just kept easing up and easing up on the pressure until I it slowly went away. I also realized, I was lathering in areas of my neck where there wasn't any beard growth, was lathering just an inch or so lower than I needed to, and that of course added to the irritation as well.

Give it another month or two, get some feedback from an experienced shaver, and you might be giving the same advice to someone new to straight shaving having the same problem as you a year from now!!

:gl:

Keep trying as suggested, esp. with variations of shaving products. I had a lifetime of bumps, ingrown hairs and redness on my neck from shaving UNTIL I used a straight razor. A very sharp razor and cold water lathering and rinsing (suggested here) vanished the last of the problems.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

Keep trying as suggested, esp. with variations of shaving products. I had a lifetime of bumps, ingrown hairs and redness on my neck from shaving UNTIL I used a straight razor. A very sharp razor and cold water lathering and rinsing (suggested here) vanished the last of the problems.

---

Yes...good point MisterMoo! The cold shave was the other thing I changed to, and haven't looked back. Many have noticed their irritation diminish and/or disappear using the cold shave.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Phrank

Yes...good point MisterMoo...

---

Thank you. I hope, one day, to have an original idea as well. :)

I hope these things work for you Casey. Cold water lathering/rinsing was a real eye-opener (ha); changed the game entirely.

It's more likely your barber was suffering from a case of Barberus Incompetente. If you truly have a skin condition, see a Doctor. Remember, at one time a straight was the only way to shave and folks managed back then.

Pseudo-folliculitis barbae (PFB) can be extremely problematic. I'm black and a physician (though not a Dermatologist), and I've treated both myself and some of my patients. PFB occurs when a hair curves back into the skin, and causes an inflammatory reaction. This shows up as pimples and pus pockets, and sometimes scarring and keloid formation.

Here are a few observations:

• Close shaves are a no-no
  What you use to shave isn't the main issue. The problem is that closer shaves encourage ingrown hairs, especially if the hair is curly and/or wiry.
• Shaving ATG is asking for trouble
  This is because you are shaving closer, and may be damaging the skin. You also may cut the hair off below the skin surface, which really encourages ingrowing.
• Shaving less often may help
  Skipping days may help because you reduce how much irritation your skin faces. I never shaved on weekends.
• Brushing and exfoliation may help
  I literally brush my face and neck using a hair brush; this helps lift out any early ingrown hairs. It also is a mild form of exfoliation in that it helps remove the dead outer layers of skin. You may find that lathering with a boar shaving brush is better for you, because they are stiffer and provide more exfoliation than do the softer brushes. Chemical exfolliants may also be helpful, but may also be too irritating.
• Topical steroids can be very helpful when used properly
  This is especially important for keloid formers. See a Dermatologist or other medical provider who has experience treating PFB in order to get an appropriate steroid at the appropriate strength!!
• Some people may 'grow out of it'
  My PFB definitely improved as I've gotten older. Mine was my original motivation for growing a beard as a teenager. I had fewer problems in my 20's, when the Navy required that I shave. And it really improved in my 30's. Now, at almost 60, I still get an occasional ingrown hair, but they're far less frequent, even when I used 5-bladed cartridges and shaved ATG. So there may be hope!

But the bottom line with PFB is this: No BBSs for you, and probably no DFSs, either. Settle for being presentable.

Dzanda's advice is the most concise and informative info on just about any topic that has arisen on SRP. I don't have PFB but I always look forward to gaining new knowledge and his post did just that for me.

The only thing I might add is really look into a cold water shave as others have suggested. I switched to a cold water shave and almost all of my sensitive (and Rosacea) problems went away. Added benefit came when mu next door daughter-in-law said since I started using a straight razor I look a number of years younger (I'm 81 and a store clerk recently thought I was 68!!). Cold water shaving has made me a warmer person in the world.

I am a hobbyist barber and I use a product called Tend Skin for friends and family that have issues with shave bumps and ingrown hairs. Its has worked reasonably well.

From the sound of it you really should go see a doctor and make adjustments from there.

A close shave might not be a good idea for you. I can only add that I "shaved" for a period with only a hair clipper (and did my head as well). The short tight growth is not a bad look, if you can pull it off.

Thanks, ive had this on my neck forever (wire-ish and flat hairs), ive noticed No bbs helps but felt wierd not shaving even. Hearing this helps alot, good advice from an actual M.D. is invaluble.

Thanks for all the advice. I already do use cold water to shave and it has helped with irritation, but the bumps still appear 5 minutes after shaving. My neck hairs grow in every direction. It is not possible to map, they literally grow in 4 different directions every square inch. I guess using the straight above the neck will have to do. I have already scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist.

I have always thought my issues stemmed from having an Irish mother and a Jewish father. The sensitive Irish skin mixed with coarse and curly hair does not bode well for shaving.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Casey1991

Thanks for all the advice. I already do use cold water to shave and it has helped with irritation, but the bumps still appear 5 minutes after shaving. My neck hairs grow in every direction. It is not possible to map, they literally grow in 4 different directions every square inch. I guess using the straight above the neck will have to do. I have already scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist.

---

Casey1991,

While you may well have some PFB, bumps that appear that soon after a shave ARE NOT due to PFB. PFB bumps and pimples require time for the hairs to grow into the skin, and that takes much longer than 5 minutes.

Those bumps that appear do soon after shaving are an indication of some sort of simple irritation. Shaving too close is still high on my list. The Dermatologist should be able to help clear this up (pun intended). Good luck!

Forgot to mention, Ocelot is a Dermatologist and he recommended Aveeno Theraputic Shaving Cream. In a can, which in this case is immaterial, as it works quite well any time I'm coming up with skin sensitive irritated shaves. I use it for a day or two till the irritation goes away and I'm free to play with my soaps/creams again.

And before I forget again, my children are of the Jewish/Irish(with a little Danish thrown in) combination. One son does complain about similar conditions as yours. I had him switch to a DE and Aveeno and haven't heard any complaints from him as yet. And believe me, you don't have to be Irish to have sensitive skin. My Jewish/Polish red haired Mother came, as she would put it, "From beyond the Pale" was cautioned to stay out of the Sun as much as possible and I inherited that skin sensitive trait.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dzanda

Casey1991,

While you may well have some PFB, bumps that appear that soon after a shave ARE NOT due to PFB. PFB bumps and pimples require time for the hairs to grow into the skin, and that takes much longer than 5 minutes.

---

A very good point!

I had the same issues when I started shaving. I researched and found it could be related to bacteria so I looked for something that would help in regards to the bacteria. Found that olive oil works great as a preshave oil and then found a recipe for a 4 oil mixture of 1 to 1 on each oil. I add castor oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and grape seed oil, these have been working great. My hair is very coarse and curly.

I hydrate my face with a hot wash cloth and then add the oil to my entire bearded area and then the hot wash cloth again on top to help the oils penetrate. I then rinse off the oil with hot water and proceed to apply the lather and shave WTG, XTG and finally ATG, everywhere with a rinse of hot water on each new application of lather. Then I rinse off all the lather in warm water and pat my face and neck dry. The final thing I do is apply witch hazel that I've added comfrey tincture to, it speeds healing of cuts and is a great at destroying bacteria that causes infections such as razor burn folliculitis, which I believe was responsible for mine and possibly even your folliculitis, not pseudo-folliculitis barbae. If the folliculitis is due to bacteria, this will help.

Mine would also show up right after a shave, after using this method, I've reduced mine to almost nothing. I use very short strokes too and get a very close shave, I think this is equally important.

I also had an allergic reaction to the TOBS sandal wood so I gave it away and only use stirling shave soaps.

A friend of mine had problems for years with ingrowing hairs and bumps. I introduced him to DE shaving and the problem started to diminish. I've just asked him what's his routine and it's as follows. He bought himself a magnifying shaving mirror to check for ingrows. He starts with a very hot towel, then checks for any ingrows which he lifts with a steralised needle (sounds worse than it is as he just loops them out). He then lathers and shaves WTG. Again a hot towel then 're-lather then XTG ear to nose. He never does a ATG pass. Warm rinse followed by cold water rinse, pat dry then applies a product called bump stopper. This seems to work for him and he now enjoys shaving. His wife enjoys his smoother skin and the fact he now looks younger!
Hope something here helps

Hey Casey,

I'm a junior doc and may be able to help you. I may try a generic retinoid like a tretinoin gel. It promotes epithelial cell turnover, usually used for acne and also found in many anti-winkle/aging creams (in lesser strength). I think it may help in your condition (I am not 100% sure and have not asked my dermatologist friends yet!) although not advertised for it. Your primary care doc may know what to do or you can cut straight to the chase and go to a dermatologist. It usually is somewhat covered on insurance if you have a medical necessity, which it sounds like you do.
Anyway I am no shaving expert, but I do think there is hope.

Good luck,

Jared

P.s. All these other ideas are good and valid as well.