Thread: Prone to ingrowns

Ingrown hairs are a byproduct of and caused by the modern day multiblade safety razor and some electrics.

The engineering behind these new multibladed razors is a great example of one size fits all. They are engineered with the assumption that if all faces, and legs, aren't the same, then we must produce a product that makes them that way.

The blade holder is made so that its frame, when pushed down on the skin, forms a flat and relatively tight surface for the blades to work on. Thus, no matter how your face is configured, thier blade will work.

The next thing are those multiple blades. All of them are not designed to cut. Just the last one cuts. The rest are in place, and at an angle designed to grab and pull the hair out, until the last one cuts it. What happens next is what causes the ingrown hair!

After the last blade cuts the hair, the hair is released and allowed to pop back into the hole it came out of. In some cases the hole tries to grow shut and the hair keeps trying to grow. Thus the ingrown hair.

Some electrics do the same thing but in a different way.

If you are getting ingrown hairs after using a SE razor, you can almost be assured it is not caused by the razor. If anything, you are shaving to close, and you might be prone to ingrowns. I would think after a while it should clear up considerably and you should see this stop.

Ray

I have found not shaving every day helps a great deal. I really wish i could shave every day, but my skin and hair just dont allow it. Try an every other day if possible.

Contrary to popular opinion, some people just have sensitive skin no matter what they use to shave. My own skin problems are better from using a straight (I'd like to think, but honestly I can't prove it), but not gone completely. I was trying lots of aftershave balms and facial care products but to little avail. Eventually I stopped using anything but soap (for the shave) and a facial cleanser like Cetaphil for washing my face in the morning/night and the problem again got even better. I now shave as infrequently as I care to and my face likes me for it.

There's this product that Rodin reviewed. That looks worth a try, & i intend to.

Apart from that you just have to take what steps you can to prevent them.
The M-3 & the like are awful for it. Really awful, & the straight will help right off the bat.

I get far fewer now, but am still prone, as my stubble grows in absolutely every direction below my mouth & that area. I simply never go for as close as i can there. I shave in the evening, & each morning after a shave, i scrub with Elemis Time for Men. It really is a fantastic scrub & it may work for you.

I have a Merkur DE, & find i'm far more likely to get an ingrown from it than a straight.

I'm also prone to ingrowns, and find that one thing that helps is to "brush" my face with a toothbrush or similar stiff bristle brush before and after a shave.. this helps to dislodge any stubble that gets stuck under the skin...

Originally Posted by bbshriver

I'm also prone to ingrowns, and find that one thing that helps is to "brush" my face with a toothbrush or similar stiff bristle brush before and after a shave.. this helps to dislodge any stubble that gets stuck under the skin...

Now, that's something I haven't tried! Thanks for the tip, I will try that.

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

I have found not shaving every day helps a great deal. I really wish i could shave every day, but my skin and hair just dont allow it. Try an every other day if possible.

I was afraid someone was gonna say that! lol. But, it's most likely true. Sad, but true. I need to lay off the daily shaving. Which was fine by me when I was using multi blades, but it's funny how a tedious daily routine, becomes "fun" with a new and let's face it (haha, "let's face it") a gorgeously made tool, like a SE.

Honestly, I am prone to ingrowns as well and I find that a Straight razor and good skin care following the shave is the best thing for it. Recently I had to resharpen my razors and I got lazy and decided to just use the DE Safety razor for the week, big mistake! Ingrown hairs X3. Sharpened up the Straights and am ingrown free again. So remember, Straights, then GOOD skin maintenance afterwards.

Billy

+1 on keeping the razor sharp. When playing with my disposable straight blades, I use the blade directly without the holder to see how it takes care of one or two hairs that care to stick themselves out 24 hours after a BBS shave. The blade just cuts the hair off at skin level. Sometimes if the skin has a little extra around the pore opening, you get a little weeper, but a cold water rise always closes them up and they are a non factor. A small weepers or two seem to happen to me on every shave and since I go for great BBS shave everytime out, it comes with the territory. Again, a simple rise and they close up and are not noticable anymore.

Therefore, the M3 design is to pull hair up, cut, then drop the hair back into the pore. Some pores will not like this as they close up very easily, thus you create an ingrown hair situation or razor bumps. When first shaving with a straight, I would easily get 3-4 weepers. Most of this was a few pores with a little extra on top that got cut along with the hair. Although I looked a little ugly with the weepers, the cold water rise closed them up quickly and I was amazed at how fast this worked.

So my conclusion is that the straight razors cuts very close to the skin, but avoids cutting below the skin. Much of your success relies on face preperation, technique, and having a sharp blade. Since I shave and get great BBS results every time out (WTG, XTG, ATG), once in a long while an ingrown hair develops, but they work themselves quickly since they were not cut so far below the skin and they don't create an ugly spot. This never happend with the M3 as the ingrown hairs were deeper and got ugly and took a long time to run their course.

The investment in straight shaving was well worth the effort and cost.

I hope all newbies keep with it and gain the success that I have gained. SRP is great and there are so many good people to help you.

Pabster

I'll just throw this in here quickly- some causes can include viral and/or bacterial infections. Pores can become blocked by simple things such as shaving oils or the wrong aftershave/moisturizer. Also, using an exfoliating scrub daily, as good as it sounds, can often aggravate the situation. Cetaphil facial cleanser is gentle and GREAT for sensitive skin. Check out these links for more info:

Ingrown hair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pseudofolliculitis barbae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Folliculitis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia