Thread: Blotchy Red Patches

I have been shaving with my straight for about two weeks. I'm getting BBS shaves everywhere except a few problem areas on my neck. What I've been noticing, though, is that somewhere around 30 minutes after my shave, I get red blotches all over my neck and cheeks. It lasts for maybe 30-45 minutes then goes away. I'm not noticing any real "irritation" feeling or anything, just this redness. Any thoughts?

This happens to me on my sideburn areas. I don't think it has anything to do with razor burn, because that is the area that feels the most comfortable for me to shave. I just think when you scrape your skin, it gets a little red. As long as there is no pain or irritation, I do not think it is something to worry about. I'm not a doctor though.

Hansen's disease?

I used to play doctor.

It may be that there are too many passes for the area or that you need a better lather between passes and a lighter touch.

Starting out, I had a few of these and I solved it with 1) Better shaving soap, and 2) A lighter pass and less passes on select areas.

I hope this helps.

Pabster

What does the alum block feel like when you rub it on? If it stings worse than the non-red parts, it's probably razor burn.

Also, have you considered the soap/cream/brush you're using? Could just be a reaction to that. I know some people are very sensitive to certain essential oils (sandalwood is a common one) or things like lanolin. Put some lather in the inside of your forearm next time you shave and leave it there for the duration of the shave. See if that turns red. That would probably tell you if it's the lather instead of the shave.

+1 on checking a reaction to a lotion or lather ingredient. Try an unscented soap and nothing else if you want to figure out if it's skin or ingredient related. Otherwise if it's not uncomfortable and goes away eventually consider it your skin blushing because of the shave you gave it .

Originally Posted by claytor

+1 on checking a reaction to a lotion or lather ingredient. Try an unscented soap and nothing else if you want to figure out if it's skin or ingredient related. Otherwise if it's not uncomfortable and goes away eventually consider it your skin blushing because of the shave you gave it .

I'm pretty sure it's not the software inasmuch as I experience the same thing regardless which soap/cream I use. I'm hoping it is merely blushing... It seems to take a bit to develop (around 15-30 minutes) and does go away after about 20 minutes of visibility...

I get this when I use an alum block and sometimes with witch hazel.