Thread: Wet shaving for African (ethnically black) men

First some anecdotal evidence to make the point of this question conversation clear:

As a leader in the military, I've had a number of black Soldiers throughout my career (and a few civilians now that I am off the line in a garrison staff job) that have had such absolute horrible experiences shaving (razor bumps and in-grown hairs were the primary culprits) that they actually had to receive what we call a profile. A profile is a physical classification issued to a Soldier by a health care provider or medic limiting the activities in which that Soldier can participate due to illness or injury. These "shaving profiles" basically allowed the Soldiers to grow full natural growth beards that they must keep trimmed to 1/8th of an inch. It solves the problem of their shaving issues, but their are still some serious stigmas that go with having facial hair in the US military, and I've NEVER seen a Soldier with a shaving profile that was in any leadership rank, leading me to believe that there are thousands of black military leaders out there suffering through serious issues with shaving daily and just sucking it up because of the stigma that surrounds it.

Any past or present American servicemembers out there, feel free to chime in if you think I'm off base, here, but this has been my experience.

Now, I presently have a coworker who is a civilian, served on active duty for 20 years, and is now working for the government. He still maintains a pretty strict military appearance, as could be expected, but spent nearly his entire life having troubles with shaving. He is unhappy that he has to grow it, but he wears a beard now just to take a break (after 20 years of daily shaving, who wouldn't!?) We've discussed my straight shaving hobby a few times, and he isn't willing to risk a cutthroat, but is it possible that the face prep and attention we give to detail and comfort in the wet shaving community could help him out? Not to get in anyone's business, but are there any members out there that have experienced this for themselves (dark skin, serious irritation from cartridges, marked improvement with wet shaving).

I think I could convince this gentlemen to give DEs a shot if you guys think it would help him. He's in his late 40s and is unlikely to invest in the kit and everything involved unless I can make a truthful and compelling argument that it'll help him out. I'd also, in the future, like to be able to offer the same type of advice to anyone else I meet with these issues.

DISCLAIMER: I'm aware that anything race related in a discussion forum like this should be approached in a sensitive and respectful manner. On my knowledge of black men having these issues, I am speaking from several years as a leader in the military and the knowledge of countless peers and coworkers. Please do not speculate on this topic unless you have actual experience, as I am legitimately looking to help the men that I work with that have these problems. I don't want to tell someone to spend 100 bucks on shaving kit when all I have to go on is "maybe." And if anyone takes any issue whatsoever with this post, for any reason at all, please message me and I will take it down.

Mapping the growth pattern and not shaving ATG, using a brush would all be of benefit to your co-worker without having to invest in anything other than a brush. The problem lies in the curliness of the facial hair. Shaving too close to the skin and the shaved ends tend to grow back under the skin causing irritation. Shaving every second day may also be beneficial even if not ideal.


Mick

I think I saw a thread by an African American talking about exactly that, maybe a search might help, locating the thread might be evidence enough for your case.

Edit, just did a search "african American" and a few threads came up

Interesting. A friend of mine is an officer with the Belgian Air Commandos and he has a distinctly 'non-shaven' look
He trims his scalp hair to 2 mm, and keeps his facial hair someting like that as well. From what he once told me, scalp hair is non negotiable (for men) but facial hair is condoned, even for officers. Technically, it is still against the rules, but there are 'Rules' and the are 'rules'.

Btw, I see no reason why this post should be taken down.
Genetics matter in some cases.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

I think I saw a thread by an African American talking about exactly that, maybe a search might help, locating the thread might be evidence enough for your case.

Edit, just did a search "african American" and a few threads came up

A better search term is "pseudofolliculitis" a quick scan of several posts there and WebMD... a single blade razor works best to minimize prevent the ingrown hairs so DE and straights are great choices as well as good prep and shaving with the grain.

and there are several racial groups prone to this affliction.

enjoy,
jim

Originally Posted by Bruno

Interesting. A friend of mine is an officer with the Belgian Air Commandos and he has a distinctly 'non-shaven' look
He trims his scalp hair to 2 mm, and keeps his facial hair someting like that as well. From what he once told me, scalp hair is non negotiable (for men) but facial hair is condoned, even for officers. Technically, it is still against the rules, but there are 'Rules' and the are 'rules'.

For us, being clean shaven is non-negotiable without the aforementioned "profile" allowing the most minimum of growth. Facial hair is simply not allowed. I've recently went rogue and grown my hair out to the maximum allowable length on top (sides must still be trimmed very close. most of us shave it), and I CONSTANTLY get comments from senior officers about whether or not it is within regulation.

Don't you have a DE you could lend him? My dad borrowed mine to see if it would work for him. It didn't, unfortunately, but now I'll just let someone else give it a go.

I don't want to steer this thread into a discussion on discrimination and symantics, but I genuinly regret that we have had (and still have) so much discrimination that we now get over-sensitive about how we call black people. I really don't give a crap and I wish everyone did. I've got friends from all over the world and I don't know any different

I have very curly hair and, of course, a very curly breard. I have dealt with ingrown hairs/red bumps my whole shaving life until I started DE wetshaving. This is what works for me:

I shave every day. One source of ingrown hairs is the hair grows, curls, makes a u-trun, presses on the skin and then grows back into the skin. Shave everyday to keep the whisker from growing and pressing on your skin. The benefit is you get to shave everyday!

Face lather every night before bed! The action of the brush helps lift the whiskers out of the skin. I do this every night as a pre-shave prep for the next morning. I use an inexpensive soap such as VDH deluxe or Clearly Natural. I follow this with a splash of witch hazel.

I Exclusively face lather. Again, the action of the brush lifts whiskers, making them easier to cut at the skin level.

Do not strectch the skin! I flatten certain areas, but never stretch. for me stretching leads to ingrown hairs and red bumps.

Pressure. This is where my opinion vastly differs from the majority and where YMMV! I use pressure. The razor should rest against the skin and be applied so as to cut the whisker, not tug it. It has to be a clean cut. No pressure results in the whisker being pulled and/or tugged. Carts cause ingrown hairs because they are dull, the first blade pulls the hair out, the second cuts the hair, and the whisker then recedes beneath the skin, only to become ingrown. It takes enough pressure so as to cut and not tug.

No south to north passes. 2 passes on the cheeks and 1 on the neck. this works for me. Again, YMMV.

Post shave treatment. Use witch hazel. I can now use splashes daily and balm once a week. Avoid Balms, as for some, they clog pores!

Sharp blades! Again, cut, not pull or tug!

Adjustable razors. I like adjustable razors as they can be opened to allow for cutting. Agressive razors and settings seem to work best. Fits in with my theory of cutting and not tugging.

Soaps and creams. Avoid anything that has lanolin. Use anything that is very, very slick. My issue has never been influenced by scent so I can use just about any fragrance, but stay away from anyting that burns your skin. It might help to use just one for right now. Proraso Sensitive Skin is a slick, non-irritating soap/cream. I use soft soaps, creams, melt and pour soaps, and tallow soaps without any problems. My experience is to cut the hair withour tugging to prevent historesis.

I hope this helps. Again, YMMV. After 29 years of cart shaving I found de shaving and a little over a week thereafter kissed my ingrowns and bumps goodbye!