Thread: Slow Healing Skin

Hi everybody,

I don't shave very often (3 times per week at best) and it looks like the irritation spots just carry over from one shave to another. I recently hadn't shaved for a full week and I was still seeing an irritation spot that I gotten 2 weeks ago. And I was seeing it BEFORE I shaved.

So I'm concluding that I my skin is just healing slowly.

I use the Nivea Sensitive aftershave balm and will occasionally put some skin lotion based on Aloe Vera.

Anybody else have a similar problem? What can I do to accelerate this healing process? Is purchasing a better AS the solution, or is a daily investment in skin care necessary?

Have you tried plain old Witch Hazel? Cools, soothes and no burn.

Not yet. Any good-yet-cheap brand you recommend?

Actually I pick it up at a Dollar Tree. Cheaper than CVS Drugs.

Once the horse is out of the barn door it's too late to talk about stopping it.

Your issue isn't to repair it's to prevent. You need to find out what is causing your issue and deal with it. Is it your shave technique or some product you are using? The fact you are getting these skin issues says it all and that's what you need to address.

A skin care program is never a bad idea. The better half of the population uses one; they wouldn't continue to do so if it hadn't a benefit. Like most good things for you, you get most of the benefits with the initial cost and effort.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Your issue isn't to repair it's to prevent. You need to find out what is causing your issue and deal with it. Is it your shave technique or some product you are using? The fact you are getting these skin issues says it all and that's what you need to address.

I've been having irritation issues with every piece of software I tried, so I'm inclined to think that my technique is to blame, especially my heavy hand.

As a quick update, I didn't find witch hazel at Dollar Tree, but did find it in pharmacy, but not near shaving stuff... I was with the peroxide and similar bottles. Sobeys also carries Thayer's in the natural products section.

Does it make sense to use witch hazel every day, even if I don't shave?

Can't offer any advice on post shave irritation cures other than what has already been mentioned such as witch hazel or a balm like Nivea.

I think you should work more on the prevention angle. As has been said before, proper angle and weight on the blade are critical in preventing irritation.

Try placing the head of the DE flat on your face with the handle parallel to the floor. Lower the handle till you just start to feel the blade on your skin. That should get you the angle you need with that particular razor. That should be enough to cut the stubble. If you lower the handle more you start scraping the stubble off more than cutting them off. You have to try and maintain that angle are all the curves on your face because unlike a cartridge razor a DE does not have a pivoting head to compensate around the curves.

For weight on the blade try using just the weight of the razor and use the handle to guide the razor around your face without applying pressure.

I never really got the idea of what not pressure meant until I started to learn shaving with a straight razor. After getting decently proficient with a straight razor I found I could shave comfortably with my Gillette Fat Boy set @ 9. Before that it was only possible to use a setting of 4.

Shaving is gradually reducing the stubble with each pace. If you try and remove it all in one pass you are begging for trouble.

Don't forget a proper lather is also very important to the quality of the shave.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Bob