When I shave I usually get razor burn that lasts through the next day. What causes this and is there any relief for it? Since the burning lasts through the next day I can't even shave the next day.
Thanks!
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When I shave I usually get razor burn that lasts through the next day. What causes this and is there any relief for it? Since the burning lasts through the next day I can't even shave the next day.
Thanks!
Razor burn is a result of damage to the skin, almost always caused by applying too much pressure with the blade. Razor burn is nature's way of saying "Back off!"
+1 to Ace. I had the same problem until I started letting the razor do the work instead of forcing it.:aargh::tameshigiri:
i am on my 2nd day of razor burn.. thanks to you for asking this so i didn't have to....lol....
i have found if i use some face cream my wife has from mary kay... that it helps it feel better.... don't remember the name of it tho...
For sure - too much pressure, and (but not always) coupled with the wrong blade angle for the pass the is being made. You really want to use the lightest touch possible that still gets the job done. If you play guitar, you will see beginners have a choke hold on the neck trying to force the string down. When you see an experienced player, he barlely touches the string and only uses enough pressure to get the string to contact the fret. This is what you need sto strive for relative to pressure.
Now blade angle is another matter. The way I learned the correct angle was to lay the blade almost flat and lift slightly as I moved into the stroke, gauging what felt like pulling or abrading the skin.
I use Nivea Replenishing Balm and it was a real lifesaver when I started.
Good luck and practice! :)
Not much to add. The worse you damage your skin the more burn you get and if you don't give it time to heal it becomes cumulative and you will be in a bad way. So just give it a few days until the burn is gone.
Razor burn that lasts thru to the next day is professional level razor burn. None of this "it'll be fine in an hour with some moisturiser" crap. A fine skill to master!
I too suffered with bad razor burn in the beginning. I still do on occasion but nearly as often nor as bad.
I got some Tend Skin over the 'net and some Sensitive Skin ASB (I think the first one was Gillette). But found anything with Alcohol didn't help. Then I discovered Witch Hazel based products like Ogallala Bay Rum After Shave. Getting away from anything alcohol helped.
Taking a day or two off to let it heal is a wonder too! Your face will come back if you keep it treated, regardless of whether you shaved today or not. After you wash it, treat it up with a Toner. I washed my face 2 or 3 times a day until the burn was well healed. That seemed to make it feel a lot better too.
Good luck, practice is the key. Remember the 3 important razor rules: Prep, Pressure and Angle.
Best!!
M
FWIW --
If you follow the sequence:
. . . Shower;
. . . Lather;
. . . Shave
try this:
. . . In the shower, rub a little hair conditioner into your beard. Don't rinse it off, and don't dry your face before applying lather over the conditioner.
That might help alleviate the razor burn.
I've also used oil (almond oil works OK) as a pre-shave. The hair conditioner is less messy.
What everyone says about "no pressure" is also true.
Charles
Had the same problem as a noob. Ocean Potion Ice, although not purpose built (it's a sunburn treatment) is aloe vera, with a blue mentholy kind of thing happening. This stuff will absolutely put a Chuck Norris beatdown on the worst razor burn known to man. You can get it for a couple bucks at most any drug store (I get mine at Walgreens). It looks like this:
http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/v...nPotionIce.jpg
Going over the same spot over and over doesn't help much either. I know when I started I had tue exact same issue. I had and sometimes still have problems around the chin, and repeated passes over that particular spot can lead to razor burn. I find that corn huskers lotion or udder cream work wonders after some witch hazel. Razor burn is one of those things however that the treatment is different to everyone, best of luck.
After I shave I grab an ice cube and freeze my face. I started doing that after I got a real bad sunburn from being out on the water and fishing all day. After fishing we went to a nearby cold springs and I froze in the water for an hour. When I got out I my sunburn pain was gone.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the other major cause of razor burn - shaving with a dull or less than optimum edge. That holds true with a straight, DE, cartridge, whatever. It doesn't matter if your touch is light as a feather, if your blade is no good you will get irritation.
The key to treating razor burn is to prevent it in the first place. You are either using a dull blade (usually the cause), to much angle on the blade when you shave or to much pressure. Angle is the easiest to correct. You should not have more than two spine widths of air under the spine of the razor, often less than that. It will vary by blade but I find 1 to 1.5 times the thickness of the spine gets me the right angle. Razor sharpness is another big, biggest IMHO, culprit of razor burn. A dull or not honed to a high enough finishing grit will leave you with microscopic serrations that will scrape skin not glide over it. The only fix for that is a good quality honing. The blade should pop the hair on your arm if you pass the blade through it. Dont touch skin, just glide it through the lofted hair. If you feel it cutting the hair it is not sharp enough, if it pulls the hair or does not cut it at all, it is way dull. Good shaving soap can help minimise the effect by providing a cushion for the blade and reducing the surface tension of the blade on skin but about any shaving soap is adequate. Almost forgot, make sure you are stretching the skin, if your face is not taunt, the blade will also drag and irritate it.
i got a weird solution, i ahd the same problem i got razor burn so bad(cuz i had my angel wrong, and i have sentive skin) it was red, and hurt like hell. So i looked at pre shave oils, but there pretty expensive, so i thought why not use mineral oil, so i did the oil protects your skin, and give you lube, don't use to much or it will mess up your lather. I hear you can use Olive oil, but i think you might be at risk for acne. and after your done with the same use hand soap and get all the oil off and put your after shave on,and you should be all good. Also make sure you not putting a lot of pressure on the razor, and you have a proper angel on your razor. WTG-30 XTG-15 ATG-5 degrees, this is what works best for me
Razor burn may be a combination of things:
1) improper shaving equipment & blade
2) improper shaving technique (pressing too hard on skin, angle of blade not right)
3) shave cream is not lubricating your skin enough (time to get a new one!)
4) aftershave balm is not healing and moisturizing your skin post-shave (time to get a more effective after shave balm)
5) maybe try a pre shave oil or serum
I rely on the Nivea as well on those bad shaving days. When I was using the disposables and cartridges, my face was pretty much chapped all the time. Back then I used good ol' Avon Moisture Cream. I would put it on instead of an aftershave, re-apply before going to bed, and the next morning the face was as good as new.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alembic
I might add that I started this retro shaving journey because of my dissatisfaction with the stuff you see at a typical Wal Mart shaving aisle today.
as others have said, too much pressure