Thread: neck hurts

In the summer is when I get "razor burn" (maybe). In the summer about 2 or 3pm when something runs across my neck or under the chin (maybe a shirt, a glove, a sweat rag wiping away some sweat). It hurts like its covered in ingrown hairs, but there's no bumps redness or anything. Even before using a straight. I haven't experienced my first summer straight shaving. I just began that back in january. Any advice on this would be awesome. I figure before it really was razorburn, but I don't like it and would like to prevent if possible

Generally burn or irritation is a result of too much pressure and/or too steep a blade angle. Trying to get too smooth with one pass, or maybe too many passes. See if any of that applies, and if it does you can change your routine, and see if it gets any better for you.

Well like I said this will be my first summer straight shavng so I'm looking forward to it. I've had about 25shaves or more and no cuts or burn. Its just been an awesome experince and really wished I would have picked this up as a teen instead of late 20s lol. I can't believe people quit doing this.

You should also make sure that you're stretching the skin on your neck really well when you shave it. Lack of good stretching is just as bad as using too much pressure, IMO.

This is my experience that seems to go against certain practices...:

I found two things that can cause me the same thing on my neck:

1. when the edge is not-so-good after one or two pass. By the time I go ATG, I have already done one or two passes, only stropping BEFORE the shave. (I mean in the past I did it this way) BUT I checked the edge with HHT after every pass and found that the edge - after one pass gets rough. Still sharp, but not smooth. Now I strop between passes too.

2. stretching with making faces, by moving my head or using face muscles. Especially on my neck, it is no good at all if I stretch my skin on the neck by raising my chin up. Now instead I deliberately lower my chin so making my skin extremely relaxed and instead of "stretching the skin" I only "stop the skin from puckering" (I wonder if this is the right word... :-). So I place my fingers firmly onto my skin just under the point that I am shaving and hold the skin in place. Is it clear...?

So in a way I do stretch the skin... No, the razor does stretch the skin when it grabs into the whiskers, I just hold the skin in place. The point is that this "hurting of the neck" lessened with a noticeable degree since I go ATG this way.

And very importantly I apply this practice to all of my face. I keep it as relaxed as I can and let the razor stretch my skin. I just hold it firmly. The difference is night and day.

On a side note... I once had a leg massage. I like running and with my mates we decided to try a massage just to relax the good old legs. My body overall is rather hairy, the legs too. This massage guy used some body lotion to lubricate, but apparently it was not enough, or not the appropriate one because after the massage both of my legs hurt so much for a couple of days that I almost couldn't get into my trousers, because my hair hurt on the legs. Every single one of them.

I suppose the rubbing ATG during the massage made the base of the hairs inflamed and I guess the same thing happens to a smaller extent while shaving: if the edge is not smoot, it drags and makes the base of the hairs hurt. You can't see it, just feel it.

Cheers

Originally Posted by ontariocutleryjeremy

In the summer is when I get "razor burn" (maybe). In the summer about 2 or 3pm when something runs across my neck or under the chin (maybe a shirt, a glove, a sweat rag wiping away some sweat). It hurts like its covered in ingrown hairs, but there's no bumps redness or anything. Even before using a straight. I haven't experienced my first summer straight shaving. I just began that back in january. Any advice on this would be awesome. I figure before it really was razorburn, but I don't like it and would like to prevent if possible

You say this has been happening for many summers?

Do you typically wear a shirt and tie for work?

An aftershave with alcohol in it will help a lot. It will clean, and help heal your skin. Along with closing your pours to seal in moisture.

Also. I don't know where you live. But in the summer here it is much more moist. Which actually will help with the burn as it keeps your face more moist. It also causes you to perspire which will help as well!