razor bump/ingrown hair treatment, any suggestions?

Hello all,

im having a tough time finding a thread about this topic, so i figured i should start one. i am prone to some ingrown hairs, and razor bumps, mainly on my neck area. this is not an uncommon thing from what i read on this site. i can DRASTICALLY cut down on the issue with improved shaving technique, which i think i will continue to be able to do as i get better. however what im interested in finding out is, are there any razor bump/ingrown hair treatments/products that really work?

Here are a few products ive heard of, any critiques on these products or any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

1) Baxter of California Razor Bump Relief Baxter of California Razor Bump Relief 1oz Gel at Smallflower.com: Men
- this seems to be the most promising from what i am reading. however it is sold out almost everywhere! i contacted the smallflower.com staff (AKA Merz Apothecary in Chicago) and they said Baxter is having production problems.

2) Barc Razor Bump Relief Bump Down Barc Razor Bump Relief Bump Down 3.4oz Lotion at Smallflower.com: Men

3) Kiehls Ultimate Man Razor Bump Relief - Kiehl's Since 1851

4) Bump Patrol

Thanks for any input anyone can provide.

James

James:
I am not sure if any of these products help. Before spending the money, work on your shaving process:
1. Spend extra time on your preparation.
2. Keep your razor sharp.
3. Avoid shaving against the grain.
Try these steps first. They might help, but it will not happen overnight.

those are all good tips and things i have been working on/incorporating more into my shave. i do agree with you, shave technique and skill(which i have alot more i still need to gain)is what will ultimately reduce razor bumps, irritation, and ingrown hairs. but i was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts about these types of products and if they actually worked for anyone.

thanks again

The knowledge shared by Obie is fantastic and ultimately what you want to strive for hands down.
Years Years back I was dealing with the same issue to one extent or another.

As far as product for those days where it's needed I found the Art of Shaving ingrown hair paste works fairly well overnight but of course there is no miracle cream, I do not know if they have changed it as I have not had a need for quite some time but the formula i used i was quite happy with.

Figured i'd give you my two cents incase it may help you.

As some have given you some tips on better technique, I would say go with that first.
But if all else fails, my no. 1 ingrown hair cream is Art of Shaving's Ingrown Hair Night Cream, which is unbeatable in my opinion. I've used them all and only this one works. If only it were more readily available here in the UK :(

I am in a similar position to OP; Just starting out with a straight and getting badly irritated sometimes. I have noticed that as I have become accustomed to the razor, the irritation has decreased, I can only assume that's because of improving technique, but who knows really. I think I have been more comfortable with a shallower angle to the skin, I feel like I was almost perpendicular to skin for some parts of my early shaves. The thing is, it's going to take a lot more time to improve technique, as I have gathered from you old-timers, technique can always improve.

So the point is I think specific products or routines are important, especially for new guys, because technique can only be improved with time, but products can help now.

So the following report of my experimentation with decreasing irritation is stated atop the premises that; razor is shave-sharp and stropped, the rate limiting step is the tacit acquisition of the skill of shaving rather than some explicit mistake (like my mis-angling of the razor early in my practice).

I started with the requisite over-enthusiasm and general enjoyment of buying-stuff, so had way too many variable from my very first shave.

Starting point -

Dovo best quality - shave-ready from Invisible Edge
Vulfix super badger brush
Taylors Jermyn st cream
Proraso sensitive pre-shave
Thayers original
Nivea sensitive balm

My result after about 10 shaves: progressive worsening of redness. Serious blotchiness around the mouth and bad razor bumps along the right jaw-line in particular. I therefore decided to start an exclusion study.

The findings:

1) Nivea sensitive ASB is not really for sensitive skin - in fact it was the worst culprit, at first I found it soothing and cooling, but once my face was irritated this is what would really set the redness off. The caveat for the generalizability of this finding is that my reaction was so pronounced and immediate, that I think in the course of my use of this ASB over 2 weeks I might have developed an hypersensitivity to one of the ingredients. The thing is, the bastard has so many ingredients, including fragrances which are common allergens, that I think this outcome is more likely than not for a lot of guys with dry sensitive faces.

2) TOBS Jermyn Street is nowhere near as good as T&H Ultimate Comfort - at least for my face - but also feels much thicker in the bowl and seemed to give better glide.

3) Avene sensitive skin ASB is good for daily use, it is unscented, and it is potently anti-bacterial, which I think is DOUBLY IMPORTANT FOR NEWBS, who are more likely to inflict micro-cuts and micro-abrasions on themselves in the course of bad shaving technique.

4) Not much to separate Alum from Thayers Original as an astringent, but because I wanted to limit the variables, I have switched to alum. Alum can't really cause a hypersensitivity rash, and it is very soothing at the same time as being haemostatic and anti-septic. I am sure the Thayers was not the cause of my rash, but it also wasn't really improving the situation.

5) The Cool Fix (by Anthony Shave Works) was really good for my worst days - some days I felt and looked like I had just scraped my face off with a wire brush. I put this stuff on, which is light and doesn't look or feel sticky in the morning and at night. Especially at night I could go to bed red, and wake up looking completely normal.

6) I also considered the possibility that I might be allergic to badger hair. But there was no obvious benefit to hand lathering on my face (of course any advantage I gained from decreased mild badger-caused irritation I might have lost to the inferior lubricating properties of my hand lathering).

So now I am not really getting noticeable irritation and my routine is as follows:

Strop
Shower
Proraso pre-shave
T&H ultra comfort cream
Single WTG pass in all areas
Cold water rinse
Alum
Avene sensitive skin ASB

And possibly the addition of slightly better technique.

As with everything YMMV, but I think the point is technique is a bit of a fixed variable early-on, and there are so many different bloody chemicals going onto your face, some of which can help, some of which can hinder. It's important to exclude some and include others until you're reasonably armed with circumstantial evidence for and against certain elements of your pre-post-shave.

That's my extremely long $0.02

All great suggestions here.
As one who suffers from ingrowns, and one who needs to shave against the grain to get a close shave, I found that good pre-shave oils and creams (Proraso) help with prepping the beard and making for a smooth shave with DEs (still trying to figure out the straights).
Also, I do have some razor bump lotion that I apply every now and again, only when needed. It works like a champ if you can stand the strong tea tree smell. No harmful ingredients and it's easy on the skin.

Amazon.com: Organic Root Stimulator Tea Tree Anti Bump Lotion: Health & Personal Care

Anthony Logistics ingrown hair treatment, worked well for me during my cheap disposable days, and doesn't burn or smell as bad as the others you mentioned. It's kind of a gel/liquid with glycolic acid...check it out you can google it and find a ton of places that sell it.

Simple solution: Bump Stoppers from Wal-Mart. It's an excellent remedy for razor burn and ingrown hairs. Just put it on liberally at night and the next morning you'll see DRAMATIC results.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obie

James:
I am not sure if any of these products help. Before spending the money, work on your shaving process:
1. Spend extra time on your preparation.
2. Keep your razor sharp.
3. Avoid shaving against the grain.
Try these steps first. They might help, but it will not happen overnight.

---

You are right on with those recommendations, Obie.

I will get ingrown hairs if my razor is the slightest bit dull. The other steps are really important too, but the sharp razor is the most, IME.

Also, I have read about some guys having good luck using toothbrush bristles and lightly rubbing them on the skin area where the ingrown hair is to try and slightly dislodge the hair from the skin.

my problem is there are some parts of my face that cannot be done without going ATG. So I compromise and only do one pass in those areas. If I do more I will get the razor bumps. It is most common in the goatee area.

I got an ingrown hair recently from shaving with a straight razor that was a bit too dull while going against the grain on my neck, near my goatee. My solution is definitely "you might be a redneck" joke fodder but I had my Fiance use a cotton swab covered in hydrogen peroxide pushed hard onto the spot till it gave up its secrets so to speak then pulled the offending hair out with tweezers. Healed up just fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steelstubble

I got an ingrown hair recently from shaving with a straight razor that was a bit too dull while going against the grain on my neck, near my goatee. My solution is definitely "you might be a redneck" joke fodder but I had my Fiance use a cotton swab covered in hydrogen peroxide pushed hard onto the spot till it gave up its secrets so to speak then pulled the offending hair out with tweezers. Healed up just fine.

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IMHO when you shave ATG you're at greater risk of getting them. Not guaranteed to get them, just at greater risk.

Like me, I simply want my razor to be so sharp that you can smell it. Otherwise, I just get ingrown hairs. And lots of them. Unfortunately that's life if you have a tough/thick beard and dry skin...

Your blade should be sharp enough that you shave the hairs while trying only to scrape away the lather. If you need to use any more pressure to remove the hairs, well, you're pressing too hard. Don't know it that will lead to ingrowns but it is the road to rash for sure.