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Today, I was talking to one of my buddies. After I told him that I wanted to purchase a Merkur, he went on to tell me that those type of razors aren't for black folks because we would get bumps.
Does he have a point?
I told him that they don't sell razors according to race. We use the same over the counter razors without getting bumps.
Any thoughts?
Yer, that's bull IMO.
I remember some guys in the Navy who used this awful smelling paste and then used a butter knife to scrape off their whiskers so that they would avoid those bumps.Quote:
Originally Posted by inquisitive
I say if you don't get the bumps normally you wont get them with a merkur...but what do I know? I never got shaving bumps and am not black.
The general opinion is that the worst razors for causing razor bumps are multi-bladed cartridges.
DEs (Double-Edge razors) such as the Merkur are better. Especially since it is easy to "tune" the closeness of the shave. Shaving so close that the cut hair tip is below the skin surface is what causes razor bumps. DE razors work by a process of stubble elimination. First pass gets rid of the bulk. Next gets closer, and so on. Changing direction each time gives further control.
A 5-blade cartridge on the other hand takes away your choice. Wherever you shave you just did 5 passes worth of shaving. Some hairs will get cut real short and can cause bumps.
If you use a DE and avoid against the grain passes you are unlikely to get bumps.
I have heard many times (including from at least one dermatologist) that DEs are the best way to avoid razor bumps for people of color. Of course, individual experience can vary, but I'd say you're probably ok with a Merkur.
Keep in mind, though, that it might take a couple of weeks before you're really used to it--and those first couple of weeks can be rough for some people.
NO! any razor that is not a straight razor will give you the worst bumps ever!!! :p Just kidding... :) The DE is a fantastic leap in shave confort. Forget about the myths... if you don't get bumps anyway, you'll get even less with a DE. I could, however be wrong... but it would be a strange thing, a DE giving a worse shave than a cartridge razor.
But since you're here... can we interest you in the fine art of straight razor shaving? ;)
Welcome aboard our own freaky little world! ;) SRP is the best!
Using a single-blade razor is a great way to
avoid in-grown hairs. Stiffer blades such as
a straight, injector, or even a Bic sensitive
will be even better than a DE. Always shave
with the grain only, using no pressure.
I'm not sure about shaving `bumps' in the
general sense, but combating in-growns is
as simple as not shaving the hair below the
surface of the skin.
- Scott
I am not a person of color, but I believe that if a blade does not cut the hair beneath the skin it should not create a bump. When I was in the Army I always felt sorry for you guys and the things you had to do to avoid the bumps. Bumps arent fun in the least. Give it a try, if it works, great, if it dont, drop it like a hot rock. God bless and good luck!
I suffer from ingrowns if i'm not ridiculously careful. I went from a vintage Gillette to a Merkur Futur & found i got far more ingrowns with the Merkur. After lots of experimenting i found that two passes on an aggressive setting got the best results, rather than more on a gentler one.
Inquisitive;
I, too, have suffered a bit from ingrown hairs and razor bumps.
My dermatoligist once told me that black people on the average tend to suffer a bit more from these problems because their hair/whiskers have more curl which makes it slightly more likely that the cut off whiskers will dive into or below the skin line rather than growing out as one would wish.
His advice to me (and for others who suffer these problems) is to try NOT to shave terribly close to the skin, but rather to go for the slightly rough 'Don Johnson look' (à la Miami Vice).
That sounds about right. I can't go for BBS. It's just not worth it when i have to dig the damn things out for two weeks after. I go pretty close, but you can feel the scratchiness ATG.
Merkur DE blades I have found to be horribly rough feeling when shaving with them. I would not recommend them to anyone, of any color!
I'm not overly fond of their blades either. I tend to stick to the feathers. Not that it gets used much these days.
A good friend of mine is black and he always complained of this. I think he just used a regular razor.
I think the problem that is being overlooked here is the wireyness and tight curl of the hair that a black man has. I would think and I do not know that the tight curl of the hair is a real problem in ingrown hairs as the hair is already doubling back on itself.
I would agree with the advice of WTG only and no pressure and the use of a Schick or straight. A Rolls may be better.
FWIW
I'm not a PoC, but I have very thick hair.
Cartridge gave me bad razor burn. When I switched to a DE, I stopped getting the razor burn, but definitely had more problems with ingrowns (which is the bumps). I imagine that if my hair was thicker, then razor burn would've been preferable. So there definitely is some legitimacy to the idea. Straights give me fewer ingrowns, but I still get them on occasion.
There are bump guard and bump control razors (marketed to PoC) which keep the razor off the skin, so, yeah, there's definitely something to what your friend said.
It's not the razor, bumps effect everyone from time to time. Generally speaking it's said that most Black men experience ingrown hairs after shaving which leads to razor bumps. Bumps are a consequence of the curly hair growing back and stabbing the skin causing minor infection and skin irritation. The key to avoid razor bumps is to shave with the grain not against it. Good idea to shower before shaving that way the skin is very soft and open for a close easy shave. Afterwards use cool water to rinse and close the pores in your face. A nice skin tightening and moisturizing after shave also helps. I hear using products with shea butter (like Pre De Provence) are really good because shea butter holds skin healing properties in it :gl:
ignatz
"His advice to me (and for others who suffer these problems) is to try NOT to shave terribly close to the skin, but rather to go for the slightly rough 'Don Johnson look' (à la Miami Vice)."
Funny!:roflmao
Quote:
Originally Posted by inquisitive
I was extremely prone to pseudofolliculitis barbae when I was in the Army and I shaved with a two blade disposable. This was when they first came out. I have scars on both sides of my neck from it. I started shaving with a straight razor and never had the problem again until I got really smart and went backwards and tried a triple blade disposable razor. So - back to the straight razor again - once again, no recurrence of the problem.
The explanation is simple and actually advertised by Gillette. The first blade cuts off the hair after pulling it out. Then comes the second blade and cuts it even shorter after pulling it out even further and cuts it at a more acute angle. If you are using a triple blade disposable the process just continues with the third blade pulling it out even further and cutting it an even more acute angle. After all the blades have passed sometimes you end up with a very pointed little hair that snaps back into the follicle. When it starts to grow it curls up under the skin and becomes infected. Like I said I have never had this problem when shaving with a straight razor because the straight razor cuts it off flush with the skin after only pulling it out a little.
People like myself who have fairly sensitive skin and a beard like the hair on a baby elephant are very prone to this problem. Even a double edge razor is an improvement in avoiding this problem - but a straight razor rules!
:D
they do make special shaving creams and powders for black people, i dunno if razor style makes any difference, but there skin is different.
I'm wiating for inquisitive to report back and tell us how it goes. I know that it is night and day for me with irritation between the multi blade and the straight, and no noticeable smoothness difference. in fact, the smoothness of my upper lip the last two days has me fascinated, I think I'm developing a bad habit of rubbing my lip with the back of my finger now just to enjoy the smoothness. :)
Red
I have exclusively used straight razors for over one year now. I intend to shave with them until I can't safely hold one anymore. They suit my skin just fine.
Had I known about this option thirty years ago when I first started shaving regularly, I would have used nothing else, and saved myself many razor bumps and bad shaves.
This is what I found too. Merkur Razors are FINE but their blades are completely crappy imo. I would at least use a Derby blade or a Feather with a Merkur.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
I guess You are confusing the chemical creamsQuote:
Originally Posted by The0ctopus
but they DO NOT need any type of blades
You simply scrape the hair with a spatula after "chemical corrosion" hehehehehehe of the hair
I keep seeing "magic shaving powder" on ebay, a depilatory for black men, though it's often marketed for hair removal from a more <cough> personal area.Quote:
Originally Posted by The0ctopus
Not sure I'd want it on my face or further South, but if I suffered from bumps I might read up on it.
I've mentioned a couple of times in the past that I grew up in an interracial family. So, I'm white, but I've got several black siblings. (Long story)
Many shaving products are marketed, as you can see from the examples other people have mentioned, to particular races. One of my brothers uses the complete "Bump-Stop Shaving System," which is a line of disposable razors, pre-shave, shaving creme and post-shave products which all carry the slogan, "The Bump Stop Shaving System, for the way a black man shaves!"
The truth is that while we may all be the same in terms of intelligence, and potential, and rights and all sorts of other things, we are VERY different on a lot of biological matters, especially superficial ones like hair growth.
I could spend an hour listing examples, but it's not worth the trouble.
Look at German, Irish, Japanese, African, and Native American beards, and you'll find 5 completely different beards. Certainly, there are white people with dense beard hair that grows in tight curls causing chronic ingrown hairs, but it's relatively rare for most western european races, and very common for people of african decent.
As far as a DE being wrong for a black man, that sounds like nonsense. It seems a no-brainer to me that a DE would be vastly superior to a cartridge, and a straight would be better still, although you'd want to avoid ever shaving ATG, regardless of what kind of razor you use.
I am about to give straight's a try. I've invested in a razor which is being honed by one of the site's members, a strop and a basic brush and creme. I'm just wondering what to expect in terms of hair bumps.
I'm mixed race and definitely inherited the propensity for hair bumps from the Black side of my family. On the one or two occasions I've tried shaving against the grain I enjoyed a wonderfully smooth shave for a few hours following which my cheeks erupted into sheets of small irritated papules which lasted for days.
I'm also a firefighter/paramedic and our standards demand that I start every shift with a close shave. My compromise has been a single pass WTG with a cartridge.
I'm wondering what the OP's experience has been. Has the DE worked out in terms of hair bumps? Any tips. Should I restrict myself to WTG? Do I just have to surrender the BBS shave I've been dreaming about for the last few weeks? I'd be particularly interested to hear from any Black men who have found success with straights or DEs, but of course I'd love to hear from anyone who has something to share. No restrictions here.
P.S. this forum has become addictive, and I haven't even begun using the razor
Welcome to the party! I can't speak to the racial propensity for ingrowns/bumps, but I can say that in general Cartridges are the worst for for all kinds of skin problems (many very thin blades=lots of opportunity for damage to the skin). DEs are better than cartridges (one very thin blade, used with skill, less chance for damage) and straights are (paradoxically) the least damaging to your skin, except for the occasional gash. There is a very steep learning curve with straights, and with DEs surprisingly enough, but once you get over the initial hump you'll probably be much better off.Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
I used to shave with an electric, and my neck would be red and raw afterward--it's very sensitive. I switched to a DE and the shaves were much smoother, but there was still some rawness on my neck. I switched to a Straight, and voila--smooth, clean, and COMFORTABLE shaves. And it doesn't really take any longer than the electric.
My co-worker is African-American and uses a Merkur. I offered him a Big Ben and a Feather blade and he enjoyed it. He never once mentioned any problems with ingrown hairs except for when he was younger (around 30) and tried using straights. He said the straight for him and him alone would cause ingrown hairs, and disliked the "raw" feeling.
IMO, use what you find comfortable. Just remember, if you cut yourself the edge doesn't give a flying poop what color anyone is.
However, I can see the point of how a wired and curled beard may cause ingrown hairs if shaved too close. Makes sense to me.
I never heard of specific razors being for blacks or whites. Give it a shot and see if it's for you.