DE shaving every day, after a year and a half still getting irritation

Hi guys,

I'm really hoping I can completely get away from cartridge type razors, both for fun and for financial and environmental reasons. I've got three razors, a Tech, SS, and a Lord L6.

I like them with a Feather blade, and find them all nice and smooth, with my favorite being the Tech. The other two tied for different reasons.

The two things I'm still struggling with after a long time, it irritation on my neck, and a slight skin change on my cheeks after a few months of daily shaving. My skin almost starts to look leathery, and it tends to go away when I go back to a Trac II.

I still get some burn on my neck, and some weird bumps near my adams apple. I've mapped out my hair growth, and although its all over the place on my neck, I think Iv'e got a good technique to beat it.

Any thoughts, why I'm still struggling? I usually hot shower, or at least wash my face in the morning. After wards its a hot rinse, Alum block, cold rinse, and a Real shaving company aftershave balm, or a Leather brand aftershave my folks got me. I smell slightly Grandpa-ish as my wife puts it, but it seems ok. Should I be looking for a better anti-irritation balm? The thing is, I have great daily shaves with a trac II and dont need any special aftershaves.

Please help..... I'm about to go back to plastic hell.

Thanks,

Ryan

I have the same problem too. I was using the Merkur Futur with assorted blades and still ended up with razor bumps or irritation on my neck.

I chalk it up to very sensitive skin.

When I switched to a straight, my skin has never felt better and I have no bumps or irritation after a few shaves (old bumps needed time to leave).

I'll never go back to a cartridge, I do like the DE's though, so I'll probably use my Futur once in a while. I actually gave that to my woman for her legs an she loves it (at least it isn't going to waste lol).

I would also try some different post shave products, would you want to get intimate with your grandma? Also you mention your post product, but not what you lather up with.

Have you tried something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Proraso-Razor-...844559&sr=8-16

Ryan,

I have a feeling you're still trying to use the double edge as if it were the multi-blade cartridge. Some of the important things to remember about DE shaving are: zero pressure and limiting the number of strokes over the same spot. These can easily contribute to razor burn.

Also, I suggest avoiding passes against the grain, especially on the neck. The bumps are probably the result of that. Stay with the grain on your neck. Your shave might not be perfect, but at least you will have less irritation.

You might need to try another razor. Try an Edwin Jagger 89 barley. It's a silky shaver, and that might help you.

Finally, I don't know your preparation for your shave. See if you can work on that. Get yourself a bottle of Castle Forbes pre-shave. It might help you.

Oh, as for leather aftershaves, try Spanish Leather by either Geo F Trumper or Truefitt & Hill.

Thanks very much guys, I appreciate it. I just love the simplicity of the DE, and want it to work. Obie, I'll look into that, and might still razor shop.....although with the way I've been smelling, my wife might really get upset. I might try a preshave as well. My neck hair is really all over the place, so its tough to do a with the grain pass.

Thanks again fellas.

++1 on my good friend Obie's advice. Light pressure--and shave WTG, not ATG, doing no more than 2 passes over the same spot.

If you are using a Futur razor and have it advanced to a high level, dial it down to a medium or mild setting. In my experience, Merkur razors tend to be more aggressive than other de razors.

The closeness of your shave may suffer a bit, but not by much.

Thanks guys, I picked up some Proraso preshave at lunch, and some nivea after shave for sensitive skin. Who knew I was so sensitive?

Ryan

I have some of the same experience thought I have not shaved as long as you have. Once I switched to BlueBeards Revenge shave cream, and aftershave balm my neck really calmed down. I also started using much less pressure and smaller strokes. For me anytime that I tried to get really close neck shave even with the cartridges i would get some irritation. The shave cream made a huge difference for me, and it does not have a strong smell so you can still use your aftershave. Also I quit using the alum block. It was too ittitating for me. Good Luck

You might try some other blades however my money is on technique. I guess either pressure or angle is the culprit, maybe both.

you might be using too much pressure like when using the cartridge shavers...I'm really just echoing many of the replies here but...between the "same pressure" thing, maybe trying some different blades and maybe re-evaluating some pre or post shave treatments there are at least three variables to work out...

Hi guys,

As a quick recap. I went back to shave school, and had a couple of shaves recently. I think maybe because of my blind determination to make this work, I went to extremes. I started by almost letting the blade pass over my face without touching it, then slowly got closer until I just barely made contact with my beard. That is really ALL it takes. It works. I find my irritation dropped way down, and I'm now able to do a two pass without any redness. I still have a tough spot on my neck where my hair is all over the place, but otherwise, its a shave I can barely feel. Anyway, as long as my irriation goes down from teh previous wrestling matches, I'm set for a life of DE shaving.

Thanks for the help.

I just bought some AOS pre-shave oil. That stuff helps reduce the friction forum the blade A LOT. It made my shave SO much better.

Since I don't use alum (except in a styptic pencil when I have a cut):

. . . Why do you use alum?

With a sensitive skin, I'd think that the fewer products you put on it, the better.

If I were having problems with razor burn or other irritation, I'd try two things first:
.
. . . . less pressure -- you've found that works;

. . . . an oil-based pre-shave to reduce friction.

and I'd reduce the post-shave treatments as much as possible. Maybe a balm, but nothing with alcohol in it.

AOS pre-shave oil is probably pricey. Now that you know it works, almond oil or walnut oil (check the supermarket) might work just as well.

Charles

Not sure what happened to my post. but,

thanks guys, I'm using Proraso preshave. Its fairly inexpensive, and should last a long time.

I also found with my less agressive approach, I can use a milder blade than the feathers.

Thanks again. I'll repost again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryan2022

I still get some burn on my neck, and some weird bumps near my adams apple. I've mapped out my hair growth, and although its all over the place on my neck, I think Iv'e got a good technique to beat it.

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The redness and bumps might be folliculitus. The cause of folliculitus could be from any number of factors. I am struggling with it right now, very unsightly. It really did not appear until I grew out a beard for six months and then shaved it. I switched to straights to try and help with it. There are home remedies and doctor fixes. Of course, this might not be your issue but thought I would chime in.

Before i developed a good routine which i knew would not give me any irritation i had a lot of trial and error to figure out what things i was doing were causing the irritation on my neck. I used to get really bad irritation on the neck area because the hair grows in different directions. But now i have figured out what i was doing wrong and some of these tips may help you.

1# Shave after a hot shower and do not wash your face with any soap as this can remove the natural oils of your skin which help to protect it during a shave. just thoroughly rinse your face with the hot water for a couple of minutes and massage around a bit.

2# If your skin is as sensitive as mine is around the neck area, do not go against the grain on your neck. Figure out which ways the hair grows and make sure you shave with the grain there. For difficult spots around the Adam's apple, pull the skin to one side of it and shave so as to avoid nicking the skin or going against the grain. every so often i get a little too smart for my own good and try to do an against the grain pass on my neck and have regretted it every time as i get mad razor bumps and ingrown hairs follow a few weeks later. This is just my experience but it sounds like you too may have sensitive neck area. I still shave against the grain on my face which is fine for me.

3# Don't use an aftershave lotion with any alcohol because i find this irritates my neck area, instead i just rinse off with cold water for a good minute and the pat dry my face and neck and apply a good moisturizer soon after but just enough to thinly cover the areas i have shaved. Preferably, use a non scented moisturizer with no fancy ingredients that could react badly to your skin.

I hope this helps you out but as i said this is what i have found works for me and it may not work for you, by all means try give it a go but if you find you still get irritation then you will need to experiment with some variables.

Thanks for the reply. Not sure what just happened to my response. Its all coming together! I like the idea of not washing with an agressive soap immidiately before hand.

Ryan