Why am I getting razour burn now! Help!!

I have joined two forums now by searching double edge fourms in google to try to understand this madness, I didnt think there would even be a forum lol.

I have NEVER shaved with anything but an old butterfly gillete my dad gave me when I was 14 and started to show fuzz. About a month in I became a master, its been five years and I dont mess up...ever.

About four shaves ago I got razor burn on my upper neck in the area where your jaw transitions into your neck (bascially upper neck right under the jawline) and everytime after its there. Below is what I have been doing for five years, please help me fix this so I dont have to shave with garbage supplies like my foolish brother.

Heat towel in microwave, apply for 100 seconds
Lather with proraso cream and art of shaving brush in a bowl, apply to face
Shave slow, metodically and like a boss (three passes, cool splashes in between)
Cool watter splash
Alum
Cool watter splash
Aqua Velva

Now, if I changed something I may understand...but I dont know boys, help me.

A stab in the dark, but are you now for some unknown reason dropping the angle of the blade on your neck too much?

Bob

Welcome to SRP :)

Thing is, none of us are robots. I am sure you are very consistent with your shaving methods, but there will always be variations in how you move your hand, the angle of the blade, your skin condition, the manufacturing of the blades, the ingredients in the aftershaves and so on.

I am in no way an expert on this kind of thing, but if I were you I would try to narrow it down by systematically controlling various aspects of the shave. The first thing I would do would be to give my skin a break for a a couple of days to let the irritation die down (if that is possible). That in itself might stop the issue. If it doesn't, then I'd start looking at the various pieces of the shave one by one. For example, you use a hot towel. Have you changed the laundry detergent you use to wash it, or has the manufacturer changed the ingredients? That kind of thing.

Good luck to you!

James.

Damn, thats some smart shit right there my friend.

And maybe I am dropping the angel a bit and its scrathing or something, but I always do wha my dad taught me. Put it flat and then bring it down a bit till it catches hair, then a bit more to try to get as close to 30 degrees as possible. Maybe I will try a bit more cream. Would a new DE razor help?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TorontoShave

... Would a new DE razor help?

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:D Second post on an internet shaving forum, and already you are one of us!! Well, a new DE won't hurt I wouldn't have thought. Again, I am no expert as I only use straight razors, though I have tried a DE once. Some kinds of razors are more suited to some kinds of people (that is my theory anyway) and so you owe it to yourself to try as many as you can to see what suits you best!

(That is the rationalisation of a man with far too many razors, by the way, but it works for me:))

James.

Could be a bad blade, I've gotten those before. Try hand stropping it or just toss the blade for another. Razorock Aftershave wax works wonders for irritation, or as was said all ready give your skin a break for a day or two. A new DE might be in order, (have you dropped the one you have?) if yes it could be racked. If you do go looking for a new DE, I would recommend Edwin Jagger DE's, smoothest shaver I've ever owned.

It could be blunt blades, or skin that's not wet enough. Either of these will cause the razor blade to drag the skin. Applying too much pressure of the blade onto the skin will cause razor burn as well. You might also have unwittingly got a patch of ingrowing hair (aka "razor bumps"), again caused by using more pressure than needed.

Slapping aftershave onto a patch of razorburn certainly won't help ease the pain either.

I have also gotten a bad blade from time to time which caused irritation, try replacing it. This problem also gives you a reason to go shop for a new razor! I second Trimmy72's suggestion on the Edwin Jagger DE's. Good luck.

Your skin, your hair, and seasons all change.

Take a break and wait for it to go away. Then shave normally. Maybe it won't come back

Michael

After 5 years... I personally think it can only be one of two things. A. the blades have somehow changed. Bad batch? New manufacturing? What have you.

or

B. The threading on your razor might somehow be off. If it's loose the aggressiveness goes up.

Good luck.

TorontoShave,

I'm assuming from your first post that you're around 19? If so there are certainly changes in the skin that follow the tail ends of puberty - oil levels, pH, hair thickening - any of which will throw your "usual" routine off. Changing your routine one factor at a time would certainly be the wisest choice. You might also consider changing your blades more often as you might be wearing them out more quickly nowadays.

There is another possibility that hasn't been mentioned: a rash. It could be something like fungi or perhaps you've developed an allergy to a product you use.

Either way, you might want to take a break from shaving for a while to let it heal, and then start fresh.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by earcutter

After 5 years... I personally think it can only be one of two things. A. the blades have somehow changed. Bad batch? New manufacturing? What have you.

or

B. The threading on your razor might somehow be off. If it's loose the aggressiveness goes up.

Good luck.

---

Ok, get a new DE razor...probally not a drug store item anymore eh...oh well, I'll order a Merkur tommorow by the looks of it.

Here are some thing to try from my point of view:

- Throw away the current open pack of blades that you have. Open a fresh pack and start again. You never know what might be in that open pack that is causing irritation for you. I always thought these would be sterile in a new unopened pack.

- Try shaving less often. Give your skin a rest between shaves and maybe go for a couple of shaves per week or longer for once in a while. Assuming of course your work/lifestyle permits some stubble.

- You say you've used Proraso for ages, but I know that some people have allergies to the menthol content in that. I doubt this is the problem, but maybe try a menthol-free cream or even a soap as your skin may have formed an allergy. I doubt it, but if all else fails, it's worth a try.

Well, I'll tell you I have been shaving all my life with everything from electrics to DEs and straights and about 5 months ago out of the blue I found after shaving with either a DE or a straight right in the middle of my neck but closer to my chin I get serious itching. I don't have a clue either. If I do a ATG stroke it's worse. if I skip a day shaving I don't have the problem. I've just chalked it up to skin changes. There is nothing there that I can see.

You might try some skin conditioner in that area though it didn't do me any good. I guess it's just one of those things.

Another thing might be to start moisturising twice a day and exfoliating the night before a shave. I use L'Occitane's bark scrub which is perfect for my skin but you may need to experiment with which suits you best.

Take a two or three day break from shaving and try a new blade. Also, be careful with too many extra strokes beyond the initial cream removal. The skin can only tolerate a very few light touch-up strokes without water/cream protection. That is usually what causes razor burn - unprotected strokes. This is not the same as unprotected sex. :rofl2: