Help this itching madness!!!

I'm no newbie but I have a "new" problem. I developed a post shave itch, mostly at and below the jaw line that is driving me crazy. Subscribing to the it-hurts-when-I-do-this-so-stop-doing-this doctrine, I stopped shaving. After a month of wearing a beard, and experiencing no itch. I shaved. And it was back to itching. Now, mind you, I understand what irritation is like. Be a little to aggressive and for any number of other reasons, you might have a bad day. But what I get is a horrible itch. After scratching, I can see some hive like bumps of very small size, but there's usually no visible signs.

So, I tried to isolate the problem. I swapped stainless for carbon steel and back; used alum after and didn't; used alcohol based after shave products and then those without, switched soaps, etc.etc. I tried to isolate all the variables and have yet to figure out the reason.

I went to a dermatologist who had no answer other than to suggest a series of patch tests to determine any allergy, but I opted out. I have no problem if I don't shave.

But I want to shave (I have some really great SRs that I'd hate not to use). So here I am looking for insight, answers and sympathy.

Best to all, J

Soaps and Aftershaves would be my first suspects...
I know that Arko has me looking like I've been bobbing for french fries for instance.

What are you using? (not that there is a magic answer, just wondering)

And did you have this problem in your pre-straight days?

Good luck...

I agree with MJC.

You can develop sensitivity to a product that you have used without past problems.

I would start eliminating soaps one at a time.

Good luck. This may not be easy to solve.

Just curious that it seems to be happening with so many products. Is there anything common to all your shaves that might be getting overlooked like pre shave routine? Or possibly shower gel (notorious for causing problems)

Try shaving with something simple like just olive oil and see what you happens.

As an aftershave, try Thayer's witch hazel without alcohol.

I see you joined the forum back in 2009. Just wondering how long you've had this problem? Is it very recent? Personally, I'd try a very basic shave. Just use a brush and one soap/cream and shave. No pre shave or after shave products at all. Nothing. See if you're still irritated. If you are, keep it basic again but with a different soap/cream. Keep the number of variables low. Hope you manage to find the culprit. Must be very frustrating. Good luck.

What type of brush do you use and when is the last time you gave it a good cleaning?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Try shaving with something simple like just olive oil and see what you happens.

As an aftershave, try Thayer's witch hazel without alcohol.

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This is probably the best advice.

Get your shave as simple as possible and then build complexity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jleeg

So here I am looking for insight, answers and sympathy.

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Some excellent advise,.....I have nothing no more to offer except the your 3rd request which was for "sympathy".
Sorry Bro'. :shrug:

When I was mid-career, frequently I would shave with a disposable and water, no soap at all. The shaves weren't that good, but I wasn't in any way irritated in spite of no soap.

So as a diagnostic tool, I'd recommend a disposable and water, and if you don't get irritation, try phasing in shaving soap, nothing else, if no irritation, follow with AS on the next shave etc.

I too would suspect a fragrance or soap constituent. Mike's Hungarian Lavender shaving soap lights me up like a flame and I'm typically not that sensitive. But with HL I might as wrll burn the hair off with a Bernz-O-Matic.

Cheers, Steve

If there is not an issue of allergies,,, then many times the skins begins to itch due to dryness. Itching is often the skin's way of crying out for hydration. The skin below the jawline(the neck) responds to edges differently & post shave treatment differently than the cheeks & upper lip. Alum is great, I use it after every shave, but it must be dabbed off with a moist towel after a few minutes of application. Then I apply a good witch hazel like Thayers. Witch hazel can & does prevent irritation due to swelling inflammation, remember it is a common ingredient in a lot of hemorrhoid treatment creams/wipes.

Witch hazel & a moisturizing cream after you shave, would be my advice.

At one point I developed an itch just under my chin and always after shaving. In my case it was from using a DE and one in particular. it was years ago so I don't remember which DE it was and I soon sold it.

If I shave Atg I get the same problem. The biggest obstacle for me straight shaving was finding an angle of attack on my neck so I avoid going Atg. My beard takes an abrupt 180 just below my Adam's apple the entire way across my neck. I use a scything angle which catches that area with xtg stroke. If I don't I get crazy in grown hairs and itching. Good luck

Some great points, I had not thought about the brush (Castel33)

How long does it take to go back to normal, and can you take a 3 day healing break between shaves while you test these ideas?

And I think we have all been there at one point and we feel your frustration...(another sympathy plug)

I know alot of times if I use too much pressure it will cause irritation. Another thing that used to cause problems was when I would constantly rub on my face after shaving. There are so many things that can cause problems that you just have to keep weeding out each thing till you find the one or more that are causing it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Try shaving with something simple like just olive oil and see what you happens.

As an aftershave, try Thayer's witch hazel without alcohol.

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+1 on the olive oil. Try rubbing a little in after your shave too. You may also be shaving too close. Have you tried just one WTG pass to see if there's any improvement?

Even if you switched soaps, some ingredients in both could be causing this.

For example, sweet almond seems to be in a lot of popular soaps and creams. Guess what I am allergic to! :D So if I switch from one to another soap that has sweet almond, I am still going to break out. I have to be careful and look at the ingredients of all of the products I use.

Maybe that is the case with you too?

Thanks all. Kept my beard from October till last week. First few shaves we're every other day and went well. Now I'm back to the killer itch. Going to just use Proraso and see what I can figure out. By the way, I moisturize with unscented Nivea Sensitive and use Thayers regularly (reverse order of course). Man, I have too many great blades and brushes and creams and soaps and........not to use them. But it's a killer itch.

Have you tried a different laundry soap? Are you using a hot towel on your face? ...Tide does that to me.
You can also shave with Ivory soap (none sented...it's actually all my wife used to shave her legs and works perfect as it not soap per say).

Try changing the water temp...so cold shave instead of hot (cold shave kills me though so your MMV)