Thread: 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?

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.

This is probably the best advice.

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

Originally Posted by jleeg

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

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

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