Thread: PFB (razor bumps)

Originally Posted by saladbar2000

I think the best cure is light pressure and if you have pfb problems don't shave too closely

I agree that if you have problems with ingrown hairs BBS isn't the way to go. Personally I do two passes one WTG all over and one XTG in parts, this technique leaves me very presentable and means that I can shave every one to two days.

Just a thought, have you ever tried one of those exfoliating face scrubs or a loother on a regular basis? In the past I have used one with crushed Walnut shells in it and found that it did a good job at exfoliating the skin. Maybe this could help free those pesky ingrowns.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Adam51980

I would frequently have to dig hairs out of my neck that were 1-2" long.

holy crap I've dug out a few ingrowns too but never that long. no where close.

call me crazy but i actually get some sadistic satisfaction in digging out hairs. i can only imaging slowly pulling a 2" hair out. it would be like the magic trick where the scarf just keeps coming out of the clowns mouth!

I concur! I didn't say anything before but that is pretty much having a full beard curling around and hiding inside of your face.

That is bizarre!

I have heard that some dermatologists recommend using a toothbrush to gently exfoliate and free the hairs. I tried it before and had some level of success. I think a really sharp edge helps a lot too.

I read about the toothbrush and using a scrub also. I've been using an alpha hydroxy at night wich is supposed to do a good job with the exfoliation. I read about the toothbrush but I would imagine that the shaving brush would serve the same purpose since it exfoliates, builds lather, and opens the pores. Dermatologists also recommend using a single blade instead of multiple blade cartridge razors. This might be one of several reasons people experience less bumps after they start shaving with a straight.

I'm still doing two passes but had to modify a little bit. I can do with the grain and than across the grain on the face and not have any problems. I get the jaw and chin about as smooth as glass on the across the grain stroke (but it is more like against the grain since the hair changes direction on my jaw). On the neck I just do 2 passes with the grain. It gets it pretty close and pretty even but it still feels a little scrachy when I feel against the grain but I'm not too concerned. The face is smooth, the neck is pretty close, and I'm not getting ingrowns lately.

You say you want to stay away from alcohol? Bump Patrol recently came out with an alcohol-free formula; did you know that? It's labeled for SENSITIVE skin. Give that one a try and see if your razor bump problem goes away smoothly.

Originally Posted by Adam51980

I have noticed a significant reduction in my razor bumps and ingrown hairs since I started using a De and a straight razor. They used to be really, really bad. I would frequently have to dig hairs out of my neck that were 1-2" long . The area gets inflamed and turns red and sometimes a pustule forms. I still get this from time to time and do not think that anything will alleviate it as I have very curly hair. If you look at my neck close up under bright light you can see small gray lines under the skin, these are all ingrown hairs trapped beneath the skin. I'm thankful that at least the amount of ingrowns has reduced. I can shave with a level of comfort now and it is no longer painful for me. I shave every 2-3 days to allow some time for my skin to heal and I use Clubman bump repair gel on my beard daily . It really seems to help.

I have to say, this post made me think "wow. that's me 100%".

Back in my Mach 3 and can of goo days (spit) I pulled out a 3" hair. It was so thick it felt like nylon or a rough piece of metal wire. I showed it to two people shortly afterwards and they were all "ewww... yuck... get it away!!". It was lodged in a very large razor bump for two months, just to the left of my chin and under my lower lip. I was scratching the bump whilst in front of my computer one afternoon and I suddenly felt it catch under my thumb's nail. It was so big, I didn't even need tweezers!! Hopefully, I won't ever have to experience that again!!

Since "going straight" [] I have not had any 'monster-sized' bumps but I do get a few all too often. My neck is covered in smaller bumps - they seem to come and go and various creams and gels get rid of them every now and then. I also get one or two further up on the neck line or in the area just under the ear lobes. Exactly as mentioned in the quoted post, if you look closely you can see fine grey lines under my skin's surface, sometimes with red areas. I also tend to pick-out hairs all too often with tweezers these days, often having to 'dig' to pull them out.

I'm including two further useful links as per the original post, even though I got onto this thread a little late...

http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/s...ia/Razor_Bumps

http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/s...a/Ingrown_Hair

By the way, can anyone post the name of the walnut face scrub? I've recently used L'Occitane's Cade Juniper bark scrub which wasn't bad I suppose - it even mentions on the back that it is designed for treating ingrown hair.