Thread: Super sensitive skin!

Hi all,

I'm looking for some ideas. I've been shaving with a straight razor for almost 2 years now, and I STILL have problems with redness, ingrown hairs, and irritation. Even when I have a super sharp pro honed razor, I still get bad irritation when I shave more than every third day. If I wait 3 or 4 days between shaves, it's good, even if the razor is a bit dull. Every other day is pretty bad, and if I shave two days in a row I look and feel like I steel-wooled my face!

Here is my routine:
1) Strop (sometimes pasted first, if it's been a while)
2) Shower and scrub with an exfoliating soap to work out stuck hairs.
3) Soak brush; at same time, apply pre-shave oil (Art of Shaving)
4) Lather using Gentleman's Quarter soap (good stuff!)
5) Shave down
6) Lather, shave up
7) Lather, touch up
8) Rinse cold, apply alum block
9) Apply Art of Shaving aftershave balm

I've tried lots of different products. This seems the best combo so far.

Any suggestions? Am I just cursed with sensitive skin?

Thanks!

You could try stopping shaving up. The shave won't be as close but it will ameliorate your ingrown hair problem and irritation. Did you have the same problem with a safety razor or even an electric, if you've ever used one? It's worth experimenting. After all, a main reason to use a straight razor is because it provides a more pleasant shaving experience, but if it chews up your face, it's time to test alternatives. A DE perhaps?

Originally Posted by Unruhe

Did you have the same problem with a safety razor or even an electric, if you've ever used one?

Oh yeah, I should say: I came to using straight razors after having problems with electrics and safety razors. I started with electrics, but a number of years ago I started getting irritation with them and bad shaves, even after changing blades. Then tried wet with disposable blades... even worse! Finally, I came to straights and DE. I have both straight and DE razors. DE is mostly for travel... I like the straights much better.

So yeah, straights are the best for me so far!

I get a pretty bad shave if I don't shave up. I could try it for a while and see how it looks.

I'd suggest adding a XTG pass before the ATG pass/touchup. You may find that the additional stubble reduction might help out, or you may find that the ATG pass is not required at all after going XTG. See if it works for you.

For me personally I find that I get a irritation free (or nearly irritation free) shave from using a straight exclusively, which is a far cry from my cartridge razor days.

As long as you dont have problems with acne, try applying a small amount of aquaphor ointment or just plain vaseline petroleum jelly to your beard area before bedtime. It will help heal your face faster between shaves.

Originally Posted by bromion

2) scrub with an exfoliating soap

I am not sure that is the best thing to do in your situation.

I would try to leave that out for a while and see how it goes.
Try to be very careful with your skin. Don't rub with the towel, when you exit the shower, but gently pad instead. Same after the shave.

Also the finish of the edge can make all the difference if you have sensitive skin.

Best regards,
Bart.

^^^^ what he said.

The areas you shave with a straight razor get plenty of exfoliation - no need for anything else.

Here's something to try: don't even wash your face the day you shave. Instead, rinse/splash well with warm (not hot) water, then face lather with a gentle brush. Let that sit while you strop, then wet the brush a little and swirl the lather around some more. The purpose of all this is to clean the skin/whiskers enough without bothering the skin, as well as to let the lather soften the hairs. Leave it on your face for a good 3-5 minutes, then refresh (if needed) before you shave. Afterwards, use either no aftershave or a very mild balm or moisturizer.

Eliminating some of those other variables should give you a better idea of what might be causing your troubles.

My beard is really coarse, and I just don't shave against it. If I do two passes, with and across, I have no problems. Everytime I decide to go against it, the results are bad. Even without going against it, I get a really nice shave.

Have you tried not using pre-shave oil? I also have sensitive skin, and have NEVER found a pre-shave oil that did not cause a reaction for me.

If the frequency of the shave causes irritation, this may be due to the skin not healing itself quick enough. You may want to find some sort of skin food/moisturing product to help/speed up that healing process (maybe thats what the aftershave balm is supposed to do?). I use something called "face protector" from the body shop, but there are others out there.

My routine is similar to yours up until point 8, then I;

9. Rinse face and completely dry
10. Apply face protector and leave for 10 mins
11. Apply aftershave/cologne

A lot of aftershave balms seems to affect my skin badly (even the ones for sensitive skin), so I usually avoid them.

Also, I may be wrong, but I didnt think using a single blade would cause ingrown hairs unless you either press too hard while stretching the skin too much, or if you are using a blade that isnt sharp enough (which pulls the hair out instead of cutting it off).

Also, I dont usually go for BBS on my neck area under my chin - it was always a problem area when using an electric. The hair seems to grow at a funny angle which makes it really hard to go either with or against the grain, so I am probably only doing XTG on both passes, but the end result is acceptable due to no irritation.

I also have a problem with something in our local water supply, so I make a point of not washing my face between passes, as I find this irritates the skin beyond belief.

Also, I only do 2 passes maximum - if its not BBS I leave it and fix next time, as more than 2 passes makes my skin go crazy.

Anyway, hope some of those suggestions help.

I'll try some of these suggestions, thanks!

The thought on the exfoliating soap is to get out those pesky ingrown hairs or at least raise them up a bit. I'll try without next time.

What would really help would be to heal the skin faster. Clearly, it takes a few days for my skin to heal, so if I shave again soon I get all burned up. I'll try the suggestion of putting some lotion on my face to help it heal overnight.