Neck Irritation?

Hey there fellas,
I'm a young guy who's very new to shaving with a straight. I've been able to get some pretty good shaves and some pretty bad ones. I'm still very inconsistent, which I assume is to be expected. One thing that's been happening quite often (every time I shave) is that I'm getting some razor bumps and irritation from the bottom of my chin down to about my Adam's Apple. Something tells me that I'm not the only one who's dealt with this issue, seeing how sensitive that area of the neck is.

Just curious what I may be doing wrong, or some tips as to what I could be doing to fix this. Here's my regimen for now:

Pre:
Shower
Hot rinse
Proraso Cream & AoS Badger brush

Razor:
Union Cutlery Spike

Post:
Hot rinse
Brut Balm
Cold rinse
Ogallala Bay Rum

Any tips on anything I might be doing wrong would be very greatly appreciated. Thanks.

--Wes

My suggestion is to lower the angle of the blade a bit and to make sure you aren't using any pressure.

All of us have different skin sensitivity. You'll see a lot of guys talk about doing three and four passes. They have tougher hide than mine. If I do more than two and a touch up here and there I get some burn. A truly shave ready razor and proper technique in using it are also critical in avoiding irritation. The technique takes time and practice. One thing I had to overcome was the urge to get bbs in one pass. That and/or a razor that isn't really sharp enough can lead to a tendency to use too much pressure and pressure = irritation. Here is an article in the SRP Wiki explaining the "gradual stubble removal technique." If you are not already practicing that do so and see if your results don't improve.

Question. What were you shaving with previous to straights? Are you coming from an electric razor or maybe just safety razors with just down strokes (with the grain) and are now using cross the grain or against the grain with the straight razor? Changing from a safety razor to straights with ATG or XTG and especially from an electric razor to any blade will cause hairs to in-grow and cause them to irritate the skin and basically fester and get red bumps and hurt. It just takes time and your face will adjust. Patience. Unless as Jimmy, you have sensitive skin and then I guess caution with pressure and technique are paramount. Me, leather, so I can't help with sensitive. Hope it clears up and wishing you some great and comfortable shaves!! Best, Howard

Ps: Saying your face will adjust doesn't mean it will not be a PITA! And you'll find this link helpful for acronyms. Enjoy the ride. http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...bbreviations#S

I used to get this as well, a sharp razor with no pressure followed by witch hazel after cold water helps me no end. My post shave is cold water, witch hazel, bay rum finished with freshwood aftershave balm. Works for me. I don't always shave everyday either, sometimes I shave every other day to give this area a break. Good luck!

The biggest improvement on the neck for me (comfort wise) was a realization using my left hand to do both sides of the neck wasn't working well. In my case the angle was steepening as I got close to my adams apple no matter how hard I tried to keep it shallow on the right side of my neck. When I switched to using both hands those issues went away.

I have super-sensitive facial skin, which is one reason I finally switched to a straight razor regimen some years ago. I just recently managed to work up some razor bumps on the back of my neck when I used a Gillette and some soap to do some quick maintenance there... Back in my regular Gillette days, my face would get very irritated in different areas if I used the "wrong" kind of shaving cream (e.g. Gillette :ziplip:), or if the razor had become worn/dirty.

Your regimen seems okay, except that I would add in some pre-shave treatment (oil-based or other). Then, I would make sure that the ProRaso is not the culprit - it's a decent soap, but may just not agree with you. Try another cream or soap for a while, maybe one specifically for sensitive skin (Taylor's and T&H both have a version, also AoS). I would also make sure that your razor is indeed properly honed and stropped (plenty of info on this forum) - I've experienced in the past how a somewhat dull straight will still shave, but tends to pull hairs out vs. cutting them, especially going against the grain. Finally, make sure to clean the razor well after every shave.