Another shave, another disappointment

[Ducati Scotty]

Make sure you have a decent lather before you start. Since you're using cream, start with no water in the bowl and just a little in the brush. I'd say you could gently squeeze it out after soaking. Swirl-swirl-swirl until the cream is well worked into the brush and starts to lather. Add just a tiny bit of water at a time, around 1/4 tsp. or so at a time. Too much water too soon and you'll never build a good lather. If your lather looks limp and watery, don't shave! Nothing good will come of that.

Also, take short strokes, not long ones. You mentioned going from your ear to your chin in one swipe. There's no easy way to keep the correct blade angle and go with the grain for that long of a stroke. 1-2" is plenty. And don't flex your wrist. Lock your wrist and move your whole arm. These two techniques will help keep the blade angle where you set it.

You didn't mention what blades you are using but I know some AoS shops only sold Merkurs a while back. These are generally not the best blades for a beginner and not liked by too many people in general. I think Astra or Israeli Personna Reds might be a good pick for you. Both smooth and sharp, but not too sharp.

Last, take it easy! No pressure. Start off shaving just one pass with the grain. Only do that every other day if you have to. Until you can get that down without irritation or bumps you certainly shouldn't try for more. If you need to take a few days off and heal, do it. It's always best to start fresh and uninjured.

Keep reading here, keep trying. Soon you'll find a way that works for you. Good luck!

Scott

 

[ByMyBeard]

Sorry to hear you're having problems. I haven't experienced any razor bumps, so I can't say for sure anything that would help. I do wish you good luck in figuring it out though.

One thing you might consider is shaving every other day for a while (after current razor bumps are reduced). It'll give your face a chance to heal before putting a blade to it again. I started DE shaving with a single WTG pass. I now do 2-3 passes depending on how I feel. Again, good luck to you.

 

[Royce]

Exfoliating will help prior to shaving. Skipping against the grain pass is good advice. Another product for razor bumps is Tendskin which you use after shaving to prevent ingrown hairs. You can make your own version very inexpensively, about $3 for a couple months supply.
Good luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNuZ6gsVZPI

+1 on the Tend Skin, and exfoliate. I used that product for ingrown's and it really turned things around for me, great product. Use a gentle exfoliating cleanser every couple of days to help the hairs grow out as well.
Someone earlier mentioned beard mapping. Though you think you are going WTG you may be in fact going ATG especially in areas on your neck. Your first pass will cause irritation and razor bumps for sure. If you have access to a magnified mirror it will aid the mapping process. Feel for the path of least resistance. That is WTG.
Keep it at be practical and you will figure it out.

 

[Jarick]

Welcome!

One of the best posts I read, and I wish I could find it, was on a shaving study where they looked at the skin under high magnification and saw that the hair was trapped and trying to poke out, making the skin bumpy instead of smooth. Then when you drag the razor across, you are slicing up bits of skin, leading to irritation and the bumps.

The solution was to exfoliate before the shave, either with an abrasive face scrub (the soaps that have a little grit to them) or with an exfoliating brush. That helps the hairs pop through the thin layer of skin, and then you shave you cut the hairs and not your skin.

In your shoes, the first thing I would do is pick up some face scrub soap, which should be only a few dollars. Wash your face in the shower well, and then shave afterwards. Try just one pass to reduce irritation.

If you're still getting the bumps, let your beard grow for a few days and rub your fingers all around in every direction to see which way the hairs grow. You'll feel if the hairs stand up or go smooth. The first pass you want to go WTG which is the direction they feel smoother. That's "beard mapping" and really helped me to reduce irritation.

If that still doesn't work, I guess you'd have to see a dermatologist?

Good luck!

 

[Helzerr]

After no shave november I have found that I'm still getting irritation from changing direction so depending on your skin, single pass and super light is the way to go for quite awhile. I only shave every other day until my skin starts to feel good again. I would work on your lather and pick up a blade sampler pack or check out the great blade exchange Toothpick is a fantastic gentleman and can help you out with maybe getting some better blades to try. The only other thing I could recommend is work on your lather. Try lathering on your face, or on your palm so you can get a better consistency and feel how you're doing. Lather is a huge part on how well your shave is going to go and the protection you will get.
I wish you all the best!

 

[bmharold]

This will probably get buried and I haven't read all the replies, but here's my advice.

Your lather technique needs work. You need to wet the brush with hot water and give it a couple firm shakes. It needs to be wet, not drenched. Then whip your soap until it starts to take on a whipped cream consistency. If you see bubbles, you're not there yet. Keep whipping. If it feels too viscous you can wet your brush a bit more to thin it out some, again being sure that there are no bubbles in there.

You can avoid going against the grain and still get a "BBS" shave by going across the grain, try what they call the "Gillette Slide". Essentially going at a 45 degree across in the direction of growth. This is the only way I can get my chin and neck smooth without tearing my skin up.



I believe there certainly is a breaking in period. Don't feel so compelled to get perfectly smooth. As you find how to keep your skin from getting inflamed you can adapt to get a smoother shave. A less than smooth DE shave is still better than a set of Andis outliners.

 

[lordfink]

My battle with ingrowns has not been as bad as yours. However, as a brown man, I am no stranger to ingrown hair either. In the beginning, I tried all sorts of things like exfoliating before shaving, pre-shave treatment, vitamin oils, products like tendskin, changing razors, changing blades, changing soaps etc. etc. They all worked to varying degrees of efficacy for varying durations. In the end, I would still end up with ingrown hair.

Now on my do-not do list are:
a) no pre shave oil as I believe they were clogging up my pores, which is turn led to ingrown hair
b) no exfoliating before shaving either as I believe that was too harsh for my skin
c) i also try to avoid soaps that have are largely tallow based
d) going ATG when shaving

Eventually, the routine that worked best for me was the simplest one:
a) Wash face with hot water using the 'Neutrogena face wash for men' - the plain vanilla face wash (no exfoliating agent, menthol etc.)
b) Face lather with a badger brush
c) Muhle R41 razor with Personna Med prep blades (although I am going to give the ATT H1 a go soon)
d) Wash face after shaving - I believe this is the most important bit to ensure your pores are not clogged up with soap after shaving
e) A simple, not too heavy moisturizing ASB like Kanwa or Neutrogena

This routine has done wonders for me and the frequency of the ingrowns has reduced dramatically.

Hope this helps! Good luck and keep at it!

 

[Badger Bill]

You can avoid going against the grain and still get a "BBS" shave by going across the grain, try what they call the "Gillette Slide".

This is good advice, however be SUPER CAREFUL to go more down than you go across. If you go more across than down, you will likely get an extremely nasty cut.

- Badger Bill

 

[Martel]

Welcome aboard! First of all, you need some time off. Your face needs time to heal. I would definitely look into an exfoliating face scrub and Tendskin while you let that happen. I also would highly recommend spending some time in a steam room to open your pores and expedite the healing process. It works for me very very well.

In regards to your shaving routine, baby steps. In my own experience, yes the face takes some time to become used to shaving. It took me a long time to get used to shaving against the grain. Start with excellent preparation. That means mapping your beard before anything else. Shave with the grain for each zone. Going through your routine in the shower will help. A good exfoliating scrub before your shave works wonders. In regards to your choice of razor, you might want to try bump fighter disposables or cartridges before you embark on the DE madness. I also highly recommend a single edge razor like a Schick injector. After you've shaved, hit your face with witch hazel and a nice moisturizing balm. If the bumps come back, exfoliate and let your face heal.

 

[bmharold]

This is good advice, however be SUPER CAREFUL to go more down than you go across. If you go more across than down, you will likely get an extremely nasty cut.

- Badger Bill

YES! I should have mentioned that. Pretty much the same ratio between vertical and lateral movement as in the illustration.

 

[rxonmymind]

First welcome to B&B.
Lots of solid advice on here. While I'm a pacific islander I too am capable of over zealous shaves. If I shave aggressively under my nose I get "raspberries" that at times can turn into acne. So my suggestion as others have suggested a simple ONE pass shave while repeating the success of tour first shave with a lot of prep with thorough shampoo and conditioning of the beard. Then every night scrub the face with a good exfoliative.
The Gillette plats are excellent blades. You may also try a milder one the Gillette silver blues. A bit smoother and not as sharp.

 

[Starkicker]

Would the use of alum or alcohol based aftershaves help keep the freshly cut skin from getting infected or affected by whatever causes razor bumps?

 

[VWGTI]

I feel for you man. Without any knowledge on this, it sounds like you are shaving pretty good. I think the problem is when the hair grows and breaks through the skin again like a few others have mentioned. I would suggest an aftershave balm (Nivea sensitive is cheap) maybe used once in the morning and the reapply at night to keep your skin soft so the hair can easily grow without irritating much. Razorock has a splash called "problem solver" that might assist after your shave before using the balm. Either way good luck, I'd love to hear your progress.

 

[weizemanner]

YES! I should have mentioned that. Pretty much the same ratio between vertical and lateral movement as in the illustration.

This is a good technique, but I find it easier to hold the razor at a 30 degree angle and move the blade straight. It gives the same guillotine effect but one is much less likely to move the razor sideways and cut themselves.

 

[rushchairman]

as much as i'd love to toss a bunch of 2 cents your way - i think it might make more sense to just visit your dermatologist...

just my 2 cents...

 

[weizemanner]

Have you tried the magic shaving powder? I have heard mixed reviews on it.

maybe try electric shavers, they cut the hair above skin level so that it usually doesn't grow inward.

for someone that is getting mild irritation or having trouble spots with shaving, using a single blade razor is usually the answer. It sounds to me like you are having some serious ingrown and irritation, wetshaving might not be the way to go.

 

[darnfineshave]

I am a newbie and ended up with a raw neck for a week. In searching through posts, I put together a great routine for myself.

FWIW, here is my typical routine:
Shower: face wash with light exfoliation.
preShave: Noxema with a few drops of Avocado Oil (similar to Proraso pre/post), hydrate
soap: Proraso White Soap with Kiss my Face Unscented for a Superlather
lather: I bowl lather and massage into the beard for a few minutes...clockwise, counterclockwise, E-W, N-S
shave: WTG, XTG, Gillette Slide, Buffing.....with preshave in between each pass. Only WTG on lower neck. lots of hydration
gear: Edwin Jagger DE89BA typically with Personna Med Preps
post: warm rinse, cold rinse, witch hazel, tea tree oil on my ingrown hair potentials, Proraso white pre/Post, all over moisturizer with sunscreen
AS: Clubman Classic

This has worked for me, hopefully you will find your best path....but don't give up. I almost stopped after the rash and now I am fully enjoying the whole process.... and my wife continually comments on how great my skin looks.

Best of luck!!

 

[nymtber]

Not sure it has been brought up, and I didnt read every single post, but...

Use NO pressure when you shave. None. This is hard to understand but when I used a Feather straight razor for a little while I learned what no pressure means. Since then I have had little to no irritation when I switched back to DE razors.

Alcohol based aftershave works well, but I recommend Witch Hazel before aftershave. You can apply witch hazel liberally as it has no lasting scent (the scent it DOES have fades quick). I spike my witch hazel with 20 drops of glycerin and 10 drops of tea tree oil per 2oz of WH. Aftershave covers the tea tree oil scent, as well...

When I get bumps, I lay off for a few days. Let the hairs grow out so they can be cut off next time!

 

[Talisker 13]

mBrace

Welcome to B and B. Hopefully we can help you along the path. As I am sure you can guess there is lots of advice offered around here.

I cannot claim any first hand knowledge but I served in the USMC with some fellow Marines who shared your difficulty here is most of what I can recall.

Prep and post shave are vital. I vividly remember a Drill Instructor walking around for about 20 minutes with a huge white beard of shaving cream BEFORE he shaved (not in front of the recruits). Other Drill Instructors swore by the magic shave powder. Now that I think about it, I do not recall a single staff at the drill field using a Brush, DE or straight razor, mostly b/c of the extra time involved or the extra supplies needed. The recruits were issued certs and goo, and that was easy to purchase at the recruit PX.
THe post shave cool water rinse…..not cold was also important….help calm things down but not to the point where it froze things.
Find a after shave splash or balm that works/feels right and apply throughout the day.
Clean/exfoliate at night and give your skin a chance to be clean and ready for the shave in the am.
Like you and others have said….if you break out. Let it calm down and try again.

Best of Luck my friend,

Lucas

 

[crleftwich]

Good post. Unfortunately for you, it seems like you'll have to go through an experimentation process. One key tip that may not have already been mentioned, use little or no pressure.