Appreciate feedback from those who struggle with ingrowns/acne

[Shave and coffee]

Long-time reader and admirer of this forum, but first post.

By way of background, I've been doing DE shaving for about a decade, at first motivated by my now current brother-in-law and persistent issues with shaving irritation acne outside of that.

I'm now 31 and continue to have acne. I have gone on decent runs with limtied flare ups, but has gotten worse over last year. I see a derm about it, but believe 70% of my issues are related to shaving and ingrown hairs. I tried growing out my beard and, what I can tell you is that I end up irritated and with ingrown hairs regardless. Not to mention, very few "beard conditioning" products that are non-comodogenic. I shave a single pass (every couple of months I'll do a cheeky two-pass) daily.

Occasionally, I have short-term success with a new med or a specific technique. I did have sucess for a while using benzoyl peroxide as post-shave and night-time treatment, but have since seen that this now dries my skin out. So I'm old enough that my skin will lash out if I dry it out, but continue to struggle with ingrowns regardless.

My current typical shaving routine below and have suggested a couple of things that I think I might be wrong on. But, very open to feedback and ideas from the forum about what I can look at changing:

Hot shower first (always)
use Taylor of Old Bond Street Almond shave lotion, I find I get the most consistent lather and shave with this. I even rub a bit on first as a pre-shave treatment
Feather blades, Merkur 34c razor. Single pass WTG
Wash face AFTER as per derm's instructions. I use a special, volcanic sulfur wash that he recommended.
Nivea Post-Shave for Sensitive Skin
Clindamycin Phosphate as prescribed by derm
Non-comodogenic, First Aid Beauty mineral sunscreen
Dr Jart Tinted BB creame with niacinamide and SPF 40

1. Is my razor too aggressive? I have only used Merkur 34c and open to changing
2. Am I putting on too much crp on after I shave? I live in South Florida so dedicated SPF is important, but wondering what the group thinks
3. Nivea Post-Shave for Sensitive Skin, is this the right AS? I have tried other things, but at night I am using tretinoin, which is on the drying side.
4. Should I consider a different blade? I like Feather's as they are sharp and efficient. I don't cut myself frequently, but open to change here.

I appreciate any feedback and please go on me gently. Thank you.

 

[Chango]

Adult acne is what lead me to traditional wet shaving. I had horrible infections and those painful underground pimples on my neck.

Have you considered accutane? I know it’s controversial but it cleared me with luckily no side effects.

Years after my acne cleared I started getting only acne on my neck really bad. I attributed it from transitioning from working in an office to working outdoors in the heat and humidity.

Shaving with the DE and using good soaps cured it.

You may want to limit the amount of stuff you put on your face. For me, irritation caused inflammation which caused clogging which caused more acne…

I wrote on a thread about this previously. Lemme see if I can find it.

 

[Doc Dan]

For me, you are putting too much stuff on your face. I would dispense with the TOBS because almond oil can cause irritation in some people. I would dispense with the Nivea. It is too oily and will clog pores. I think there are better products.

The Feather blades are the sharpest and I love them. No problem, there. You are not going to get a split hair with them. The 34C is a nice razor. A true straight razor might improve your face a bit, but you should be fine with your current razor.

 

[SalS]

Buy a Henson razor and Jack Black Beard Lube. I would stop murdering your face with fragranced soaps and soap-based creams. Hopefully you aren’t using alcohol based products. The Henson is a far better razor than the 34C and Jack Black Beard Lube is the best you can buy.

 

[SalS]

Buy a Henson razor and Jack Black Beard Lube. I would stop murdering your face with fragranced soaps and soap-based creams. Hopefully you aren’t using alcohol based products. The Henson is a far better razor than the 34C and Jack Black Beard Lube is the best you can buy. I would finish with pure aloe gel not lotion with aloe in it but pure gel. Good luck. Has the derm put you on retinol or retin a?

 

[Shave and coffee]

I will try the Henson. As far as pure aloe gel, like what i'd put on a sunburn? I would say this, it's not like I am shaving and my face is immediately red and irritated. But, clearly, in time it reacts and ingrowns come through as if I'm not doing something right.

I'm recently back on generic retin a as part of my evening treatment.

Jack Black Lube - do you use only that or just as a pre-shave?

 

[Shave and coffee]

For me, you are putting too much stuff on your face. I would dispense with the TOBS because almond oil can cause irritation in some people. I would dispense with the Nivea. It is too oily and will clog pores. I think there are better products.

The Feather blades are the sharpest and I love them. No problem, there. You are not going to get a split hair with them. The 34C is a nice razor. A true straight razor might improve your face a bit, but you should be fine with your current razor.

I will quit anything fragranced.
Feather I will stick with, straight razor might be an interesting extension (have never tried). What would u recommend for AS?

 

[Shave and coffee]

Adult acne is what lead me to traditional wet shaving. I had horrible infections and those painful underground pimples on my neck.

Have you considered accutane? I know it’s controversial but it cleared me with luckily no side effects.

Years after my acne cleared I started getting only acne on my neck really bad. I attributed it from transitioning from working in an office to working outdoors in the heat and humidity.

Shaving with the DE and using good soaps cured it.

You may want to limit the amount of stuff you put on your face. For me, irritation caused inflammation which caused clogging which caused more acne…

I wrote on a thread about this previously. Lemme see if I can find it.

would be curious to see the thread.

accutane is on the table - my hesitance mainly because it seems like a pain to go through and the short-term lifestyle implications aren't fun. I enjoy a glass of wine or more frequently.

 

[Chango]

would be curious to see the thread.

accutane is on the table - my hesitance mainly because it seems like a pain to go through and the short-term lifestyle implications aren't fun. I enjoy a glass of wine or more frequently.

This was back when I was really into tea tree treatment. I still use the Stirling tea tree aftershave once in a while. But after time, my skin cleared up totally. Age? Shave routine? I really feel like the shave routine helped me overcome acne. I still get an infection once in a great while. But nothing like before.

Breakouts?

Has anyone else had the experience of breaking out more when you were first starting out shaving, or wet shaving at all? It seems like it may be related to the knicks I'm getting from just learning. If not, does anyone with more acne prone scene have cream/blade recommendations?

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[The Blackadder]

Buy a Henson razor and Jack Black Beard Lube. I would stop murdering your face with fragranced soaps and soap-based creams. Hopefully you aren’t using alcohol based products. The Henson is a far better razor than the 34C and Jack Black Beard Lube is the best you can buy.

Hey. I’m planning to pull the trigger on Jack Black Beard Lube next month, as long as it works with cold water. Could you confirm that for me, please? I own and I love Cremo, but it only works with hot water, which upsets my skin

 

[TOVT]

Buy a Henson razor and Jack Black Beard Lube. I would stop murdering your face with fragranced soaps and soap-based creams. Hopefully you aren’t using alcohol based products. The Henson is a far better razor than the 34C and Jack Black Beard Lube is the best you can buy.

A mild Henson and maybe a more forgiving or smoother blade. I know nothing about the Jack Black, but just find one thing for a shave lube. It might be some plain old regular hard soap like ARKO.
Try stopping all the face treatments for a week or two.
I don't have acne problems, but I do have oily skin. Most of the time I just rub my face with a clean wet washcloth of hot or cold water.

 

[Doc Dan]

I will quit anything fragranced.
Feather I will stick with, straight razor might be an interesting extension (have never tried). What would u recommend for AS?

Rosken Skin cream lotion. That's it. That is all I use, though I occasionally use Barrister and Mann AS balm. I have heard La Toja Sensitive Balm is really good and absorbs nicely. However, I really don't wear aftershaves any more. The older I have gotten the more they bother me. I get aches in my sinuses, body aches, and sometimes irritation. I did order some B&M Lavender AS balm and I use the Reserve Cool occasionally without issue, but I always use a little and mix it with the Rosken. I have to deal with getting older and my body changing.

 

[SalS]

Hey. I’m planning to pull the trigger on Jack Black Beard Lube next month, as long as it works with cold water. Could you confirm that for me, please? I own and I love Cremo, but it only works with hot water, which upsets my skin

Yes because the JB is not activated with water like Cremo. Other than wetting your face, water isn’t an important part of using JB.

 

[SalS]

I will try the Henson. As far as pure aloe gel, like what i'd put on a sunburn? I would say this, it's not like I am shaving and my face is immediately red and irritated. But, clearly, in time it reacts and ingrowns come through as if I'm not doing something right.

I'm recently back on generic retin a as part of my evening treatment.

Jack Black Lube - do you use only that or just as a pre-shave?

I use only that

 

[SalS]

I use only that. Yes pure aloe gel like what you might use on sunburn.

 

[Alex Jr]

I would dispense with the Nivea. It is too oily and will clog pores

This. A few days using it and pimples say hello. A non comedogenic ingredients list is the first thing I look for.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Does the always-insightful @RayClem have any suggestions?

 

[Goblin]

The Henson is a far better razor than the 34C

In your subjective opinion.

Here's my counter - the Henson is very light. Like a cartridge razor, it needs a bit of pressure to work, whereas with many traditional designs the objective for best results is to use as little pressure as possible. Along with ATG shaving, too much pressure is probably the main cause of ingrown hair, so you if you are prone to ingrowns, a razor that requires pressure might not be ideal.

Of course, the Henson is overall very easy to use, whereas traditional designs take more care and practice to use optimally. One of the advantages of the Henson is that it's flat head distributes excess pressure - if you have what would have conventionally been considered poor safety razor technique, the Henson can compensate for it.

From that perspective, the Henson is a very successful design. Still, if ingrowns are an issue, I would personally want to avoid anything that needed pressure to shave properly (the main reason I moved away from cartridges in the first place). Therefore, I would be inclined to suggest persevering with the 34c and working on technique, rather than buying another razor. The 34c requires more skill to use well, but once you are using it properly, you can rule out your choice of razor as being part of the problem - I wouldn't be so confident about that with the Henson...nearly, but not quite.

 

[DesertIguana]

Well you got lots of ideas to try, now do you research, and trying until you find fix for problem. Medicine is not exact science, so play doctor, try, trails, fix errors.

Good luck.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

For me, ‘traditional’ wet shaving largely cured my problem with ingrown hairs. Wish I could deep with your acne.