Appreciate feedback from those who struggle with ingrowns/acne

[spacemonkey42]

I too have adult acne, I say I'm in my 50s, going on 15. Sigh. I don't get ingrowns anymore, after switching to DE shaving., thankfully

Everyone's skin conditions are different, so none of us can tell you what to do. You've seen a dermatologist, they can tell you, follow what they say.

There are so many variables and I think lots of randomness as well - everything from products to stress to weather conditions. Thus, I can't isolate and test different things to try to improve the situation. With all that said, it does seem like you use a lot of products. Would you consider not using some of the post-shave products that were not prescribed by your dermatologist, then see if you get any improvement?

 

[Shave and coffee]

Appreciate the feedback from all. I'm going to overhaul my routine as a result and pay attention to using fewer products and eliminating anything with fragrance or remotely comodogenic. Which is hard, I might skip AS and just use a typical moisturizer that I like and have never had problems with.

Pore-Clogging Ingredients - AcneClinicNYC

Did you know that certain pole-clogging ingredients may be making your acne first? Do read the ingredients of your skincare products before you use them!

acneclinicnyc.com

Found this website, where you can drop ingredients and gives immediate feedback if there are too many fragrances for acne-prone skin or ingredients that are specifically comodogenic. I'm scanning a lot of products and realize there are SO MANY problematic products.

• After-Shave Balm, NUXE Men - one AS i found online that has no comodgenic properties. Curious if anyone has firsthand experience with it.

 

[Goblin]

Something nobody has asked, but it bears confirmation: is your one pass truly WTG? When you started, did you map your growth so you know what WTG is on all the different parts of your face? It's very easy when you start to assume that WTG is simply N to S all over the face, but the reality is rarely that simple.

You've been at this for a while already, so there is an expectation that you have that stuff sorted, but sometimes we begin on false assumptions and just end up sticking with them. Ask me how I know!

 

[DesertIguana]

Reading this thread I am bless with only sentive skin, and an ingrown once in while.

Feel sorry for people with big problems.

 

[Buttercup]

Welcome to B&B @Shave and coffee!

I'm sorry that I have nothing to add, other than a greeting. Sounds like you have some good input from some experienced folks. Good luck on your journey!

 

[RayClem]

I dealt with severe ache as a teenager, but fortunately I outgrew it. I do have my share of skin issues such as Rosacea and precancerous growths on my face, ears, and scalp.

My best suggestion would be to see a dermatologist. There are products available (both OTC and RX) that might help. The last time I had to deal with acne issues was when my daughter was a teen. She is approaching 50, so it was 30 years ago. Treatments have advanced since then.

 

[SalS]

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.

Ok lets think about this physically. Gravity goes down correct? So how would a heavier razor require less inward pressure than a lighter one? One could argue that a lighter razor requires less compensating force from the shaver, right? My take is that the easier a razor is to use the better. I don’t see how a heavier razor requires less pressure to shave with. It certainly will require less downward force but your face has no way of knowing if the force is gravitational or kinetic. If I had a problem with acne first thing I would is eliminate any source of irritation which is soap, fragrance, friction from a brush and alcohol.

 

[know1special]

I'm 52 and have suffered from ingrowns since my teens.

Switching from carts and goop to traditional wet-shaving was an enormous game-changer for me. After switching, the frequency went way down. But..I have to shave either daily or close to it to get the benefit.

Most of my whiskers grow parallel to my face and are more than happy to become ingrown if I go more than a day without a shave.

My advice would be to stick to a mild-ish razor w/ a sharp blade and try to keep the amount of things you're putting on your face to a minimum.

Good luck!

 

[Goblin]

Ok lets think about this physically. Gravity goes down correct? So how would a heavier razor require less inward pressure than a lighter one? One could argue that a lighter razor requires less compensating force from the shaver, right? My take is that the easier a razor is to use the better. I don’t see how a heavier razor requires less pressure to shave with. It certainly will require less downward force but your face has no way of knowing if the force is gravitational or kinetic.

I guess my response to that would be, what is your experience with a variety of very light and very heavy razors?

If I have a couple of day's growth I can take something very light like an aluminium ball-end Tech and literally snag it off my stubble (it's not comfortable, so I don't recommend it, but it's doable - at least for me). The whole set up is light enough that, even loaded with a Feather, it'll just hang there. Assuming I want to make a WTG pass, which for the sake of this discussion we will assume is basically N to S on the cheeks, chin, etc. then getting it to shave requires pressure in two dimensions: downward pressure, which gets it slicing through the whiskers during the stroke, and lateral pressure, which actually keeps the razor in position against the face. Now, the downward pressure required is far more than than the ideal lateral pressure. The difficulty is that when you are trying to apply two varying amounts of pressure in two dimensions simultaneously, it's easy to end up apply too much pressure in the wrong direction. That can be the cause of cuts, irritation, and ingrowns.

Conversely, if I take something like my Alpha Outlaw, that's a heavy razor. It's heavy enough that almost no downward pressure is needed to get it to slice whiskers - the weight of the razor alone is enough that a sharp blade is pretty much just pulled down through the whiskers with only a tiny bit of encouragement. That means that instead of having to apply pressure in two dimensions, I really only need to worry about the lateral pressure that keeps the razor against my face. Because I am not having to use pressure to scrape away the whiskers, I can concentrate on keeping that lateral pressure as light as it can possibly be. Furthermore, the weight of the razor is such that when held at a typical shaving angle, that weight also helps to keep the head in position, further reducing the amount of manual pressure required. Overall, you can develop a much lighter touch when the weight of the razor is doing some of the work for you.

So, you assert that a light razor requires less pressure. I am not sure if you are reasoning that because heavy things require more effort to lift, heavy razors must require more pressure to shave, or if using a range of razors has led you to that conclusion through trial and error. Either way, my own experience is pretty much the exact opposite - a heavy razor requires less pressure precisely because the weight of the razor does the work, instead of pressure that is supplied by the user. There's a reason that "let the weight of the razor do the work" is one of the established axioms for getting good results when learning to use a DE razor.

Of course, the Henson is the razor that breaks all the rules. If you have only used that, a lot of the maxims that apply to traditional razor use won't make sense to you. The first time I used a Henson (after many years of using traditional DE razors) I was alarmed at the amount of pressure I needed to apply to hold it in a cutting position and get it to shave. It felt pretty much like using a cartridge razor and I thought, "Oh sh*t! This is going to be ingrown city!". It's a credit to the design of the razor that it wasn't, because the same factors that mean it needs pressure (the light weight and flat front) also serve to mitigate the negative effects of that pressure. Still, as someone who originally moved to DE because of a problem with ingrowns, I don't trust it as much as I trust a more traditional design.

Which brings me full circle to my original point, which was simply that you said the Henson is a much better razor than the 34c. That's your subjective opinion. Personally, I prefer the 34c and would especially prefer it if I had an issue with ingrowns, for the reasons discussed above. Perhaps if I used the Henson more often I would be more trusting of it. As it stands, I get better shaves and feel more confident using a traditional design. I originally switched to DE because I had heard that once you learned to use a traditional DE razor correctly, it was less likely to cause ingrowns. My experience bears that out. However, if that's your motivation, then I would argue it makes sense to actually use a traditional DE razor, rather than using a modern razor that happens to take DE blades, but shaves more like a cartridge razor.

FWIW I think that the fact it is single bladed is another reason that the Henson can shave the way it does without producing ingrowns. Like I say, it's a very clever design and ideal for people who just want to cut out the cost of cartridges without having to invest time and effort in learning to use a traditional design. However, if cartridges give you problems, or if you are chasing the best shave possible - well, for me the answer is still a traditional design, and it's what I would encourage folks with "shaving problems" to persevere with.

 

[Frito Ray]

Acne…cut all dairy for three weeks see what happens(it was my problem anyways).

Current ingrowns…pry them out with a needle and let skin heal for a few days before shaving again(used to have ingrowns, don’t any more)

Shaving soap/cream…look up threads that talk about non-allergenic soaps(out of two or three dozen regular soaps I’ve tried over the years, I reacted to two(Cella and LaToja), perhaps you just landed on the one that was bad for you)

Bowl lather instead of face lather…it’s less abrasive and gentler on the face, you can also add a few drops of glycerine into the bowl (look up “Uber lather” on this site’s Wiki, you don’t have to use both cream and soap).

List of products used…my god thats a long list! If you can, wear a hat instead of sunscreen…it does a better job and you’ll avoid an extra layer of chemicals.

The double washing of you face…I’m no dermatologist but that seems excessive. Wash-shave-rince-aftershave-goodbye.

Aftershave…I always preferred an alcohol splash that contains glycerine. It disinfects and feels ‘thinner’ on the skin than balms and ‘feels’ like the skin can breathe better.

Final thing… Remember that going to a doctor is like going to a mechanic…they always find something more wrong and something more you should buy.

Good luck finding what works for you!

 

[Darthagnon]

In 2019 I started getting terrible ingrown hairs on my chin, caused half my jaw to swell to double in size. I noticed some beard hair looked like multiple growing out of one pore, so I thought my Braun electric shaver (of which I only ever used the miniscule beard trimmer on the back, am never clean-shaven) may have been the cause of the feathering, so I got into DE wet shaving (Gilette Mach5, Wilkinson Mach4, etc. always caused cuts and acne as a teen, so those were a no-go).

I thought maybe the DE wet shaving was helping, but I haven't found a good source of blades and have been using the same ones for a while, and I still get ingrown hairs with lots of sebum on the corners of my chin and on the edge of my jaw. Not too sure what to do. I don't use any products or face soaps, only rinsing with water, or argan beard oil if I let the beard grow out.

 

[Seelector]

I don’t have any experience with bad acne, but ingrown hairs are another story. Ever since I started shaving I would get really bad ingrown hairs on my neck. Switching from carts to DE a few years ago helped, but they were still bad enough that my wife would have to dig them out with tweezers every few weeks.

I made two changes that made a huge difference with ingrowns:

1. I switched to shaving with a straight razor. A bit of a learning curve but well worth it. It’s shocking how much this reduced my ingrown hairs and was just all around gentler on my face.
2. I spent a lot of time mapping my beard and learning the grain direction everywhere. It changes a lot on my neck, so where I thought I was going WTG I was actually going XTG to almost ATG in some places.

I also only use unscented shave soaps and balms. I don’t know if this helps or not, but I figure the less stuff going on my face the better.

 

[Ron R]

I get a small flare up of just a few blemishes(maybe that is normal?) I like to use Dickinson's witch hazel with some essential oil clove drops in the witch hazel for a small special batch that I make up(clove has some amazing benefits IMO). It takes a few days of applying to calm down the blemished area it seems(Q-tip soaked with WH & clove batch). When done shaving & after final rinse and towel pat dry the water and then I hand apply the regular Dickinson's 14% alcohol witch hazel to shaved area only to clean up any alkaline shaving soap residual(witch hazel is a mild cleanser close to neutral on the PH scale also) and dry witch hazel off face with a dry designated wash cloth. Most soaps are slightly alkaline from my limited research & most folks skin is about 7( Neutral) on the PH scale of 14 is my understanding.
Finding the right skin Exfoliating process could help also and using a boar brush or a pure badger brush might help in scrubbing the soap to assist in cleaning the affected beard area. (boar brushes should be soaked for at least a few minutes before use to make them more flexible and also dried in the open air for storage, not sure if you knew that!)

 

[Bugin]

I too live in S FL too and have sensitive skin.

First off try a mild or non scented soap. Half of the strong scented soaps give me irritation of one type or another, and feed into the second issue...

Don't add anything to your face for a half hour after shaving. Give your face time to dry off. Pores will close facial hair will dry and recede. If you add chems too early they will reek havoc.

Personally I shave, then alum while wet, allow alum to sit on face while cleaning up, rinse face, gently pat dry, Aftershave (something mild, Thayers perhaps). At this point nothing will touch my skin for 30 mins plus. Feel your skin before and after that time and you'll know the difference. Not sure this is your issue but it's one I've dealt with more than once.

Good luck

 

[Shave and coffee]

Really appreciate the feedback on this thread and see a couple of new comments that offer some helpful advice.

I've made a few changes that have had an impact, but still testing new ideas and seeing what works best. I like Bugin's advice regarding letting your face settle for 30 mins - seems a bit long, but I like the idea.

Some things that have worked:

1. Avoid fragrance or anything too heavy.
2. Become much more stringent as to what products to use and look up ingredient lists. Generally if there is 1 ingredient that has a very low probability of being comodogenic, then I've stuck with it if I feel that it helps (almost nothing has zero ingredients, but ingredients are ranked online for their propensity to be troublesome)
3. Using fewer products. I'm using unscented soap, no aftershave, and stopped using both sunscreen and BB cream w/SPF. I'm still searching for a decent SPF facial product and some of the Sephora stuff has coco oil or something similar despite being labelled as non-comodogenic. This has helped.

Current Routine:
Merkur 34c w/feather blades
badger brush
Proroaso unscented sensitive
Clindamycin Phosphate (derm RX)
non-comogenic LaRoche Posay Matte moistruzier
Dr Jart BB cream OR Shiseido Urban SPF

Use triretinoin at night every other day or 2 out of 3 nights.

I also use these special single-use, biodegradable cloths instead of face towels. Apparently even if you wash "properly" face towels can be filled with stuff that will get on your face.

 

[Bugin]

Really appreciate the feedback on this thread and see a couple of new comments that offer some helpful advice.

I've made a few changes that have had an impact, but still testing new ideas and seeing what works best. I like Bugin's advice regarding letting your face settle for 30 mins - seems a bit long, but I like the idea.

Some things that have worked:

1. Avoid fragrance or anything too heavy.
2. Become much more stringent as to what products to use and look up ingredient lists. Generally if there is 1 ingredient that has a very low probability of being comodogenic, then I've stuck with it if I feel that it helps (almost nothing has zero ingredients, but ingredients are ranked online for their propensity to be troublesome)
3. Using fewer products. I'm using unscented soap, no aftershave, and stopped using both sunscreen and BB cream w/SPF. I'm still searching for a decent SPF facial product and some of the Sephora stuff has coco oil or something similar despite being labelled as non-comodogenic. This has helped.

Current Routine:
Merkur 34c w/feather blades
badger brush
Proroaso unscented sensitive
Clindamycin Phosphate (derm RX)
non-comogenic LaRoche Posay Matte moistruzier
Dr Jart BB cream OR Shiseido Urban SPF

Use triretinoin at night every other day or 2 out of 3 nights.

I also use these special single-use, biodegradable cloths instead of face towels. Apparently even if you wash "properly" face towels can be filled with stuff that will get on your face.

I'm happy to hear you're getting a routine that's working for you. I'm sure that over time you'll be able to refine it and have better shaves yet.

Funny enough I've been paying attention to that 30 minutes for the past week and it's definitely shorter but you got the point. Interesting point about the towels. I have a recurring issue that I may want to try those with.

 

[DesertIguana]

Buy good TWEEZERS to pull In grown hairs, slower is better, so you get ROOT. Hit are with Proxcide, going on living life.

I get what I call "Wild Ones", they are two hairs growing out of single hair follocle, one is alway extra think and black in color. I can ID these wild ones by rubbing tweezer in area. When you hit right hair, you know, as PAIN is the feeling you get. Again good tweezer is great for pulling these SOB Hairs out.

 

[Hold Command]

I think exfoliation (not scrubbing) is key here, alot of people recommend a salicylic acid wash whether a mild one like Cerave SA maybe once a day or a stronger one once a week.

Alternatively an exfoliating treatment such as cerave blemish control gel or Anthony ingrown hair treatment (probably best not to use these every shave) may help with both of your issues.

For shave cream take a look at Taylor of old bond street organic unfragranced as it contains no nasties and has the performance you'd expect, it's really been good for my skin.

When it comes to the ingrowns themselves I'd recommend not tweezering them out fully, but just pulling out the tip of the hair and then shaving it as normal but not too close.

If that's not possible applying a treatment to them such as the two mentioned above for a couple of days should help exfoliatile the skin and help to release the hair.

Please ignore the vast majority of aftershaves they are usually full of harsh ingredients, menthol, alcohol and fragrance, a good oil free moisturiser is all you need in addition to any other serums or treatments, a moisturiser with niacinamide that I like is simple hydrating light, no comedogenic ingredients at all.

 

[Doc Dan]

Since I got over my fear of a naked blade and started using a straight razor I have had zero irritation and zero ingrown hairs.

 

[Hold Command]

Just an update that I'm trying a new routine that will I hope help with two issues i face and may be of interest:

My issues:
1. A few ingrown in particular spots from time to time (have previously treated these spots with an aftershave treatment such as cool fix or Cerave Blemish control gel).

2. Persistent oiliness and white / yellow spots on my nose and to the side of my nose and a general redness in those areas.

What I'm trying:
AM:
1.Warm water rinse and soak face and brush for a few mins.
2. Lather up with TOBS organic un-fragranced shave cream.
3. One pass with Gillete Guard WTG
4. Second WTG pass with Henson medium using mid sharpness blade (Astra SP currently).
5. Third pass if necessary or just touch ups on cheeks across the grain.
Using only tepid water for rinses
6. Warm water rinse and apply alum to all shaved areas.
7. Cold water rinse, gently pat face dry, apply hyaluronic acid serum.
8. After 5 mins or so apply Azealic Acid Serum (to help with redness) then top off with a moisturiser and / or SPF 30.
9. In the evening whilst showering wash face with Cerave SA cleanser and immediately after shower apply Simple Hydrating light moisturiser before bed.

So far three days in the results are good, no sign of ingrowns yet and the acne on my nose does appear to be much reduced. I will need to give it a month or so as I've had good temporary results before.