I thought that this was the appropriate section for this discussion.
I am wondering, does anyone else ever get “problem” bristles that they remove by plucking them out?
Back when I used cartridges, I used to get bad ingrowns. I mean, really bad “leave you with scars” kind of bad. Whilst I haven’t had ingrowns like that since I switched to traditional shaving many moons ago, every so often I do get what, with the aid of a magnifying mirror, I identify as a “problem bristle”, which is usually located on the toughest growth around the chin.
Whilst it doesn’t appear to be ingrown, a problem bristle gives itself away by a slight redness around the follicle that doesn’t diminish, even if the hair looks otherwise healthy. With my naturally very pale skin, a problem bristle is easy to spot.
Recently, I have taken to plucking these out if they don’t resolve in a few weeks. What I have discovered is that often, the rogue whisker is actually one whisker that has split in two. Sometimes, you can clearly see a very fine "companion whisker" emerging from the same hole, but sometimes 90% of it is growing normally and continues to get shaved and regrow, but a tiny sliver is broken away from the bulk of the hair and trapped beneath the epidermis, although it is still growing from the root. It’s not enough to cause serious irritation or discomfort, but just enough to make the follicle look a little angry.
Is this just me, or does anyone get these occasional “split whiskers”?
FWIW, I am almost certain they are the result of a carelessly heavy-handed stroke. They didn’t occur much when I used milder razors, but now I favour something a bit more aggressive they can pop up every couple of months if I let my attention wander and have a rough shave (or if I decide to push through with a blade that is past it’s prime or simply not sharp enough for my beard). Plucking them out usually resolves the redness within 24hrs, and I think that eventually another whisker grows to fill the space left!
I am wondering, does anyone else ever get “problem” bristles that they remove by plucking them out?
Back when I used cartridges, I used to get bad ingrowns. I mean, really bad “leave you with scars” kind of bad. Whilst I haven’t had ingrowns like that since I switched to traditional shaving many moons ago, every so often I do get what, with the aid of a magnifying mirror, I identify as a “problem bristle”, which is usually located on the toughest growth around the chin.
Whilst it doesn’t appear to be ingrown, a problem bristle gives itself away by a slight redness around the follicle that doesn’t diminish, even if the hair looks otherwise healthy. With my naturally very pale skin, a problem bristle is easy to spot.
Recently, I have taken to plucking these out if they don’t resolve in a few weeks. What I have discovered is that often, the rogue whisker is actually one whisker that has split in two. Sometimes, you can clearly see a very fine "companion whisker" emerging from the same hole, but sometimes 90% of it is growing normally and continues to get shaved and regrow, but a tiny sliver is broken away from the bulk of the hair and trapped beneath the epidermis, although it is still growing from the root. It’s not enough to cause serious irritation or discomfort, but just enough to make the follicle look a little angry.
Is this just me, or does anyone get these occasional “split whiskers”?
FWIW, I am almost certain they are the result of a carelessly heavy-handed stroke. They didn’t occur much when I used milder razors, but now I favour something a bit more aggressive they can pop up every couple of months if I let my attention wander and have a rough shave (or if I decide to push through with a blade that is past it’s prime or simply not sharp enough for my beard). Plucking them out usually resolves the redness within 24hrs, and I think that eventually another whisker grows to fill the space left!
