Losing hope (more on rash)

[ssidks]

Hey guys, I've been lurking around for quite a while now, figured out its about time to ask for an advice as I have been having problems with shaving that i could not overcome (as the title might suggest) and all the methods that I have had in mind have failed. Any help would be highly appreciated. I will explain my problem with quite a lot of detail as I feel this would result in a better advice.
First of all, I'm of mixed Nordic-Mediterranean heritage, which, I think, puts me in a different boat to most shavers. I have very fair, very sensitive and moderately oily skin and my facial hair is thick, black, dense and coarse. I think it's precisely due to this combination that my shaves have not been very successful, to say the least, in the past.
I'm 22 now so I have already been shaving properly for 5 or so years and these 5 years were a nightmare to my social life, precisely because of the need to shave. I could not avoid shaving as you could see even a single little hair on my face due to the blackness of my hair and the unusual paleness of my skin.
When i started shaving, I used Wilkinson Sword 4-blade razor that worked fine for my friends, but for me it gave redness, ingrown hairs and bumps on a scale that is hard to describe, I looked a complete mess and was completely depressed, trying different methods of shaving every single time with lots of hope but no luck. I then switched to Mach 3, which improved the rash significantly, but it was still by no means acceptable. During all this time i tried a whole bunch of different alcohol-based aftershaves and used Nivea for Men most of the times i shaved.
Finally, about a year ago, i came across a clinic that offered laser hair removal and having tried the most expensive products with little to no luck, I decided that paying quite a lot of cash for this service was a good idea. It actually was, the five sessions out of 6 got rid of about 70% of the mess. I started looking much more presentable and started getting much more deserved attention from girls :) However, coming to my last session, about 30% of my beard is still there - it now has a density of a normal beard, with no obvious patches (luckily). However, it seems like its the limit of what could've been achieved with this procedure as the results were really diminishing in the last few sessions. So It seems like I will not be able to avoid shaving for the rest of my life as i was hoping to. Now - what bothers me is the 30% of rash that i still get and that is still as unattractive and off putting as it was initially, there's just less of it.

Most importantly - the products that I've used. I used Mach 3 combined with Nivea for Men until recently, when I switched to a synthetic shaving brush, Palmolive/Farmasi lather and a Sanguine shavette razor (hence this forum). The results have improved but only very slightly since the Mach3, plus it's hard to tell whether the improvement was due to the switch or the recent hair removal procedure that i had. Apart from the lather, the shaver and the Nivea for Men moisturizer, I used various combinations of the following products: Min Solution 2, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol (surgical spirit), Weleda aftershave and various perfume aftershaves. Sometimes I would only put the Weleda or the Nivea on (no alcohol), sometimes i would only put alcohol. Other times I would combine the two. I always put witch hazel as i haven't heard of any possible negative effects of it. I always shave with the grain, never against. In any case, the results are always similar - i get the rash/ingrown hair/razor burn/whatever that unsightly, red, breakout-causing thing is.
Considering that I will not have my beard removed completely (at least not any time soon) and that my acne-days are over and i will not "grow out" of this phase, I am not really happy with the prospects that this brings me to.

So my question is: is my combination of soft, oily, sensitive and very white skin and coarse, thick, black hair, that unique? Or is it the case that there is no good solutions for ingrown hairs out there? Does this mean that I'm faced with the choice of either growing a beard or having ingrown hair/razor bumps for the rest of my life?

[Peppery John]

Laser removal seem a bit drastic imo.
I would've gone for the George Micheal designer stubble look.

[Kyle]

First of all, welcome to B&B. It sounds like you've had a really rough go of things, and for that, I am sorry. Hopefully the combined knowledge of our membership can assist you in reaching a pleasing solution.

There are MANY different options to consider in the both the process and the products that you are using. I would recommend reading through the stickied threads that can be found at the top of each forum. These contain a vast amount of information and should help you to better define some of the exact areas that can be changed or tweaked.

My personal recommendations would be:

Consider performing an extensive pre-shave prep.
Think about upgrading from the Shavette to either a true straight razor or a Double Edge razor.
Consider upgrading your brush to a badger hair brush.
Be willing to spend some money on a higher quality shave cream and/or soap.


Please do continue to ask questions, and keep us updated on your progress.

[professorchaos]

In addition to Kyle's suggestions, I would recommend that you try using a straight razor. Since you are already using a shavette, you should find the transition relatively straight forward (no pun intended). In my, admittedly limited experience, I find straight razors the least irritating - by a large margin - of all the options I have tried.

[BroJohn]

Welcome to B&B!


So my question is: is my combination of soft, oily, sensitive and very white skin and coarse, thick, black hair, that unique?

Other than the Oily part, your beard is probably typical of most men. Also, everybody thinks they have tender skin and tough beard. In fact, they do. It's just that this is the common condition and isn't unique.


Or is it the case that there is no good solutions for ingrown hairs out there?

There are some good products to treat ingrowns, but the best solution is not to experience them in the first place. Learning to shave, and gently shaving with a DE razor will not only give you a great shave, but should alleviate the ingrowns problem. Multi blade cartridge razors are renown for causing razor 'bumps'.


Does this mean that I'm faced with the choice of either growing a beard or having ingrown hair/razor bumps for the rest of my life?

No, you just need to learn to properly shave. Your posting indicates that since you've been shaving for 5 or so years you think you're an experienced shaver (you are) and you know what you're doing (you don't).

If you read through the various forums here at B&B, you'll find a number of postings 'pinned' or 'stickied' at the top of many forums. These treatises are "How-to's" and tutorials that will get you off on the right foot and are invaluable to new or returning wet shavers.

Also, make sure that you view Mantic's shaving videos (http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=mantic59&p=r) that he has posted on the net at YouTube. He's produced over 30 instructional videos that will address many of your shaving questions.

I started shaving with a DE in the early 60's and used the DE (improperly) until cartridge razors were introduced in the early-70's. I then wasted 35+ years getting lousy shaves using every new cartridge 'system' and electric that came along. After 40+ years of shaving, these fine guys here at B&B got me on the right track; I now look forward to a great shave, daily.

Spending a month or two learning to shave, making mistakes, having successes is time well spent --especially if it can save you 40 years or more of sub par shaves.

-- John Gehman