Hi, I've been recently getting red bumps, although I am pretty sure they are not ingrown hairs as they are not at hair follicles. They look a lot like acne although they definitely are not acne. I recently switched to shaving with a Parker razor with Merkur blades and I use Tabac shaving soap. I think I will stop using all of them until I recover, but I was wondering if anybody has had a similar problem and whether they blame the razor or the soap!
Red bumps (but not razor bumps) from shaving
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I used to get those, but as my technique improved, the red spots went away. Also, when I don't shave every day, the bumps don't appear. I now shave about 4 or 5 times a week.
Give your face time to rest and recover.
Give your face time to rest and recover.
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You may have a superficial case of Folliculitis. It is also known as "Barber's Itch". Do you have white headed pimples or just red bumps?
With a cartridge razor, I used to get something similar. Eventually they usually turned into ingrown hairs, especially on my neck. I'd take a little time off, deal with the ingrowns again, and then shave again. Now that I've been using a DE, I only got bumps one time when I tried a different blade. They were red and slightly raised, but never formed and head and disappeared in a couple of hours.
I'd say give yourself a little time off and then test each element of your shave routine separately to see what might be causing the bumps. I have no trouble with Tabac soap and can use Merkur blades without a problem although they aren't favorites. Haven't tried a Parker razor, though, so I can't say much about that. Good luck!
I just started shaving like a pro for the past week, and I also get red bumps/redness.
I use a Merkur HD w/ derby blades, rooney super badger small brush, and taylor of old bond shaving cream (though its less of a cream and more of a solid similar to icecream, is it supposed to be like that?)
I think its because I make a poor lather, so I'll see within the next couple of days if the problem gets solved.
I use a Merkur HD w/ derby blades, rooney super badger small brush, and taylor of old bond shaving cream (though its less of a cream and more of a solid similar to icecream, is it supposed to be like that?)
I think its because I make a poor lather, so I'll see within the next couple of days if the problem gets solved.
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Are you using an aftershave balm? When I started wetshaving after a several year hiatus from shaving in general I experienced something similar. Red bumps that look like acne... What is was for me is that I was using a heavy aftershave "balm" and have oily skin. I stopped the balm and now only use Em's witch hazel after shave -- the bumps disappeared and haven't come back. I am sure some of the other witch hazel products work well I just found Em's product and it works so well for my skin I don't use anything else. (I do use a wide variety of soaps, creams, brushes, razors, blades, etc.... The only thing I don't change is the aftershave.) YMMV as they say.
As evidenced by the multiple replies all pointing to different possible causes, you are clearly not alone. I get those mysterious red spots close to my mouth on my cheeks also. They don't hurt and I am sure that they are not ingrowns at any stage. I think it has something to do with angle in that area. I use a sharp blade and my lather is pretty consistant since I only use one brand of cream. Paying closer attention to my angle and pressure on each successive pass has helped immensely. Also, I shave every other day and generally do a three pass shave on my face. Each pass is supposed to reduce the length of stubble - keep that in mind - and not scrape away a layer of skin.
As always a perfect shave is composed of several steps executed perfectly. Focus on the step at hand whether it be prep, lather building, pressure and angle, or after care.
Don't change more than one thing at a time if you are trying to isolate a definitative cause to the problem.
It sounds like you are having some success and once you (we) get a handle on those red spots, they should fade and become a thing of the past.
As always a perfect shave is composed of several steps executed perfectly. Focus on the step at hand whether it be prep, lather building, pressure and angle, or after care.
Don't change more than one thing at a time if you are trying to isolate a definitative cause to the problem.
It sounds like you are having some success and once you (we) get a handle on those red spots, they should fade and become a thing of the past.
Thanks for the reply. After shaving, I usually wet my face, ruban alum block across my shaved area, clean up, and then apply Gentlements Refinery after-shave (it's milky, and absorbs into the skin very fast).
I'm pretty sure this all has to do with my lather, which is usually pretty dry. If I add water, it'll be decent, however, for the second lather-up for the second pass, it is watery/thin. Something is definately wrong.
I usually put a bowl in the sink, filled up with water, as well as my brush inside. Then, I procede to take a shower, and afterwards I shake the brush a couple of times, put a dime-size taylor of old bond cream (it's solid like icecream for some reason) in the bowl, and begin stirring with the brush. The brush is a rooney small super-badger brush, so that shouldn't be the problem.
+1
Hi i have exactly the same problem. For me I am still prone to acne. I dont have much at all but unless I monitor what I eat etc it still flares up. i think its the same with my neck. Just the other day actually i stopped using my Nivea ASB and just usea alum and some Dickinson's WH and already my neck area is completely clearing up! I evn using some acne cream (benzyl peroxide) and it works pretty well.
