Shaving Irritation Neck

DaveG · Oct 4, 2009

Hey, Im new to de shaving, for about 4 months. My Neck is the most tender area to shave. Everytime I shave atg I get a huge amount red spots right after. I can only shave with the grain, but that only clears about 5% of hairs (My neck hair grows inward). Im using astra blades, shaving oil, and proper technique. Am I doomed here?

FYI, I tried XTG as well, but that does nothing.

ProphetNoir · Oct 4, 2009

Welcome to B&B!
Doomed? No, but it ain't easy to get the neck shaved without irritation. That's a fact of life for many, many of the members. I don't stop shaving my face due to neck issues, but I do stop shaving my neck, sometimes for two or three shaves while I treat the area and formulate a new plan of attack. When the hair gets long on my neck I use a personal trimmer - available in most drugstores - to reduce the hair down to about day-old stubble length. So far I haven't found a permanent solution but I pay attention to the area and I watch the threads here for hopeful hints.

DaveG · Oct 4, 2009

Oh ok, I find If I dont shave my neck for a few days, the hair basically slides right off, with a great shave, with atg. I thot bout not shaving neck for a few days, just thought that id look like an idiot with clean face and massive neck hair.

jwhite · Oct 4, 2009

I used to experience a similar problem. If you can shave every other day and get a good shave that's not too bad really. If keeping a professional appearance is mandatory for your profession you might try keeping a well trimmed beard on the face and shaving the neck every couple of days. Before switching to a DE this is what I had to do as cartridges irritated my skin so bad I could only shave 2-3 times a week. The contrast between the beard and the neck minimized the appearance of stubble with out having to look too unkempt. If you are using a DE now that could buy some time to get your technique down but I was able to shave every day once I found a blade and shave routine that worked best for me. My problem, I have discovered came from multi-blades pulling on the whiskers which freshly cut would then irritate the skin further. I use very sharp blades now and good pre/post shave practices and I have found an immense improvement. Never underestimate the incorporation of good routine. I still nic myself occasionally or get some minor irritation if I get a little too cavalier around my neck but It is nothing like before and all redness or discomfort is gone within a half hour or less. If you would have asked me before using a DE if I would shave everyday I would have likely gone upside your head for wishing that kind of misery for me :001_tt2:

theinternot · Oct 4, 2009

jwhite said:
I used to experience a similar problem. If you can shave every other day and get a good shave that's not too bad really. If keeping a professional appearance is mandatory for your profession you might try keeping a well trimmed beard on the face and shaving the neck every couple of days. Before switching to a DE this is what I had to do as cartridges irritated my skin so bad I could only shave 2-3 times a week. The contrast between the beard and the neck minimized the appearance of stubble with out having to look too unkempt. If you are using a DE now that could buy some time to get your technique down but I was able to shave every day once I found a blade and shave routine that worked best for me. My problem, I have discovered came from multi-blades pulling on the whiskers which freshly cut would then irritate the skin further. I use very sharp blades now and good pre/post shave practices and I have found an immense improvement. Never underestimate the incorporation of good routine. I still nic myself occasionally or get some minor irritation if I get a little too cavalier around my neck but It is nothing like before and all redness or discomfort is gone within a half hour or less. If you would have asked me before using a DE if I would shave everyday I would have likely gone upside your head for wishing that kind of misery for me

I had the exact same problem using a Fusion Cart. It took me up to 4 days before I could shave again. The second reason I wanted to start DE shaving was to be able to shave more frequently (the first being the cost of the carts). Now I can shave every other day... not always BBS, but much better than using the cart.

DaveG · Oct 4, 2009

Thanks for the tips, Im gonna try maybe growing a light beard, so the contrast isn't so noticible. Thanks again for your tips.

blue_titan · Oct 4, 2009

For me the lower neck area is very tricky to shave directly ATG. If I make a pass directly ATG with the razor approaching the whiskers at exactly 90 degrees to their growth there is a very high probability of irritation.

So I've modified my approach a bit and tried to incorporate the Gillette Slide technique for a pass that is more of a "slice" than a "chop". I try to work the blade with the razor head rotated a bit, at almost 45 degrees, as I go XTG/ATG. It takes some practice to find the right rotation of the razor and from what direction to make the pass, but if I relather and gently touch up with this technique I can get a pretty smooth finish.

Tzar · Oct 4, 2009

I also have a troublesome neck which is easily irritated with red spots (especially lower neck), but since I shave everyday my face without any irritation or redness, letting the hair grows in my neck is not an option. The contrast between face and neck would be too noticeable.

After 6 weeks of wetshaving, I have found out that the single most important element that determines how much neck irritation I can have after a shave is the BLADE. Not the cream, not the soap, not the razor, not the brush, but the blade.

Derbys have given me lots of irritation in the neck. Israeli Personnas has been tugging my hair. Astras have been good, but some irritation would still happen.

This very weekend I shaved with Feathers for the first time, once yesterday and once today. It's been almost a miracle since I have had no irritation or redness in the neck after shaving with that blade.

So I would suggest that you keep trying different sorts of blades. There might be one out there that could be just what your neck requires.

Of course, good technique and pressure are fundamental too, but after that I believe blades are the most important element.

DaveG · Oct 4, 2009

Is their more of a chance of slicing your neck open wih this Slide Technique? Ill order some feathers as well, thanks for the tips. Quick Question- Can you use shaving oil as a pre shave oil, if its not labeled as a pre-shave?

blue_titan · Oct 4, 2009

DaveG said:
Is their more of a chance of slicing your neck open wih this Slide Technique? Ill order some feathers as well, thanks for the tips. Quick Question- Can you use shaving oil as a pre shave oil, if its not labeled as a pre-shave?

I haven't found that I get any more blood this way, which is really none at all. My issue is always irritation, not getting cut. If you watch the Mantic videos he demonstrates the technique on his cheek (diagonal pass ear to chin). This should give you the idea of what it is. Think of trying to do what a slant razor does by tilting your razor head a little to get the same blade position as a slant.

I hope that helps explain it a bit. I guess it's better to watch a demonstration. I don't have the link for the particular Mantic video. I'll try to find it and post a link here for you.

DSB · Oct 4, 2009

My first piece of advice is to make sure you are actually shaving with the grain. This is the most common problem with neck irritation. I was having irritation on my neck, too, until I had my wife take a look at my neck with two days worth of beard on it. While I thought the hair on my neck was growing N-S, she was able to see, upon close inspection, that it was more NE-SW. Once I started shaving in the correct direction, the irritation disappeared!

blue_titan · Oct 5, 2009

DSB said:
My first piece of advice is to make sure you are actually shaving with the grain. This is the most common problem with neck irritation. I was having irritation on my neck, too, until I had my wife take a look at my neck with two days worth of beard on it. While I thought the hair on my neck was growing N-S, she was able to see, upon close inspection, that it was more NE-SW. Once I started shaving in the correct direction, the irritation disappeared!

Definitely key for me as well. Once I realized that my beard was growing in different directions around the beard line I was able to change my approach and minimize irritation.

Here is the Mantic video for advanced techniques. Here you'll see him do the "Gillette Slide" and the "J-Hook". He demonstrates on his cheek but I try to apply it in different areas from different directions. You need to experiment a bit. I find the J-hook works well for me on my neck just below the jaw line. But everyone's beard direction is different and YMMV. Anyway, here's the youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQco5PWc2JU

jwhite · Oct 5, 2009

DaveG said:
Is their more of a chance of slicing your neck open wih this Slide Technique? Ill order some feathers as well, thanks for the tips. Quick Question- Can you use shaving oil as a pre shave oil, if its not labeled as a pre-shave?

I have found the feathers to be a good blade but Ive only been using them about a week, I have had better results with bluebird, (not giving up on the feathers yet) if your ordering blades give both a try. http://bestgroomingtools.com/ has both and good shipping for blades.

gerwen · Oct 5, 2009

Another comment on the feathers.
Derbys, Red Personnas, Crystals all tugged on my whiskers, but i had the best results with the Derbys. I just started trying the feathers. Much more comfortable shave, no tugging. However i'm getting more burn than before. My combination of Aqua Velva then proraso pre/post balm keeps it in check, but the AV definitely stings a bunch more when i splash it on, and i sometimes need another splash an hour later.

I thought i had a sensitive face, but compared to others' around here it seems it's rather tough. If you decide to go try the feathers, go easy the first couple of times, and see how your face reacts. A full 4 pass with atg may set you on fire.

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