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rash

Hi all,

I'm the recently (4 days) proud owner of a Merkur Futur, i'm using green Gillette 7 o'clock blades, and TOBS soap, i use a scrub in the shower to help lift the beard, then apply the soap using a guide i found on here, I'm having awful trouble getting the hair on my neck under my chin, and when i do get it i'm getting a rash.

The rash isn't clearing fast enough (have to shave daily for work) so i wind up cutting the raised parts of the rash. I'm using an alum block after i shave and moisturising to try to help it.

Any ideas or tips on this, is it how often i'm shaving, or could it be the blades i'm using?

Any feedback on this will be greatly appreciated.

PS it's not the brush or soap, i've been using these with my cartridge razor for a while now with no problem.
 
Welcome!

It might be too much pressure or the wrong blade angle - both are more difficult to control under the chin. The scrub might be making things worse, too, by irritating your skin before you even start to shave.

I'd try cutting out the scrub, and use the least-aggressive setting on the futur for that part of the shave. Avoid going ATG there, and maybe shave around the irritation while it heals.
 
Cheers, yeah i just shaved around the face today and left the neck, I'll ditch the scrub for a while and see if that makes any difference. it's probably just my skin getting used to the razor, but it is very annoying, having a shirt rubbing against it.
 
I'd recommend skipping the face scrub until you've mastered your shave. Exfoliating scrubs are mildly abrasive and if your blade angle or pressure is off it may simply compound the abrasive effects and lend to a rough shave and/or rash.
 
Welcome!

It might be too much pressure or the wrong blade angle - both are more difficult to control under the chin. The scrub might be making things worse, too, by irritating your skin before you even start to shave.

I'd try cutting out the scrub, and use the least-aggressive setting on the futur for that part of the shave. Avoid going ATG there, and maybe shave around the irritation while it heals.

+1 and welcome
 
I agree, cut out the scrub and see if that helps. Some people's skin (mine included) just won't take that much exfoliation. Try a simple hot water prep, or try a milder, more hydrating cleanser such as CeraVe, Cetaphil or Nancy Boy.

Be sure you aren't "digging" the blade into the skin as you begin your stroke. The area under the chin is not as easily approached by the razor as the face itself, so you'll need to pay extra special attention to blade angle and make sure you're using NO pressure. I used to have the same problem in that area, as well as the area at the bottom of the neck, around the adam's apple. Once I started giving the trouble spots a little extra lather lovin', "floating" the razor and using short strokes, the problem went away.

Welcome to B&B!
 
I have the most trouble shaving smooth the neck whiskers right under my chin. Something that helped me the most was to watch closely how the straight edge shaving is done in that area. You can read about it in the straight edge shaving tutorials here in B&B. To me, no matter which direction I shaved from, the whiskers seemed to be able to disappear into the skin. Also, the whiskers seem to grow in multiple directions so ATG/XTG is all confused. Pulling the skin to each side, pulling the lower lip up tight, raising the chin, pulling down on the neck skin, all these things can help you present the whiskers differently to the blade.

Anyway, they know what they're doing over there and they do things a little differently - and sometimes just looking at a challenge a little differently can really help.
 
Okay, so i ditched the scrub, and spend a while mapping out the growth on my face, turns out i've been shaving against the grain down there for years without realising it, Shaved today following mantic59's video tips on you tube, and had a fantastic shave, little bit of soreness and 2 nicks but apart from that, i'm delighted. Thanks again for the advice and help guys.
 
Okay, so i ditched the scrub, and spend a while mapping out the growth on my face, turns out i've been shaving against the grain down there for years without realising it, Shaved today following mantic59's video tips on you tube, and had a fantastic shave, little bit of soreness and 2 nicks but apart from that, i'm delighted. Thanks again for the advice and help guys.

Glad to hear it! Keep at it and take your time. :thumbup1:
 
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