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Ingrowns will not leave

ive been at DE shaving for about 9 months or so. it used to be terrible, then got a little better, but its still bad. i have the swirling patterns under my jaw lines, and the hair grows very close to the surface of my face. the problem persists under my jawline only, not on the cheeks at all. heres my routine

- daily facial scrub with 2% salicylic acid, followed by witch hazel application
- i shave once every 4 days or so.
- preshave: hot shower, soak brush in hot mug of water, soak soap puck
- lather up with proraso/tabac superlather
- since above the jaw is the problem, i will just describe how i shave below the jaw. i do a SINGLE WTG pass with merkur 34C HD loaded with a derby, feather, or personna
- warm water rinse
- alum block
- witch hazel
- aqua velva ice blue or musk

i use zero pressure. i have very, very good fine motor control. i have mapped the growth of my face, and i do a single pass which i am positive is WTG. i exfoliate, and yet the ingrowns will not go away. what could i possibly be doing wrong?
 
I would try a milder razor, like a Gillette Tech. Load that with a sharp blade, like an Iridium or Feather, then do your one pass shave. You might want to try adding an ice cold rinse after the warm rinse, but before you put on the witch. Are you using drugstore witch that has alcohol in it? If so, I would just ditch the AV as that is probably overkill. I would try to go without the alum block for awhile too and see what happens. Then I would add a small amount of decent AS balm or non-comedogenic face moisturizer to the very end of your routine.

Also, you might want to look into sterilizing your razor after each use. I would get some barbicide from a local barber supply store and follow the directions. Also, change your blade often. Like every 2 shaves.
 
I would try a milder razor, like a Gillette Tech. Load that with a sharp blade, like an Iridium or Feather, then do your one pass shave. You might want to try adding an ice cold rinse after the warm rinse, but before you put on the witch. Are you using drugstore witch that has alcohol in it? If so, I would just ditch the AV as that is probably overkill. I would try to go without the alum block for awhile too and see what happens. Then I would add a small amount of decent AS balm or non-comedogenic face moisturizer to the very end of your routine.

Also, you might want to look into sterilizing your razor after each use. I would get some barbicide from a local barber supply store and follow the directions. Also, change your blade often. Like every 2 shaves.

Agree with everything. I had the same problem, except under my jawline. Switching from a heavy razor (HD and Fatboy) to a Superspeed along with refined technique helped me out a lot. Just the lighter razor and not going for BBS cured my ingrowns- not reduced them, not made them less frequent- 100% gone. Also, instead of ice cold rinsing, I do lukewarm. Seems to make my skin go through less shock (YMMV). Alum will help you diagnose any pressure problems you might have also by burning like all hell when you screw up :lol:. Oh, and give your face a break for a long time- I did about 2 weeks. This gave my skin enough time to heal 100%, and I could pull out the ingrowns (not out of the follicle, just out of the boil).
 
If you have tight curly facial hair you may never fully get rid of shaving bumps. However, you can try the following:

Try putting a good pre-shave oil on before you super-lather up. A good and cheap one I recommend to try is Shave Secret. It's available at Wal-Mart and can cut down on irritation quite a bit. Hopefully, this decrease in irritation will prevent further bumps from forming. Also, don't go for BBS or an ATG pass. This should also cut down if not eliminate ingrowns.

They are most likely sticking around because you are constantly irritating them and not letting them heal. To get rid of them you have to get the ingrown hair out of there.

To treat your current stubborn ingrowns you need to put a glycolic acid gel or Retin-A from a dermatologist on them and let it sit all day. Over a couple days theese compounds will take off the "roof" of irritated skin that has grown over the hair. Once this comes off you can pluck out the exposed ingrown that is causing the inflamed bump. I would recommend not shaving while you let these products do their work. After this hair is out the bump will heal if you don't irritate it again.
 
I also like sterilizing the razor before and after use just as mentioned above. I keep a jar of 91% isopropyl alcohol on my counter and swish the razor in it before and after the shave. This can help quite a bit.
 
I have found that when I shave regularly (for me that's daily) I experience far fewer ingrowns than when I shave infrequently (like your "every four days" routine). This was true when I used multi-bladed cartridges and now that I use a DE safety razor. I have never understood why, but this has been my experience. So... maybe... well... you could try shaving a bit more frequently.

Regardless... good luck.
 
I have had simular issues as you, it appears to be a skin sensitivity issue. Get Thayers Superhazel and some ingrown hair treatment. Don't shave everyday. Wash your face with a good srub then a cold water slash to tighten pores, pat dry, superhazel, let dry, ingrown hair solution till they come to a head, straighten/dislodge (don't pluck) them out with sterlized tweezers or a needle and cleanly wack 'em. I acutually don't gor for my ingrowns until after my shave, way easier to see.
 
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Swishing alone will not fully sterilize. You have to let the alcohol evaporate to really kill everything. I use this method too, but now I let the razor dry out so the alcohol can evaporate. Doctor told me this. Barbicide should be even more effective, and I'm thinking about switching to that. In the long run it will be cheaper too, because the stuff is heavily concentrated and you have to mix it with water to use it properly per the directions. Marvicide is like a generic version of Barbicide and does the same thing.

I also like sterilizing the razor before and after use just as mentioned above. I keep a jar of 91% isopropyl alcohol on my counter and swish the razor in it before and after the shave. This can help quite a bit.
 
Swishing alone will not fully sterilize. You have to let the alcohol evaporate to really kill everything. I use this method too, but now I let the razor dry out so the alcohol can evaporate. Doctor told me this. Barbicide should be even more effective, and I'm thinking about switching to that. In the long run it will be cheaper too, because the stuff is heavily concentrated and you have to mix it with water to use it properly per the directions. Marvicide is like a generic version of Barbicide and does the same thing.

Yes, I actually know this but I just didn't make it a point to mention because alcohol evaporates fast...especially a thin layer exposed to air. I am a doctor myself. Swish the dry razor off in alcohol and then let it sit standing up on the counter while you wet your face and lather up. By the time you pick up the razor to use, it will be dry. You could also swish it off before the shower and let it dry standing up while you shower.
 
You're right, the 91% does dry really fast. Not all stores carry it all the time though, but I try to get that over the 70% when I can. I used to never let it evaporate until I got a nasty infected follicle/ingrown a couple months back. It was bad enough to have to go to the doctor. :ohmy: That's when I heard about the evaporation thing.

What do you think about sterilizing brushes? You can't really use alcohol on it because it will damage the hair, but I read that a more diluted than normal solution of barbicide can be used. Are you aware of anything else that can be used to clean most of the nasties from a brush without damaging the hair? I try to make sure my brush is dry and I don't store it in the bathroom but I still wonder about bacteria accumulating on it.
 
If you have tight curly facial hair you may never fully get rid of shaving bumps. However, you can try the following:

Try putting a good pre-shave oil on before you super-lather up. A good and cheap one I recommend to try is Shave Secret. It's available at Wal-Mart and can cut down on irritation quite a bit. Hopefully, this decrease in irritation will prevent further bumps from forming. Also, don't go for BBS or an ATG pass. This should also cut down if not eliminate ingrowns.

They are most likely sticking around because you are constantly irritating them and not letting them heal. To get rid of them you have to get the ingrown hair out of there.

To treat your current stubborn ingrowns you need to put a glycolic acid gel or Retin-A from a dermatologist on them and let it sit all day. Over a couple days theese compounds will take off the "roof" of irritated skin that has grown over the hair. Once this comes off you can pluck out the exposed ingrown that is causing the inflamed bump. I would recommend not shaving while you let these products do their work. After this hair is out the bump will heal if you don't irritate it again.

Retin-A works really well for ingrowns but dries the crap out of your skin where it is applied, but I guess that's the point. I've read you're not supposed to pluck out the hair after it surfaces but for me it never really grew back right so I had more success pulling it and it seems to heal faster. I don't shave ATG because my face can't take it and that's when I get ingrowns.
 
A few things stood out to me from the responses to your post:
1 - sterilize the razor
2 - shave more often
I know #2 appears counter productive, but I recommend that you shave either daily or every other day. It may sound painful, but give it a go for 2-3 weeks and my guess is that it will improve. That's what happened to me years ago.
Finally - I recommend that you use a Tend Skin solution (Google Tend Skin or search this site for the home-made version) two times a day. That's been a life saver for me.
Best of luck!
 
thanks for the responses everyone, but i feel like a few of you didnt read my entire post. also, i may have left out some vital information.

basically after a shave, my skin looks almost perfect. clear, almost no irritation, which has never been an issue since my skin isnt that sensitive, its the ingrowns that cause the problems. then within 24 hours or so, its clear that the regrowth is causing my skin to look red and irritated. its not surface irritation from razor burn, its the hairs pushing up against the skin from within causing it to look red. i never shave over boils or ingrowns, i always expose them with a needle, wash with salicylic acid, then witch hazel application. i never shave until all the ingrowns are exposed and my skin has healed, which takes about 4 days hence the shaving intervals i am accustomed to.

i feel like shaving more frequently isnt going to solve anything, although ill give it a try. the whole issue is that regardless of my shaving technique with the current equipment i use, the hairs still are being cut and growing back below the surface. i think a different razor would be a good first step
 
I don't have an ingrown hair problem, but if you want a mild razor, go with a SuperSpeed. I have a SS, HD, Tech and some others in rotation and the SS is the mildest of them all. Whenever I have a rough shave, nicks or irritation from another razor, I always fall back to the SS until it heals.
 
thanks for the responses everyone, but i feel like a few of you didnt read my entire post. also, i may have left out some vital information.

basically after a shave, my skin looks almost perfect. clear, almost no irritation, which has never been an issue since my skin isnt that sensitive, its the ingrowns that cause the problems. then within 24 hours or so, its clear that the regrowth is causing my skin to look red and irritated. its not surface irritation from razor burn, its the hairs pushing up against the skin from within causing it to look red. i never shave over boils or ingrowns, i always expose them with a needle, wash with salicylic acid, then witch hazel application. i never shave until all the ingrowns are exposed and my skin has healed, which takes about 4 days hence the shaving intervals i am accustomed to.

i feel like shaving more frequently isnt going to solve anything, although ill give it a try. the whole issue is that regardless of my shaving technique with the current equipment i use, the hairs still are being cut and growing back below the surface. i think a different razor would be a good first step

I do not share your problem, but I sympathize - it sounds painful. Have you ever tried face-lathering without shaving? I wonder if doing that every 8-12 hours in between shaves might help stand up the stubble, and discourage the ingrowns?

Shaving less aggressively does sound like a good idea to me. Isn't the bump-fighter razor designed to leave a little stubble, no matter how hard you push? So a daily or even twice-daily single-pass shave with a mild razor (Tech) might be worth a try.
 
I think you migh be overdoing your face care. You should only exfoliate 1-2 times a week. The salicylic acid is also very drying. Have you tried using noxema daily instead? It will do a good job of cleaning your pores while not overdrying. In fact, you can use it as a pre/post just like proraso.
 
I think you migh be overdoing your face care. You should only exfoliate 1-2 times a week. The salicylic acid is also very drying. Have you tried using noxema daily instead? It will do a good job of cleaning your pores while not overdrying. In fact, you can use it as a pre/post just like proraso.

i have been told that in the past, but i dont see how that would lend itself to my issue as my skin is not extra dry and irritated as a result of the exfoliation. the ingrowns still exist, causing me to think its almost an issue of not enough exfolation, as the hairs still find their way under my skin.
 
i have been told that in the past, but i dont see how that would lend itself to my issue as my skin is not extra dry and irritated as a result of the exfoliation. the ingrowns still exist, causing me to think its almost an issue of not enough exfolation, as the hairs still find their way under my skin.

Mantic had a tip where he used a really soft toothbrush on the areas you know you have ingrowns. Try just rubbing the affected areas for a couple of minutes with a toothbrush and see if that works.
 
Some people at acne.org forums have had success using a brush that is designed for a baby's hair as a facial exfoliation brush. I'd probably try that before the toothbrush as even soft toothbrushes are kinda stiff.
 
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