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Red spots on my face after shaving

Not the expected kind either.
This only happens sometimes and only with a strait.

Right after a shave I’ll look totally normal, however an hour after that I find large purple spots on my cheeks, that look like black and blues that last about 12 hours. The size and shape are variable, but usually they are kind of round about the size of quarters, and only located on the flat parts of my face.

The strange thing is I get no burn with after shave, and wouldn’t know at all, if I didn’t look in a mirror an hour later.

At first I thought I might be allergic to the shaving cream, but I’ve tried many different ones and it doesn’t matter which I use. Even the same cream on a different day will react differently. Could I be allergic to badger hair?

Has anyone dealt with anything like this before? Its not common, its just strange when it happens.
 
Maybe you are allergic to the metal in the straight?? I have heard zannier things. Or maybe you put oil on the blade after use and the residue is irritating your skin??
 
Well, when you say only with a straight, do you mean straight vs multi blade, or straight vs say, DE?

The reason I ask is you seem to have several concerns, from soap to badger hair to the blade itself. More details needed!

I had a problem with these types of bumps and the only thing that finally fixed it was using unscented soaps. Also, with the straight, if you try to get too close, your skin may not appreciate the treatment. I would bet the problem is one of those two things.
 
More information:

I have no reaction to DE's and no problems with cartridge razors. I know all too well what razor burn feels like, this is something more purple.

It could be the metal in the razor, but the razor that bothers me is my wapi. Its stainless steel! My carbon steel solingen does not seem to bother me. I've only shaved with straights a hand full of times, so this does not constitute rock solid evidence that it is the wapi. I'm going to have a shave first thing in the morning with the wapi to see if there is a trend. It might just be oil that I put on the razor.
 
I know exactly what you're talking about. It's happened to me as well. To me it seems to only be certain blades. Perhaps a reaction to the metal? It happens very rarely and looks like a splotchy-type reaction type of spot(s). Seems to go away fairly quickly. I notice it more with a razor that did not have my preferred honing, perhaps it is a sharpness issue?
 
Possibly, just possibly, you're allergic to Nickel, which most Stainless Steels seem to have (in a greater or lesser then quality)

it happens, I've known someone to go into anaphylactic shock due to having a stainless chain placed around their neck :thumbdown

Do you have any reaction to other stainless products like jewellry and the like?

From now on, I'd stick with High Carbon Steel blades :thumbup:
 
The only issue with that is that the Wapis have stainless scales, not a stainless blade.

Well there goes that theory.
All I know is when I shave with the wapi I get strange purple spots on my face that look just like a nickel allergy. I'm banking that the wapi was made with lots of nickel. Does anyone know what a wapi is made of? IE *** is Swedish steel?

So what kind of razors should I buy? I shaved with my solingen last night and I'm problem free. In fact my face is clearer then it was.
 
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Have you ever considered shaving the hairs on your arm in order to see if the same thing happens there? Just how hygienic are these blades prior to using them? Are they sterilized? Those long lasting purple blotches could be an allergic reaction - one which you need to look into? Any blades you don't get this condition with? Go to your GP & ask for an allergy test just as a starter? You may then have to make a few choices regarding blade choice, etc to enable you to enjoy shaving, like everyone else does. :p
 
Have you ever considered shaving the hairs on your arm in order to see if the same thing happens there? Just how hygienic are these blades prior to using them? Are they sterilized? Those long lasting purple blotches could be an allergic reaction - one which you need to look into? Any blades you don't get this condition with? Go to your GP & ask for an allergy test just as a starter? You may then have to make a few choices regarding blade choice, etc to enable you to enjoy shaving, like everyone else does. :p

Yes, luckily it is a cheap Wapi that you may be allergic to, and have to stop using, instead of a beautiful Dorko or something!:w00t:
 
Have you ever considered shaving the hairs on your arm in order to see if the same thing happens there? Just how hygienic are these blades prior to using them? Are they sterilized? Those long lasting purple blotches could be an allergic reaction - one which you need to look into? Any blades you don't get this condition with? Go to your GP & ask for an allergy test just as a starter? You may then have to make a few choices regarding blade choice, etc to enable you to enjoy shaving, like everyone else does. :p

I got the wapi nos and I boiled it when I got it just in case. I also thought it may have been a fungus or something so I soaked it in alcohol overnight to make sure it was hygienic. Same outcome with the spots, only on my cheeks no reaction anywhere else.

I would totally get an allergy test, but my insurance doesn't kick in until September, so thats going to have to be on hold for now. (Can I really avoid buying a new razor until then?:tongue_sm)
 
It could be a nickel allergy, even if the scales are stainless. Just eliminate that item for a while, to see if your problem does indeed go away.

If you need old-school straight razors without stainless steel anywhere, there a millions of them. I have a pretty good handful. They are not shave-ready, but they could be made so by a decent honemeister.
 
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