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One odd spot...no burn just bumps

Hello all,

I am fairly new to DE shaving (about two months) and for the most part it all couldn't be going better. I just have one major issue and any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I do three passes n-s, n-s, xtg I tend to always use a super lather, I use feather blades in a Merkur 38C.

My shave is a near perfect BBS every time except for the lower right side of my neck. I am left handed. I never feel any burn at all but if I go for near BBS that area looks just aweful and I have to ride to work with my AC blowing directly on my neck the whole time just to be presentable.

This is probably a problem with angle, as I have a lot of trouble holding the razor correctly in that area when doing xtg. It gets loose and clumsy and I have to try pretty hard to not nick myself (Thus far no nicks though :))

How do you compensate for the lack of coordination on the odd sides of your face? Could I be doing something else wrong? Should I just avoid xtg in that area?
 
I'm afraid I can't help you with this matter but I'm sure some of the guys on here will offer advice. But could you maybe just settle for one pass less so as to not irritated the skin?

Anyway I just wanted to say welcome along as it's your first post!
 
Welcome to B&B!

I second the lady barber's suggestion: don't go for BBS in that area.

Funny, I get a better shave on the left side, and I am right-handed. You could try switching hands for that area. If you do, it may take some practice before you feel comfortable.

Is it possible that the problem area has a different grain pattern than you think, so that N-S is XTG or even ATG? It's quite common to have odd, asymmetrical patterns on the neck.
 
Like the other wise people said, check your stubble, how does it grow, my neck-hair sort of just twirls around all over the place around the adam's apple.

Leave that spot for now. No one else but you knows that it's not BBS.
BBS is after all just something you feel yourself & IMO it's better to have a close shave without irritation then a BBS with.

Good luck!
 
Welcome to B&B. Glad you joined us.

The advice above is +1. I think it may be a matter of pressure. I know I have to be careful on my lower neck to make sure I am not putting any pressure while shaving since that area is so sensitive.
 
I would suggest that you learn to shave with both hands. I did it with a DE in preparation for learning to straight shave and it does make shaving considerably easier. Perhaps while you are learning you might also want to leave out the last pass in your problem area.
Good luck and I HTH.
 
I'm also a south-paw and have trouble in that area of my neck as well. Frankly, I usually just do two n-s passes and call it a day. Better to have a slightly less-than-smooth shave in that area than redness and bumps. One thing I've found has helped for my neck in general is holding the razor near the tip to minimized pressure.

Good luck!
 
Welcome to the good ship B&B. Take a stroll on the promenade deck and enjoy the voyage. :thumbup1:

Always remember, relax but be vigilant when you shave!
 
Thanks Everyone! I appreciate all of the suggestions! I think this what I am going to do. First I will try holding the razor just at the tip as suggested. I will also see if I can train myself to use both hands from now on and hopefully will not suffer too much blood loss that I won't be able to call for help :blink:.

As a last resort I will settle for the stubble. I do agree though that it beats the bumps by a mile.

At the same time I am going to go back to my original Shave Soap and A/S balm since in the begining I didn't have these problems (I also didn't do 3 passes though) Somewhere in there I should have refined my technique some and used process of elimination to rule out any of my newer products having any part blame for the issue.

It is good to be here and good to meet you all.

Cheers

:thumbup1:
 
I think I may have found the culprit. And it bums me out. I almost always use feather blades as they give me far and away the most comfortable shave. I switched to astra platinums this morning and had a more or less uncomfortable shave that required 4 passes to get to an acceptable shave. While my face was still left feeling irritated by comparison there is no hint of razor bumps.

I have tried multiple brands of blades and find them all uncomfortable compared to feathers. Now it looks like I have to use them anyway.

Help this can't be the best answer. I want to enjoy the shave not just look good after it.

So far I have tried:

Feather
Merkur
Iridium
Derby
Astra
and will try Shark tommorrow.
 
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