Causes of razor burn

**Jake** · 10-10-2010, 03:57 PM

I've been shaving with DE razors & blades -- plus occasional straights for several years now -- and thought I had the technique down pretty well. Rarely do I get any nicks or weepers. And I can face lather cream or soap, use both hands, and shave every day with rarely any irritation.

However recently I noticed an unpleasant burning after shaving and wondered what happened to my technique. Wasn't using a dull blade and wasn't bearing down more than usual. Nonetheless I lightened my touch, changed my Iridiums more frequently and shaved every other day.

Then I decided to do some more controlled tests -- using the same razor -- a Rocket HD, but swapped blades, brushes, and soap or cream. It was a bit frustrating that even with a new blade and a great lather, finishing with alum & witch hazel, I still found my face reddened and burning -- even 8 hours after shaving.

But then an insight -- the quality of the soap or cream might be the culprit. I thought that these products had an almost indefinite shelf life, but Tabula Rasa -- that great handmade soap/cream from Lees -- was one problem. I hadn't used it in a while, but it smelled fine and lathered great. But produced a real irritation. Annoying since almost half is left after 1.5 years. Then I discovered that once I had began using my Cella cream again -- it too was leaving a real razor burn sensation. It was a little over 1 year old. Ditto with Proraso cream. But maybe it is only creams that have limited shelf life.

When I switched to GFT Rose or Almond soap -- no problem at all. And in fact since I was being super focused on my technique, lather & etc., the shave was smoother, closer, and irritation free. Just another discovery on the path toward shaving nirvana.

And I thought others might be interested in my discovery.

**Mr. Scruffy** · 10-10-2010, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by Jake

I've been shaving with DE razors & blades -- plus occasional straights for several years now -- and thought I had the technique down pretty well. Rarely do I get any nicks or weepers. And I can face lather cream or soap, use both hands, and shave every day with rarely any irritation.

However recently I noticed an unpleasant burning after shaving and wondered what happened to my technique. Wasn't using a dull blade and wasn't bearing down more than usual. Nonetheless I lightened my touch, changed my Iridiums more frequently and shaved every other day.

Then I decided to do some more controlled tests -- using the same razor -- a Rocket HD, but swapped blades, brushes, and soap or cream. It was a bit frustrating that even with a new blade and a great lather, finishing with alum & witch hazel, I still found my face reddened and burning -- even 8 hours after shaving.

But then an insight -- the quality of the soap or cream might be the culprit. I thought that these products had an almost indefinite shelf life, but Tabula Rasa -- that great handmade soap/cream from Lees -- was one problem. I hadn't used it in a while, but it smelled fine and lathered great. But produced a real irritation. Annoying since almost half is left after 1.5 years. Then I discovered that once I had began using my Cella cream again -- it too was leaving a real razor burn sensation. It was a little over 1 year old. Ditto with Proraso cream. But maybe it is only creams that have limited shelf life.

When I switched to GFT Rose or Almond soap -- no problem at all. And in fact since I was being super focused on my technique, lather & etc., the shave was smoother, closer, and irritation free. Just another discovery on the path toward shaving nirvana.

And I thought others might be interested in my discovery.

Was it the creams themselves that caused your burn, as if they somehow became caustic? Or had they lost their ability to lubricate and protect?

**roboboticus** · 10-10-2010, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Jake

But maybe it is only creams that have limited shelf life.

I'd be curious to know if this is the case.
Glad you got your shave back

**Jake** · 10-10-2010, 05:43 PM

Well it does seem that it was only the creams that were causing the bad reaction. And they had not gone so bad that they smelled or had any obvious appearance of rancidity or spoilage. They seemed to lather well, but perhaps the lather was just lather and not cushioning and real slickness. Hard to know exactly, but it was great to get my accustomed comfort back again.

Anyone else have problems with oldish creams causing bad shaves?

**Mink** · 10-10-2010, 05:58 PM

Razor burn has been my biggest challenge and I gave up on all SC's. I don't have a heavy beard, and on parts of my cheeks and neck I have patches with no whiskers. I found I needed to change 2 things. The first was to stop doing the full prep with a towel and lather soaking for 2-3 minutes. I think it softened my skin too much and made it more sensitive to the razor. My current routine is to just wash and soak my face by hand and then start applying lather. The other major change was to reduce the number of passes I was making. I found that I can do one pass ATG on my cheeks and sides of my neck and I'm done. That was where I had the biggest trouble with the burn as well. I add much more water to my lather now for lubrication because I just don't need the cushioning like others do. Making changes in your routine and solving a problem like razor burn is a huge win.

**RazoRock** · 10-10-2010, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by Mink

Razor burn has been my biggest challenge and I gave up on all SC's. I don't have a heavy beard, and on parts of my cheeks and neck I have patches with no whiskers. I found I needed to change 2 things. The first was to stop doing the full prep with a towel and lather soaking for 2-3 minutes. I think it softened my skin too much and made it more sensitive to the razor.

I thought this was just me.

**mblakele** · 10-10-2010, 06:15 PM

For me the hot towel is too much, but I do need the three-minute lather soak.

**Myosin** · 10-10-2010, 08:05 PM

Are you getting razor bumps along with the razor burn, or just razor burn?

Since you're using fresh blades it could mean that you are either not keeping your skin moist enough during the shave, or your shaving technique is not as great as it used to be.

If the creams are lathering I would seriously doubt they are not lubricating enough for your shaves.

You may however be having a skin reaction to an ingredient in the product.

Do you use any kind of lotion or aftershave balm after your witch hazel? I use nivea sensitive skin AS balm after the witch hazel dries. If I use an aftershave I will not get any irritation, but if I don't then I will get razor bumps regardless of how perfect everything else was.

There's a handful of possible causes.