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Help - What is causing my irritation?

I'm getting frustrated!!! I have been DE shaving for 7 months and I can't get rid of the irritation I have on my neck. Anyone familiar with this and has some good advice for me?
This is just after a shave and as bad as it get's but it never completely goes away.

Would be great with some advice on what it is and what can be done!
 
This looked like my neck just a few weeks ago.

I switched soap and stopped using ASB which burned. Instead I started using witch hazel astringent + aqua velva.
AND stop going ATG!! Your skin will thank you! Instead, you can go XTG, and ofcourse, no presssure at all. Do not mind if your shave is not BBS, it is nothing to achieve in my mind.
No irritation with stubbles, or lots of irritation and BBS?

Hows your prep? And is your skin sensitive? I tried out the proraso pre/post cream, and I believe it helped me somewhat. Atleast I stopped getting irritated skin.
 
Ouch,that is pretty bad.I would take a break from shaving to let your face completly heal as your first step.
After that I would suggest what everyone else will say,do not shave against the grain and use very little pressure.Plus make sure your lather has plently of moisture,a dry lather will give me razor burn too.

Paul
 
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Thanks guys!
I have tried to not shave for few days but that does not help, actually it get worse when I go back at it again.

My prep is hot shower with quality soap, sometimes i use the proraso pre/post cream. As astringent I'm currently using witch hazel but i have also tried alum block both gives the same result. After this splash which usually is proraso, Spieck or Alt Insbruck.

I have used a variety of cream/soaps, all give similar results.

Wonder if it is some kind of skin disease?

Many thanks in advance for all the help I can get. I will not give up. I had the same when using cartridges, probably even worse.
This looks worse then it is, 30 min after the shave it calms down but still...
 
Have you tried shaving every day? Believe it or not, it helped me to get rid of the ingrowns! And please. DO NOT GO ATG for atleast 2 weeks. Believe me.
BBS with irritation is not good.. I'd rather have stubbles and nice skin ;) And it may seem like an eternal struggle for you, but it will come :)

How is the shave otherwise? Does the razorblade "dig" into your hairs, causing you to use pressure? How many passes? Does it burn WHILE you shave? (allergic to something in the soap)

Skin disease: Well... If you go to your doctor, he will tell you it's folicitus or something like that (correct me please anyone). And tell you to use an acne figthing face wash before you go to bed (if you shave in the morning). In Norway we have something called Basiron face wash. It kills bacteria and helps you to not get irritated ingrowns with bacterias in it. Also, when you do get the ingrowns, you can try Brulidine sanofiaventis. It's a anti bacteria cream used against eksema (spelled right in english?), it is disinfecting and helps against minor skin irritations.

You can get those without prescription here in Norway, which I believe goes for the US aswell.


And what you say about it going down after 30 mins is a sign of a bad shave. Probably is the ATG that is killing your neck! Have you mapped out your beard growth?

Oh, and btw: My doctor told me to stop using the brush, because it would contain the bacterias and make the healing progress even longer. So buy some rubbing alcohol and dip it!
 
Well here is my 2 cents worth.

I think you need less prep not more. Just a warm water rinse before shaving. I would not use hot water on your face or neck if possible. I have sensitive skin and witch hazel can irritate me sometimes so even witch hazel can irritate you.

Frankly, I think a doctor, perhaps a dermatologist should look at it. Good luck!
 
What razor / blades are you using? Can you post a picture of your lather?

I would venture a couple guesses, based on bad experiences of my own in the past -

1. inadequate lather
2. lousy blades
3. too much pressure
4. XTG/ATG too aggressively.
 
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Well here is my 2 cents worth.

I think you need less prep not more. Just a warm water rinse before shaving. I would not use hot water on your face or neck if possible. I have sensitive skin and witch hazel can irritate me sometimes so even witch hazel can irritate you.

Frankly, I think a doctor, perhaps a dermatologist should look at it. Good luck!

Have to give you a +1!

I stopped using the exfoliating soap in the shower aswell. Only used hot water, and the proraso pre/post!
Make sure you spend about 1 minute lathering up on your face, and then leave it for a good 2-3 minutes. If it dries out, relather.
 
What razor / blades are you using? Can you post a picture of your lather?

I would venture a couple guesses, based on bad experiences of my own in the past -

1. inadequate lather
2. lousy blades
3. too much pressure
4. XTG/ATG too aggressively.

I'm using a EJ 89L loaded with Feathers or Astras. Must agree that my lathe wasn't great today so it might have an impact. Trying to keep no preasure and not go ATG. I do usually 2 passes WTG and XTG, neck is a bit more difficult due to growth pattern.

Well here is my 2 cents worth.

I think you need less prep not more. Just a warm water rinse before shaving. I would not use hot water on your face or neck if possible. I have sensitive skin and witch hazel can irritate me sometimes so even witch hazel can irritate you.

Frankly, I think a doctor, perhaps a dermatologist should look at it. Good luck!

Will try with less prep, next time no shower before shaving and just not to hot water...

Have you tried shaving every day? Believe it or not, it helped me to get rid of the ingrowns! And please. DO NOT GO ATG for atleast 2 weeks. Believe me.
BBS with irritation is not good.. I'd rather have stubbles and nice skin ;) And it may seem like an eternal struggle for you, but it will come :)

How is the shave otherwise? Does the razorblade "dig" into your hairs, causing you to use pressure? How many passes? Does it burn WHILE you shave? (allergic to something in the soap)

Skin disease: Well... If you go to your doctor, he will tell you it's folicitus or something like that (correct me please anyone). And tell you to use an acne figthing face wash before you go to bed (if you shave in the morning). In Norway we have something called Basiron face wash. It kills bacteria and helps you to not get irritated ingrowns with bacterias in it. Also, when you do get the ingrowns, you can try Brulidine sanofiaventis. It's a anti bacteria cream used against eksema (spelled right in english?), it is disinfecting and helps against minor skin irritations.

You can get those without prescription here in Norway, which I believe goes for the US aswell.


And what you say about it going down after 30 mins is a sign of a bad shave. Probably is the ATG that is killing your neck! Have you mapped out your beard growth?

Oh, and btw: My doctor told me to stop using the brush, because it would contain the bacterias and make the healing progress even longer. So buy some rubbing alcohol and dip it!

Does not feel bad during shave, no digging feeling. As mentioned above 2 passes; WTG and XTG.
Usually I'm sahving every 2nd day so maybe i need to try the everyday routine. Very seldom go for BBS but I admit to pushing one this wekend.
 
On that basis, I'd consider working on my lather more and dropping all ancillary products (pre, post, w/h, etc). Something in your routine is messing with your skin, so stick to nothing but water and soap/cream until you get better. Wouldn't hurt to stick to 2 WTG passes until everything clears up as well.
 
I agree WTG only especially on your neck and short, slow strokes. You might even have to lather one section at a time. Don't let your lather get dry. If you feel like you are "scraping" your skin instead of cutting whiskers, then you will definitely have problems with the type skin you have on your neck.

Rinse your face off well afterward with warm water, and blot it dry with a clean towel. Try not to rub your face hard with a towel.
 
Good god that looks horrible!

You say it gets worse it you don't shave? That's not right. I would go to a doctor and get it checked out. Not shaving should help the skin, or so I would think.
 
I asked about a similar problem not too long ago. Great advice in this thread...

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=174955

Take a break from shaving for a few days. Maybe even a week.

Go buy a brand new SOFT bristle toothbrush. A Wal-Fart store brand Equate SOFT bristle toothbrush will run about $2.50. Try to get one that has the thick, circular, rubber bristles around the actual bristles (you'll know what this means when you see the toothbrush). Mine has 4 on each side of the brush. Use it to brush your throat with at least 3 times a day. Don't push down hard, but use light pressure and brush in circles.

Get a bottle of Liquid Bump Stopper (Wal-Fart sells it) and use it before and after shaving. You only need a couple of drops on two of your fingers or on the toothbrush to apply it...

http://bumpstopper.com/catalog/liqu....html?osCsid=e2929bae7f71e54ebbfc718869711aaa

Your skin is obviously sensitive so use shaving products for sensitive skin.

:thumbup: THIS IS MY 100TH POST HERE ON BADGER & BLADE!!! WOOT WOOT!!! :thumbup:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwIP9K2VKXY[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJzk4QL6iME[/YOUTUBE]
 
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Do you use regular soap to wash your beard? If so that could be the problem just use regular water to wet the whiskers. Go only WTG if that just has the same effect then maybe you should see a dermatologist for better info maybe.
 
What razor / blades are you using? Can you post a picture of your lather?

I would venture a couple guesses, based on bad experiences of my own in the past -

1. inadequate lather
2. lousy blades
3. too much pressure
4. XTG/ATG too aggressively.

+1

That is some nasty burn.

Good lather is your best friend. You can practice this without shaving.

Feathers and Astras are sharp blades. I consider myself expert with my own face and gear, but I can't tolerate Feathers at all. I like Astras but I need to respect them or they bite. I'd suggest finding a less sharp, but more comfortable blade. For me, that's Red IPs.
 
Many thanks for all the good advice.

I will work on my lather and will skip soap when showering as a first step and be careful with any additional products.

I'm impressed with all the good advice and willingness to help me out!
 
Here's what worked for me when I had a bad neck.

First up I stopped using all prep items (ie proraso preshaves etc) I bought all sensitive products ( I see you're in Sweden so I'm not sure what's available to you)
But I bought The Real Shaving Company Sensitive Shave Cream and Nivea Sensitive ASB.
I also picked up a Cetaphil face wash.

I washed my face twice a day with the cetaphil and at night I followed up with a Nivea Sensitive face lotion. I treated the larger bumps with a acne spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide 5% .

I did a two pass shave, wtg and atg using a HD and Astra followed up with the Nivea balm and spot treated the larger bumps. after about 2 weeks my skin began to clear up.

I skipped all things alcohol based as they did nothing but aggravate the situation.
 
This has happened to me quite a few times in the past; skin irritation and ingrown hair. I had my doctor write me a prescription for some lotion and on the way out of his office he suggested I switch my blades every other day and scold my razor once a week. The lotion didn’t work but switching blades every two days actually did (and thank God for all the places to buy DE blades in bulk online!).

So my piece of advice would be: Don’t change anything in your routine – change your blades. Oh… and stick to your Speick AS.

Oh, and buy an alum block and apply it like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKg5r_JkgQA
 
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