What's new

Skin irritation and razor bumps on neck.

Rawmax

Rawmax

Hi everyone! As you can see I'm new to this forum and also new to wet shaving. I'm from Sweden so english is obviously not my first language but I'm giving it my best shot.

Now to my problem. I decided to try something different because shaving wasn't exactly pain free with my old mach 3. So I found Mantic59s youtube channel about traditional wet shaving and I thought that I should give it a try. So I ordererd a starters kit including shaving creme and a Merkur 34C with Merkur Super Platinum blades and a Silvertip Badger Brush.

I've been using my Merkur 34C every other day for a little over a week now and I'm overall satisfied but I still have problems with shaving my neck. I get razor burns, ingrowns and razor bumps on both sides and It's really painful. I often cut myself on these bumps and It there's a little bloodshed. Does anyone have some advice to give me how I can reduce this problem? Any tips would be welcome because I don't want to give up since I really don't know what else to do except for stop shaving at all.

I shave every other day. I use a facial scrub and some facial soap in the shower before shaving. Before I apply my lather I wet my face with hot water. I heat up the razor in water too. Then I shave with short strokes, trying to follow the grain. I usaully make two passes and that is far from a perfect shave for me but my skin can't take any more.

I read somewhere that there are more or less agressive razors and I was wondering if the Merkur 34C is agressive or not?

So anyway I hope you can excuse my grammar and any spelling mistakes and perhaps take a little time to offer this newbie some advice. Thank you.
 
davros

davros

Hello and welcome to the group.

Sorry to hear about the trouble you've been happening; if it's any consolation, it seems like every other new DE user asks about trouble with the neck - I think most people find it the hardest area to shave.

There are milder razors out there than the Merkur, but my advice would be to stick with it if you can for the time being - I would suggest trying some different blades - blade preferences are very personal, but lots of people do report not getting on with the Merkur blades.

The trouble is most likely more an issue of technique than of hardware at this stage. Blade angle is hard to get right on the neck, and it may be worthwhile to play around a bit with varying the angle.

If you can, I'd suggest giving your face a few days for the bumps and ingrowns to heal up a bit/ grow out. This would also make it easier to get a clear view of what direction the hair grows in - a lot of people's neck hair runs in all kinds of different directions, and you may well find it changes in particular trouble spots.

There are some threads here on dealing with ingrowns, and mantic has what seemed to me to be quite a helpful video. Loads of people will be along in a minute (if not already by the time I've finished) with ideas. Witch hazel is generally a good idea to help with all kinds of soreness and irritation.

Best of luck; your English, by the way, is very good indeed - I doubt anyone would know it wasn't your first language.
 
jesvox

jesvox

Rawmax said:
Hi everyone! As you can see I'm new to this forum and also new to wet shaving. I'm from Sweden so english is obviously not my first language but I'm giving it my best shot.

Now to my problem. I decided to try something different because shaving wasn't exactly pain free with my old mach 3. So I found Mantic59s youtube channel about traditional wet shaving and I thought that I should give it a try. So I ordererd a starters kit including shaving creme and a Merkur 34C with Merkur Super Platinum blades and a Silvertip Badger Brush.

I've been using my Merkur 34C every other day for a little over a week now and I'm overall satisfied but I still have problems with shaving my neck. I get razor burns, ingrowns and razor bumps on both sides and It's really painful. I often cut myself on these bumps and It there's a little bloodshed. Does anyone have some advice to give me how I can reduce this problem? Any tips would be welcome because I don't want to give up since I really don't know what else to do except for stop shaving at all.

I shave every other day. I use a facial scrub and some facial soap in the shower before shaving. Before I apply my lather I wet my face with hot water. I heat up the razor in water too. Then I shave with short strokes, trying to follow the grain. I usaully make two passes and that is far from a perfect shave for me but my skin can't take any more.

I read somewhere that there are more or less agressive razors and I was wondering if the Merkur 34C is agressive or not?

So anyway I hope you can excuse my grammar and any spelling mistakes and perhaps take a little time to offer this newbie some advice. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Hello and Welcome to B&B,

I recommend using a Gillette Super Speed i.e. blue tip, black handle, flare tip, (not a Red Tip) SS are a lot more Mild then the Merkur, i started with bad razor burn and ingrown hairs and itchy imflamation skin, when i used the Merkur it wasent going away, when i started using my '78 black handle SS it slowly dissappered, i started with a Merkur and stayed with Super Speeds, i sold my Merkur, and just stuck with The Classic Gillette SS, you can find one on eBay for pretty cheap.

Cheers.
 
jtb

jtb

jesvox said:
Hello and Welcome to B&B,

I recommend using a Gillette Super Speed i.e. blue tip, black handle, flare tip, (not a Red Tip) SS are a lot more Mild then the Merkur, i started with bad razor burn and ingrown hairs and itchy imflamation skin, when i used the Merkur it wasent going away, when i started using my '78 black handle SS it slowly dissappered, i started with a Merkur and stayed with Super Speeds, i sold my Merkur, and just stuck with The Classic Gillette SS, you can find one on eBay for pretty cheap.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

:thumbup1:

I had the same issue, started with the Merkur HD and had the same problem. Once I switched to a milder razor and my technique got better all those problems went away.

Welcome to B&B!!!
 
awol

awol

First off, your English is better than I've heard many Americans speak it. :D

I switched to wetshaving with the exact same issues as you. I could not shave more than every other day at the most (I would go as long as I could though). I was extremely prone to ingrowns and razor burn / irritation on my neck and jawline.

I started with and am still using the Merkur HD 34C as well. And I can tell you from experience, it CAN be better than what you were getting with the Mach 3. What I have found on my neck is I still get a little bit of irritation in one specific spot. I know for a fact I have not nailed down the right angle yet. I also am finding that I have to constantly remind myself not to use ANY pressure. This is the number one issue I have on my neck still. So remember to be very conscious of blade angle and NO PRESSURE. Finally, I don't think you mentioned if you were doing WTG passes or not. When you're first starting out, it was the best advice I got to start out with doing ONLY WTG passes for the first few days. Then add a XTG pass after that. I have found that I can not do ATG passes. And that's ok for me.

Also, I second the other poster that you should try different blades. What works really well for one man will work horribly for another. And welcome to B&B, there's a TON of great information here for you and incredibly great people willing to help you on specifics.
 
Rawmax

Rawmax

Thanks for all the advice! It gives me hope that it can get better. I guess I will heal up a bit and then just give it a fresh start. I just ordered a sample pack with blades so I hope one of them will make a little difference.
I guess I have to suffer a little to get the hang of it. I'll start out slow with just one or two WTG passes and really focus on angle and NO pressure as you said.
I also got my eye on a gilette super speed and maybe I'll try that one too.

And thanks for the heartwarming welcome! And for your patience with all the newbie questions!
 
mblakele

mblakele

Welcome to B&B!

Keep practicing: pay attention to lather, blade angle, and pressure and the irritation should disappear.
 
Eric V

Eric V

Welcome to B&B!

Prep and Technic are the two big items in DE shaving. Keep working with that in mind, and you will get great progress!
 
touchdowntodd

touchdowntodd

dont feel bad im going through the same thing.. and your english is better than many people in this country, have no fear my friend
 
N

namonarpos

Welcome! As everyone else has said, take it easy, and really focus on technique. When I started DE shaving, my neck had razor bumps from my cartridge shaves. I found that for the first two weeks, all I could do in that area was one very gentle WTG shave. As my skin adjusted and the bumps went away, the shaves got closer and I finally added another pass. So again, take it slowly.

Good luck, and happy shaving!
 
Smokinwill

Smokinwill

Welcome to the B&B and as a few others have already mentioned your English is excellent. Lots of great advice on here already but I would add that you might want to consider adding a pre-shave oil like shave secret to your regimen. It might help. It seems to have helped my shaving a bit and I'm still using a Mach 3(but not for long). Keep practicing and keep us updated.
 
ackvil

ackvil

Welcome to B&B.

The two stumbling blocks many new shavers face is learning the correct blade angle and not putting pressure on the blade. Most new shavers have used cartridges and, as a result, have developed poor shaving habits. However, the one area that cannot be emphasized enough is NO PRESSURE on the blade. Let the weight of the razor do the work for you. To assure this I use two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with one finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. For blade angle take a look at here.

Before putting the razor to your face you should map the grain on your face so you know which way the grain of your beard grows. You can use http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/919589791_d3bf0522a0_o.jpg as a guide. The first pass should be with the grain, whichever direction that is, with subsequent passes across the grain. Initially, until your technique is good, against the grain passes should be avoided.
 
john shea

john shea

Welcome. Consider an adjustable Gillette such as the Slim set low, perhaps No. 3. You can advance the aggresiveness as your skill progresses.

Do not skimp on preparation. I find that a good shower and shampoo, a good shave soap such as MWF, and a very light pressure are very important for my shaving success.

You may have to let your face heal some before it will better tolerate shaving. You may have to shave only WTG and accept SAS until your face will tolerate more.
 
Last edited:
RobAtSGH

RobAtSGH

Welcome to B&B!

Good idea getting the sampler pack - many have reported that Merkur blades just are not satisfactory for them. The Crystal/Israeli Personnas/Personna Red Pack are generally accepted to be a very forgiving blade, and I like using them whenever my skin gets a little mistreated. Astras and Derbys also have their fans.

If you're getting irritation mostly on your neck, and not elsewhere, it may also be that the direction of hair growth on your neck is very different from your cheeks. I know from experienced that if I go north-south under the corner of my right jawline, I'm really shaving against the grain there. The hair on my neck generally grows from the center of my chin outward at a slant to the sides of my neck, except for that one spot which is almost completely the opposite.

Wait a couple days to get some stubble, then run your hands (or a cotton ball) across your face in different directions (north/south, center out, sideburns in, south/north). You will definitely detect when you're going with and against the grain. Remember that pattern, and shave accordingly. The direction of growth on the neck may surprise you.
 
K

kodebusan

Hello,

i'm also new here, and i've read a lot and learn a lot on this forum.
It's been few months now that i'm DE wet shaving, i've started with a plastic gilette DE razor (the one that doesn't bend the blade) that we find in south-east asia. And quickly i bought an edwin jaegger.

I've had the same issue than you, i quickly get a BBS irritation-free on cheeks and chin but i have issue with my neck.

Then a vietnamese friend saw me looking at old gilette razors and gave a superspeed black handle that was hanging around at his father's home.
I made many tries with the EJ and differents blades (Derby, red personna, feathers, gillete super thin) and all finish with more or less irritations on my neck. For the moment only the superspeed give me a DFS on neck irritation free. My best results are with the feathers.
I think it come from my blade angle technic on the neck (WTG and XTG reduce very fewof the beard), when the superspeed give more feedback on where my blade stand than the EJ, it is also a less aggressive razor. I think you could give it a try (superspeed or adjustable) there are not so expensive when you looking for them for use and not in a mint condition as for collectibles.

I'm now waiting for a fatboy and a super-adjustable for giving them a try.
I also will get back to the EJ with Kyle's prep.

I'm also sorry for the mistakes i could have made in english, i'm French.

Thanks to this forum that learn me a lot about traditionnal shaving.

Michael
 
C

cf1

+1 to the comments above. Focus on letting it heal, slick lather, blade angle, no pressure and map your beard. Also - you mentioned you used "hot" water on face and blade. Maybe try making it less hot and see if it helps. a hot blade will inflame my neck area skin. no alcohol witch hazel or a non/alcoholic balm may help calm the neck afterawards
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

JasonJT
Best way to get rid of razor bumps on neck?
Replies
5
Views
2K
FormAndFunction
F
M240i
Newbie presentation (from France)
2
Replies
38
Views
2K
Guido75
Guido75
F
Which Razor Next?
Replies
16
Views
2K
Lockback
Lockback
Mike the Beginner
No. 9 Shave and the Dastardly Bumple That Thwarts My Desires
Replies
7
Views
1K
mcee_sharp
mcee_sharp
R
Apply "no pressure"...Really???
2 3
Replies
49
Views
4K
Hopalong
Hopalong
Top Bottom