I suspect something in my post-shave routine is giving me razor burn

Not sure - it's either my ASB or my moisturiser - both contain alcohol. It was also happening while I was still using cartridges. They are the Nivea Post Shave Balm Replenishing and the Boots Botanics Mens Normal/Dry Intensive Moisturiser SPF12.

I just finished my fourth DE shave so far - it was really quite a mild one, skin felt fine. Then I put on the ASB, bit of burning, not much. After that I put on the moisturiser - and that burnt like a heathen tied to a stake. Now on my upper lip there's a fingerprint shaped red blotch. After a while of it still burning (five minutes) I washed it all off and applied only the ASB - tiny bit of burning, but not as much as the moisturiser, and the irritation hasn't increased.

It looks like it was the moisturiser's doing - is that odd? Has anyone had a moisturiser treat them in such a cold and cruel way before? It boasts containing ginseng and grapeseed oil on the front. But on the list of ingredients are things like ether and alcohol. I've never had a Boots moisturiser give me trouble when I haven't been shaving - the same goes for the ASB, if I put it on without having shaved there's no burn or irritation at all.

Tomorrow I'll use only the ASB and see what happens then.

Would replacing my ASB and moisturiser with witch hazel be something worth trying?

Try Thayers WH - one of their products that is alcohol free and contains aloe.

Only razor blades give razor burns.

Greyfox said:

Only razor blades give razor burns.

Click to expand...

Stood out for me as well.
It can take a few minutes to tell if you have razor burn. For me it is most noticeable if I start to sweat. One sure fire cure is to apply Clubman shave-talc on the neck. That is where razor burn shows up on me the most.

Greyfox said:

Only razor blades give razor burns.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's definitely the razor that's doing this, like I say, when I apply the two products when I haven't shaved they're fine - my thoughts are that maybe the moisturiser is acting as a catalyst, if that makes sense - i.e., the moisturiser doesn't cause the razor burn, but makes it worse. The mystery is that there's a patch of my face that I don't think I shaved that got the worst red blotch - and it looks like I put some product there.

Laney1566 said:

Stood out for me as well.
It can take a few minutes to tell if you have razor burn. For me it is most noticeable if I start to sweat. One sure fire cure is to apply Clubman shave-talc on the neck. That is where razor burn shows up on me the most.

Click to expand...

That's a good point - maybe it's nothing to do with the moisturiser/ASB and it's just a delayed effect. Don't know how much the shave talc costs, but I'm on a pretty tight budget (impoverished student) - I'll have a look at the price. Same with Ackvil's Thayers recommendation.

Thanks for the help

4 shaves in you should be glad there's no streams of blood running down your face. If you're only getting some burn you're ahead of the curve.

Noam Chomsky said:

Yeah, it's definitely the razor that's doing this, like I say, when I apply the two products when I haven't shaved they're fine - my thoughts are that maybe the moisturiser is acting as a catalyst, if that makes sense - i.e., the moisturiser doesn't cause the razor burn, but makes it worse. The mystery is that there's a patch of my face that I don't think I shaved that got the worst red blotch - and it looks like I put some product there.

Click to expand...

As stated... only your razor can cause "razor burn". Certain products (alum block for me) can cause them to get worse, but can't make razor burn out of thin air.

Your best bet is to buy some standard drug store witch hazel, 14% alcohol type. Start with that as the ONLY product you apply post shave. After several shaves using only the WH as an aftershave then maybe consider putting another product on. In my opinion WH is a good, non-irritating starting point for the majority of folks.

Bottom line...
Your aftershave products are NOT causing your razor burn... your technique is. Remember, open your garage door.

I'm glad you found something that gives your face a reaction. I'd rinse with cool water, and apply nothing after the shave. Well, perhaps a bit of alum from an alum block or styptic pencil. If you find your skin drying out and needing something, use a bit of aloe vera get. You can get it for a buck a tube.

jwcarlson's advice is excellent and it helped me navigate a similar experience when I first started. The Nivea products, even the non-alcoholic balms, caused an intense burning sensation after a shave (though they did not do this at other times of day).

I switched to witch hazel, used only that for a while, and found that when I returned to aftershaves (after a witch hazel application), the irritation was severely reduced or gone altogether.

I hope your experience improves!

jwcarlson said:

Your aftershave products are NOT causing your razor burn... your technique is.

Click to expand...

I think this about sums it up.

Regards,

Steve