Razor Burn – What are the best products? Ideas?

Burn issues come up allot from both new and veterans alike. Let’s get some opinions on what the best products or ideas you might have used to fight razor burn!


What is razor burn?

“Razor burn is an irritation of the skin caused by using a blunt blade or not using proper technique ... The condition can be caused by shaving too closely, shaving with a blunt blade, dry shaving, applying too much pressure when shaving, shaving too quickly or roughly, or shaving against the grain...” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving.


How long is this burn going to last?

“It appears as a mild rash 2–4 minutes after shaving (once hair starts to grow through sealed skin) and usually disappears after a few hours to a few days, depending on severity...” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving.


How do you avoid getting razor burn?

“Ways to prevent razor burn include keeping the skin moist, using a shaving brush and lather, using a moisturizing shaving gel, shaving in the direction ofthe hair growth, resisting the urge to shave too closely, applying minimal pressure, avoiding scratching or irritation after shaving, avoiding irritating products on the shaved area (colognes, perfumes, etc.) and using an aftershave cream with aloe vera or other emollients. Also, it is good to prepare the skin for shaving by cleansing the area to be shaved with a wash containing salicylic acid, to facilitate the removal of oils and dead skin. Putting a warm, wet cloth on one's skin helps as well, by softening hairs. This can also be done by using pre-shave oil before the application of shaving cream...” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving.


What should you do when you get razor burn?

“Once razor burn presents itself it must be treated as any other wound. Most recommend products such as Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel and Mild Salicylic Acid solutions to help heal the affected areas …Avoidshaving over area that are already damaged. I know some people must shave every day, so by following the steps details in the previous sections and shaving lightly over the affected areas it should go away within a few days. Razorburn that does not go away in a few days should be looked at by aDermatologist. It could be signs of something else wrong withyour skin.” - http://www.razorburnrelief.com/healing-razor-burn




What are the best products (or ideas you have) out there to alleviate this affliction?

For me, my Alum. Recently I have discovered RazoRock’s Aftershave Wax which works very well for me even when re-applying (don't like the scet though).

Nice post. For me, witch hazel is the first line of defense for razor burn. I use it every day anyway, but on the days that I get some mild razor burn I notice it helps a lot. After that, if I have very mild razor burn, I will ensure that I pick an aftershave with a higher percentage of glycerin. If I have worse razor burn, and I really need something soothing I'll use an aftershave balm. Any of them will work, I'm not picky, I just use the cheap stuff (Afta or Gillette). Anything that is a lotion is going to be a bit more moisturizing, than an after shave splash, and that is what is going to help your skin heal.

Without sounding trite I avoid burn to begin with.

How? Minimizing the variables.

One razor. One blade. One brush. One cream/soap.

Keep # of passes low. Don't chase BBS every day.

Comfort over closeness.

Develop the muscle memory.

Otherwise +1 to OP.

For really bad razorburn the best treatment is probably going to be to some type of product designed to relieve sunburn damaged skin. That and to simply stop shaving while your face heals and be careful to avoid razorburn in the first place.

Mad Man said:

Without sounding trite I avoid burn to begin with.

How? Minimizing the variables.

One razor. One blade. One brush. One cream/soap.

Keep # of passes low. Don't chase BBS every day.

Comfort over closeness.

Develop the muscle memory.

Otherwise +1 to OP.

Click to expand...

+1

IMHO (I don't like to be trite either, nor pedantic) first thing to heal razor burn is to avoid razor burn through proper technique, great lather, right angle, no pressure, proper blade-razor combination, etc. You all know.

BUT if that occurs, there are lots of things out there, like an ASB in my case: EJ Aloe Vera, Muhle Seabuckthorn. Alum I use only to heal nicks, otherwise it dries my skin out. Not to mention alcohol-based products. As always YMMV.

BTW, nice post OP

The condition can be caused by shaving too closely, shaving with a blunt blade, dry shaving, applying too much pressure when shaving, shaving too quickly or roughly, or shaving against the grain...

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I think there's a tautology in there. What does "shaving too closely" mean if not "applying too much pressure when shaving"?

I suppose there are other causes, like shaving too often, performing too many passes, and reactions to ingredients in soaps/creams/gels.

Witch Hazel, Alum, and AS balm for me. Also no pressure. In fact use no pressure, then use less pressure than that. Great question, but unfortunately there is no right answer. It's a question that only experience answers.

IMHO these 4 things are key to reducing and eliminating razor burn sensitive skin or not...

1) Is a properly Honed & stropped blade! With out that your just asking for it

2) Proper prep including a pre shave oil & hot towels. It makes a world of difference

3) Be mindful of the pressure you apply while making your passes

4) Alum, Cold towel then Whitchazel

Mad Man said:

Without sounding trite I avoid burn to begin with.

How? Minimizing the variables.

One razor. One blade. One brush. One cream/soap.

Keep # of passes low. Don't chase BBS every day.

Comfort over closeness.

Develop the muscle memory.

Otherwise +1 to OP.

Click to expand...

I totally agree in general but of course I can't stick to the "One razor. One blade. One brush. One cream/soap. " concept, I can't imagine anyone can, actually.

Foamy greetings
Icebear

It's not like anyone is TRYING to get razor burn.... sometimes it just happens despite your best intentions.
For me, the only solution is witch hazel, more with hazel, and then some more. Repeat hourly all day.

Witch Hazel is good, another good easy/cheap product when the razor burn is very bad is Cornhusker Lotion it can be picked up in most grocery stores/drug stores for $5 or $6 dollars. Yes I know the new formula is not vegan-enough anymore but it still works the same.

+1 on proper technique and pressure which is harder to do when your first starting out but like the other posters said stick with one razor/cream/soap/blade for four or five months in the beginning to work on technique you can work on your RAD/BAD after you get it down.

Another little thing I do after I'm done is a cold water splash followed by patting down my face with the towel, never scrub with a towel that leads to pain in the beginning. Once it's dry then put on the witch hazel.

I treat razor burn to a splash of witch hazel and some Nivea Sensitive ASB. Witch Hazel is my number one treatment.

After spending hours upon hours on this site reading wonderful ideas from members, i dont get burn anymore. If you do the right prep work, you dont need much of anything to treat it. I only shave after a shower, use a scuttle with boiling water, Muhle R89 with little to no pressure, new blade every 3 days

For bad burn, zinc oxide--same stuff used for diaper rash.

Great thread and posts.

I use Uberlather http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Uberlather
by combining soap and cream with a few drops of glycerin to the lather to help with a smooth, irritation-free shave.

After I shave these are the steps I take.

First, I take any remaining Uberlather from my shaving mug or brush and gently massage it onto my face and neck. The lather which contains glycerin is very soothing. I then rinse my face with cool water to take off the lather and apply a splash of Thayers Rose Petal or Lavender WH. I then use a skin moisturizer or ASB to provide relief. There are a number of good products out there such as Nivea, Neutrogena, T&H, GFT, and others. Also, at night I put on a moisturizer – usually CeraVe – and that hastens the healing process and prepares my face for the next day’s shave. If my face is really raw I use a moisturizer I borrow from my wife. My wife’s moisturizer always provides me with relief. It contains something called hyaluronic acid, which according to the pamphlet that came with it, holds more than 1,000 times its weight in moisture.

This may seem like it takes a lot of time - but it really doesn't. The important thing it to try different things and see what works for you. Of course, prevention - through prep, no pressure, and blade angle - is really the most important thing you can do.

I have come to realize how different many of our skin types are. It's unfair to tell a guy his technique is bad and that is his only solution. (of course a man has to learn how to use the razor)

Witch Hazel, Aloe, Tamanu oil, Chamomilla, and Rosehip oil are the stand out ingredients common to repairing the skin - and not just moisturizing.

One exception puzzles me. Speick. I tried Astra blades last week and my face has not been on fire like that in years. The pain did not go away after two hours. I needed first aid for real. Nothing worked but speick splash. The initial burn after application almost blinded me. After a few minutes all was cured - no pain at all. That is counter-intuitive soothing big time.

Very good post. I've found that "over shaving", trying to get too close, and using too much pressure are my main causes for razor burn. Also using the alum block right after shaving really causes irritation on my face. I try to avoid these mentioned things, and right after I rinse my face I use witch hazel, followed by whatever AS or balm I feel like. If my face feels the least bit irritated I'll make sure to use only a balm and not an AS.

Icebear said:

I totally agree in general but of course I can't stick to the "One razor. One blade. One brush. One cream/soap. " concept, I can't imagine anyone can, actually.

Foamy greetings
Icebear

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Neither can I bear.

Let me clarify. I read a lot of posts from guys who are in the first weeks of DE shaving trying a new blade/razor/lather combo almost daily. Or they are hitting what we call D2-disillusioned learner (I'm a corporate trainer) after the initial excitement wears off and trying to achieve BBS every day and believe new "stuff" will fix "it" - without understanding that "it" is technique and muscle memory.

I'm recommending that they minimize the variables for at least the first 30 days. JCinPA put up a glorious post on this before Xmas and it rang true for a lot of us. Sure I've got 3 razors, 5 types of blades and about a dozen diffo soaps/creams but I usually stick to the same razor for weeks at a time and ensure my lather is perfect or damn close to it every day. I'm 6 months into this lark myself and have had bad burn on a couple of occasions early on and EVERY TIME was because I broke my own rules on changing blade/razor and chasing BBS.

+1 - you want to MINIMIZE variables, not eliminate them completely.

I'm going to go "against the grain" here. I agree with what's been said already...WH, ASB, etc. And I'll add that I find relief with an alcohol-based splash, like Old Spice. Yeah, it stings like the dickens, but for years (with carts) I've found that for all but the worst cases, it eases the burn throughout the rest of the day.

@Petr - is Speick alcohol-based?