Shaving after razor burn?

Hey all,

So I had my first DE shave yesterday, and much to my dismay, eight hours later was left with a neck full of razor bumps. After posting here and reading quite a few other posts, I'm thinking my angle was off and that is the main cause. Anyway, I was considering giving it another go tonite, however I'm still slightly irritated. Any advice on shaving with razor burn? Am I better to just hold off or are a couple light WTG passes okay? I don't want to end up looking twice as bad as I did yesterday!

Thanks,

Greg

It is certainly best to let your skin rest after a bad shave if at all possible. It takes a month or so for your skin to adjust and you should not push it right now. I get a poor shave every once in a while now and have found that letting a day pass works wonders..........don't rush it

Greg

Many times in my experience I got razor burn from applying too much pressure. A carryover from my disposable razor shaving days. I also tended to try to get a clean smooth shave in one pass rather then a two pass progressive stubble removal. If any of the above is what you are doing try to let the weight of the razor do the work and two or even three light passes are usually better then one with pressure. Hang in there.

I had a similar experience I gave my face a couple days to recover and within no time I had the technique down with a DE. Do yourself a favor and forget shaving unless really necessary due to work etc...

made that mistake .....trying to get to much out of one blade .

If you can get away with it. Take a day off. When you next shave again just do a light wtg pass 'till you get the hang of angle, pressure etc.
And pre-shave prep.
And don't give up.

When I have hacked up my face while I have been learning, taking a day off has made a huge difference. If your situation allows it, I would also highly recommend it.

bb557 said:

When I have hacked up my face while I have been learning, taking a day off has made a huge difference. If your situation allows it, I would also highly recommend it.

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+1. If you can, then by all means. I made the mistake of going at it the next day after I had bad burn, and I paid for it. A day is good, but if you can, do 2 days. Really makes a difference.

If, err, when I hack up my face I find it best to wait, if possible, for the problem to clear up before trying again. I was so anxious to shave one morning that I wasn't going to let a neck full of razor stop me ... BIG MISTAKE ... that incident took a couple of days to heal. The first shave following the wait period was outstanding!

In over 18 years of shaving with the Sensor series I never experieced razor burn. Painful ingrown hairs aplenty, but no burn. I've been wet shaving for a few weeks now I'm getting razor burn.

I just switched to Poraso and was going for BBS, so I not sure if I'm making too many passes or too much pressure. Either way I got burned on Sat, took off Sun-Tues, shaved last night and sure enough, got it again.

M. McCord said:

In over 18 years of shaving with the Sensor series I never experieced razor burn. Painful ingrown hairs aplenty, but no burn. I've been wet shaving for a few weeks now I'm getting razor burn.

I just switched to Poraso and was going for BBS, so I not sure if I'm making too many passes or too much pressure. Either way I got burned on Sat, took off Sun-Tues, shaved last night and sure enough, got it again.

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While I have been learning, I have found pressure to be my biggest issue. When I thought I was applying no pressure, I was actually still pressing too hard. Don't know if this is you, but try doing just a couple 2 pass shaves and really concentrate on 0 pressure. After I did this a few times, I realized I was pressing too hard. I have worked up to more passes since then, but still find that I have to focus on pressure. Also, angle can really make a difference as well.

Good luck, it does get better.

Patience is your greatest ally for a few weeks..If you get a bad one put an extra day or so between shaves..Your face is adjusting..Its worth the wait.

I don't have a problem waiting between shaves. In fact due to the ingrown hair issues I've had, a rountinely waited til the bumps went away to shave again.

I'm going to give it a go tonight and maybe cut down on the number of passes. Definitely will concentrate on zero pressure.

M. McCord said:

In over 18 years of shaving with the Sensor series I never experieced razor burn. Painful ingrown hairs aplenty, but no burn. I've been wet shaving for a few weeks now I'm getting razor burn.

I just switched to Poraso and was going for BBS, so I not sure if I'm making too many passes or too much pressure. Either way I got burned on Sat, took off Sun-Tues, shaved last night and sure enough, got it again.

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This may draw some heat from some of the group, so let me say up front this is just IMHO, and speaking from experience: Forget BBS until you learn how to handle the razor and get the angle, pressure and lather crafting down. BBS will come, but the important thing is to get good, consistent, nick and cut free shaves. By the time you have this down, enough time will have passed that your face will be used to the DE, then go for it. Again, IMHO.

Forget BBS until you learn how to handle the razor and get the angle, pressure and lather crafting down.

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Heat! Flame! Comfortable shaves are for the birds,
I say shave until it hurts!

Honestly, forget BBS forever. Great shaves will
indeed come. Be patient, work on technique, and
enjoy your shaves.

- Scott

I don't take days off when this happens. I can't afford to for work reasons. Instead, I do one less pass - 2 instead of 3, in my case. Fortunately, it happens a lot less frequently now.

Settling on the right combination of razor/blade/creme has made a big difference, too. Don't give up on that.

gps said:

Forget BBS until you learn how to handle the razor and get the angle, pressure and lather crafting down. BBS will come, but the important thing is to get good, consistent, nick and cut free shaves.

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Thanks. I think, think being the operative word here, I've got the angle down. I always prep with a shower, working a little hair conditioner on my stubble. I'm using Poraso and I'm happy with my lather.

I'm guessing my problem is pressure coupled with multiple passes.

Two words, my friend: "BAG BALM" get some of this, and smell like Ol' Bossy with a bad case of the mastitis.

Take your time. The best advice to heal razor burn is to not make it at all.

Along with blade angle, be certain you ALWAYS have your skin lubed with cream/soap/lather whatever you use. That's what gripes me about cartridge systems-- the first blade scrapes off the lather, and the other 2,3,4,5,7??? follow over unlubricated skin. Avoid the temptation to "polish" when you've just made a pass and cleaned off the lather. If you feel you missed a spot, touch it with your brush, or even put some on your fingertips to cover it.

Don't "dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig" in one spot, for the same reason listed above...this will make for a GREAT razor burn faster than you know.

Avoid excess pressure.

PREP...look for the post (active today) on Kyle's Pre-Shave challenge...try this. Nothing makes my face look and feel more like hamburger than shortcutting my prep; this no matter how perfect my technique is, how great my lather is, and how sharp my blade is. Try this method for 10 days and see if it makes a difference.

And for God's sake...rest your face! Go easy on it! But don't give up!

Welcome!