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Nearly a month in

OK, I've been doing this DE shave business for about 3 weeks now. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed most of it. I still have a few problems I would like some help on...

Firstly, no matter what I do, I always get irritation under my jaw and around my neck. I apply no pressure (sometimes close to negative pressure), and yet I still get irritation and redness in that area. I pay attention to the way the grain grows. I don't shave against the grain because that causes pain. What could I possibly be doing wrong? I'm using Derby blades with a Gillette red tip. I alternate between CO Bigelow Proraso or C&E SAO cream.

I think I'll go a few days without shaving and try again. In the mean time, are there any pointers? I have a Merkur HD on order from a member here; would that yield a better result?

Thanks for any help.

PS: I originally posted this in the Safety Razor forum, and figured this would be a better fit. Mods, please delete other post. Thank you.
 
It sounds like you are doing everything correctly. The neck is a difficult area to shave. Are you trying to get BBS? If so, you might want to settle for a close but not BBS shave there. Some people just can't handle BBS on their necks. Also, what are you doing for your shave prep? Perhaps Kyle's pre-shave prep might help you.
 
As far as shave prep, I just shower and wash my face before I shave. I don't use any kind of shave prep oil or the like.
 
I don't shave against the grain because that causes pain. What could I possibly be doing wrong? I'm using Derby blades with a Gillette red tip. u.

Red-Tip is an aggressive razor. I would try an adjustable like Progress and start at a low setting.
Pay attention to the blade angle, it can make or brake a good shave.
Use some prep Products: pre-shave oil or gel.
Shaving across the grain, it should reduce the number of passes and hopefully the irritation.
Try different types of blades, maybe other blades will work better for you.
Until your technique and method improves, there is no shame in using a Gillette Atra, Sensor for the tricky areas around your jaw and neck.
I hope this helps.

Regards,
Alfred
 
There could be a lot of reasons. Is the razor tugging or does it feel like there is resistance? You might not be getting enough lubrication with the soaps you're using. I've found that Derbys aren't sharp enough for me. You may be having a problem with them, too.

Another thing to try... sometimes you get the advice to stretch the skin, but it may be detrimental to do that. I've found that I get better results, especially under the chin, if I keep the skin relaxed, in a neutral state, and concentrate on maintaining blade angle with no pressure. I can go ATG, but you may want to stick to two passes WTG on relaxed skin for the chin and neck.

Don't get discouraged and don't give up; learning new techniques is something I'm still doing!

Don
 
Barbarosa:

I'm getting an HD hopefully this week. It is supposed to be slightly less aggressive than the Red tip, so hopefully that will be better. Along with it will come five assorted blades, so I can see if the Derby's aren't working for me.

I may just have to break out my Quattro to do my neck, at least until I'm able to figure out what could be wrong. As it is, I'm not going to shave at least until Wednesday to give my face time to heal.

Black Adder:

No, I don't feel any resistance. I get plenty of lubrication as far as I can tell. The Derbys feel like they glide properly across my face, so I don't think that is a problem. However, I will be getting an assortment of blades to see if indeed that is the problem.

Trust me, I have no intentions of giving up! I'll be $!*@# if I pay $10 for four blades again.

Thanks for the help. Any additional help is much appreciated.
 
Forgot to add this:

As it is, I'm writing it off as either my technique or the aggressiveness of the Red tip. I'm going to do a lighter touch on my neck until I get better. I don't offer any added pressure, but I do shave XTG and sometimes ATG to try to get BBS. I hope I'll find a technique that offers an acceptable shave but without irritation.
 
when you get the HD do try a sampler pack of blades from westcoastshaving.com usually with new Merkurs the 5 included blades are Merkur's and they generally don't get favorable reviews, I can use them ok but I prefer Feathers as I found them being sharper or smoother feeling to me enable me to not have to go over same area as much and I get smoother and less irritation with them then other blades, I also change my blades frequently as when they start getting dull if I try to get 1 or 2 more shaves out of them then I should then I get the irritation and sometimes nicks too.
 
Thanks everyone for the help. I change my blade after every third shave or so. I'm pressing on. It's not like this is anything new; I always got irritation in that area, even with my Sensor, Mach3, Fusion, or Quattro.
 
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