Great Shave, but still irritated...

So I shaved with my new (to me) Shumate yesterday, while employing the lathering method you guys put together here, with a Proraso pre-shave and Stirling Sharp Dressed Man tallow soap. I finally "got it" ; good glide, excellent cushion, the razor cut through my beard like butter. Everything went great. I followed up with an alum block, which turned out to be unnecessary, and Captain's Choice Bay Rum aftershave. Thinking I did perfectly, I went on about my day.
The minute I walked outside, however, my neck broke out. It was still smooth, no bleeding, but the skin appeared to be quite irritated. Red blotches all over. So my question is- Is there anything I could have done to prevent this, or am I just a casualty of the environment? The 90 degree, high-humidity nature of St. Louis is unforgivable in the summer, but I can't recall whether or not my skin did this with m3 blades. I already use a cold water rinse to try to tighten the pores back up after the shave before the splash,.. I don't know. Any suggestions?

It depends on exactly why you broke out in red patches. If you're allergic to something in one of your products, that could cause red blotches. An easy way to tell is to lather up your soap, and put some lather on the underside of your wrist. Leave it there for a few minutes. If you get a red spot where the lather is, then you're sensitive to something in the soap. It's often the fragrance oils.

Other than that, do you shave against the grain? Shaving against the grain can cause irritation like that, and not all gents can get aways with it. I can't. If you are, try skipping the against the grain pass and see if there's a difference.

Ive only ever shaved with the same brand of soaps, other than the time I used C.O. Bigelow my very first straight shave. I've never had issues with this soap before. I've always gone against the grain. I've gotten razor burn before, and this isn't it. I was under the impression that I got the best shave until the heat and humidity hit me. Then the blotchiness and redness hit. Is it common to break out with like this in the heat right after a shave?

You might try skipping the alum. It seems to do something similar to me and since I quit using it, I haven't had that.

hydro-magic said:

You might try skipping the alum. It seems to do something similar to me and since I quit using it, I haven't had that.

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Interesting... I have had the same. Seemling good result and quite surprised to see red blotches - I just took this to be a form of razor rash. I will follow this thread and try not using the alum.

I had a similar reaction to bay rum, years ago, so I avoid it. Give that a whirl, along with shelving the alum, see what happens.

hydro-magic said:

You might try skipping the alum. It seems to do something similar to me and since I quit using it, I haven't had that.

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I'm going to try skipping the alum and seeing what happens. Thanks, guys for your input. I'll report back after the shave tomorrow!

greenp said:

Interesting... I have had the same. Seemling good result and quite surprised to see red blotches - I just took this to be a form of razor rash. I will follow this thread and try not using the alum.

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Vespasian said:

I had a similar reaction to bay rum, years ago, so I avoid it. Give that a whirl, along with shelving the alum, see what happens.

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I'm also in the market for a new aftershave. Anyone have any suggestions that don't seem to be an irritant? I was thinking of trying l'Orange Noir.

Do you need a nicely scented aftershave, or just one that feels good?
I ask because I think RazoRock's Problem Solver is really great stuff -- though I think the lime scent is rather unrefined. On me, the scent disappears really quickly, so it's almost an unscented splash (which I'm fine with). Makes my skin feel great. This is not recommended if scent is a priority, though.

I have not tried l'Orange Noir, which sounds amazing.

wagstaff said:

Do you need a nicely scented aftershave, or just one that feels good?
I ask because I think RazoRock's Problem Solver is really great stuff -- though I think the lime scent is rather unrefined. On me, the scent disappears really quickly, so it's almost an unscented splash (which I'm fine with). Makes my skin feel great. This is not recommended if scent is a priority, though.

I have not tried l'Orange Noir, which sounds amazing.

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I could really go either way. If the scent doesn't last long, I could always follow up with cologne. I do like to smell my bay rum periodically. Funny you should mention the lime scent. That is one of the only scents mentioned frequently that I'm mildly apprehensive about giving a shot. Admittedly, Captain's Choice is the only aftershave ice ever had or used, but it's obviously highly recommended. I'll check out RazoRock and see what all they have. Thank you!

hydro-magic said:

You might try skipping the alum. It seems to do something similar to me and since I quit using it, I haven't had that.

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Same here.

As far as the aftershave I like the Captain's Choice stuff. But I do find that the bay rum can be a little harsh. I love the HTGAM balms and aftershaves. Admittedly I don't do the balms as much here in Arizona. But the mentholated splashes are nice.

The Bay Rum has never really burned. But it could be because I'm sealing everything off with the alum. Through my research, a certain routine has been drilled in my head: shower, pre-shave, lather, shave, alum, aftershave. I've been reading more about how pre-shave isn't entirely necessary, people are cold water shaving now, everything is getting turned on it's head. Lol. Do you have any opinions on talc?

dieseleagle04 said:

I could really go either way. If the scent doesn't last long, I could always follow up with cologne. I do like to smell my bay rum periodically. Funny you should mention the lime scent. That is one of the only scents mentioned frequently that I'm mildly apprehensive about giving a shot. Admittedly, Captain's Choice is the only aftershave ice ever had or used, but it's obviously highly recommended. I'll check out RazoRock and see what all they have. Thank you!

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Unfortunately the Lime is the only scent for Problem Solver right now. I feel lucky that it just doesn't last on me, so it's quasi-unscented. And it's inexpensive, so I'm a fan. I use it after night-shaves when I really don't want a scent to last.

Krampert's Acadian Spice Bay Rum is a very healing and moisturizing aftershave, if you're into bay rums. I'm a big fan of Captain's Choice original, too -- though a tip I got from shaverjoe is to put a couple drops of jojoba oil in my palm with it, if I think I want more moisturizing that day. I'm not sure from your post if you don't like CC, or just that you want to try something else.

Oh, I love CC. But it's all I know. I'll get some jojoba oil to go with what I have now, and I just ordered the Razorock lime off Amazon. I also ordered Pinaud Clubman original and a 4oz bottle of talc powder. I just keep thinking about barbers using the talc after a shave to cool things down a bit and wonder if this might not be a solution, as well. I'll check out that Krampert's as well. I am a fan of the Bay Rum. I also like cedar wood, sandalwood, basically, if it's to be considered a manly scent, I'm down. I don't mind smelling like a just cut down a tree by hand.

Which RazoRock Lime did you get? (They have a bunch of things under the brand; I actually don't know most of their splashes. The Problem Solver is a particular one that I recommend for a soothing/healing splash. And a very well-priced one. I'm not at all familiar with others). I hear you on the just-cut-down-tree scents. I've used soaps with very heavy cedar scents, and liked them quite a bit. I haven't found that sort of thing in splashes, but they're probably out there.

Well, just cancelled the Amazon order for the RazoRock. It was an alcohol-based, which the problem solver apparently is not. I ended up getting it off of Italian Barber instead. I greatly appreciate you clarifying that.

Ditching the alum helped me with irritation on the neck and around my mouth.

I ditched alum for the same reason - witch hazel all they way!

So I shaved this morning. Though it's a little cooler out today, it's still hot enough to test the theory of Alum causing this issue. And I'm happy to report that I'm blotch-free. No irritation. I'll test a couple more days jusy to be sure, but I think, with your help, we've nipped this one in the bud.