Still getting razor bumbs and slight burn

Hi guys, I started wet shaving a couple of months ago. While I know I'm still learning, I need some help sorting out just one last issue. I still get razor bumbs and slight razor burn on my neck.

I always shower before every shave, and I exfoliate in the shower. Then I whip up my lather, always very slick and creamy, I bowl lather. Then I let it sit there as I sterlilize my blade and pull out all my shave gear. I make two passed WTG starting with my Cheeks and finishing with my neck. I re-lather between passes. I use no pressure and I believe my angle is good, only cut myself once in the last 3 months. Then I rinse with warm water, then cold, apply witch hazel and let sit a minute, then apply Nivea men's sensitive aftershave balm.

I use a murker 23c with feather blades, I never feel any tugging. I use razorock essential oil of lime shave soap.

The burn usually goes away within a couple of hours and isn't too much of a bother, it is the bumps that get me. I never shave ATG, but I do have curly hair. I love wet shaving and hope to get a straight razor from whipped dog soon. Thanks in advance for the help.

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.

I'm kinda stumped by your problem. Have you mapped your neck? Neck growth can be squirrely and perhaps what you think is WTG is actually ATG and creating the bumps in some areas.

Hi and welcome! Oh man that's the worse!

The neck is realllly sensitive. I myself used to suffer from it.
I got my technique on-spot and used a pre shave. Also I'd really recommend an alum block. It actually got rid of my razor burns.

After shaving, wash your face and wet the alum block with cold water and apply to the face. Leave it for about 1-2 minutes, wash it off, and try a after balm. I use Nivea sensitive skin because it works, and it's a bang for the buck.

I hope this helps you !

I shave every other day, in case that's important. I have mapped my beard, and I know for a fact that I never shave ATG. What pre-shave oil and alum blocks are recommended? Thanks again guys.

Hi, welcome to B&B

Burning and bumps shows your skin is irritated from either your products or technique. If the shave seems to go well and your confident your technique is there , have a look at your products , perhaps your skin is reacting to something there.

The burning surgests to me that perhaps you are slightly sensitive to something in the soap most likely, I have the same issue with some glycerin based soaps that are loaded with essential oils. as a point of reference is recomend somethig like mitchells wool fat as it's fantastic soap and even better for sensitive skin. I would recomend the following;
-load a razor with a blade of your choice
-shower while the soap blooms and the brush soaks.
- load the brush for 20-30 seconds roughly (don't want to run the risk of not enough soap)
-using either a good quality sinthetic or badger (best badger or better, for a softer less scratchy brush) face lather and build the lather until it's as full of water as it can be. Mitchells can hold a surprising amount of water and helps with its slickness.
-do 2 WTG passes, make the second pass with a light buffing motion.(see blade buffing)
-wash the excess soap off with warm water and apply alum, leave on for a minute or so (for me this is the time it takes to apply talc)
-cold water rinse (or witch hazle splash followed by the cold water).
-last step is a judgment call, I prefer an alcohol based aftershave as it keeps my pours clear but a balm may also work for you.

Welcome to B&B

Britt26 said:

What pre-shave oil and alum blocks are recommended?

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Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. All alum blocks are pretty much the same. I always go with the cheapest. I don't use a pre shave oil, but I do use some Noxzema Classic Clean original deep cleansing cream. It is cheap and easily found at Walgreen's and CVS.

I had a bad shave a couple of weeks ago which gave me some razor bumps (right hand of my face) which would not go away. I tried witch hazel, Tend Skin, a couple of Neutrogena products and some of my girlfriend products, but nothing would get rid of them. I went to the pharmacy on Friday to find something else and I decided to buy a product called Bump Patrol. When I put some of this stuff on my face I felt a sting and then something I can only describe as instant relief. The bumps were gone the next day (yesterday). After my shave today (a great shave...no irritation or problems) I applied a little Bump Patrol -- this time I did not feel a sting or relief, probably because all was good with my face. The bumps are completely gone now...all that is left is a little discoloration where they used to be.

I cannot give you any advice on how to get a better shave since I'm also a noob, but if you can get your hands of some Bump Patrol it might help with your razor bumps. Then again, perhaps this product might not work for you. I had read that Tend Skin was a magical lotion (look at the reviews on Amazon), but it did absolutely nothing to help me with my razor bumps.

Welcome to B&B! Sometimes it takes a few months for the neck technique to come around. Very small changes in pursue and angle have drastic results. Try some skin Stebbing and XTG passes in either direction.

Welcome to B&B. Here is a thread dealing with razor bumps and related problems. Hopefully, it will give you some ideas.

In addition, I have heard of some other tips that might work for you.

1. When you shave, use a thick lather and let it stay on your face for a few minutes before shaving.
2. Shave with the grain only using as few strokes as possible.
3. Use a sharp blade and at the first sign of wear, toss it.
4. Use cold compresses after you shave. Soak your washcloth in cold water, and apply it to your face.
5. Apply Salicylic Acid to the infected area. You can also use common aspirin, which contains that acid. Crush the aspirin and mix it with distilled water. Apply a thick paste to the infected area, let it dry, and then rinse it off.
6. Some people say that Hydrocortisone cream helps.

ackvil said:

Welcome to B&B. Here is a thread dealing with razor bumps and related problems. Hopefully, it will give you some ideas.

In addition, I have heard of some other tips that might work for you.

1. When you shave, use a thick lather and let it stay on your face for a few minutes before shaving.
2. Shave with the grain only using as few strokes as possible.
3. Use a sharp blade and at the first sign of wear, toss it.
4. Use cold compresses after you shave. Soak your washcloth in cold water, and apply it to your face.
5. Apply Salicylic Acid to the infected area. You can also use common aspirin, which contains that acid. Crush the aspirin and mix it with distilled water. Apply a thick paste to the infected area, let it dry, and then rinse it off.
6. Some people say that Hydrocortisone cream helps.

Click to expand...

+1

I suffer from razor bumps quite a bit, that is what brought me to the site in fact. While there is a lot of good advice, for me there was one thing that made a big difference.

Now this may not apply to you as I am a chubby guy, with a thick neck. One thing I noticed is that when I shaved after my shower, I would indeed have very hydrated stubble that was also clean. I also would sometimes exfoliate in the shower. Since I was a big guy, in a small humid room, I would sweat a fair amount. Having a bald head didn't help either as the sweat would roll down onto my face.

In order to stop this I made an adjustment that really helped me. I started to shave before I took a shower. Of course I would take the time to properly hydrate my face in the sink before I shaved and maybe even work in some pre shave lotion (I am not a fan of oils). I would then shave with warm water, not hot water. I would take a shower with lukewarm water and wash my face in the shower with a face wash that was fairly gentle and end with a cold water rinse at the very end of my shower. I found that this did a couple of things for me. First, it greatly reduced how much I was sweating. Shaving after and using only warm water with a cold rinse, cut down greatly on the humidity in the bathroom and subsequently my razor bumps. I think sweating greatly adds to irritation as it allows the sweat to get into your pores. Second, it helped me to get rid of the shaving cream and stray hairs on my face better, as I could take the shower head (mine is removable with a hose attached) and really make sure my face was totally clean of any debris.

Making those simple changes, shaving before shower, and using lukewarm water have helped me. YMMV.

Britt26 said:

Hi guys, I started wet shaving a couple of months ago. While I know I'm still learning, I need some help sorting out just one last issue. I still get razor bumbs and slight razor burn on my neck.

I always shower before every shave, and I exfoliate in the shower. Then I whip up my lather, always very slick and creamy, I bowl lather. Then I let it sit there as I sterlilize my blade and pull out all my shave gear. I make two passed WTG starting with my Cheeks and finishing with my neck. I re-lather between passes. I use no pressure and I believe my angle is good, only cut myself once in the last 3 months. Then I rinse with warm water, then cold, apply witch hazel and let sit a minute, then apply Nivea men's sensitive aftershave balm.

I use a murker 23c with feather blades, I never feel any tugging. I use razorock essential oil of lime shave soap.

The burn usually goes away within a couple of hours and isn't too much of a bother, it is the bumps that get me. I never shave ATG, but I do have curly hair. I love wet shaving and hope to get a straight razor from whipped dog soon. Thanks in advance for the help.

Click to expand...

[MENTION=110029]Britt26[/MENTION] I would offer my suggestions, but it seems that many here have already given good advice. I just want to say thank you for posting your question and I hope you are able to fix your problem. Welcome to badger & Blade!

Update. I can't even begin to explain why but shaving N/S which is XTG on my neck got rid of my irritation and bumps. Thanks guys for all the advice, I've made sure my pressure and blade angle were perfect, and I ordered some alum and towels for cold compresses. I wonder if going N/S just made it easier to maintain proper blade angle and pressure. Who knows? Just goes to show YMMV.