Advice? Irritation on neck

Hi Everyone:

I started shaving with a DE razor (Parker) a few weeks ago with a badger brush and some glycerin based shave soap. The problem I've been having for a long time is some ingrown hairs and red bumps on the front sides of my neck below the chin line. This is what led me to seek out a better shaving method, as I've tried the cartridge blades and electrics over the years and nothing seems to work.

The DE has given me some of the best shaves of my life so far, but even though I try to take it really easy on my neck (i.e. one pass only, going with the grain), I still am getting red bumps and I'm almost afraid to keep shaving there every day.

The rest of my face seems to have no problem with the new shave method. I need advice on what I should be doing to protect the skin on the neck and avoid further irritation. Thanks so much for your help and all the great info on this site.

I have found that taking very short, precise strokes around the neck really helps. I used to take longer strokes, like on my cheeks, but because the skin has more curvature the angle needs to change more often. For me, taking short, light-pressure strokes really makes a difference. Also make sure to use a soothing moisturizer or aftershave lotion after you rinse off.

I too have trouble with the neck. Things that worked for me that you may want to consider:

Find a better blade that works for you. The sharper you can handle, the better.

A less aggressive razor. My favorite is the 1948-9 Gillette Superspeed. It has helped me maintain a very light touch.

I found that the product "Bump Patrol" greatly reduced my neck irritation. It can be found at most drug stores. A little bit goes a long way.

Use a straight razor. I have been shaving with a straight for two weeks now. Now the learning curve is pretty steep, and my overall shaves are not better than with a DE yet, but my neck has been a very pleasant surprise. I have had no, I repeat, NO irritation on my neck since switching to a straight. This is truly remarkable for me because I have always had a little.

I hope you find this helpful.
Matty G

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually have tried the Bump Patrol stuff as you suggested but it really hasn't seemed to do much, I do think that a soothing moisturizer sounds like a good idea though too. I have been using Egyptian Lord blades but they are the only blades I have experience with so far. I have read all the comments about Feathers being the sharpest, but I wonder if that would be too aggressive. I guess the best thing is to try several. I believe the razor is a Parker 90R, I'm not sure how aggressive that is. Sometimes when the skin gets the red bumps the blade will actually catch them on the next shave causing a bloody mess. Hopefully some day I'll get better at this....

Parker razors are generally considered aggressive. Combine that with a rough blade and its going to be a problem. A super speed is probably a good choice. You might also consider a cream for now instead of the glycerin soap. Nothing wrong with a good glycerin soap but it might not be providing enough cushion. Try a sample pack of blades, a gentle razor and a good cream and you'll likely see a big difference.

I found a '59 Super Speed on eBay for less than $20 shipped and I ordered a sample pack of blades as well so hopefully that will help. Thanks for the advice, and I'll find a different cream as well. Any suggestions as far as more cushioned creams and aftershaves would be appreciated as well. Thanks guys!

Have you tried a preshave oil on your neck?, as well as the bullfrog method?

drpeachfuzz said:

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually have tried the Bump Patrol stuff as you suggested but it really hasn't seemed to do much, I do think that a soothing moisturizer sounds like a good idea though too. I have been using Egyptian Lord blades but they are the only blades I have experience with so far. I have read all the comments about Feathers being the sharpest, but I wonder if that would be too aggressive. I guess the best thing is to try several. I believe the razor is a Parker 90R, I'm not sure how aggressive that is. Sometimes when the skin gets the red bumps the blade will actually catch them on the next shave causing a bloody mess. Hopefully some day I'll get better at this....

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If the irritation is really bad take a day (or two) off shaving if you can to give your skin time to recover (or just skip your neck).

I and a local friend both had the same experience with Parker models (90R and 94R) the same or similar to yours - the blade gap is much larger than the old Gillettes; this can make them liable to catch and drag unless you get the angle just right. I think you will find the Superspeed you've ordered much easier to work with (good choice!). The Superspeed is lighter so it will take you a day or two to get used to the balance of the new razor.

I find the neck is the hardest place to keep the pressure light, which is key to minimising irritation. Visualising "wiping the whiskers off" rather than scraping helped me focus on this.

Its also easy to forget blade angle on the neck - concentrate on keeping it consistent (wrist locked) and don't drop the handle too low or you will be scraping rather than slicing.

With blades, don't switch around too much until you've got your technique down - technique has a much larger effect than the blade used. It is worth trying a couple until you hit on one that seems to work reasonably well, then stick with that until you're getting good, consistent shaves.

Good luck, stick with it! I'm only two months in to DE shaving and am still learning and improving.

I have a very sensitive neck, and have aways had problems with redness and irritation. When the barber cuts my hair, the cut hair will fall on my neck and cause it to turn red. I battled redness until last year when I started to wet shave again and tried some different methods.

Prep is key, Mantic's videos detail the necessary steps and if you search the forum you will find Kyle's shave prep. In addition to prep I use Trumpers Skin Food. Many don't like pre-shaves ,but it provides an extra bit of protection. The creams that work best for me are TOBS and Speick, I have some very high end creams and these two still provide the most cushion.


In terms of razors what works for me is using an adjustable(Fatboy) dialed up to 6 with a crystal blade. I use short strokes, 2 passes with the grain and little pressure. This sounds aggressive but a higher blade exposure requires less passes. This leads to a smoother shave which lasts longer providing less irritation for the next days shave.

I finish with a cool water rinse and Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera. I let this dry for a couple minutes and use The Gentleman's Refinery Standard After Shave Balm.

And the final key that led to the end of redness, Aloe Vera gel at night. I bought a tube of Fruit Of The Earth Pure Aloe Vera Gel for 2 dollars. I put it on my neck for a week and it cleared all the redness and irritation up , I still use it . I spent quite a bit of money on balms and post shaves and until I started to use these products, the redness was always there. Also,with the closeness of the shaves now, I can shave at night and still look presentable the next day.

I have the same neck issues. I ditched the Parker for a SuperSpeed, also stop using the walmart blades, and got the westcoast sampler. If you can let your neck rest a week, then study the direction of the beard, my grain changes direction about three time, grows up, grow down, grows sideways.
Now, I do 2 WTG (adams apple to ear), and 1 S-N pass, use very little pressure. My neck is now irritation free.

Do the bumps ever go away?

If not, you have may have an infection in your follicles that needs to resolve.
Any way you look at it you need to let the hair on your neck grow out, and let your skin and hair follicles recover. After that, you can try again.

At that point, find out which way your hair grows and only shave with the grain, and don't try and get too close. If you don't cut the hair too close, it can't grow out under the skin.

New Orleans said:

Do the bumps ever go away?

If not, you have may have an infection in your follicles that needs to resolve.
Any way you look at it you need to let the hair on your neck grow out, and let your skin and hair follicles recover. After that, you can try again.

At that point, find out which way your hair grows and only shave with the grain, and don't try and get too close. If you don't cut the hair too close, it can't grow out under the skin.

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I had this ha[[en to me. That is how I ended up on this site. Best infection I ever had!

Would infection of the follicles require treatment with antibiotics to resolve, or you think just letting the hair grow out will help? Thanks again so much!

drpeachfuzz said:

Would infection of the follicles require treatment with antibiotics to resolve, or you think just letting the hair grow out will help? Thanks again so much!

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I was prescribed antibiotics. I was also given a doctor's note saying I was not allowed to shave. I required to be clean shaven at work so this made all of the guys jealous!

Under most circumstances your face should heal without any antibiotics.

Once you've mastered the neck...you're a master!

Ru4scuba? said:

Once you've mastered the neck...you're a master!

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And how!

ru4scuba? said:

once you've mastered the neck...you're a master!

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++1

What helped my ingrown hairs was to give my face a scrubbing with a Loofah while in the shower. Do it on days you won't follow the shower with a shave.

Sometimes those little guys are hard to get. My PR is an ingrown hair from my cheek that was 3 inches long.

I got this after shave from Clinique for men that I have used for years for irritation and ingrown hairs. I don't like it as an aftershave, but, on my skin, it works wonders for irritations and ingrown hairs. I can put it on an ingrown hair at night and the next day it will be gone. Same with irritation. I only use it when I need it and only in the spots that I need it.