Is it possible to obtain an irritation free shave?

[Enclave68]

Hi all,

I have been on the forum for a few years, initially took up DE shaving around 7 years ago. I love the broader experience around using a brush/many different soaps/scents etc, but no matter what I tried (different razors/blades/fewer passes/bear mapping etc), I just could not achieve a shave on my neck that didn't result in redness/irritation.

Given this I have had a beard for the past 3 years, but now keen to get back in to the hobby (and given the number of razors/soaps and brushes I have accumulated, it may be a good idea!)

I appreciate that YMMV, but do you think there is still hope for me to achieve an irritation free shave on the neck? I am so keen to nail technique, but equally don't want to go through months/years of pain/neck redness in the process.

Please help!

 

[Jamolay]

Shave your head. My neck is the hardest and most sensitive area to shave.

 

[losing]

A welcome back to B&B

And the smarty pants will be in your thread to help you out. But alot of help is in B&B you just need to look through the sections...

 

[Goblin]

Of course there is hope. More than hope. It is absolutely possible provided you put the effort in and don't be afraid to experiment - just don't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.

That said, there is no big secret. The keys are:

- Adequate prep for your given beard density / hair hardness. If in doubt, shower before shaving.
- Sharp blades. Can't get a comfortable and irritation free shave but also find a lot of popular blades always cut you because they are "too sharp"? Learn to use those blades without cuts. They will be able to wipe away the hair more easily and allow you to reduce pressure, which means less irritation. It's the paradox - sharper blades are more comfortable provided you have the technique to handle them.
- Learn your beard map and don't shave against the grain on the neck. Learn to get close by making several passes WTG or XTG if necessary. Eventually, you may be able to go ATG on the neck, but it can take a LONG time to get there and isn't strictly necessary. Don't force it.
- Don't rely on residual slickness for touching up the neck. Always have some nice, protective lather in place when you make extra passes on senstive areas.
- Don't shoot for BBS on the neck. Close enough is close enough.
- Learn to use techniques like slides and j-hooks to pick the stubble off difficult areas more efficiently.

...or if none of that works, learn to shave with a straight / shavette.

YMMV but all of the above works for me.

 

[Pacman225]

I took a break from wet shaving too and have been trying to grow out a beard for about 3 months. About 2 weeks ago I started getting back into wet shaving. Mainly just to do the neck like you mentioned. Idk how or why but I've got some really good shaves during these last 2 weeks. It's like I'm much more mindful of the pressure that I'm applying. I've only had one rough shave and that was with a Feather blade. My skin type just doesn't tolerate them. Ingrown hairs have been marginal compared to before, using a cartridge or electric. I don't typically go for the bbs anymore either. I find that if I do I just end up with more irritation. I just try to achieve a dfs and only do 2 passes with some touch up spots. So yes, long story short, I think there is hope for you. Good prep, light pressure, fewer passes and a blade that works well for your skin type. Keep us posted.

 

[helicopter]

Take a shower.
Put a Feather, American Personna Comfort Coated, or Wilkinson Sword Classic blade in a Feather razor.
Apply some Cremo sensitive cream, a tiny bit, with lots of water, using your fingers.
Do a gentle two pass shave, applying more Cremo and water as you go.
Rinse your face with cold water.
Pat dry with a soft towel.
Gently rub in some Nivea sensitive balm.
Accept the residual stubble from the mild razor and gentle technique.

If that doesn't work, just go one pass, with the grain.

Once you figure it out, you can experiment by changing various things like pressure, razor, blade, cream, balm, whatever you like, one variable at a time, until you figure out the personal limits of your irritation free shaving capacity.

 

[esee]

If you irritate yourself while shaving and then re-irritate yourself, every subsequent shave, the irritation becomes easier. Before correcting your shaving technique in order to help not irritate, one first has to heal the damaged skin. Since damage skin can get irritated much easier than healthy skin, one may want to take a few day break from shaving the neck altogether in order to help the healing process. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume your neck skin is dry, inflamed, and has multiple minor abrasions. A good all-around tonic that one can apply to help damaged skin is aloe vera. There are many other helpful products, but I cannot diagnose your skin for you, at least not online.

The best option, at least until your skin heals, is to use a well clamped, mild razor with a sharp blade and only shave with the grain on the days you shave your neck. I haven’t tried the Henson Mild razor, but it’s a cliché razor known for being an excellent neck shaver. The razor that I have tried that is really easy on the neck is the Gillette slim set on 1. Anyway, a mild razor that clamps the blade really well with a really sharp blade is the most likely path to successful irritation free neck shave, especially when one’s technique is lacking.

If you improve your technique and learn to listen to the razor, you may stop the skipping chattering noise which is almost always present in people’s failed neck shaves, or at least you will realize which razors don’t work. Learning to use a feather touch and getting the razor to sing is key. But all this can only work if one lets their skin heal first.