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A nervous black male seeking a solution...

You are very welcome from all of us. I can't speak for everyone, but I think it is safe to say that you are a work in progress for the membership and we are all looking forward to regular updates from you.
Now, with regard to the way that you USED to do things:
In a nutshell.........I've been absolutely abusing my face up until now and never even knew it.

My current product line up and routine would be (or previous I could say)
1) Soak face with hot water and use a loofa to help loosen up the ingrown hairs
Stop doing this before you shave! Loofahs exfoliate and strip away whatever protection your skin provides itself naturally. I recommend that when you begin to shave again, you do so at the most every other day. On the in-between days you can wash your face with a gentle cleanser or use the Black Opal products that you already have. You don't have to throw the loofah away, but I would try using it dry on a dry face. Use it very gently and for a short time only. Follow this by washing your face as your products recommend.
2) Apply Neutrogena's Razor Defense face wash.

3) Rinse, then lather up with Neutrogena's Razor Defense Shaving gel.

4) After few minutes in the hot shower, Jump out, wipe the mirror off, open the door to let the cool air in and the steam out. (hate that part FREEEEEEEEZING, and I often set the fire alarm off. LOL)
So far so good. It sounds like what many of us do. Some don't like to use anything other than water on their faces in the shower before shaving though. I am right there with you on having to open the bathroom door to let the steam clear and the mirror de-fog.
5) Using a Disposable Gillette Pivot head twin blade razor I begin to shave the above the jaw line area, downwards. Then below the jaw in an upward motion. usually ending up in more strokes than I ought to because of the little stubble that remains. Which I guess means, more against the grain, thus resulting in more irritation.
I think you know what to do about this. Forget whatever you think you knew about shaving. You know the quote:"If you do things the way you always have, you will always get the same results."

One day, quite some time from now, you will be able to go against the grain again. You will get no irritation and you will not believe how your skin feels even two days later when the stubble is again ready to be shaved. You will have zero irritation and zero bumps. But that is a little ways away.
A huge part of DE wetshaving is what goes on in between shaves. You mention the laziness factor, I am SO familiar with that. I have made it habitual to make washing my hands the first thing I do when I get home in the evening, or anytime I return home from being outside, because I touch my face more than I care to think about. Clean hands are the most important thing you can do for everything relating to general health but in terms of healing your face this is of critical importance. Do this one thing everytime you come home. On face washing days, you only need to give your face the full treatment once a day so that you give your skin the time to replenish itself with fresh natural oils. Take the 10 minutes ... yeah, it only takes about 10 minutes ... use the dry loofah and then wash your face gently.
Believe me, you are really going to love the entire ritual that is associated with this practice. Htown is patron saint of patience around here. Drink that kool-aid deeply, because patience is the intangible most responsible for success.
One thing to remember from the long list of acronyms here; YMMV - Your Milage May Vary. If you ask for advice you will certainly get it from us. Take it all in and then determine what applies best to you and to what you already know about your skin issues. Some things I suggest may simply not be applicable to you.
Thanks again for all the helpful tips people.

Look for much more to come from the membership, and forgive me if anything I suggest seems obvious or repetitive. It really is exciting to be able to follow your progress from the beginning of your journey.
 
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Yours is a unique problem but not an uncommon one.

The only thing I might add to what has been said so far is:
  1. Before you get started, do a good facial scrub the night before. Exfolliate your face to get rid of the dead skin and start releasing those ingrowns. If your face is very sensitive, go very easy.
  2. For the first week or two, only do at most two passes of North to South. That is, start at the top and work your way down using very short strokes. You'll see a lot of people talking about 'across the grain' and 'against the grain'. DO NOT ATTEMPT! Your skin will not react well if you start doing this before you get your bumps and ingrown under control. The shaves won't seem so satisfying at first, but it's a small price to pay.
  3. Embrace the burn. A good after-shave or witch hazel with some alcohol will close up the pores and prevent future ingrowns.

It'll take a while, but once you get your skin under control you can start to really enjoy your shaves. Then you go broke!
 
Pottertons, don't appologize for revealing your ethniticty. 1) this board is very open; not many "secret identities". 2) your ethniticy plays a large role in the type of beard that you are likely have; be it Swede, Irish, native American, south Pacific, middle eastern, etc...
 
R

rainman

Pottertons, don't appologize for revealing your ethniticty. 1) this board is very open; not many "secret identities". 2) your ethniticy plays a large role in the type of beard that you are likely have; be it Swede, Irish, native American, south Pacific, middle eastern, etc...

+1


I also agree that technique is the most important factor above having the best shaving gear.
 
Hello and welcome. Perhaps you already know about this, but there is a razor specifically designed to prevent ingrown hairs, marketed to Black males, called the Bump Fighter. See the review here. I have no experience with it myself, but it may be worth a try.
 
Pottertons, don't appologize for revealing your ethniticty. 1) this board is very open; not many "secret identities". 2) your ethniticy plays a large role in the type of beard that you are likely have; be it Swede, Irish, native American, south Pacific, middle eastern, etc...

In fact, many envy those of middle eastern descent, because they could shave 3 times a day.:shaving:
 
Pottertons, don't appologize for revealing your ethniticty. 1) this board is very open; not many "secret identities". 2) your ethniticy plays a large role in the type of beard that you are likely have; be it Swede, Irish, native American, south Pacific, middle eastern, etc...

There is definately a huge stereotype involved with black men and shaving. Quite a few would have you belive that the only way to shave black skin is to use clippers.

As you can see, the generalization is incorrect.

Coming from yet another black DE, I would add three products to your routine, if you want. First, I would get a better brush. Among my arsenal is a Tweezerman I brought for $15 at my local supermarket. It holds lather just as well as my $200 silver tip. I use it mostly on soaps.

Second, and Third, really, get yourself some better ingrown treatments. Black Opal is just a ton of chemicals. You could go with something fancy like anthony's or just buy natural witch hazel. The Thayers brand is more than a little awesome. A good pair of ingrown tweezers wil help too. Remember that you're not plucking out the hair as much as you are pulling the tip of the hair from under the skin. You might find that you will never rid yourself of ingrowns completley, but having some useful tools could come in hand.

Good luck!
 
The Thayers brand is more than a little awesome.

+1 on the Thayers

I have found as a DE newbie who is also black that Thayers is like a secret weapon in that it does unpredictably great things for your skin. I have not had a problem with it in any way up to now, but I would join the crowd of Thayers idolators here and start using it after the final rinse. I am sympathetic to your plight, and I would strongly second the recommendation made early in this thread to watch Mantic repeatedly for guidance. I have been a lurker here mostly, but the support is amazing and really warms my heart sometimes. I aim to participate more, and hope you will too with progress updates. Good luck, Pottertons.
 
Hello and welcome. Perhaps you already know about this, but there is a razor specifically designed to prevent ingrown hairs, marketed to Black males, called the Bump Fighter. See the review here. I have no experience with it myself, but it may be worth a try.

I have never heard of this before. I shall definitely take it into consideration. I find it strange though, that there could actually be a device that caters to one skin-type.
Like they say though, don't knock it til you try it.

Black Opal is just a ton of chemicals.
Good luck!
LOL! Where were you yesterday when I went out and about buying all of this stuff. :).

I can not tell you how much I'm enjoying these forums already. The red carpet-esque welcoming is truly amazing and unfortunately a rarity in many of the forums i've joined in the past.

I will use a lot of patience and heed the words of the wise to reach my goal.

Quick Question in regards to Post-Shave Treatment.

Have any of you used "Tend Skin". I've been using it for some time now and I find it's not too bad, but then again, with my overall technique being some poor at the moment, I may not even need it.
Are there any of you that use it and/or atleast recommend it?
 
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Pottertons,

+1 to not apologizing for sharing your ethnicity. Many of the regulars here know my full name and the town I live in (some even know the address). Also, if you don't feel like spending $10 and waiting for Thayers pseudo-witch hazel (if it doesn't contain exactly 14% alcohol it isn't witch hazel- Cite Clubman Rob with thanks), you can get the generic stuff at Wal-mart, CVS, Walgreens, etc. for a couple bucks (mine cost $.99 at Wal-mart and it works really well). Welcome and enjoy the journey!
 
Welcome to B&B. I am also a black man, and I think there is certain truth in what the other members have already written. If I could point you to one sentence in ProphetNoir's post that is of particular importance.

"Yes, when your skin clears enough to attempt your fist DE shave, I would first trim the hair with that Andis Outliner carefully, you are not shaving with it."

I too battle ingrown hairs, particularly on my lower neck. I find that when I try to do a quick "shave" with my clippers or t-line trimmers, I end up doing more damage in the long run. The hair is cut to a length and angle that make it very conducive for creating the hair bump cycle all over again. As ProphetNoir stated, trim but don't shave with the outliner as you may find yourself waiting for a long time for the bumps to heal.

I have also found plucking to be of some help. HOWEVER, do not pluck the hairs out of your face. Pluck the hairs to free them from the hair bump, without extricating them from your face completely. Within a day, the inflammation subsides. I find this helps to expedite the healing process.

Again, welcome and good luck.
 
Welcome and good luck! As others have said, know how to use your tools, study up and have fun! Also I would like to add, check out mantic59's videos on Youtube.
 
Welcome to B&B. I am also a black man, and I think there is certain truth in what the other members have already written. If I could point you to one sentence in ProphetNoir's post that is of particular importance.

"Yes, when your skin clears enough to attempt your fist DE shave, I would first trim the hair with that Andis Outliner carefully, you are not shaving with it."

I too battle ingrown hairs, particularly on my lower neck. I find that when I try to do a quick "shave" with my clippers or t-line trimmers, I end up doing more damage in the long run. The hair is cut to a length and angle that make it very conducive for creating the hair bump cycle all over again. As ProphetNoir stated, trim but don't shave with the outliner as you may find yourself waiting for a long time for the bumps to heal.

I have also found plucking to be of some help. HOWEVER, do not pluck the hairs out of your face. Pluck the hairs to free them from the hair bump, without extricating them from your face completely. Within a day, the inflammation subsides. I find this helps to expedite the healing process.

Again, welcome and good luck.

I decided to go ahead and trim my hair down today with the Andis. It's been over a week since my last shave. The sensation from the ingrowns was causing me to feel the need for a good scratch. Which, although I know can be a detrimental process, was just about un-avoidable.

I waited for most of the day and then shaved with my disposable Gillette. I feel much much better, but the bumps are still very, very visible; as expected.
I was thinking of doing another shave tomorrow seeing as the bumps will have subsided to a certain extent, thus allowing more access to the short stubble that still remains.

Is this a good choice. or still to soon?
 
I can testify to the effectiveness of the Bump Fighter razor. I had a history of ingrowns and avoided the whole mess by adopting a beard. It was my signature look all though my 20s, 30s and most of my 40s. When I finally took the plunge and started shaving, I followed a route similar to yours, and bought the Black Opal products. I must say, I found them pretty much useless. The one thing that really worked for me was that BF razor. Unless they've changed the design, you'll find it almost impossible to shave close enough with it to encourage hairs curling back into the skin. Yet it shaves close enough so that you'll maintain a neat appearance. I found that after six or so weeks of using that razor exclusively, I was able to "graduate" to a multi-blalde without horrendous results. Actually, I probably could've made the switch weeks earlier. As a previous poster mentioned, I believe the act of shaving causes the face to toughen up and become more resistant to pfb.
As for exfoliants, I tend to follow the general sentiment of most here. Mechanical things like luffas and items containing particles of whatever were a bad experience. I settled on a plain old washcloth (change it every few days) with a cleanser and continue to use that combination today. No vigorous scrubbing either, just a little attention to the neck and jawline with a gentile circular pattern may be all you need.
Now about cleanser choices. I use Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash once a day in the shower. The salicylic acid meant for acne prevention seems to calm down the inflammation associated with pfb. It gently sloughs off skin cells. Lastly, I follow up with Neutrogena Healthy Skin face lotion. It has AHA and works in consort with the face wash. It helps fade blotches and dark spots caused by previous damage. It even has a sunscreen to help prevent hyper-pigmentation.
Well, I guess you can see that there is a well studied group of folks here in B&B. Absorb the wisdom and soon you'll be dispensing it. Trust me on this, I speak from experience.
 
Pottertons,

I am not black so therefore cannot speak from experience on that front. I do, however, have a suggestion.

It is my belief that a single edge (SE) razor, the 1912 GEM, will provide a gentle but very effective shave. For example if I have a nick (from my clumsy but continuing excursions into straight razor shaving) I can shave right over it with the SE. Perhaps this will provide similar protection for your bumps.

In the spirit of scientific experimentation, and if you would like to try this, send me a PM (private message) with your address and I will send you free of charge a GEM 1912 with a couple of SE blades to try. If this makes a significant improvement it will be a really good thing for all of us to know!
 
I decided to go ahead and trim my hair down today with the Andis. It's been over a week since my last shave. The sensation from the ingrowns was causing me to feel the need for a good scratch. Which, although I know can be a detrimental process, was just about un-avoidable.

I waited for most of the day and then shaved with my disposable Gillette. I feel much much better, but the bumps are still very, very visible; as expected.
I was thinking of doing another shave tomorrow seeing as the bumps will have subsided to a certain extent, thus allowing more access to the short stubble that still remains.

Is this a good choice. or still to soon?


I cannot answer that question. Personally, I would wait until I was as close to bump free as possible. However, if nothing else becomes of this endeavor, I am sure you are quickly realizing that it is as much an exercise in grooming as it is an exercise in self awareness. You have to know what your skin can and cannot endure.

Best of luck
 
So I took some advice from threads and responses to my O.P.

Jumped in the shower, used my razor defense cleanser, then lathered up with the razor defense shaving gel that I usually use to shave with. I let it sit to soften the hairs while I showered.
Rinsed it off and then lathered up again at the sink using the Body Shop shaving cream.
I used a much more patient technique of shaving this time around with short WTG strokes (yes, i'm getting up to speed with the millions of abbreviations LOL) and less pace & pressure. To my amazement, I finished the shave without one single nick and (barr the bumps that still exist) quite a smooth finish.

My question today is; once I graduate to the DE class, should the quality of a DE SAfety razor eliminate the need to use multiple strokes?
Reason being is that, even with a twin Gillette disposable there still seems to be a need to go over areas more than once.

If so, I can't wait, because I truly feel that this will be a key aspect towards reducing skin irritation which in turn ought to subside the appearance of the bumps even more.

Lastly, I was wondering if it mattered wether I started using my DESR with a Cream, or a Soap. Is it a matter of one's preference or is one more recommended than the other?
For some reason, i'm really drawn to those Col.Conk soaps. :001_smile
 
My question today is; once I graduate to the DE class, should the quality of a DE SAfety razor eliminate the need to use multiple strokes?
Reason being is that, even with a twin Gillette disposable there still seems to be a need to go over areas more than once.

For me (speaking as a razor rash/burn/bumps sufferer of 20+ years before I converted to DE shaving) if I "rush" the first pass, I can be left with some patches untouched by the blade - if I take it slowly I can mow it all off (although faceturbating ATG will still feel slightly stubbly) - a single ATG pass is usually enough to take that away too.

If so, I can't wait, because I truly feel that this will be a key aspect towards reducing skin irritation which in turn ought to subside the appearance of the bumps even more.

The key advantage is that one pass of a DE is a single blade over your face - a 2 blader passing once is 2 blade passes, 3 blader = 3 blades etc... you can see how 2 passes of either of those is way more blade/face interfacing than a 2-pass DE shave.

Also the cartridge type razors encourage/require more pressure than DE - so more scope for irritation there too.


Lastly, I was wondering if it mattered wether I started using my DESR with a Cream, or a Soap. Is it a matter of one's preference or is one more recommended than the other?
For some reason, i'm really drawn to those Col.Conk soaps. :001_smile

Entirely your preference - some say that creams are easier to start with, although I can't say it's harder one way or the other
 
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