About To Give Up - Please Help!

[Lerk409]

So I've been wet shaving for about 5 weeks now. I decided to learn how because I wanted to try and minimize irritation and just thought it would be cool to learn a new skill. I have a 40s SS and have worked through about 5 types of blades, with Sharks being my favorite.

But here's my problem....I can't seem to shave with a DE without MAJOR irritation to my neck. I've mapped the grain of the hairs (which grow parallel to my jawline) and I go WTG and XTG, never against at this point. I have zero issues on my face but can't seem to touch my neck without ending up sore for the rest of the day. Nevermind actually getting a close neck shave.

I don't have this problem with cartridges. I may get some ingrowns, but it doesn't hurt.

Any suggestions?? I hate to give up, but I can't keep walking around with a red neck every day.

 

[smalltank]

your lather sounds like it needs to be improved..add some more water to make it slicker..ease up on pressure and hold your razor flat on your first pass..slow n steady in any direction you go to

 

[JaxJim]

A 40s SS isn't a particularly aggressive razor. Since you don't have this problem when shaving with a cartridge razor, I think too much pressure may be the principal culprit. Of course, contributing factors could include technique, prep, etc., etc. Good luck!

 

[Lerk409]

It's probably the lather. I use basically no pressure. Just the weight of the razor. Any suggestions for soap? I've been using The VDH Luxury from target.

 

[Shave_Rat]

It's probably the lather. I use basically no pressure. Just the weight of the razor. Any suggestions for soap? I've been using The VDH Luxury from target.

The luxury is a pretty decent soap. Maybe just need to load more product into the brush before building the lather? Does the lather seem dry out during your passes, or feel thin/watery?

 

[Mick]

If you want to try another soap/cream see if you can find Kiss My Face or RS (Real Shaving company) creams. I know that bed bath and beyond carries both but they should be available at other stores too

Your issue may be improper blade angle and also be because you are not keeping your skin taught when shaving your neck. Put your free hand on your chest below your lather and pull down lightly to stretch your neck. Move your hand around as you shave keeping it below where you are shaving

I would recommend stopping your cross grain pass on your neck until you get your shaving technique down a little better. Two with the grain passes should give you an acceptable shave so that you can work on improvements on the weekend where your "learning" will not be as noticeable.

You might also want to look for a Gillette Tech razor. These can be had in the $10 +/- range and are a milder razor to use on a daily basis. The razor you are now using may have been dropped at one point in its life and be "out of whack" which could cause you issues

 

[JaxJim]

If you want to try another soap/cream see if you can find Kiss My Face or RS (Real Shaving company) creams. I know that bed bath and beyond carries both but they should be available at other stores too

Your issue may be improper blade angle and also be because you are not keeping your skin taught when shaving your neck. Put your free hand on your chest below your lather and pull down lightly to stretch your neck. Move your hand around as you shave keeping it below where you are shaving

I would recommend stopping your cross grain pass on your neck until you get your shaving technique down a little better. Two with the grain passes should give you an acceptable shave so that you can work on improvements on the weekend where your "learning" will not be as noticeable.

You might also want to look for a Gillette Tech razor. These can be had in the $10 +/- range and are a milder razor to use on a daily basis. The razor you are now using may have been dropped at one point in its life and be "out of whack" which could cause you issues

+100

 

[HoosierTrooper]

If cartridges work better for you, then stick with them. Lots of choices are available in every price range, there's nothing wrong with using what works best.

 

[Lockedin]

So I've been wet shaving for about 5 weeks now. I decided to learn how because I wanted to try and minimize irritation and just thought it would be cool to learn a new skill. I have a 40s SS and have worked through about 5 types of blades, with Sharks being my favorite.

But here's my problem....I can't seem to shave with a DE without MAJOR irritation to my neck. I've mapped the grain of the hairs (which grow parallel to my jawline) and I go WTG and XTG, never against at this point. I have zero issues on my face but can't seem to touch my neck without ending up sore for the rest of the day. Nevermind actually getting a close neck shave.

I don't have this problem with cartridges. I may get some ingrowns, but it doesn't hurt.

Any suggestions?? I hate to give up, but I can't keep walking around with a red neck every day.

I've been DE shaving for about the same period. I do great on my face, great on my scalp, but at times have the same issue as you describe on my neck. I've found a few things that seem to contribute to the wicked neck rash I get every few shaves:

1. Using Pressure - every few shaves I seem to forget to let the razor do the work. I get away with it on my face & scalp, but my neck will let me know all about it the moment I use pressure.

2. Lather - If I don't get my lather right, it doesn't matter what blade or razor I use. I've found a good lather with Van der Hagen Deluxe, but AOS cream doesn't seem to work as well (YMMV of course).

3. Heat - I have HOT water out of the tap & discovered that all metal DE razors WILL burn me (I have a firm grasp of the obvious...).

4. If I feel irritation, I switch to the Mach 3. I do this less and less; but have found that if I'm in a hurry, or feeling irritation, it can save me from a disaster rash.

 

[saintpat]

In addition to the great advice above, make sure you rinse the soap off your neck thoroughly. When you think you've rinsed it all off, rinse again. This helped me with some neck irritation issues. Despite wearing a tie four days a week I no longer have any redness or irritation.

 

[dpmtherrien]

Make sure whichever blade you're using is really sharp. As for the pressure, this is probably your main cause. I know you think that you're not using any, but you probably are. Try it again but go so light it almost feels like the razor isn't making contact. Doing that took me some time to get it right, but it made a big difference in the irritation on my neck. Do it just going WTG to start, and as things get better add other strokes such as XTG and even ATG. But remember to go extremely light, and don't give up, keep at it. You should see a big improvement over time.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Get some Proraso shave cream. It will make a world of difference.

 

[CB1]

On your neck try going in the exact same pattern you did with the cartridge.

 

[Dharuma]

I was in the same situation as you and someone suggested injector razors--it completely solved the problem.

 

[Lerk409]

With the cartridge I generally go XTG because with the shape of my neck, XTG is a lot easier for the razor to make contact. I definitely can't do that with the DE. I suspect lather is a real problem so I'm going to try some creams.

I'll also try an injector razor as soon as I figure out what one is

 

[Lerk409]

Bought some KMF cream at Whole Foods last night (they have a great selection) and that seems to have helped alot. I think part of the problem is that the shape of the SS makes it hard for me to get the right angle on my neck going WTG, which Runs from the Adams apple towards my ears. Any suggestions?

 

[Lockedin]

Bought some KMF cream at Whole Foods last night (they have a great selection) and that seems to have helped alot. I think part of the problem is that the shape of the SS makes it hard for me to get the right angle on my neck going WTG, which Runs from the Adams apple towards my ears. Any suggestions?

Amazing how different each man's beard patterns can be - apple to ear is ATG on my throat. I've found that I have to really stretch the skin around the apple & the corner of my jaw to create a flat enough surface to (safely) shave those area using a '55 Flare Tip SS. I seem to be able to get those spots a bit easier with a Merkur 1904 41c - much thinner head helps out I think.

Of course creating a really good slick lather makes traction for my fingers in those areas a bit tough; so I will shave next to those spots to create a clear area for my free hand to stretch the adjacent skin flat - just to the left & right of the adam's apple (I have a huge, pointed one that makes shaving a life threatening blood fest if I don't pay attention), and just above & below / outboard of the jaw corners.

If I notice that I STILL need cleanup after an XTG pass (inboard to outboard and down), I'll apply lather to that area with the fingers and move on, leaving the lather to soften the remaining stubble. I was reminded again (less than 24 hours after posting above) to use warm - not HOT - water, especially on the throat area.
I seem to have serious short term memory issues...

 

[DavidinTexas]

I had a similar issue and it turned out to be blade angle - try holding the handle further away from your skin. I ended up raising the handle until the pass left lather behind (i.e. - blade not touching at all) and then lowered it just a little. For me that helped a lot.

Don't give up yet - likely you are very close to good regular shaves with no issues.

 

[oxford1833]

+1 on cream and angle. VDH soaps are one of my favorites, but creams are more forgiving in terms of the product to water balance.

You might also try the Bigelow cream from Bath and Body Works. It leaves a bit of a residue (in the sink and on the razor), but it lathers quickly and easily.

Good luck to you.

 

[OldSaw]

Agree with others about WTG only and working on your lather.

However, if that still doesn't work, then try the Schick Hydro 3 (not the 5). I have found it to be about the least irritating of cartridge razors and I can easily get two weeks worth of shaves from one cartridge.