At A Loss With Folliculitis and Ingrown Hairs

[BestFaceForward]

I apologize for the long post. I am a new member as of 10 minutes ago but have been an avid reader of this site for about a month-and-a-half, and am in dire need of advice.

I recently had to stop shaving for 5 weeks while on antibiotics to get rid of folliculitis that most likely resulted from ingrown hairs getting infected. I have extremely thick and curly facial hair that my doctor and two barbers have said is best described as "the facial hair of Black men." I love wet shaving but am at a loss as to what to do next. For my job, I have to shave, and with extremely sensitive skin, the products that dissolve the facial hair will irritate me, so I want to give wet shaving another try, but NOW I am very scared to put a razor to my face.

I only shave after a hot shower, and was using Merkur blades, an Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Barley Razor (which is beautiful!) or the classic Merkur HD 34C, a synthetic brush from Anthony Logistics that is treated with an anti-microbial agent to help prevent the formation and spread of bacteria (before when I got the infection, I was using a super badger brush from E&C), Lucky Tiger Shaving Cream or The Real Shaving Company's Moisturizing Shaving Cream, L'Oreal Hydrating Toner (it has rose water in it), an Alum Block (wasn't using this before, but when I start shaving again, I want to incorporate the Alum Block due to its antiseptic properties), Lucky Tiger After Shave and Face Tonic, and once that has dried, I applied a moisturizer with a 15 SPF.

At night, after I wash my face with Cetaphil and tone with L'Oreal, I apply Paula's Choice 2% BHA Lotion which has really helped my little acne red bumps on my forehead, cheeks, and chin, and finish with a non SPF moisturizer. My doctor is at a loss as he knew how to treat what I had, but doesn't have much insight as to how to prevent this situation other than telling me to keep my beard (which for work, with a doctor's note is acceptable, but I'd rather be able to enjoy shaving again). The toner and Paula's Choice was advice from an esthetician I work with and both products have worked great.

What are your recommendations? Specifically for Black members, what kinds of blades do you use? I understand that each blade reacts differently for everyone, but generally speaking, I believe I need a blade that will cut smoothly so it won't pull the hair or drag on my skin, but not provide too close of a shave (like a "Bump Fighter Razor"). I plan on only using each blade once (so longevity isn't really an issue for me) and disinfecting my razor and lather bowl with rubbing alcohol before and after each shave to help prevent any future infections.

Along with the type of blade(s), I would love to hear others' opinions of my steps, products (I've read PFB Vanish is a great product for individuals in my situation), advice (should I incorporate an antibacterial face wash for example?), and any other feedback would be GREATLY appreciated! I have been battling this for about 2 1/2 years, and as much as people tell me the beard looks good, all of you know how much I miss this fantastic morning ritual, and would love to continue to wet shave, but only if I won't have to worry about those embarrassing, huge red, puss-filled "break outs"/ingrown hairs and razor burn.

Thank you for reading my post and I look forward to your responses!

 

[MMag]

My face was really bad about a year and I finally found what worked for me. I tried the DE, straights, Mach3 and Fusion; nothing worked. Tried all the likes for shaving creams, soaps and aftershaves. It seemed like the more I tried the worse it got and I kept getting frustrated. This is what I finally settled with and have seen amazing results. I use South of France soap for my face and body; it's all natural and contains less then 8 ingredients so it doesn't dry out your face. After my shower, in the evening, I lather with Proraso and a Badger Brush for 3 minutes and use a Sensor Excel razor with little pressure doing two WTG passes re-lathering between passes. Then I rinse with cold water and use Thayers w/ Rose Water applied with a cotton ball for aftershave/toner. Finally when that dries I apply a small amount of Anthony Logistics Razor Bump Treatment. I may not get the closest shave on this site but my face looks amazing.

 

[GDCarrington]

I would recommend that you thoroughly read this entire thread:

A nervous black male seeking a solution...
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=91337&highlight=bump+fighter

I hope you can find some answers.

 

[GDCarrington]

Welcome to the good ship B&B. Take a stroll on the promenade deck and enjoy the voyage.

Always remember, relax but be vigilant when you shave!

 

[BCatl]

I have never used this guy's products, but I thought his advice was solid.

http://www.mariobadescu.com/razor-burn

I can recommend one product which I use. Mentos Ultra Facial Conditioner. Mentos makes a shave gel too which I have not tried. They've changed the bottle colors to red, white and blue now.

The Mentos facial conditioner I mentioned has both BHA (salicylic acid) and AHA, and it contains aloe and water. It's a liquid not a lotion. It has no alcohol and is ph balanced. You apply right before you shave, then after you shave. I don't have ingrown hairs or bumps, but I do get irritation from time to time (my skin is super senstive) and this is a good change from the alcohol AS splashes for me.

I have to warn you, this stuff is expensive: $2.95 at Atlanta Barber Supply for 5 ounces.

Of all the things you are doing right now, the Paula's BHA was probably the best idea. Anything to keep your pores open so debris does not prevent your hair from growing out. Don't know what will happen when you combine the Mentos with the Paula's, could be too much for you as far as the BHA goes.

As far as all the disinfecting you are doing, if it makes you feel good, do it. There is no way to keep a normal bathroom sterile, and if you did your disinfecting once a week, it would probably do just as much good as doing it every day, but I don't claim to be an expert on this subject.

Well, you've already got a ton of good information above from other members, so I'll bow out. In general, I've found that less (as far as products go) is more.

 

[drandall]

folliculitis is often a result of staph bacteria on hands or blade that makes it into the hair follicle where it becomes an infection.

one of the best ways to prevent it is to get some 70% isopropyl alcohol from a local drug store (90% is too strong and potentially aggravating) and put it in a small plastic spray bottle. a few minutes before shaving, spritz the blade thoroughly. as the alcohol dries, it will disinfect the blade and reduce the chances of getting foliculitis.

i also add some tea tree oil, which is a natural antiseptic and anti-fungal agent. since doing this, i have seen my problem disappear.

i would also avoid applying any alcohol-based splash to freshly shaven skin. while it does disinfect, it also can irritate.

i would also pay extra attention to rinsing well and then follow up with a cold splash of water to close the pores. finally, i would use an anti-bacterial hand soap to reduce the chance that you're transferring bacteria from hands to face.

hope this helps....

 

[noahpictures]

Welcome to B&B.
You're using excellent products but maybe too many. Here are my ten cents:

1. Use a wash-rag (wash rag/small rough hand towel) to exfoliate the face using very warm water while using Cetaphil at night and before shaving. Shaving brushes are mild in comparison to a wash-rag.

2. Use Nivea Creme to moisturize the face. Excellent moisturizer for dry faces and better priced than most.

3. Any time you exfoliate your face, moisturize. Also when you moisturize don't apply directly to face; rub the moisturizer between your palms making it even then apply to face.

4. Don't use an aftershave. All aftershaves irritate my skin even ones without alcohol. After shaving use non-scented Witch Hazel followed by face moisturizer. (West Coast Shaving sells them) If you want to smell good, use an aftershave splash on your chest and forearms.

5. For bumps and ingrown hairs use a soft toothbrush to get the ingrown hair out. If that doesn't work on the tough ingrowns then use a special tweezer for ingrowns.

6. Merkur blades might not be sharp enough. The more passes you make during shaving the more your skin will become irritated. Use feather blades and shave with the grain only until your technique is spot on and your face is healed.

7. For bumps: crush an aspirin and rub that on the bumps at night.

8. I highly recommend Tabac shaving soap. It protects your skin against nicks, razor burn and irritation. I haven't found anything better.

9. Try to keep your products as natural and simple as possible.

10. Most importantly let your face rest; a close shave is not as important as a healthy face.

 

[riooso]

I has a similar problem with the bacteria, not the beard type. You should get some Barbicide and clean your brushes, razors and anything else you use. I just let the brush soak about 4 minutes then clean with the shampoo of your choice. I also only used freshly laundered towels and wash rags for about a month. I got mine by shaving to closely plus the having the bacteria around. Try a single pass WTG for a week or so and make sure that if you stretch your skin do in in the direction that doesn't stand them on end. So if your hairs are growing down, for instance, pull the skin down, not up. That will give you a close enough shave that nobody but you will notice if you shave in the morning.

Your going to have to come up with a scheme to moisturize your face the night before. I have found that if my skin is dry my shaves suck and my skin takes more of a beating than it should. That opens up you skin for attack. I actually use some outstanding hand cream, from L'Occitane, that I apply after washing my face with a good soap at night. What ever works for you. Ideally, if your shave is a good one and you used a good soap then you skin should look and feel great. It is hard in the beginning because technique is a problem. Just take it a little slower till you learn your face and develop the techniques necessary to get a proper shave. Although I use a straight after 4 passes and a touch-up if I wish I can apply alcohol based product and get only a very little burn.

Take care,
Richard

 

[cjspence]

I have had problems with irritation and bumps, though not real infection. Although I have enjoyed several soaps, Tabac gives me the most protection from irritation. I suspect that other tallow type soaps would do just as well. I have know idea whether tallow soap would be appropriate for you, but I wish you success with this and hope you stick around.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B.

I was glad to see the responses you got. Hopefully, something will work out for you.

 

[Luc]

Welcome to B&B!

Excellent advices up here. For the blades, I see that you are/were using Merkur blades. Merkur are not bad but they are not great either... I think they are too expensive for what you get...

Blades to consider: Personna, Crystal, Sharks, Astra superior Platinum, Feathers. I also love the Dorco (ST-300 and ST-301) but I might be in the minority here...

Have said all of that, I don't have curly facial hair and I don't use a DE anymore.

 

[jtb]

There is a product called Tendskin which used to work wonders for me. It's a bit pricey so I now make my own. You can google the ingredients. It's basically witch hazel, asprin and a little alcohol.
I would consider a different blade too, like an astra, or get a sample pack once you are all healed up.

Good Luck!

 

[BCatl]

If you notice aspirin and BHA come up in the discussion. They are in the same family. Aspirin is acetlsalicylic acid, the the BHA under discussion is salicylic acid.

Put aspirin around moisture, and you get acetic acid (vinegar) and salicylic acid. This explains why if you smell an old bottle of aspirin, it will take on a vinegar smell as it's come into contact with moisture over time.

 

[xillion]

Clubman Bump Repair Gel worked wonders on my ingrowns.

 

[BestFaceForward]

I definitely feel welcomed to B&B! Thank you everyone who has responded.

Two common themes that seemed to come up were sharper blades than Merkur's, and using an A/S with AHA and/or BHA.

I placed an order for PFB Vanish on-line, and based on an excellent recommendation from a member, I also ordered some Gillette 7 O'Clock blades in the yellow box and Iridium Super blades. I realize that my Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Barley DE is less aggressive than my HD 34C, so I am hoping the Gillette blades will work better in my Jagger than the Merkur blades. As I am able to shave my neck because my infection never spread to it, I shaved tonight with the Jagger and had to do 3 passes WTG to get an acceptable shave. That's when Noahpictures's advice came to mind...the more passes with my sensitive skin and thick and curly facial hair, the more irritation.

What I am going to try is still washing with Cetaphil, showering, perhaps putting pure Glycerin on as a pre-shave, shaving (I usually only do a 2 pass shave and only WTG), following with the toner, an alum block, PFB Vanish as my A/S, and my moisturizure with 15 SPF. The difference from this and the routine I first posted is I'm not going to use an alum block AND an A/S balm, AND PFB Vanish, AND a moisturizer. As a few members have pointed out, less is usually more. What sold me PFB Vanish is that while it does contain alcohol (which I never put on my skin), it also has Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, and Lactic Acid which will exfoliate my skin to keep the pores clear helping to minimize the chances of ingrowns. I always feared putting acids on my freshly shaven skin, but from all accounts, that is the best thing for treating existing and preventing ingrown hairs and razor burn.

At night, I will still wash with Cetaphil, tone, use Paula's Choice 2% BHA (Salicylic acid) to keep my adult acne away, and moisturize.

I am a little surprised more members aren't using Tend Skin (either from the store or homemade), PFB Vanish, Anthony Logistics's Ingrown Treatment, or other like products. Each of these products has so many reviews on multiple sites, I thought more members would be using them.

Because my skin has fairly calmed down, as it has been a little over 5 weeks since I've been on antibiotics and haven't shaved my face (I have shaved my neck about once or twice a week though to keep a professional look for work), would anyone recommend I hold off on using the PFB Vanish and just try my modified regime (no A/S as I will be using an alum block and a moisturizer) with my new Gillette 7 O'Clock blades in the yellow box and/or Iridium Super blades? My thought is that I probably haven't found the blade that, as Leisureguy says in his book, makes me say "Wow," and once I find that blade, perhaps a lot of my irritations will subside. Maybe, that's why a lot of members don't have to use such products (?). Knowing me, I'll probably end up having to use PFB Vanish

Thank you again for all of the responses, and that they came so fast!, and I look forward to more responses, opinions, suggestions, comments, and advice. Please keep the posts going and I will continue to update this thread.

 

[Saturn]

Seems like you got some good advice here; hope you're able to solve the folliculitis and ingrown hair problems.

Make sure you don't overdo it with the face products, especially if you have sensitive skin. The more products you use, the more likely it is that you're having a bad reaction to one of them or to a combination of them. This is especially true if the products you're using are very "chemically". Chemical exfoliants in particular have been known to be irritating to many people's skin, especially if used for an extended period of time. Just remember that the best thing you can do for your skin is to enable it to take care of itself.

I used to use Cetaphil's daily cleanser (the regular one, not the gentle one), and found patches of dry skin popping up on my face as well as acne on my forehead. I stopped using the cleanser and the acne completely disappeared, and the dry skin has become much more manageable with an ordinary moisturizer. I'm not saying this will be the case for you, but sometimes it helps to scale back and systematically rule out allergic reactions, so that you know just what the cause of your problems is.

 

[franstjohn]

I must begin by saying I don't have any of the skin problems discussed in this post. I do keep a bottle of glycerin to use as an additive to my soap. My bottle contains a warning not to use the product if you have any open wounds or infections. I don't know why this warning is needed but I just wanted to share that with you.

 

[BCatl]

I would give the Paula's 2% BHA you are putting on at night a chance to work before adding the PFB Vanish. The Paula's should help ingrowns and bumps as well as the acne. Of course you would rub the Paula's on your neck at night also.

If the Paula's works by itself, you've saved some money. The ingredients in the PFB Vanish are very common (BHA and AHAs) and I'm not knocking PFB, but you would be grossly overpaying for that product at the price I saw on the net, so if it could be avoided, I'd do it.

I would reconsider two WTG passes as I don't see what you would get out of the second pass but irritation.

However, the big picture is what ends up working for you and what makes you happy, and I hope you keep us updated.

 

[BestFaceForward]

I actually picked this up from a video by Mantic59. He was getting a shave in Las Vegas in Dec. 2009 and got a shave from one of Truefitt & Hill's master barbers. It's a two part video and the first part's address is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFc6aPCiMgk.

The barber states the first pass WTG is a beard reduction pass, while the second WTG pass makes everything smooth without any irritation possibly associated with XTG or ATG passes. It does seem to work for me because I can't do a BBS shave due to the dangers of ingrowns. Actually, when I used a Progress, my first WTG pass would be at 1, and I'd dial it up to 2 for my second WTG pass. This worked very well, but I eventually thought it was too aggressive for me, so I switched back to my HD and my Chatsworth Barley Edwin Jagger.

I should add that at the end of the second part, Mantic59 states this was a very good shave, but you could get similar results using traditional wet shaving products and technique, which for Mantic59 usually means at least a 3 pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG), or a 4 pass shave (WTG, XTG one way, XTG theother way, and finally an ATG) followed by advanced techniques if needed such as blade buffing or J hooking.

If your skin can tolerate a BBS, I would recommend following Mantic59's 3 or 4 pass shave, but if you have sensitive skin, the two pass WTG shave is a great option. The second WTG pass is done very gently. I think of just trying to barely glide the lather off of my face. Like I said, this doesn't get me the closest shave in the world, but it gets me as close and smooth as I can comfortably tolerate. If you have an adjustable and are suffering from some irritation, you may want to experiment with a two pass WTG. I'd start with both passes on the lowest setting, and if no irritation occurs, slowly dial it up for the second pass. I wouldn't recommend going past half way unless you never get irritations

 

[pelicano]

I hate to admit this because it's a canned goo product, but I gave Aveeno shaving gel a try as recommended by my dermatologist. Cleared me right up after 4 weeks.