Cannot seem to get rid of bumps and razor burn-any advice?

[dplowman]

Okay, so I started my venture with wetshaving about a month ago. I was tired of ingrown hairs, razor burns, and bumps on my neck. Reading through the forums I thought I would give saftey razors a try. So far I have had about 8 shaves that are great on my face, however, I am getting the same result on my neck as i was with the cartridge razors. I have tried a the following blades: derby, merkur, astra, and feather. All performed great on my face, but resulted in razor burn and bumps. Maybe i am not experiencing razor burn, however i always get red bumps on my neck. Maybe some time of irriration. I can go 3-5 days without shaving and the redness is still there. Should I be trying to shave everyday to avoid this irritation, wait a week or two to let it heal. I'm clueless what to do next, what do you guys think? Also my razor is an Edwin DE89L and using bigelow cream. I am using no pressure and just using the weight of the razor. I am not getting an nicks at all. I have included a couple picks right after I shaved today showing the issue at hand! I also cannot figure out how to get close in these areas, as you can see there are tiny patches of hair that I missed.

 

[Niles]

I would definitely wait a few days and let it heal. Are you using pressure? Are you going against the grain of your hair growth? If so, do the opposite when you shave again. Best of luck.

 

[dplowman]

I have been waiting at least 3 days before each shave. I am applying as little pressure as I can. However on those spots I have to apply a little more to get a close shave. I am currently doing 3 passes on my neck. 1 with the grain, 2 against the grain.

 

[sarimento1]

any dermatologists watching??

 

[Senshi]

Try to wait a couple of days and let it heal. And make sure the blade angle is right. I used to keep the angle a little bit too perpendicular to my skin and was getting bad irritation, especially on my neck.

I would check this out
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Blade_Angle

Even after I adjusted the angle only the bottom of my neck was still getting a little red and irritated. So I checked my growth pattern and realized that the bottom two inches of my neck actually grow up. So for the most part North to South on my neck is With The Grain until I get to the bottom where it's actually Against The Grain. I now do N to S for the top half and S to N on that opposite area on my first pass. Been getting great shaves since.

Hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like those red areas have hairs that aren't necessarily going straight down. Maybe try adjusting how you do your passes in accordance with your beard growth.

Good Luck!

 

[jedi7]

I had similar experience on my neck area. What I did was:

Good prep. Normally warm shower to soften the beard
I usually perform 3 passes, with the grain, across the grain and very light against the grain
Use only the razor weight and no pressure, specially on the neck. If you have to put some pressure to get close, than something is wrong with the razor angle or the blade isn't for your type of beard.. I can't use super sharp blades like feather or astras, so I normally use voskhod with good results. I have a tough beard and sensitive skin.
Try going with the grain and across for now, and see if it improves.
Best of luck, I know it gets frustrating sometimes, but keep working at it. It is worth in the end.

 

[DFSDAILY]

Your technique and I'd guess your lathering skills aren't quite up to snuff yet, but don't worry as it takes some time to get everything straightened out. Let it heal and try shaving the trouble spots from different angles than you've been doing. The right side of my neck is very tricky and unless I'm perfect I always get a bump or two for my troubles.

 

[dplowman]

Thanks for all the responses. I will revisit the angle and good lather to see if that helps. Also, do any of you shave your neck across the grain. From ear to ear? I get great results for my face but that seems a little risky on the neck!

 

[dplowman]

I'm guessing I am shaving my neck at a 90 degree angle like I am still using a cartridge razor. I'll try to focus more on the angle for my neck! Thanks again everyone! Also, anyone have issues shaving over a mole on their neck? Don't want to chop the thing off!

 

[jedi7]

I would also advise to map you hair growth. There are maps you can use to help you. Just search on google. I had mine mapped and you can be surprise as the traditional north south, ear to nose does not apply to everyone.

 

[dplowman]

Ok, I will look into mapping my hair growth. Also, my lather seems to be the same consistency as a can of goo. Should it be thicker? Looks like I have some reading to do!

 

[UnCL3]

My advice from experience with getting bumps would be to not go ATG, just WTG or XTG. I only do 2 passes total, seems to help.

GL!

 

[dplowman]

Ok il try that too. I haven't been getting a close shave with just wtg, but maybe I had the angle all wrong.

 

[dplowman]

Thanks, can you recommend a good pre shave oil, cream and glycerine soap?

 

[Chrisarelli]

Another route might be trying a different razor. I started with a De89 as well. I consider it a great razor but it is fairly aggressive IMHO. I bought a 40s style Gillette super speed next and for me it made a big difference. Obviously proper prep and solid technique is huge but so is the tool you're using to shave. Maybe keep your eye open for one and see if it helps.

 

[Attila]

The best thing you could do is not go against the grain. Do two WTG if you want to, but really, no one needs BBS on their lower neck. Use as little pressure as needed to keep the razor on your face\neck. When I used to use DE razors Merkur and Derby blades were terrible for me. Astras were my favorite followed by Feathers. Personna Blues are nice too.

For my ultra sensitive skin, straight razors made the most difference though.

 

[Chrisarelli]

Thanks, can you recommend a good pre shave oil, cream and glycerine soap?

For a solid preshave I highly recommend the myrsol emulsion. It also works well as a post shave balm. It's packed full of great skin health ingredients!!!

 

[sarimento1]

try using a glycerin soap as a preshave treatment on the neck area.
first, the hot towel thing.
then, either nutrogena, musgo or even vdh.
just rub it all over your neck area, then lather it up with warm water.
rinse lightly. then add the lather.
as suggested above, only shave lightly, not BBS, only WTG. one pass.
And the grain on the neck is going in all different directions, so just try to whack off the top of the whiskers.
do this extreme-minimal neck shave for a couple times and see if any improvement.
advice worth what you paid for it.

 

[aussie]

I am fairly new to traditional wet shaving, but here are some suggestions for you to try.

• A Gem 1912 with the Gem Blue carbon blades. These are (for me) very kind to the skin and smooth.

• Mitchel's Wool Fat shaving soap.

• A softer and better quality shaving brush.

• Try using salt water on your face several times each day.

• Shave after your shower, even if this means shaving at night.

I cannot promise these will help, but they are worth a try.

 

[KyMash]

I tend to have those kind of bumps when I stray over the fine line where my beard decides to get crazy at the base of my neck and I didn't notice until I really mapped my growth there. Since doing that, I generally have little trouble now. Best of luck!