In a slump

[jrward2]

Hello everyone, I come to you today in a slump, all of my tried and true combinations don't seem to work for me anymore. I've had an increase in irritation, nicks, and have been getting an ugly rash on my neck. I thought maybe I needed to take a break and come back to it. So I did. I went a week without shaving to let my face rest, but then it just came back. I've tried all 11 razors in my arsenal, and every different blade I own. I used different soap/creams, Aftershave, ASB, pre lather, bowl lather, face lather.... nothing. Everything I try ends with the same results (a few in growns and some rash). I used to get excellent shaves and then this just came out of the blue. Its been going on for about a month now, and I can't seem to kick it.

Have you ever been in a slump? If so how did you get out?

 

[ironfist]

Like you, my neck gets alof of irritation if im not careful.

Are you trying to go for BBS and going ATG? If so why not just do a single WTG pass on the neck for a while see how it goes?

There was a thread about instead of stretching the neck skin, try to ruffle (might be a bad description) it. So far its done me good

Recently i've been trying cold water shaving, why don't you give it a shot?

 

[rxonmymind]

Man, sorry to hear of your slump. Even Majors have a slump so take heart. Sometimes stress in our life can cause a rash. Aside from that couple things. Do you have an OC razor?
Remember when you first started what did you use. Can you tell us this and did that work for.you?

 

[jrward2]

Sometimes stress in our life can cause a rash

Maybe studying for the CPA can constitute for stress in my life.

But I went back to my roots--Gillette tech with an Astra SP, AOS sandalwood pre/cream/asb, and still got the rash. I've tried just the WTG pass and saw little to no improvement. Maybe it is just other factors that I'm not aware of (like stress... maybe weather plays some factor as well).

 

[jrward2]

Here's another thought. Even though it seems relatively impossible, could my brush be spreading some form of infection? I don't really clean my brushes more than just giving them a thorough rinse with water to get all the soap out after I use them. The thought of some sort of infection is gross in itself, and probably unlikely, I just want to explore the option. I had a friend who used a cart and used the same cartridge for a long time and got a form of staph from it. So the thought is plausible, but I like to think of myself as a very clean person. I routinely clean my razors and my brush never has soap residue in it. Any thoughts on disinfecting a brush? Should I just let it swim in some rubbing alcohol? How about a vodka bath since I have a large bottle of that?

Another thing I just tried a little while ago was putting AOS preshave on my face and heating a wet towel in the microwave and then putting that on. Only did two WTG passes (even though I needed more because WTG is never enough, but I resisted for the sake of my face), Gillette tech with Personna Lab, Proraso Green soap, Simpson Berkeley, cold water rinse, witch hazel, Proraso splash. I can say that I couldn't feel irritation, although it was still visually noticeable.

The good thing is I know its not a novice user error (e.g. to much pressure, not enough angle, etc...) So once I find a remedy, I will be able to share with others my experience, I just need to find a cure first.

Hope I'm not boring everyone with my long posts.

 

[Kabong30]

Maybe you just need to get out of your head and not think about it so hard? Just a suggestion, so many things in our lives can be traced back to our mindset going in. Maybe if you envision yourself having a great shave it'll help?

 

[chilliman64]

sounds like too much pressure - I know you are an experienced wetshaver but if a new wetshaver posted what you did that would probably be what we all would suggest. I'm sure you preshave and technique is ok.

have you moved recently? are you now in a hard water area? try using distilled water for a while and see what happens. yes give your brush a clean with some mild shampoo. best of luck.

 

[Nick Danger]

I don't think I'd use alcohol to clean a brush. I just use shampoo, and it works great. However, I suspect it's not an infection you got from your brush. It could be that you developed a sensitivity to something in your soaps or creams, though. Might be worth switching to a mild and unscented product for a while. Proraso green does give me red blotches if I use it more than once in a blue moon. I'd suggest something really simple, like Mystic Waters, Mama Bear or Kell's unscented soap or Spencer & Dveon unscented cream. Those kind of products never bother my extra-sensitive skin.

I'd also recommend you try cold water shaving, if you haven't already. Hot / warm water and hot towels definitely make my face puffy and more prone to irritation.

Nick

 

[RobAtSGH]

I'm not familiar with your water supply, but some municipalities will change the makeup of the water sources they draw from when the weather's cold vs. warm. My first suspect would be your lather. When I've been in a slump before, it has usually been because I've been sloppy and got into the habit of making too-loose lather with too much water added in the beginning. I would recommend: start with more soap/cream than you're used to. Add very little water when starting and just get a thick, dense lather paste with some air worked into it. Gradually add water while mixing until the proper consistency. In past, I'd gradually started rushing it and adding too much water right away which creates big foamy bubbles which never quite vanish. The result was thin, unprotective lather even though I wasn't skimping on product.

I don't think your brush is giving you a rash, but if you really want to be sure, lather it up from an antimicrobial soap and let it sit for 5-10 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

If you have hard water and think that mineral deposits in your brush might be a problem, you can use a commercial cosmetics brush cleaner, or soak your brush 5-10 minutes in very warm water with a bit of dish detergent (swishing it around occasionally), rinse, and then for another 10-15 minutes in 8 oz. of very warm water to which you have added 5 tsp. of white vinegar and 4-5 drops of 100% glycerin. Rinse thoroughly and your brush should be clean of soap deposits, hard water buildup, etc.

And if all else fails - slow down. Go back to square one and pretend you're doing it all for the first time.

 

[watchiekong]

There is always the issue that shaving only aggravated an existing problem: was there a possible change in your diet or medication (anti biotics?) in the last month when the problem started?

 

[Graybeard57]

And if all else fails - slow down. Go back to square one and pretend you're doing it all for the first time.

+1

Lots of great advice. This is what I would do. Best of luck.

 

[maxman]

You've got some good advice here.
It can be difficult to isolate the factors that cause irritation.
Sometimes we get too comfortable and then we start to make mistakes.

Take is easy and relax. Bring yourself to a happy place before you start.

See how it goes and let us know.