Ingrown Hairs & Bumps

[Shutterbug57]

My daughter is in a LT relationship with a fellow who is perpetually scruffy. I had bit given that much thought as many guys are going that way. The other day shaving came up in conversation, actually he brought it up. He mentioned that he uses a trimmer because his experience with carts and electric shavers is that he gets bumps (ingrown hairs) primarily on his neck.

I have never had this issue, but remarked that I knew some folks found that DE razors and proper technique solved this problem. I have a collection of a few dozen mostly vintage razors. I was thinking I would gift him a DE, some blades, a brush & tin of soap. I was thinking of a SuperSpeed or Tech, but have a wide range of options.

My question is for guys that fight the bump issue - what DE razor is best at giving a good, bump-for shave?

 

[Dan279]

I don't know anything about DE razors, but before when I used a Ginette, I frequently had bumps and ingrown hairs, usually the day after they disappeared in the following days.

Since I've passed on to straight razors I have not seen a bump or ingrown hairs since. I do believe that the difference comes from the shaving soaps that I use, a lot less aggressive on the skin than traditional shaving creams and mousses.

That's my interpretation of my experiences, but hey he should try. He won't know otherwise.

 

[fhalden]

I say go with the Tech and advise a one-pass, WTG shave. Advise him about full prep.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[slybrewguy]

Does your daughter dislike the stubble?
Is he having difficulty maintaining a job as a result of it?

If you answered 'no' to both... Who cares. Let him be.

When my wife and I met I was 13, had red hair, played drums in a punk band, had pink nail polish, and huge gauges in my ears. Her dad never made a comment about it once, only cared that I was a good person who cared about his daughter, and now I'm 30, we are married (the nailpolish and red hair are gone of course haha), and it's still never been an issue.

If you weren't a shaving forum member you'd probably never give it a second thought.

 

[FonGu]

I always had ingrown issues when I used a cart. I've had one in 20 something years since switching to DE and straights. That being said, was he receptive when you brought up the DE razors? Just because the young man initiated the conversation doesn't necessary mean he is looking to change his routines.

 

[Shutterbug57]

He brought up shaving. I had recently shaved off my winter full beard down to a circle beard and he noticed I don’t have bumps. He indicated interest. I don’t think my daughter cares either way.

 

[@ngel]

A tech combined with top tier blades(GSB, Feather, Polsilver SI) and only shave with the grain for a while should be the solution, if he wants a closer shave he can learn ATG after his skin clears, IME sticking to only WTG and ensuring a sharp blade every shave is key.

 

[dotKomo]

Bevel razors were supposed to help with ingrown hairs and bumps.

Truthfully, a good rinsing after the shave to get all the soap/cream off and using witch hazel has resulted in zero issues for me over many months.

I have a post shave splash I picked up on this forum that works really well with ingrown hairs and irritation:

1 bottle of Witch Hazel (240ml)

1 bottle Tea Tree Oil – add 5 or 6 drops into WITCH HAZEL

1 bottle of Lavender Oil – add 10 drops into WITCH HAZEL

1 bottle of Peppermint Oil – add 10 drops into WITCH HAZEL

Give it a good shake.

 

[emwolf]

I would suggest a superspeed, just for ease of loading the blade.

 

[leatherdog99]

An AS-D2 if money is no object. A Lupo is pretty awesome too and much cheaper. That with a Nacet blade and shave with grain only for a while. Then eventually include across the grain.

 

[Bob57913]

Sounds like he would need a solution, and doesn’t actually care about DE. Soap, brush, alum block will help. For razors a Gillette Guard may be the easiest solution unless a 5o clock shadow is acceptable than a Bump Fighter will work.

I would hand him a box with the Guard, soap, synthetic brush, Arko, and alum block. Maybe a printout of face mapping and tips/tricks for prep and sensitive skin. And a heads up he stumbled into your hobby and leave it at that.


Ive rocked a beard for years because of the same issue but due to recent events have to be clean shaved. Don’t expect a convert immediately, I would expect this to occupy a cabinet somewhere for a long time till he had to shave. Flat out razor burns, bumps, etc suck. Beards are easy to maintain though In comparison.

 

[BigJ]

Does your daughter dislike the stubble?
Is he having difficulty maintaining a job as a result of it?

If you answered 'no' to both... Who cares. Let him be.

When my wife and I met I was 13, had red hair, played drums in a punk band, had pink nail polish, and huge gauges in my ears. Her dad never made a comment about it once, only cared that I was a good person who cared about his daughter, and now I'm 30, we are married (the nailpolish and red hair are gone of course haha), and it's still never been an issue.

If you weren't a shaving forum member you'd probably never give it a second thought.

Wisdom!!

Focus on the big issues first!

 

[Leo501]

If he would like to try to shave without getting razor bumps, to start, I'd offer him a mild razor/blade combination tp start with, like a Merkur 34c and an Astra. If his hair is really coarse and he needs something more aggressive he can go on from there.

For technique, I'd suggest he start with a one pass WTG (make sure he really figures out his grain pattern and not just shave in a N/S direction), and avoid seeking BBS. Tell him to let the blade/razor angle cut the hair, and don't apply pressure. Use short, non-repetitive strokes, and don't run the blade over bare skin.

Follow up with WH toner (not astringent) and an alcohol-free AS balm, particularly if he has dry or sensitive skin.

 

[htownmmm]

A tech combined with top tier blades(GSB, Feather, Polsilver SI) and only shave with the grain for a while should be the solution, if he wants a closer shave he can learn ATG after his skin clears, IME sticking to only WTG and ensuring a sharp blade every shave is key.

I would only add a small bottle of Tea Tree Oil to apply to the bumps. Once his neck gets used to the new way of shaving, it will heal up on its own ( mine did-I only use the Tea Tree Oil for that odd bump that comes back every now and then because of my ily skin).

marty

 

[Rustyshackelford]

If you have one to spare, I would suggest a slim or super adjustable. That way it can be dialed in and attempted a few times before it is dismissed or disgarded in the event of no successful shaves.

As far as hardware goes that would be my thoughts. I would also heavily emphasize grain mapping and the no pressure approach. Also talk up the benefits of a good pre and post shave routine. Take a shower and wash your face before hand. Take your time with the shave, then rinse you face, I like to personally put a cold wash cloth on face for about 20 seconds at a time before applying witch hazel, aftershave or a balm..

Worst case if the scruff bothers you enough, I’m sure you could solicit help from here to hold him down for you to shave it all off.

 

[Ace the Masta]

I understand where he's coming from, for years I hated shaving due to the irritation and bumps.

I got my first double edge razor a few weeks back and found it would go over the bumps with ease without cutting them, a major improvement that seems to have reduced the bumps.

What I just realized a couple of days ago was that the area on my neck that gets the bumps actually grows to the sides instead of down like the rest of my hair. So I've been unknowingly shaving against the grain. Now that I know I hope that I can eliminate the bumps.

 

[Jim cunningham]

My daughter is in a LT relationship with a fellow who is perpetually scruffy. I had bit given that much thought as many guys are going that way. The other day shaving came up in conversation, actually he brought it up. He mentioned that he uses a trimmer because his experience with carts and electric shavers is that he gets bumps (ingrown hairs) primarily on his neck.

I have never had this issue, but remarked that I knew some folks found that DE razors and proper technique solved this problem. I have a collection of a few dozen mostly vintage razors. I was thinking I would gift him a DE, some blades, a brush & tin of soap. I was thinking of a SuperSpeed or Tech, but have a wide range of options.

My question is for guys that fight the bump issue - what DE razor is best at giving a good, bump-for shave?

A straight razor, de act just the same as cart for some reason on my nek

 

[Jim cunningham]

I understand where he's coming from, for years I hated shaving due to the irritation and bumps.

I got my first double edge razor a few weeks back and found it would go over the bumps with ease without cutting them, a major improvement that seems to have reduced the bumps.

What I just realized a couple of days ago was that the area on my neck that gets the bumps actually grows to the sides instead of down like the rest of my hair. So I've been unknowingly shaving against the grain. Now that I know I hope that I can eliminate the bumps.

Good luck

 

[Jim cunningham]

If you have one to spare, I would suggest a slim or super adjustable. That way it can be dialed in and attempted a few times before it is dismissed or disgarded in the event of no successful shaves.

As far as hardware goes that would be my thoughts. I would also heavily emphasize grain mapping and the no pressure approach. Also talk up the benefits of a good pre and post shave routine. Take a shower and wash your face before hand. Take your time with the shave, then rinse you face, I like to personally put a cold wash cloth on face for about 20 seconds at a time before applying witch hazel, aftershave or a balm..

Worst case if the scruff bothers you enough, I’m sure you could solicit help from here to hold him down for you to shave it all off.

I bring the gang round

 

[Ron R]

I have lots of razors and to prevent ingrown hairs you need a razor that will not give a BBS but a DFS. The whisker had to be flush or just barely above the skin. A Gillette super speed would work or Razorock SLOC for sure will work for his needs IMO.