I was thinking (I know, dangerous right?) the other day about ingrown hairs. To my understanding, ingrowns occur when the hair is cut at a bad angle, whips back, and buries itself in the skin. Could a super sharp razor blade like Feathers lessen the incidence of ingrown hairs? I would think this to be the case, because the sharper the blade, the less resistance the hair would have to being cut. This reduction in resistance would then make it more unlikely for the hair to whip around and turn into an annoyance later on because it's being cut through so smoothly.... Or at least that would make sense to me. Anyone have any experience with this? Or know if it's true or false?
Ingrowns and Sharpness of Blade
- Thread starter Rancor16
- Start date
I don't know about the science behind shaving with one very sharp blade versus 5 fairly sharp blades. But I do know this; 11-22-09 was my first post here at B&B, I was shaving with a Fusion (feels like years ago!) At that time my neck had some ingrown hairs and a few breakouts, typical for me...it had been that way for years. Maybe a week or so later I got my hands on a DE razor, a PIF'ed (B&B RULES!) Gillette Tech.
Today my neck is free of ingrown hairs and any breakouts. Two short months and my skin looks better that it has in a looooong time. I know that not everyone may experience those results, but I have no doubt that if you switch to a Double Edge razor with a good blade, really prep your skin before you shave, and use good shaving technique...you will definitely see improvements.
Good Luck!!!
Today my neck is free of ingrown hairs and any breakouts. Two short months and my skin looks better that it has in a looooong time. I know that not everyone may experience those results, but I have no doubt that if you switch to a Double Edge razor with a good blade, really prep your skin before you shave, and use good shaving technique...you will definitely see improvements.
Good Luck!!!
I am with you baba. After going DE my skin looks and feels great. Even a bad DE shave for me is better than what was going on with machs.
I started DE shaving this year. Having used a brush and soap and creams for a while, the difference with the DE over Fusion has made for my face is ammazing. My face is now smoother, softer and the shaves don't irritate my skin. My wife even thinks it is better, despite my obsession with the shaving process now. But the results don't lie.
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I get more ingrowns with a derby blade than I do with a feather blade. I think it makes sense-- either because a duller blade doesn't slice through as cleanly and leaves an edge on the hair that isn't as smooth, or because the duller blade pulls the hair a little bit before cutting it rather than slicing it -- mimicking what a multiblade razor does with its pull-and-cut "technology." This is just based on my own personal experience. A dull blade is more apt to cause ingrowns.
St. Ives Apricot Scrub has been really effective at getting rid of ingrown hairs for me. It exfoliates your skin and helps to make sure your facial hair has room to grow.
I think so. Feather is the only blade that get I zero tugging ATG. Bluebirds are not far behind. For my face at least, sharper is better and means no irritation.
It's not the cutting of the hair that causes ingrowns; it's their inherent curliness that are the actuall cause. If they did not curl back into the skin(or having been cut beneath the skin's surface), there would be less incidence of the problems overall.
The curliness is why the majority of 'brothas'(such as myself) have a problem w/ shaving. The use of a multi blader(cutting the hair so it's beneath skin level) leads to ingrowns for those of other genetic dispositions.
Once I had fully returned to the world of wetshaving-and using a DE, my shaves improved immensely. I may get an ingrown from time to time, but it's a result of either rushing through my shave(technique) or pushing a blade past it's life expectancy.
If a blade is sharp enough to cut the hairs and proper technique is used, ingrowns will lessen. Whether you decide to use the sharpest blade is a matter of choice. I get wonderful shaves from feathers, Super Iridiums, Gillette 7 O'Clock yellows, Astra Superior Plats, and so on. The only blades that did not work for me were Merkur and Treet Black Beautys. The Merkurs made it seem as if i was still using a multi blade and the Treets just wouldn't cut.
marty
The curliness is why the majority of 'brothas'(such as myself) have a problem w/ shaving. The use of a multi blader(cutting the hair so it's beneath skin level) leads to ingrowns for those of other genetic dispositions.
Once I had fully returned to the world of wetshaving-and using a DE, my shaves improved immensely. I may get an ingrown from time to time, but it's a result of either rushing through my shave(technique) or pushing a blade past it's life expectancy.
If a blade is sharp enough to cut the hairs and proper technique is used, ingrowns will lessen. Whether you decide to use the sharpest blade is a matter of choice. I get wonderful shaves from feathers, Super Iridiums, Gillette 7 O'Clock yellows, Astra Superior Plats, and so on. The only blades that did not work for me were Merkur and Treet Black Beautys. The Merkurs made it seem as if i was still using a multi blade and the Treets just wouldn't cut.
marty
I stopped getting ingrowns as soon as I started using a straight razor. The few times I have used a DE in that time I got ingrowns again.
