Neck Irritation

[Enclave68]

Hi all,

Been DE shaving for a little while now, have various different razors (DE89, Henson Mild, MERKUR 34C, Karve, Rockwell 6S) and various different soaps (A&E, Stirling, Barrister & Mann...) plus some decent brushes.

Long story short, I love the hobby, feel I can create decent lathers and 'sense' my technique is ok, HOWEVER despite always getting great results on my face with 3 passes, i just can't shave my neck (i have mapped my beard and only do 2 passes, one WTG and the other XTG) without redness/irritation.

My question is, should I persevere and hope to eventually recreate the results I always get on my face OR (drum roll, accompanied by sinister music) should I accept my skin on the neck is just very sensitive and use a cartridge (one with 1/2 blades maximum - skinguard/gilette hiard/p2 etc) on the neck and a trusty DE on the face?

Help!

thank you

 

[NotBloomingAL]

Yes, persevere. Wielding a razor gets better and better over time. From my own experience, I would stick with the one razor you feel most comfortable with and experiment with your technique. Wether it be turning your head as far as you can left or right, or jutting your jaw forward, or bullfrogging, or pressing against your esophagus from the opposite side your shaving, or a combination. You don't necessarily have to go WTG or XTG or even ATG. Just get the whiskers to show themselves and embrace a very light touch with the razor. You may be surprise at what you can accomplish. It just takes time to nail down your technique.

Edit to add link:

An unconventional way to get BBS on the neck

Howdy B&Bers, what I am about to share with you is strongly YMMV. I have long been in search of a BBS shave on my neck. I never shave ATG as weepers and ingrown hairs are commonly the result. I have what I would consider sensitive skin, and medium-coarse dark hair. I was in the experimenting...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Jay21]

My neck is problem area, too. It gets red with irritation if I even think about shaving it with a DE razor.

How does your hair grow on your neck? Does it grow straight out or parallel to your skin? Mine grows parallel to the skin, and no matter which closed comb, safety bar razor I used I couldn't have BOTH close and comfortable. It was one or the other. However, it was usually not close and not comfortable.

UNTIL...I discovered mild open comb razors like the Merkur 15c. You can buy a clone of this head called Old Type from Italian Barber for $8 or even cheaper from AliExpress. It's a cheap experiment to try. Also, don't fear the open comb. The head is efficient, but very safe. You have to actively try to nick or cut yourself.

 

[dotKomo]

Persevere. Technique will get you there. Remember to go light pressure! Can't emphasize that enough.

 

[Enclave68]

Thank you all, still struggling a bit with how light is light, there seems a point at which pressure seems too little I.E. razor skips/doesn’t fully engage on each stroke.

 

[Jay21]

Thank you all, still struggling a bit with how light is light, there seems a point at which pressure seems too little I.E. razor skips/doesn’t fully engage on each stroke.

I try to slice the lather off, not the hair. I also struggle A LOT with pressure, but when I set my mind to slicing the lather, it seems to do the trick.

Also, if it's skipping, your angle might be too shallow.

 

[StewB]

I have had the same problem. Do you do multiple neck passes? I ask because this is the main reason I get neck irritation. You may also be using a sub-optimal angle and/or too much pressure. Also, make sure you have good lather. For me the lather needs to be very slick and almost runny. Pre-shave products can help also.

 

[Chef455]

How's the shave on your neck after 2 passes? No need to chase the BBS.

 

[JCarr]

I would persevere through it. Are you shaving daily? If so, try shaving less frequently. Have you tried cold water shaving? Are you making any passes without applying lather?

 

[Kyle89]

I say persevere, but honestly the only way I can personally shave consistantly without neck irritation is with a straight razor.

And BBS is overrated.

 

[Wgg2017]

My neck is problem area, too. It gets red with irritation if I even think about shaving it with a DE razor.

How does your hair grow on your neck? Does it grow straight out or parallel to your skin? Mine grows parallel to the skin, and no matter which closed comb, safety bar razor I used I couldn't have BOTH close and comfortable. It was one or the other. However, it was usually not close and not comfortable.

UNTIL...I discovered mild open comb razors like the Merkur 15c. You can buy a clone of this head called Old Type from Italian Barber for $8 or even cheaper from AliExpress. It's a cheap experiment to try. Also, don't fear the open comb. The head is efficient, but very safe. You have to actively try to nick or cut yourself.

I just wanted to emphasize the part I bolded. For the longest time I had trouble on my neck because the whiskers there lay flat against my skin.

After much experimentation I realized that I need a razor that clamps down very well along the length of the blade to prevent blade chatter in that area. I settled on a Timeless Ti but you certainly don't have to spend that much to get a razor that clamps down well on the blade. The Merkur 15c is an excellent example of an inexpensive razor that would work very well on my neck.

 

[Eshebert]

I am in same boat, I go very light pressure, short stokes, patients and wet slick lather. Hardest thing with me is being patient and not over passing on clean up. For my last pass (neck clean up). I wet the tips and put a wet to runny lather on neck. Take my left hand and rub my neck and feel for scruff, in the lather. Just make gentle passes ATG where it’s needed only. This works more than it don’t. I will never go back to a cartridge, I get razor burn every time I use them.

 

[Roedeer]

Neck skin is thin compared with face skin, at least here.

If I don't get a good enough ~ 3 pass face shave, I can always do a bit more adjustment, and get away with it.

Not so with neck shaving. I usually do 2 passes (approximately WTG, ATG), but if I was getting irritation, I'd settle for 1 pass. Optimise for your own comfort here, as it's your face that people will be looking at.

 

[musicman1951]

Thank you all, still struggling a bit with how light is light, there seems a point at which pressure seems too little I.E. razor skips/doesn’t fully engage on each stroke.

If the razor skips that suggests to me an incorrect razor angle. Clearly I'm not watching you shave and only guessing, but I suggest you experiment a little with the angle - in both directions. There is a sweet spot that will work best for you.

Too little pressure is when the razor falls in the sink. If you're not dropping the razor it's hard to believe you're using too little pressure.

It is possible that your neck simply will not tolerate ATG, but I suspect it's too early in the process to decide that. If you find that nothing works over time you might try blade buffing XTG.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Experiment and persevere. Maybe try shaving with diagonal passes and not directly ATG. Fewer passes the better, two is good. Go for comfort and lack of irritation as the primary goal, not chasing a really close shave. You should find you get closer over time.

 

[DesertIguana]

Time ='s Expierence, and then you over come problems. Sound like you do a lot of switching around, think you need to try and stay with one razor at a time, a week or longer, until you get bug out.

Tiger Woods play Golf well, he works at one game Gold. Michael Jordan we good B Ball player, but not good enough to play Pro-baseball.

 

[Balin]

My neck/throat skin is easily irritated and the hair grows parallel to my skin on the lower part of my neck/throat area. It took me about a year and half to figure this out with the help of the fine folks here !

I only do 2 passes on my neck/throat area and it looks like this:

First pass:

My second pass:

Its the most comfortable shave for me and I rarely get alum sting. For me it results in near BBS. Its smooth enough that my neck doesn't get irritated with collared shirts.

 

[Enclave68]

many thanks everyone for the continued help, it sounds like I should keep going with a DE on the neck, go through the pain barrier, and hopefully come out the other side!! (rather than use a one blade pivoting cart for the neck area).

 

[Jay21]

many thanks everyone for the continued help, it sounds like I should keep going with a DE on the neck, go through the pain barrier, and hopefully come out the other side!! (rather than use a one blade pivoting cart for the neck area).

I rarely repeat myself, but the razors you listed in your OP, especially the Henson and the Rockwell, cause me some of the most irritation on my neck of all the razors I've used. The Henson is more of scraper due to its blade angle and the Rockwell has nevver agreed with my face, no matter which plate I used. If you wish to persevere, I would recommend spending $8 on the RR Old Type head from Italian Barber. It's a cheap experiment. The same head from Yaqi is $8 including shipping from Aliexpress.

 

[Curkio]

Yes, persevere. Wielding a razor gets better and better over time. From my own experience, I would stick with the one razor you feel most comfortable with and experiment with your technique. Wether it be turning your head as far as you can left or right, or jutting your jaw forward, or bullfrogging, or pressing against your esophagus from the opposite side your shaving, or a combination. You don't necessarily have to go WTG or XTG or even ATG. Just get the whiskers to show themselves and embrace a very light touch with the razor. You may be surprise at what you can accomplish. It just takes time to nail down your technique.

Edit to add link:

An unconventional way to get BBS on the neck

Howdy B&Bers, what I am about to share with you is strongly YMMV. I have long been in search of a BBS shave on my neck. I never shave ATG as weepers and ingrown hairs are commonly the result. I have what I would consider sensitive skin, and medium-coarse dark hair. I was in the experimenting...

www.badgerandblade.com

I can swear by this link now. A handful of shaves in using this technique I am still getting outstanding results with 3 passes max and with no bad feedback.