Need a Bit of Help

[jaredsmith83]

Well gents, I'm about two months into my wet shaving adventure. Recently, I've been getting a bad case of razor burn around my chin and on a tricky spot on my neck. Now, the spot on my neck I have been fighting for YEARS! I've got one little patch that grows up in the middle of a bigger section (basically the right half of my neck from my jaw down) that grows from left to right. It's always given me fits, resulting in razor burn since I was 16-17 years old. Now, I've never had much trouble with razor burn shaving with the cartridges. My assumption is that I am either using too much pressure (a habit I'm still trying to break) or maybe my lather is inconsistent. I noticed tingling on my 3rd pass, which is usually against the grain, and during my touchups. What are some things to do during the passes to help prevent the razor burn in the future or even something I can do during my post-shave that would aid against this? Like I said, I'm fairly certain its still a technique thing, but if there are some good things to keep in mind, I would gladly appreciate the input!

On a side note, I'm going to be visiting our historic downtown area tonight for a merchants open house, which features roughly 8 antique/collectible stores. I'm on the lookout for some safety razors, mugs and brushes. I'll be sure to post my haul if I come across anything!

Thanks!

 

[Toothpick]

every time i've experienced razor burn i've chalked it up to one of the following: a blade that just wasn't sharp/smooth enough, to much pressure (which usually results in weepers along with the burn), or going ATG with a technique that wasn't perfect. i've never experienced any tingling though. i'd start with really trying to back off on the pressure, going the extra mile during face prep to really soften your beard/skin, and maybe even instead of ATG on your 3rd pass add an extra pass and do ATG on your 4th pass. follow it up with a AS lotion, not a splash, you want something that will moisturize and protect/ease/heal the razor burn or prevent it all together.

 

[jaredsmith83]

I swapped blades out in consecutive shaves, so I would say that isn't the culprit. I was curious as to whether I had a lemon of a blade haha. Thanks for all the other pointers though, I'll definitely take that all into consideration though next time I shave. Do you have any good production recommendations for the AS lotion? I've got a Nivea sensitive skin balm right now, but I'm always open to new ideas. Also, will things like witch hazel and glycerine in some sort of a regimen help?

 

[maxman]

I'd say mind the pressure. You are doing 3 passes, are you going WTG?
I have a small bad spot under my chin on the right side that always gives me grief.
I have to go WTG at that spot or there will be trouble.
If you are on the search, try a Gillette Tech with a sharp blade (Feather, Polsilver, ?)

The angle is tricky too. Combine a bad angle with too much pressure and you'll get a bite.

I use Thayer's WH after every shave. It's all I use and I like it very much. My skin feels great afterward.

Can you tell us what gear you are using?

 

[jaredsmith83]

Yes I'm doing 3 passes, WTG, XTG, ATG in that order, then the touchups. For my gear, I've got a 65 Gillette SS, generally using Astra blades (although last time I used a Derby), then Proraso creams (green and red, which I alternate) and a VDH boar brush. I do have Personna Reds and Feathers yet to try from my WCS sampler pack, so I may go to the Feather for my next shave. I'm still having a bit of trouble with angles and I believe its all a mix of everything "wrong" haha

 

[Toonr]

I've found that a bit of pre-shave oil helps - particularly with some of the tricky spots. I haven't tried a Feather yet, but have used the Astra and Derby blades, and the shaving oil really helped with them. This past week I tried a Gillette Silver Blue and a Bluebird in each of my razors, and have found that both provided significantly better shaves for me - with and without using a few drops of pre-shave oil. I try only letting the weight of the razor head provide the pressure, although some mornings I do catch myself adding a little more pressure. Around the tricky spots I really lighten up, focus on the angle, and use short touch-up passes to get the job done.

 

[Toothpick]

I really like this stuff. I can't remember the price but a little goes a long way. it never burns or drys my face out. as for the WH i'm sure it would help, i've never heard of it not. There are some WH that includes aloe as well.

 

[jaredsmith83]

I have tinkered around with using olive oil a couple times as a pre-shave treatment. I may have to get serious with that with every shave to see what difference it makes as far as the burn and bumps go. I feel like I'm ALMOST there, in regards to the smooth/clean shaves. That bad habits I developed from cartridge shaving aren't going away too easily haha

 

[musicman1951]

I have areas that will not tolerate ATG - specifically my upper lip. I find that if I blade buff ATG instead my skin is much happier and the shave is almost as close (literally hard to tell the difference).

 

[lowcountry_sc]

Speick balsam aftershave lotion for sensitive skin works wonders for me.

 

[johnh]

A shallower angle in the affected area helps too.

 

[celestino]

Jared,
i would highly recommend unrefined shea butter for a moisturizer! It will immensely help with any irritation or burn. Other than that, less pressure and i am not sure what type of razor you are using, but an open-comb or a straight razor for that area might alleviate your issue. Good luck.

 

[boogieman_]

I am wondering if it's not a lather problem. What soap are you using? I would suggest Proraso or Bigelow cream. They are really easy to lather and pretty much take lather making abilities out of the equation.

I had some trouble lately with lather (while not using Proraso or Bigelow) and looked up "Marco method" on here and it worked well with other soaps.

Lather really is the only protection between you and the blade. If it's foamy and not protective (not enough product), or thin and watery (too much water, not enough whipping), either way will lead to irritation.

For me (YMMV) Astra and Derby were both not very smooth. Derby was just plain junk for me. Astra were good blades but I have to be terribly cautious with them or I get weepers and such.

Anyways, I would suggest trying Proraso, Bigelow, or even something like Neutrogena shave cream. The Neutrogena is just a brushless cream you rub on your face, eliminating the lather variable.

 

[jaredsmith83]

Boogieman, right now Bigelow and Proraso Red are the two creams I'm rotating. So far I've managed to keep from buying EVERYTHING hahaha.

I did a shave this weekend with everything taken into consideration that you guys told me. I paid a bit more attention to my lather and I added a bit more product than I had been and it seemed to be a bit more protective. I also tried a new blade, one of my Personna's from my sampler pack from WCS. I thought I had used it before, but the package was fresh so it was a new trial run for me. Loaded it into the SS and tried a new grip. Two fingers under the head, pinky on the bottom and a light grip with my thumb. I made a point to not use much pressure and I could immediately tell a difference. I shaved with about 3 days of growth to allow for my razor bumps to go away. I did two WTG passes, then did XTG and ATG on my face. I didn't go ATG on my neckline. I did two WTG and two XTG with a little bit of blade buffing in a couple spots. I only had one weeper spot in an area where I have been getting cuts. Overall, I'll chalk it up as a win and improvement over where I was in the previous weeks. I've still got a bit to work towards the neckline, but I'm feeling much more confident than I was. Thanks for the help guys!