Night and Day Difference - Ingrown hairs retreating after a week

[oberonmsu]

Hey guys,

I posted for the first time on here a couple weeks ago desperate because of the terrible shape my face was in. My ingrowns were the worst they'd ever been, and it was really starting to effect my self image and confidence around women. I got some great advice on some products, and more importantly technique and have been applying it.

Even though I haven't even completed my kit yet, I can see a night and day difference in my face. A lot of the ingrowns are completely gone, and the ones that remain are on the decline. I have some issues with some scar tissue in a couple areas where they were very bad for a long time, overall it is MUCH better.

I'd say, by far, the most credit for my improvement goes to my shaving technique. Before I was pretty much just hacking at my face, not paying nearly enough attention to going with the grain. My worst problem areas were in places where the grain switched, and being careful them has been huge for me.

In addition, using olive oil before my shave, washing my face and moisturizing before bed, and Anthony Logistics Ingrown Hair treatment have all helped. I haven't even gotten my razor sampler and musgo real shaving cream from WestCoastShaving yet, but I'm sure it just gets better from here.

So thank you for all of your help, it really has made a huge difference already and I'm sure it will continue to. It sounds overly dramatic, but this really is life changing for me.

Thanks again,

- Geoff

 

[isshou]

Plane olive oil as pre-shave oil ?..... interesting.

I was thinking about getting a pre-shave oil, but never had thought about olive oil.

Does any body else uses olive oil?

 

[Bluemidknight]

nope, but going to tonight.. hahaha raiding the kitchen cabinets while the girlfriend isn't looking

So just rub it on and apply soap? or rub it on and rinse off and apply soap?

 

[oberonmsu]

Yep, just plain olive oil. Just rub it on, let it soak in for a few minutes and apply cream/soap. It softens up the hair and let's the razor glide easier.

 

[isshou]

Wow, I will try it tomorrow !

I was thinking on getting some almond oil, but olive oil seems a very nice choice. nice !

By the way, what kind of razor are you using ? a str8 or DE ?, name ?.

thanks

 

[Sueto]

using olive oil as a preshave isn't too bad. Preshave recipes around the internet and even on this forum have it in some combination with a couple other oils for scent and function of the oil

Olive oil to keep it on your face, Castor oil to soften the beard. Some seem to put lavendar oil for an anti bacterial and scent. Example site: http://misgatos.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/how-to-make-your-own-shave-oil/

the author of the above article didn't post where they got the recipe from, might even have been from here. who knows.

URL from bathbodysupply.blogspot.com. preshave recipe
http://bathbodysupply.blogspot.com/2009/06/recipe-pre-shave-oil.html

 

[Bluemidknight]

don't notice anything drastic.. But I'll continue with it for awhile and see

 

[gumbo]

I posted a recipe I use for oil a few days ago. It is, for me, the best I have ever used.

2 parts grape seed oil
2 parts sweet almond oil
1 part olive oil (use pure if you don't like the scent of EVOO)

I added about 2 drops per ounce of grapefruit essential oil, but that's for scent. All of this was purchased at whole foods. I spent about twenty dollars and have about 20 ozs of this this stuff. About 1/10th the cost of "real" shave oil.

Try it, you won't be sorry.

 

[Jim]

FWIW -not to throw a dead poodle on the parade route.

Good prep and good lather render shave oil unnecessary.

Oil will only soften the beard a small amount and then it will waterproof the hair and prevent it from swelling and softening. Check out the sticky post in the Newbie section for Kyle's prep and make sure you have great lather.

An Aftershave splash can aid in reducing/eliminating bumps and ingrowns.

Best of luck to you_

 

[rickboone1]

I've been thinking about this same thing. While, I'll agree partially, I'm starting to wonder.

I personally don't care for Pre Shave Oils. They're just nasty to me.

But, I have tried soaps that seemed to be more drying to the skin, soap does dry out skin in a lot of people. And, we know we know lubrication for the best shave. Otherwise, we skip the blade, etc. Right?

Many add glycerin to their regimen. A PSO is just adding lubrication to the face for the blade to glide.

That's the way I see it anyways. I could be way off. And, with anything else, it is very subjective.

FWIW -not to throw a dead poodle on the parade route.

Good prep and good lather render shave oil unnecessary.

Oil will only soften the beard a small amount and then it will waterproof the hair and prevent it from swelling and softening. Check out the sticky post in the Newbie section for Kyle's prep and make sure you have great lather.

An Aftershave splash can aid in reducing/eliminating bumps and ingrowns.

Best of luck to you_

 

[htownmmm]

Hey guys,

I posted for the first time on here a couple weeks ago desperate because of the terrible shape my face was in. My ingrowns were the worst they'd ever been, and it was really starting to effect my self image and confidence around women. I got some great advice on some products, and more importantly technique and have been applying it.

Even though I haven't even completed my kit yet, I can see a night and day difference in my face. A lot of the ingrowns are completely gone, and the ones that remain are on the decline. I have some issues with some scar tissue in a couple areas where they were very bad for a long time, overall it is MUCH better.

I'd say, by far, the most credit for my improvement goes to my shaving technique. Before I was pretty much just hacking at my face, not paying nearly enough attention to going with the grain. My worst problem areas were in places where the grain switched, and being careful them has been huge for me.

In addition, using olive oil before my shave, washing my face and moisturizing before bed, and Anthony Logistics Ingrown Hair treatment have all helped. I haven't even gotten my razor sampler and musgo real shaving cream from WestCoastShaving yet, but I'm sure it just gets better from here.

So thank you for all of your help, it really has made a huge difference already and I'm sure it will continue to. It sounds overly dramatic, but this really is life changing for me.

Thanks again,

- Geoff

Not overly dramatic at all- I used to be a permanent resident of ingrown city. It affects everything you do(try sleeping with a neck full of ingrowns) or talk to the ladies-if they don't recoil in horror at the pustule filled eruptions on your face.

I welcome you to the world of the normal faced individuals. Just think your shaves will improve even more with better equipment on its way.

Your technique will improve, your shaves will and your life will as a result; yep, definitely a positive life change.


marty

 

[RBE17]

Wetshaving can definitely reduce ingrown hairs. It's what drew me to wetshaving. Ingrown hairs used to be a fairly common occurence w/ shaving, but have ony happened twice in the past couple of months.

 

[masonjarjar]

An Aftershave splash can aid in reducing/eliminating bumps and ingrowns.

Is this theory based on the antiseptic effect of the alcohol?

 

[Jim]

Is this theory based on the antiseptic effect of the alcohol?

I would say in practice, not theory. But it does help.

 

[masonjarjar]

I would say in practice, not theory. But it does help.

Cool. You know, I use balms and splashes kind of at random depending on my mood. I'll try to incorporate a splash or at least some Witch Hazel daily and see if it makes a difference. Thanks.

 

[bill mcdill]

Good prep and good lather render shave oil unnecessary.

+1, but of course, YMMV. I have started a modified version of the Kyle prep and I think it is helping to produce the best shaves of my life (of course improved technique, finding the right razor/blade/soap has lots to do with it as well), here is what I do:

1) During my shower I make sure to expose my face to the hot water stream as much as time allows.

2) Towards the end of shower, before I apply hair conditioner, I smear my face with cream. I don't use a brush (although as I write this I may just start doing this with an old boar brush I have), I'm just rubbing the cream on my face and into my beard, perhaps generating a bit of lather but I'm mostly going for soaking my beard in cream at this point.

NB: I am currently using up some cream that DW bought for me at Bath Junkie, but once that is used up I'll probably use what ever cheap stuff I can find at wallyworld, etc. I do not intend to use good Proraso to do this

3) I apply the conditioner to my hair making sure not to rinse off this cream on my face. I rinse off the conditioner and cream a minute or so later.

4) Get out of shower and as soon as I can begin my normal wet shaving routine.

This method is minimally time consuming and does prep my beard well before my shave. Give it a try, I'm interested in feedback

 

[Bluemidknight]

ummm.. skin don't like the olive oil.. looks like a break out... aahhh

 

[Stubbly-One Kenobi]

+
NB: I am currently using up some cream that DW bought for me at Bath Junkie, but once that is used up I'll probably use what ever cheap stuff I can find at wallyworld, etc. I do not intend to use good Proraso to do this

Just a suggestion here. If you've got a wallyworld nearby than you can likely find yourself a puck of williams shaving soap quite easily. There's a lot of YMMV around here about how good or bad the lather it makes is for shaving, but I've found it works well for a pre-shave lather.

In place of the cream you've been using, take the soap puck and rub it over your face as you would a shave stick. Then work the lather around a bit with your fingers, and continue with the rest of your routine.

If it works for you then you've found a very cheap pre-shave that can be easily obtained locally. If it doesn't work for you as a pre-shave, then you now have one cake of a soap that commonly used in superlather. And if that's no good you have perhaps wasted a whole dollar. The horror.