Sensitive skin, and I am in need of some good advice.

[KodiakAttack]

I have extremely sensitive skin. Every razor i have used tears my neck apart. I seem to have no problems on my face, but my neck gets torn to ribbons while shaving.
I have resorted to shaving only with the grain of my hair (which is what i have always read, and which doesn't cut my neck as badly), but in doing so i am not left with a clean shave. No matter how many passes i take with my razor, I can still see stubble quite clearly and it looks as if I didn't shave my neck at all.
I am a wet shaver.... halfway. I have not invested in a DE or SE blade yet, but I enjoy using a badger brush with real shave soap and dish.
I was seeing what anyone could recommend i do to avoid my neck irritation. I am currently looking into different types of DE razors because i know i need to ditch the safety razor.
I usually shave after a hot shower, wet my face again with hot water, put some shave oil on my face then put on a layer of warm lather. I am guilty of not letting the soap sit for very long before i begin shaving, but i do let it sit for at least 30 seconds before starting the shave. After the shave i use a lavender aftershave lotion (I've read lavender is great for sensitive skin).
Thanks for reading, what are your thoughts?

 

[Skrymr]

I have an very sensitive neck too. What I am finding is that technique was a large part of my problem. What I found worked well for me was going only WTG, and XTG until my technique improved. I also learned how to make uberlather, which helped a lot.

As far a razor recommendations, I like vintage razors. So I would recommend either a Gillette Tech, or a Slim adjustable left on 2 or 3 until you have you're technique dialed in. If you are into SE razors a Gem Jr. or a Schick injector are both great choices.

My last suggestion is a blade sampler pack. This will help you find the right blade for you're neck. I found that sharper blades are best for me.

 

[HerbalAbuse]

When you go ATG on your neck, do you look right up (stretching your skin lots)?

If I stretch (look up) too much the blade tries to hack into my skin, I find it's better if I pull my head back and look up slightly so it's not pulled as much and I don't get cuts/irritation.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I think this is just one of those things that you're going to have to find out for yourself. The best advice is to use no pressure other than the weight of the razor, and stay with going just WTG until your technique improves. When you get the WTG down pat, then experiment with other angles. A regular XTG may not work very good for you, so try going XTG at sharper or lesser angles until you find what works best for you. Finding the right blade is important too, so try lots of blades and keep a written journal on each. In short find whats best for you, and make that the way that you shave.

 

[BryanD]

The comments already made are good. I have a similar situation and have found that careful use of the "gillette slide" has really helped. See my other post: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=163451

 

[KodiakAttack]

Thank you all for the responses. I'm doing some online shopping for some new shaving supplies and will post a new response later with what worked/didn't work. Maybe it will help others out there with similar problems.

 

[New Madrid]

I struggled with neck irritation for nine months after I started wetshaving, until I finally figured out how to avoid it. In a nutshell, here's my advice:

(1) Don't worry if you destroy your neck even after adjusting technique, etc. It can take a while to find what works for you. But, once you hit upon the magic approach the problem is solved, most likely forever.

(2) Ditch the pre-shave oil. It doesn't do much to help, and can make shaving closely considerably more difficult. Instead, do a nice, long prep either with a hot towel, or just by using your brush and warm lather for a few minutes. If you want a pre-treatment, Proraso pre/post works better than oils (but use only if you really like menthol).

(3) Try a mild safety razor, such as a 60s SuperSpeed. They're inexpensive and wonderful. Put a sharp blade in it and use no pressure. Gillette Yellows work for me, but you may prefer something else. Try as many blades as you can. Stay away from Feathers, at least at first.

(4) Shave with the grain first on your neck, then try an across-the-grain chevron pattern. Follow with a reverse chevron stroke if stubble remains. Avoid ATG at all costs on your neck. Even with extremely thick and coarse beard hair, this gives me BBS or DFS every time with no neck irritation. Took A LONG time to figure out the pattern.

(5) Avoid multiple passes on a spot without relathering.

(6) Keep some styptic on hand. At first you will use it daily, then a few times a week, then maybe once a week, then, after a while, hardly ever.

(7) Use a good-quality aftershave, and don't skimp. If you have dry skin, keep it moisturized between shaves with a balm or cream.

(8) Commit to experimenting with technique until you figure out what works for you. It can be great fun trying different products in the meantime, and you WILL figure it out. Don't lose heart--many of us have been there.

 

[nate]

I would definitely make the switch to a DE. The thing is, they actually DON'T shave as close with just one pass, which makes them perfect for sensitive skin like mine. In particularly ingrown-prone areas, if I do less passes with a DE, I find that the irritation is pretty much elimiated. And definitely avoid ATG.

 

[zameus]

Make sure you do a good amount of mapping on your neck. I never realized how many directions the hair on my neck grew in until I started shaving with a DE and found this site. That knowledge goes a long way towards figuring out why your problem areas are where they are.

 

[DavidP]

Another person with a problem neck. My issue is that my neck stubble grows very parallel to the surface so an ATG stroke with a normal DE will painfully tug on the hair causing weepers, irritation, and ingrowns. I could avoid this with XTG or even almost-ATG strokes, but there's always that pursuit of perfection, right? In the last 6 weeks I've switched to a slant and that has allowed me to go ATG without the pain; the slanted blade doesn't tug nearly as much and I don't get the weepers/ingrowns anymore. BBS is still a ways off though, dunno if I'll ever get there.

 

[TheChefs]

I've struggled with bad irritation and ingrown hair for years. Besides what everyone mentioned, I will add that find cream or soap that works for you. I can't stress this enough, since it made the biggest difference to me. I've found that creams no matter what people have said didn't work for me. After I've switched to soaps and tried the most recommended ones, I've found about 7 that give me great shave with little irritation and 3 of them give me no irritation.

With the right soap now I can finally shave ATG on my neck in some areas. Still there are spots where I can't (due to irritation and ingrown hair).

Also I always what works for me is having really good ASB, I like PdP and IK the best.

 

[noahpictures]

1. Get a blade sampler and make sure it includes feathers, Red Personnas.

2. If you have a tough, barbed wire beard then get a Merkur 37C Slant, it is the best razor for the neck area. You'll have no choice to perfect your technique. Remember with each pass, your face becomes slightly more irritated and sensitive and the Slant should decrease the number of passes you make.

3. If you're not going to get a the Slant, buy a vintage Gillette like a Red Tip or a Black Tip. They are much cheaper. I started with Merkur 23C and Progress; both didn't work for me. Whatever you do, don't get an adjustable razor until you've your technique down.

4. Get Tabac shaving soap. It provides the best lather, hence protection against the razor.

5. Read the Newbie Check-In Sticky.

Hope this has been helpful. Stick with it and be patient. I used to hate shaving and saw it as a chore. Now I can't wait to shave and I shave daily.

 

[drandall]

once your face is warmed with hot water and you lather up, that's where the brush really earns its pay. spend at least 1-2 minutes working the warm lather into your beard. the softer your whiskers, the easier they'll be to cut and the less irritation you'll experience.

 

[gswearengin]

Lots of good advice here already. It sounds like your prep is pretty solid, and since you are just using a cartridge, it is unlikely that your technique is totally off and solely to blame.

First of all, do NOT start DE shaving with a slant as it is quite aggressive and will likely make your irritation worse. You want something mild; I would second starting out with a vintage Gillette Tech (they are also very cheap). I started with a Merkur 34C (and have a Merkur slant and Bakelite) and was getting very frustrated that I actually got more irritation with a DE than with a cartridge. I just switched to a Tech and it is so much better for my skin. I am still not 100% convinced that I will become a full-time DE shaver, but things are much improved.

You don't mention which cartridge razor you are using now, but the more blades there are, the more likely the razor is to irritate your skin. Thankfully I am not one of them, but you will find that many of the people here had terrible irritation with a three, four, or five-blade razor, and moving to a single-blade tends to help a lot.

Regarding getting a better/closer shave with less irritation: as others have said, pay attention to your growth patterns. It is very common for the area at the bottom of your neck to grow in a different direction, so that shaving "downward" actually means that you are shaving against the grain, which is asking for irritation. Also, craning your neck in certain ways and pulling on the skin to straighten it can help you to get a closer shave in those areas.

Good luck!

GS

 

[Go West Young Man]

What shave soap are you using?

Remember, good results come first from technique, second from prep, third from product and a very very distant fourth from the razor used. Make sure you have your pressure and angles right, even with a cartridge. Have you checked that WTG on your neck is what you think it? (most people are surprised to discover that hairs on their neck grow in weird directions) Are you sure your lather is up to par? Make sure it gets 2-3 minutes to soak into your beard before starting.

 

[KodiakAttack]

I am guilty of not waiting 2-3 minutes (and I know that probably has an effect on the shave outcome). The shave soap I use is "Pre de Provence" Shea butter enriched shave soap
WTG on my neck goes straight towards my chin, and just below my chin it does a 180 and WTG is back towards my neck. Only the WTG going towards the chin is what i have problems with.

 

[KodiakAttack]

Hopefully i didnt make a mistake buying the 1904 Handle Double Edge Razor - Open Tooth Comb by Merkur, ordered from bestgroomingtools.com

It's my first DE razor and i ordered it a yesterday, waiting for it to arrive. Also ordered Wilkinson, Merker, and Derby blades just to try a few out.
I really appreciate the responses.

Now, can anyone suggest a great soap and aftershave?

 

[TheChefs]

I'm not sure about the razor, I thought that the open combs were very aggressive, but I stand corrected. If I were you I would try to find a mild razor, because if it's agressive it will be like shaving with an axe.

Some very good soaps which work well on my sensitive skin are Cella, Valobra Shaving stick, Provence Sante green tea, Cade, Institut Karite shaving soap. Those are easy to leather so they are best for bigginner. The best one is MWF, but it's tricky to lather, it's very slick.

Few other good ones are Speick shave stick, Irisch Moos, Tabac (a lot of people including me hate the scent). You can get most of this soaps at West coast shaving or Bull goose.

 

[TiberiuR]

Red bumps on my neck were the reason I first started wet-shaving. I used a Gillette Sensor but still it wasn't good enough for my neck. I then tried a Single edge disposable and it was amazing.
I then went for a DE and don't regret it.

I recommend you try a mild DE such as a Muhle R89. It is forgiving and cuts close enough. I love this razor!

Do try different blades. For me, Feathers cut very close at my neck area.

Use a splash AS. It heels better than balms, unless your skin is dry. I recommend Speick, Pitralon, Hattric. BTW, Speick has lavender oil in it, plus witch hazel. That should do the trick!

 

[KodiakAttack]

Dont have any shaving supply stores in my area... have a sephora, l'occitaine, and a few beauty supply shops but that's about it. Theres a "The Art of Shaving" shop about 20 mins away but they seem to only carry their own brand of products. Looks like im stuck to online purchasing for the moment.