Solve this problem: Bumps

[Doc Dan]

One of the guards at our community is having to grow out his beard, again. He gets bumps on his face and on his neck (I think). His English isn't good enough to be more specific, but he is a fellow wet shaver.

I asked if he were using a multiblade and he said no, that he was using a Gillette with replaceable blades. I was thinking it was his razor.

He sent me these pictures:





I've not seen a razor that loads like this one and I wonder if it doesn't clamp his blade well enough?

He has a heavy beard that was black, but now turning salt and pepper.

What do you all think?

 

[Cal]

His razor looks similar to the Gillette "SUPER CLICK,"

which (although cheap) is a fine razor.

What do you all think?

My guess is that he's shaving shallow (riding the cap) which pushes the skin up in front of the blade. This makes it a piece of cake for the blade to lop off any "bumps" or other skin irregularities.

Shaving steep (riding the guard) smooths the skin in front of the blade. A great way to reduce damage, blood, and irritation IMO.

 

[Doc Dan]

I have no knowledge of this razor. It looks to be made of plastic. How do these things shave?

 

[kaankkaraman]

Razor seems like quite light and if the blade has no enough sharpness to cut, razor gonna bump. I recommend him to use a sharper blade like Gllette Silver Blue.

 

[Goblin]

If he has a heavy salt and pepper beard, could it be that he is having to use too much pressure to get through it, due to the razor being very light and the blades not being up to snuff?

For me, an inadequate blade or very light razor = too much pressure = little ingrowns and bumps.

Perhaps you could gift him a Feather blade and see how he gets on with that?

Edit: I see I basically said the same as the post above with more words. Consider this and endorsement of that!

 

[Doc Dan]

If I knew for certain the blades or razor was the culprit I might give him a new razor. That one just looks weird to me. Plastic is okay on a Glock, but on a razor there is too much flex, in my mind at least.

 

[BigJ]

Great advice above! I second the notion that you consider giving him a new razor plus a blade sampler.

 

[Chard52142]

This razor's can be found at some small sundry shops locally. Cheap for sure...

 

[Doc Dan]

So, the Missus and I bought the guy a much better three piece razor that was a Tech clone. I also gave him some Wizmet and Personna blades. He came up last night clean shaven. He had used that razor to remove a full beard and was amazed at how well the razor shaved. He was also amazed at how sharp the blade was. He was happy.

Then, talking to him, I found out that he has no brush and he is using that ultra cheap Lux bath soap for shaving. That stuff will strip paint off of a car, but it is very affordable. So, I made him come up and I gave him a Yaqi Red Ferrari brush and a tube of Vi-John Lime shaving cream with lanolin. He is all set, now.

Oh, and using that new razor, even after removing a thick, full beard, he had no bumps.

 

[Filudo]

Now the one trillion $ ? is.......will he get "bumps" after the nice shave........ only time will tell. I am curious to hear the end of the story.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

So, the Missus and I bought the guy a much better three piece razor that was a Tech clone. I also gave him some Wizmet and Personna blades. He came up last night clean shaven. He had used that razor to remove a full beard and was amazed at how well the razor shaved. He was also amazed at how sharp the blade was. He was happy.

Then, talking to him, I found out that he has no brush and he is using that ultra cheap Lux bath soap for shaving. That stuff will strip paint off of a car, but it is very affordable. So, I made him come up and I gave him a Yaqi Red Ferrari brush and a tube of Vi-John Lime shaving cream with lanolin. He is all set, now.

Oh, and using that new razor, even after removing a thick, full beard, he had no bumps.

Good for you!

I have tried using one of those plastic razors, and it really struggled on my beard. The problem was the head flexing back on the handle, and instead of the hair being cut cleanly, it snatched and snapped some. I can definitely see it causing problems with ingrown hairs. I could just about coax a clean-ish shave by holding it right at the top of the handle, so my hand was bracing the underside of the head, but it was still a real struggle. A rigid metal razor will be a huge step up for him.

 

[Chard52142]

So, the Missus and I bought the guy a much better three piece razor that was a Tech clone. I also gave him some Wizmet and Personna blades. He came up last night clean shaven. He had used that razor to remove a full beard and was amazed at how well the razor shaved. He was also amazed at how sharp the blade was. He was happy.

Then, talking to him, I found out that he has no brush and he is using that ultra cheap Lux bath soap for shaving. That stuff will strip paint off of a car, but it is very affordable. So, I made him come up and I gave him a Yaqi Red Ferrari brush and a tube of Vi-John Lime shaving cream with lanolin. He is all set, now.

Oh, and using that new razor, even after removing a thick, full beard, he had no bumps.

Well done Doc, good to hear!!