Still getting neck redness/irritation

[Enclave68]

Hi all,

I have posted a similar thread before, but long story short, I love the hobby BUT still can't crack the redness/irritation problem on the neck.

To be honest, I have gone between growing a beard and then shaving on and off for the past 3-4 years, but at the start of 2024 decided to keep shaving every 3 or 4 days to put up with irritation but hopefully crack the process. I am however still getting constant redness on my neck every single time I DE shave (doesn't really hurt, but within 5 minutes of shaving my neck gets very red and lasts a couple of days).

I have stayed with one razor (Karve christopher bradley), one blade (gillette wilkinson sword) and one soap (B&M braeburn) to try and get some consistency (i do also own a Rockwell 6C, a Henson Mild, a DE89 and a Merkur 34C) but whatever I seem to do, I still can't crack the irritation on the neck (very happy with results on my face where I can do 3 passes and never cut myself - but on the neck it is a totally different story).

I have been, in terms of the post shave, using cold water, then an alum block, then Thayers witch hazel and then the B&M matching Braeburn balm, so perhaps one thing I can try is to not use the alum block to see if it makes any difference.

I only do 2 passes maximum on my neck, given the irritation, and in terms of how my beards grows on the neck, it is main sideways growth towards the adam's apple from the ear with a small section to the right of the adam's apple where the hair grows south to north i.e. towards my chin.

As I very very rarely cut myself (almost never) and my face shaves are great, I wonder now whether I just have a very sensitive neck, and I guess my question (sorry for the very long message, but wanted to cover in detail what my setup and routine look like) is do i just have neck skin that isn't suited to DE shaving (or perhaps shaving full stop), or is there still hope? I really enjoy the hobby, so really hope I can find a way around this. help!!!

 

[Big_T]

I didn't read it all but I looked through your post from last year and you received a lot of excellent information.

You'll be getting more of the same here. But let me ask, are your neck whiskers thick, tough, and wiry? Is your neck skin soft? One thing I didn't see discussed last year was Artist Club blades.

You might consider a razor that uses Artist Club (AC) blades. These blades are thicker and stiffer than DE blades. They come in different versions allowing you to change one razor from mild to aggressive to suit your needs. For you, I suggest a guarded AC blade such as the Kai Protouch MG. This blade is very mild yet efficient. You can spend from $50 to several hundred dollars for an AC razor. Looking over your current list of DE razors, I suggest you take a look at the Alpha Claymore Evolution. If you can handle the price, the Atelier Durdan La Faulx is my Top Dog after going through over 50 DE and SE razors. If you need a lower budget, the Razorock Hawk is good. I have no experience with them but Yaqi makes some less expensive AC Razors.

One other suggestion I have is Jack Black Beard Lube. A small amount on moist skin before lathering up is an excellent pre-shave.

 

[Jay21]

My neck is also very sensitive and my hair grows sideways in many places, not N-S or S-N.

This is what works for me: very shallow angle, only shaving S-N. If one pass leads to no irritation or sting, add another pass during the next shave, also S-N.

 

[NorthernSoul]

It is difficult to know what you are doing while shaving, so hard to know what you should do differently. Still, as I said on the previous thread, maybe change your primary goal from getting the closest possible shave on the neck to getting an irritation-free shave.

The neck is a more sensitive area for most people and also the whiskers can grow in complex patterns (like whorls). I can get irritation if I use too many passes or too much pressure in an effort to get a close shave. Slick lather helps a lot to avoid irritation.

Shave with the grain, where possible. Use short strokes and very wet lather. Do two passes at most. Try not to go directly against the grain for your second pass. Instead, go in a more diagonal direction. Try not to go over the same area repeatedly, especially without lather. Use only enough pressure to keep the razor in close contact with the skin. Don't "bear down" in the attempt to get close. That leads to "overshaving" and redness.

One slightly off-the-wall suggestion is to watch a few of those ASMR videos of skilled Italian barbers doing straight razor shaves on someone else. Look at how they approach the neck area for their clients.

 

[Phoenixkh]

This might be out in left field suggestion but I know, my face reacted poorly to a B&M soap. Do you have any unscented soap around you can try and see if it makes any difference? I had to move away from scented soaps entirely because my dermatologist told me my skin was reacting to the ingredients used to add fragrance to soaps, etc.... It's made a world of difference for me, but YMMV, as always.

If you are so inclined, Amazon should still have some Canada Shaving Soap around at a great price with free Prime shipping. Don't worry about the title they are giving the item.... That's the right stuff.. Someone entered it incorrectly.

 

[musicman1951]

It is difficult to know what you are doing while shaving, so hard to know what you should do differently. Still, as I said on the previous thread, maybe change your primary goal from getting the closest possible shave on the neck to getting an irritation-free shave.

This.

I would try one pass WTG for a while and see if that works.

I like staying with one razor/blade/soap for consistency, but that's obviously not working for your neck, and if you do what you did you'll get what you got. It sounds like a pain, but I wouldn't hesitate to try using a milder razor/blade just on your 1 pass neck shave if I had one.

It seems unlikely that the soap would only irritate one part of your face, but the razor and/or blade might. My thought process for the 1 pass neck shave would be to use the correct razor angle and the lightest pressure I could muster without dropping the razor in the sink.

My upper lip will not tolerate ATG. It's possible your neck won't either. Be sure WTG really is with the grain.

 

[BigJ]

Fine advice above (and in your earlier thread)!

My only suggestion would be to map your beard to understand precisely what you are doing, especially in the problem area.

 

[Hair Scraper]

I have found using an alum block is like throwing salt in a wound after I shave, so I quit trying it out. I just didn’t see any benefit.

I’ve found a certain pre-shave soap gives me after-burn for a couple of hours. In all fairness, I should re-wash my face after shaving (Dove Men+Care soap doesn’t bother me.) The pre-shave soap even makes my lips burn and feel like I’ve eaten a pound of salt one tablespoon at a time-without the soap ever touching my lips.

So I really believe ingredients in shave products can irritate.

 

[Enclave68]

many thanks all. It is just very frustrating, and I guess I am just hoping there is a way to overcome it. I guess there are just so many variables and I have to realise and understand that I may need to spend quite alot of time going through some unsightly redness before I finally nail it!!

 

[ButterfaceX]

One little suggestion to try..
For both your two passes, try laying down a good quality aloe gel (main should ingredient aloe, not water or glycine). it should have very few ingredients). Then apply you soap. This may help as a lite buffer, reduce skin stress, and hopefully reduce or stop that irritation. I did not read all the above great suggestions but ensure you are executing it pressure free. Also I a just questioning the blade used? Hopefully it is not one of these 9th use blades, or it could be to sharp or too dull, or have some extra exposure ( little wider that others) causing than sensitive to be pissed off...
BFX

 

[1e4]

Hard to really know what's going on, but I'd try simplifying technique, adding a pre-shave and switching to unscented products, along the following lines:

• Switch to the EJ DE89, which is an easy, mild razor (though tbf I don't have any experience with the CB for comparison)
• Cut back to single-pass, WTG, until you pin down other variables. Take a lighter touch on your neck for a while to see if there's a technique element to it
• Prep with a hot water rinse and a pre-shave (e.g., Proraso White (which I leave on) or Stirling Unscented Pre-Shave Soap (which I've found works better for me if I leave for a minute and then rinse off before applying lather))
• Switch to an unscented soap (e.g., Stirling Unscented with Beeswax, or Canada Shaving Soap)
• Hot rinse + cold rinse post shave, maybe Thayer's unscented toner after

***
ETA: Try different water levels in your lather, too.

 

[Jaybyrd]

It is difficult to know what you are doing while shaving, so hard to know what you should do differently. Still, as I said on the previous thread, maybe change your primary goal from getting the closest possible shave on the neck to getting an irritation-free shave.

The neck is a more sensitive area for most people and also the whiskers can grow in complex patterns (like whorls). I can get irritation if I use too many passes or too much pressure in an effort to get a close shave. Slick lather helps a lot to avoid irritation.

Shave with the grain, where possible. Use short strokes and very wet lather. Do two passes at most. Try not to go directly against the grain for your second pass. Instead, go in a more diagonal direction. Try not to go over the same area repeatedly, especially without lather. Use only enough pressure to keep the razor in close contact with the skin. Don't "bear down" in the attempt to get close. That leads to "overshaving" and redness.

One slightly off-the-wall suggestion is to watch a few of those ASMR videos of skilled Italian barbers doing straight razor shaves on someone else. Look at how they approach the neck area for their clients.

Thank you for sharing this, I had a similar issue with irritation last night and I think a few things you mentioned that I did "wrong", lather not wet enough (it was rather thick), too many passes, going ATG, and way too much pressure. This is only my first month since switching from a cartridge style to DE. You guys are very helpful!

 

[slimshavy]

I have stayed with one razor (Karve christopher bradley), one blade (gillette wilkinson sword) and one soap (B&M braeburn) to try and get some consistency

Consistency is overrated. If I kept shaving with a Gillette Wilkinson Sword, I would consistently have neck irritation. I'd try a sharper or smoother blade, and @Jay21 's advice about a shallow angle. Personally, I also wouldn't stretch the skin too aggressively, as that can cause redness all on its own. Light touches, don't go over the same area twice or touch up. Stop before you think you're done and check it 36 hours later.

 

[Omega48]

To be honest, I have gone between growing a beard and then shaving on and off for the past 3-4 years, but at the start of 2024 decided to keep shaving every 3 or 4 days to put up with irritation but hopefully crack the process. I am however still getting constant redness on my neck every single time I DE shave (doesn't really hurt, but within 5 minutes of shaving my neck gets very red and lasts a couple of days).

I used to shave every day with practically zero problems. Then I had to stop shaving for two years. When I started shaving again last year, it took several months before getting back to zero irritation. At the beginning even the wrong brush could giving me problems, especially on the neck.

(By the way, if it may be of any help, I purchased a Henson Mild and that helped me a lot. Still using it).

 

[WThomas0814]

The easiest (and least costly) change, other than technique, which none of us can see, is a different blade. How did you settle on the Wilkinson’s? Did you go through samplers?

I can’t speak to soap as I only use three, but, how is your lather? Is it slick? Is it too thin, perhaps? Do you bowl or face lather?

I’m not familiar with the Karve razors myself. Are different plates available? I had razors I loved that I simply cannot use (Muhle Rocca, for one). I found a milder razor worked best for me, especially if doing multiple passes. Or, you could consider a more efficient razor and fewer passes.

There are so many things you could experiment with. Just make sure you change only one variable at a time.

 

[RRGGMM]

Since the redness is only on your neck, it doesn't seem that soap is the issue. But, as suggested, try a mild, unscented soap. Also, try a single-pass shave, and for now, forget about BBS. Reading your comments, it seems like you have continued to do the same things. If you don't change something, I don't think you can reasonably expect different results. One pass with lighter pressure on your neck will probably help. I have never been a fan of cold water shaving, so maybe try warm water, and a shower first to soften your beard.

 

[Rivers23]

The thing that helped me the most is to not over stretch the skin. Whenever I read shaving advice, it would always say ''stretch your skin!''. So I did really, but it caused irritation. So now, when shaving my neck, I raise my chin ever so slightly, barely, so the skin is still relaxed.

Secondly, don't rub your face with the brush too much, regardless if it's a synthetic or natural. When I started out, I watched Youtubers who spend 5 minutes mashing the brush in their face. That's not necessary at all and it irritates your skin. Make sure only the lather is not too dry or too wet.

Also, imo, that blade is not that good. It's not sharp and it's not coated. Stay away from blades that say ''stainless'' and look for blades that say 'platinum'', because those have more coating and are smoother on the skin. German Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Platinum, Lord Platinum, whatever is available to you.

 

[Ringofvoid]

One of the things that has helped for me is tracking where on the neck I'm getting the irritation and bumps. It might be all over for you or it might be in certain recurring spots. If it's everywhere, that lends more weight towards an adverse reaction by neck skin to the products you're using. If it's certain spots, it may be funky growth pattern like a whirl that requires tackling those spots with a different technique.

 

[Hawkweber]

You might want to try the "Bullfrog" technique when shaving the neck. You lower your head to puff out your neck instead of stretching it. You can see it somewhat demonstrated by Mantic59 at

.

 

[Goblin]

I want to ask what I don't think has been addressed yet.

What do you do for prep?

Let's think what the causes might be:

- Soap allergy
- Reaction to some other skin product (I personally find balms and alum make my irritation worse)
- Shaving against the grain or across the grain when the skin can't handle it
- Too many passes
- Bad angle
- Too much pressure
- Blade not sharp enough
- Inadequate prep
- Trying to shave hair that is too long for the razor

The problem has to be some combination of the above. That's all it can possibly be.