so im probably not the best person the listen to but is it maybe a pressure thing? or too many passes?
You don't get irritation from the fusion. So what is a fusion? Very mild with coated blades. How can you copy this over to DE? An adjustable dialed down to 1 on your neck. A more mild DE like a blue tip or Weishi. A Teflon coated blade. Gotta keep experimenting. Edit: fusion also has a locked in blade angle. Try a different angle or technique in your trouble areas.
Check out this thread I started about my similar issues: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/thick-beard-sensitive-skin.43026/ The next to last post has my write up on what's worked best for me so far. I shaved again Monday and got a BBS shave even in my sensitive area with only a little redness left behind. I'm unfortunately starting to think I may have a slight problem with Menthol. I'm trying to narrow it down right now, but most of what I'm finding is pointing that way. So next shave will be totally menthol free and we'll see how that goes.
One thing I was having trouble with in this area was that I wasn't getting a good rinse to get the soap off my neck aftwards. The little bit of soap getting caught inthe fold in the neck there would compound any issues from my shave. I had this issue for almost a year. Doing the 30 day challenge helped a lot as well, and I was able to figure out how to buff this part of my neck, (zero pressure, light, short, quick strokes, going in all directions) which has lead to less irritation, and less in grown hairs.
There are some good suggestions here, but it's my opinion that you should avoid an ATG pass on this sensitive area. WTG and MAYBE an XTG only. Avoid the BBS for a while. Give it a try and see if in a few days your rash isn't better. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
As a rule, the further down the neck you go, the more sensitive it's going to be. With that in mind, I'll suggest a few basic things that apply to most anyone with a particularly sensitive area. Before you shave, wash your face. Cool to warm water is best. Hot water (above 102 deg. or so) greatly sensitizes the skin, and greatly increases the chance that shaving with any razor is going to cause trouble. If you use a cloth to wash your face, use it gently. (no scrubbing) Make sure you rinse the soap from your face and neck completely. Leaving any soap to dry on your mug is bad news. Shaving the neck almost always requires something of an underhand grip on the razor. It's a bit unnatural, and upward pressure is required just to get the razor to contact the skin. This is where we all start down that slippery slope. You commented that you switched back to your Mach 3 razor (which requires pressure to work) and got an irritation free shave. You've just convinced me that whether or not you realize it, you are pressing on the DE razor just as you do when using the Mach 3, and this is sure to cause the irritation you are experiencing. It is very difficult to recognize that you are doing this, and it is even harder to break yourself of it. It took me months to quit it completely. Another nasty trait the cart razor imbeds in most of us high speed shaving. After months or years of whipping that plastic widget around our face, most of us get pretty speedy. This does not work well with the DE either. Try this. Turn off any source of noise while shaving. No radio, TV, or phone. No running water, and no fan. Just you and the razor. Now, shift into 1st gear, and slow down. Lather up, and focus on holding the razor such that it is just barely flat against your skin. Shave with short strokes, about 1-2 inches each. Pay close attention to how the razor feels, and listen to it cutting. Change the angle as you move the razor down your cheek, (or neck) and listen to how the sound changes. You can tell a lot about your technique by listening. You'll know when everything is right. It'll be smooth, and the whiskers will just click or ping as they are sheared off. If you experience any tugging, or if you feel the blade is scraping, change to a new blade. If the new blade scrapes or tugs, then you'll need to change to a different brand of blade altogether. Oh, warning: After several short, slow strokes, you'll likely find yourself speeding up again. Don't. After you've completed a few shaves in low gear, you'll likely find you've a whole new outlook on things. Most of all, don't get discouraged. You are learning a completely different shaving system. You are bound to experience some nicks and scrapes along the way. Hang in there. You will get it figured out. Best wishes to you malibuboats, and Happy Shaving!!
Thanks for the help! I've been really busy so I haven't even gone back to DE shaving. This was the first two weeks I used a cartridge razor since the beginning of November! Tonight I'm going to shave and do exactly as you said. What do you mean by holding the razor flat though? I have a Gillette superspeed if that makes any difference. Do I want it to be more parallel to the floor or perpendicular?
Lather lather lather! I use to have irritation every single shave on my neck area. Today I made a really good lather and absolutely no irritation or pulling at all. Focus on building a really nice lather on your face and don't start shaving before. To many times I thought I had a decent lather but it just wasn't good enough although it was decent for every other part of my face. Other than that just take your time and don't over think it.
I have issues with me neck as well. I used a shave oil this time around (odd routine switch.. I always use soap/cream) but it made for a great neck shave.
Try to overview your beard growth in that area. You might have areas where your usual WTG direction from around them is actually ATG in those specific areas. In my case, almost the whole lower neck part is that way. The hair grows mostly from south to north over there, so, for going WTG, i actually need to shave from south to north. I was actually misguided by more Youtube videos on my first shave. Most people we're just shaving from north to south for WTG pass. Tried that and it was a complete failure. Then, i took some time figuring out the correct WTG directions and most of the problems with irritation and razor burn disappeared.
I;ve not tried it myself, but have read about using Niva Sensitive Aftershave balm as a post shave so to speak..Apply it before lathering up leaving it fairly wet on the face and then lather over it, and shave as normal...Afterwards, apply again in th usual way.. For some folks it seems to work a treat, but remember even if it works, this is only treating the symptoms rather than dealing with the actual cause, which obviously you would be better addressing...
My brother had a problem with neck irritation and he tried Noxzema as a shave cream and he said it worked.
It could also be a hydration problem. Since the neck is under the chin, the water might be not be hydrating that are as well as your face. I actually apply a hot water wet towel to my neck and let it soak and soften my skin and whiskers there before I apply shaving cream. Hope you find your solution.
Not only use a hot wet washcloth as Albert, but I let the lather soak on my face while I brush teeth (dentures) and comb the few hairs, then shave, this lets the beard hydrate even further, with the right razor blade combo, I get a BBS almost every time
