Shaving with safety razor causing ingrown hair acne

Hi fellow enthusiasts of wet shaving out there. I am relatively new at wet shaving. I have been shaving with a DE razor for about 5 months now. I use a merkur 34 with derby blades, badger hair brush and Taylor of old bond street sandalwood hard shave soap. I do 3 passes, wtg, xtg, atg. I do the pre shave prep by taking a hot shower and scrubbing to remove the dry skin particles and then step out of the shower proceeding straight to the shave. I am using as little pressure as I can while shaving. The problem I am having is an acne epidemic, I mean it is getting worse as the days go by. What am I doing wrong here? I love the shaves I am getting, much better than the ones I've had while using a 5 blade cartridge razor. The acne is far less now that I switched to safety razor but they still keep on happening. I would also like to mention that I feel like I need a sharper blade than Derby because sometime I feel tugging while going agt, and so have to do a lot of touch up, I can't seem to get rid of the stubble in one go. Hope someone out there can help me. In the mean time enjoy shaving and spread the knowledge.

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Also I forgot to mention that after the shave is done I use an alum block on my face, wait 3 mins and then splash my face with cold water. Then I apply either proraso aftershave balm or lather and wood odorless aftershave balm. I am thinking of trying astra super platinum, Lord platinum and astra superior stainless steel blades. I have real high hopes for astra.

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I would suggest eliminating the exfoliation in the shower. The blade will do all the exfoliating you need.
Second, stop that last ATG pass. Getting too close a shave is not a good thing. Some folks just can't make that 3rd pass.
Third, yeah, different blades may help. Derby blades used to always irritate my neck.
Fourth, Ride the Cap - not just for aggressive razors
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/3pc-de-aggressive-razor-fundamentals-riding-the-cap.51048/

 

You might cut the number of passes, esp. the against the grain. I do one pass with touch-ups. Anything more than that and my face is an irritated mess. Also- you're putting a lot of stuff on your face, post shave. You might try using only alum or only aftershave and not both.

 

Alas my fears have come true. I got into the DE shaving for the sole purpose of getting that BBS shave. Once I got to feel how nice it is to get the BBS experience I am afraid to admit that I am addicted to this feeling. With the grain just does not cut it, pun intended.

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Try this:
First pass with the grain.
Second pass 45 degrees across the grain
Third pass 45 degrees across the grain

For those second and third passes, think of an X. Each pass is one leg of the X.
Still doing 3 passes, just not that against the grain pass.

 

I felt the same way for a long time. Gradually, I got used to the idea of shaving being about beard reduction, not beard elimination. Work on getting a close comfortable shave in only one to two passes while you are learning. As you improve, you might be able to be a little bit more ambitious. Chasing a BBS is a surefire way to get a lot of pain, irritation, and the other issues that you're having.

 

I will definitely try your suggestion my friend. I guess my skin just cannot handle the atg shave. I would think doing 2 xtg passes should achieve a pretty close shave. I might just have to live with that.

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Truth.

 

I always have acne breakouts when I use an aftershave balm. I only use splashes. You might consider trying that.

 

Maybe try not using the alum for a week or more, and instead just use witch hazel and then your AS or balm or both. Often times, skin that is too dry will overproduce oils that can clog pores and cause acne. Alum can be very drying. And yes, as stated above, don't scrub your face before you shave. Just wash it with a gentle soap and you should be good to go, because excessive exfoliation can also cause acne. Last thing to say, maybe your acne isn't caused by anything you do shaving wise but something else. Is your pillow case replaced frequently, do you touch your face often throughout the day, are you under lots of stress (stress is a big one for me)? Anyways, good luck to you

 

how are you doing with building the lather?

If you are felling any sort of tugging - that'll directly cause ingrown hairs.

You will likely benefit from a sharper blade like you have said.

 

I was the same during my first 6 months of DE shaving, especially on the neck. Personally, Alum was irritating me, and 3 passes were too many. I think as a new wetshaver, some people try to do too much. With experience, I figured sometimes less is more. I get better results from a simple prep, max 2 passes, less pressure, etc. With time, my technique got better and the results even more. Chasing BBS leads to irritation. Also, I found my technique improved quite a bit by trying straight razors. I'm not a regular straight user, but it gave me an appreciation for blade angle and pressure. I hope it helps. Cheers!

 

The lather I make is nice and creamy. Taylor of old bond street is a fantastic soap. The lather is not too dry and I have sufficient coating. I make the lather in my shaving bowl. I have ordered some astra super platinum bladed and astra superior stainless, maybe they will give me a better performance then derby extra.

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Scientific Method of Testing! You have many points of data that can overlap and influence your outcome. By keeping all factors the same, but changing only one you can evaluate that one factor. There are so many to test. From the type of brush fiber, ingredients in your soap, brand of DE blade, and on through post care. That's just the hardware and software. Technique can take your acceptable gear from painful to perfect.
(psst- Check out the 30 rule/focus group. This is what they do; technique!)

 

You may not have acne, but what's called a macular and papillary rash. This would mean you're allergic or sensitive to something you're using. Check for any lanolin or menthol in your products and discontinue using them for a time if they have them. Also, you may have a sensitivity to the nickel in stainless steel. Try using only Teflon coated or platinum coated blades for a time. Then, as RyX mentioned, reintroduce each product one at a time and see if your rash returns. Stop using the products that make the rash reappear.

 

As others have said, change one thing at a time. You might want to try washing the alum off sooner. I don't let mine sit. I apply it and then rinse it off. It still works and doesn't dry out my skin. The blade tugging could be your problem, or it might be the ATG pass, or it could be the fragrance in your soap or after shave. You can either change one at a time or change all of them at once and add one at a time back until you figure out what is causing your problem.

 

I think alot of your problems have to do with you trying to do what other people do, and not doing what works for you. Everyone has limitations. What works for one person doesnt mean it will work for you. Me personally, I gauge a successful shave on whether or not I get irritation, period. If I have a little stubble left, no biggie. As long as there is no VISIBLE hair left im good, no matter if its one pass or two or three. Nobody is going to notice a little stubble on your face that you can only feel going against the grain anyway. Good luck to you

 

I just tried your method and used astra superior stainless blade with merkur 34c and Taylor of old bond street shaving soap. Let me just say that I cannot thank you enough for giving me this suggestion. I just had the best shaving experience of my life. Shaving against the grain is not at all required. Using your method I was able to achieve almost a BBS shave, except for some small patches and that is because my technique is sloppy. With time I will learn the right way. Also will like to say that those astra blades are awesome, no words. I had a growth of 4 days today and this blade just went through it like it's freaking butter. Will give an update once I've had a few more shaves. Cheers!!!!

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So glad it worked for you!!