Okay I've been shaving with a DE safety razor for a few months and I went to this method because cartridge or electric razors always left me with embarrassing razor burn. While I admit my razor burn is more tame while DE shaving its still not non existent. Is there anything I can do to help guard against these unsightly bumps? Just for information purposes I shower before every shave. The soap I've been using is barrister and mann latha. The blades I've tried are Gillette Silver Blue, Astra Platenum, Dorco Prime and recent Personna Lab Blues. I use a merkur 34c razor. I feel my technique is fine and I apply minimal pressure. Its always the bottom of my neck where I get the razor burn everywhere else smooth with no burn or bumps. I've started using an alum block but haven't noticed any difference. I apply a moisturizing balm and bump stopper after. The balm is nice but i feel bump stopper does nothing. Any help is appreciated!
Are you sure which way the grain of the hair runs in the trouble area? My neck hair runs in four different directions, straight down under my chin, center-out in the upper sides, and straight up on the bottom third. If I don't shave with the grain on my first pass, my lower neck gets really raw and irritated. If I'm careful, I can get it smooth without irritation.
I found that when I shaved with certain blades I would get some irritation. I also found that after use a blade 3 times they would start to dull enough to cause irritation. Since you already addressed technique then maybe it's hardware? Maybe it's just hyper sensitivity and you need to let the neck stubble grow some
May I suggest trying cold water shaving. Wash your face with cold water (just water out of the cold side of the faucet), lather your brush with cold water, and rinse with cold water. Many find it just stops irritation in most cases. Read about it here: Fellowship of Cold Water Shavers
Welcome @JTR616! Glad you joined us here at TSD. There's two links in my signature below. Riding the Cap may reduce scraping by adjusting the angle of attack. The 30 Day Rule/Focus Group is a bunch of new shavers learning to use their gear, and quite a few old shavers trying new-to-them gear. It's all about Technique! Don't forget to sign up for the Newbie Giveaway.
I've never seen someone recommend trying this but I'll for sure give it a try on my next shave. This could be the problem. For the most part my grain goes one way but the bottom of my neck does grow a different direction. I've yet to perfect the going with the grain on my lower neck since the grain is essentially south to north. Would pre shave oils do anything?
Hello and welcome! Just keep trying these various techniques. You'll get it! I'd suggest more skin stretching, cold water and just focus on shaving well. You don't need a BBS neck daily, don't let it stress you out.
I'll second everything that's already been said. Try cold water shaving, switching blades, changing the angle of the razor to your face/riding the cap and also the pressure you put on the razor. You can eliminate razor burn with the DE, but it will be a process of elimination.
No, shave oil isn't the cure. Shaving precisely is the answer. Had I to place my bet... You're losing good angle discipline while trying to shave loose skin. Don't lean in for a better look. Stand up straight. Lift your chin, make skin as taut as possible. Stay on the razor cap at all times. This will keep the blade attack angle low. High angles are bad. Think credit card edge dragging on your skin. Chances are, this is how the DE Blade is interacting with your neck. It's making you sore and irritated. More product won't fix this issue.
The game changer for me in razor burn was blade angle (riding the cap) and no pressure. The kind of blade and razor makes a difference but really it's pressure (little to none) and riding the cap. Also I bet that area grows in a different direction than you think.
You've already got a bunch of really good suggestions. It was hard for me to understand the pressure until I got a few months of shaving experience with a DE. You almost have to do negative pressure, if that makes any sense. If your using a good blade, which I assume you are, it will cut the hairs effortlessly without any help from you. The angle is also a good suggestion. You know you have the angle right when your hairs don't tug, and when it's cutting the hairs, it'll sound exactly like Velcro. It's very distinct. I don't run water while shaving for the sole purpose of being able to hear this sound. And lastly, the skin stretching. You want the skin to be tight enough that your blade doesn't skip and get caught on loose skin. It sort of like ironing a shirt. When your ironing, you hold the shirt tight so that when you iron over an area it produces a crisp clean look. If you don't hold the shirt tight the material bunches up and you form creases in your shirt instead. Same concept. Not too tight, just enough to let the razor glide safely over the area. Good luck! And Happy Shaving
How many passes are you making? As stated above no need to shoot for bbs. Maybe that area give it a pass then leave it alone.
Careful face mapping helped me out enormously when I switched to DE shaving. If you can, let your beard come in for 2 or 3 days, then take a very small bit of shave soap or a small dot of cream, and just barely cover your face. The idea is to cover the skin, but let the hair stay above the soap. This really helps the whiskers stand out visually. With most of my razors, I can do a two pass shave, with the grain then against the grain, but the first pass has to be perfect. I'd recommend doing WTG on your first pass, then two passes across the grain, going in both directions across. I found that preshave oil hurt more than helped me, it seemed to kill my lather, but YMMV. I second the idea of the 30 day focus. If you concentrate on perfecting your skills, you'll find that you can shave with just about any razor, blades, or soap. Get to know your equipment and work on the fundamentals.
I should be able to to do this next week. I like to be cleanly shaven for work but have some time off next week so I should be able to go about 6 days if necessary of facial hair growth before I go back I figured it would be a good time to let my razor bumps heal between shaves.
I am one of the ones who had success with Pre shave oil. For me, it noticeably reduced friction. All that was said will help. If you want to try preshave oil then go ahead. If you want, make a small batch yourself from what's posted for diy. That is what I do.
Excellent advice and welcome to TSD @JTR616 Map your facial hair---especially on your neck. Make sure your lather is well hydrated. It's not enough that it be thick, it MUST be slick. H2O is what really makes lather slick. Make one pass only WTG on your neck, keeping in mind that you are removing the lather NOT the hair and as it has been said already, keep the angle shallow. Master this approach and eventually you will have a irritation free shave. Good luck.
I've found keeping my skin slick helps most of all. My whiskers grow in all directions on my throat and (I recently discovered) my chin, below the corners of my mouth. Once I've made a pass, I'll wet the problem areas slightly to slicken them up again, and have another go at it. Cuts down irritation a lot.
The neck below the Adams' apple is always tricky, and I sometimes get a little razor burn there myself. I think your razor and blades are not the problem. When lathering make sure you don't stop in the middle of the area but continue over and beyond the region to be shaved. Same thing for prep. Slow down while shaving there. Finally, try adjusting the direction of your passes to find angles that work with the contours of your neck. it will probably take a combination of all these things to resolve, and you may need to give that area a rest for a few day to allow the skin to recover. Good luck.
