Hello My wife has recently taken to shaving with my DE. She has no problems on her legs but her underarms still get very irritated and red with ingrowns and bumps. Any suggestions about what could help.
I use Thayer's Witch Hazel on mine after shaving (no alcohol in it) . Seems to sooth and heal. Only doing 1 pass with the grain for a while helped too. Underarms are tricky to shave. I'm hoping some of the other gals have some tricks that I haven't yet discovered.
What razor and blades is she using? They may not be the right ones for her. The only other thing I can think of is too many passes. With a disposable I use to do a pass up, a pass down, a pass to the left, a pass to the right, a pass NE to SW, a pass SW to NE, a pass SE to NW, and a pass NW to SE. That's a lot of passes. Now I just do an up and a down pass.
thanks ... She is using my Merkur HD ... Which may be too heavy and thus causing too much pressure...also i know the blades are bad...you have recommended sharps but i havent gotten any for her yet. Also think i might get her a lighter razor...to help lighten up her shaving pressure...i will recommend the alum block and the witch hazel... She doesnt get razor burn so much as just the bumps and ingrowns...I almost feel bad for her...
I have a Ladies Gillette Blue Star that I need to list in TSD Store, and of course the store carries Sharps. If you want the razor I can get it listed for you.
You're looking at it all wrong. You use more pressure when you have a light razor and less pressure when its heavy. You should use no pressure with either. The heavier razor just provides you with more of its own weight on your face, so instinctively you use lighten up the pressure.
If she gets irritation, that's burn - too many passes. Ingrowns - too close a shave. Don't go ATG. I'm so pissed as my underarms are basically the only spot on my body I can shave in every direction and not get ingrowns.
Ditto on the pressure and ATG. Also, what deo/anti-persp does she use? That can also contribute. I usually just do 1 pass, all blade buffing, with my M3 or Fusion. I rarely get irritation or ingrowns.
Alum Block for Women? Is the alum block alright for my wife to use on her legs? I understand about underarms, but was just curious.
All but my lower legs is prone to ingrown hairs. There are 2 or 3 ingrowns dating back 15 years! The skin around each follicle is very swollen and red. I've tried freeing the ingrown hair but the inflamed tissue doesn't calm down. I've stopped shaving for weeks at a time hoping the skin would heal--it didn't. The inflamation inproved but worsened again when I shaved. Has anyone else had similar experiences? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Is she relathering between passes? I'm learning you really can't lather too much. When in doubt, relather. Is she prepping the pit? Hot water? I agree with others....too many psses, and possibly not relathering between the passes. For when the damage is done....Thentix www.thetaderm.com and/ or Tend Skin www.tendskin.com
I agree with the majority...probably too many passes. I find I get less irritation with the DE probably because I need less passes. I find reapplying shaving cream and a good lather make a difference with how smooth a shave I get under my arms. I never make a pass on my underarms without re-lathering and cleaning the razor. Also short strokes help and I like looking in a mirror when I shave my underarms. Seems to make a difference.
