My skin in on fire.

Tazium

Hey,

Been lurking here long enough. Close to 40, so mature skin (if nothing else). Shaving with electric razors for years, mostly it's fine but not particularly even or close.

On a recent weekend I forgot my razor so purchased a pack of disposables and a king of shaves cream and really enjoyed the close shave and reasonable comfort, no burn or rash after. That led to some further research and I bought a starter DE shave razor, cream, and brush in boots.

I'm not bothered by little nicks which I'd expect with the blade exposure but my neck is absolutely on fire this morning after a shave last night before bed. I've been lashing in the moisturisers to dull the burn. This is the third time in a row, new blade each time and I usually shave once every 36 hours or so.

So I have the following questions, hope ye can help me to make this a better experience before I give up and return to my 'letric.

1. How can I make the shave on the neck area less irritating?
2. Are there blades for more sensitive skin?

I would really enjoy being able to do this properly, like my grandad always did but I really can't have this burn after every shave. I'd rather grow a beard. I'm sure I can master it as the disposables were very good and I'd like this to be as good/better.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your tips.

paddyandy

I learnt years ago that soap and creams play little or no part in shaving it's the hot water and a good blade.Find out the ingredients in the shaving cream maybe there is something there.I hav'nt used anything but hot water it softens the bristle.We're all victims of advertising here like the ridiculous use of three blades with a fighter jet for company.Rotary electric razors are better.Never use after shave.

Dermo

I'm not a fan of using creams or gels while shaving.
Either shave just after showering or put a warm damp cloth on your neck and let your neck soak in the moisture.
I used to get some bad irritation on my neck from shaving but now I have no problems.

JayEnnis

I'd look into getting a quality shaving soap & brush. Also the aim of a DE razor is hair reduction so it may take a few passes so make sure you soap up between each pass. Don't press down on it just let the weight of the razor cut the hair. Different blades also have a bearing on your shave, I find the Wilkinson Sword blades to be very gentle but there's loads of variety out there.

Cabaal

paddyandy wrote: »

I learnt years ago that soap and creams play little or no part in shaving it's the hot water and a good blade.

I have to disagree completely,
When I first started shaving with a DE in January 09 I tried all sorts of creams and soaps and every time I shaved I used to get an awful rash on my neck (I also tried various blades).

After ALOT of trial and error I finally found Mitchells Wool Fat Shaving Soap was the only solution that would stop me getting this rash,

When I go for a weekend away I can often get away with one or two shaves with Proraso Sensitive but after that I find I get a red neck again.

So while hot water, a good blade and technique does matter alright so does the type of soap or cream you choose to use.

Tazium

Thanks for the comments, I'll get some Wilkinson Sword blades on the way home and place an order for the creams as suggested by Cabaal. I'll give them a go and see if it's better.

Thanks

oscarBravo

Like Cabaal, I swear by Wool Fat. I also start every shave with Proraso pre-shave cream. If I ever skip that step I can really feel the difference afterwards.

uch

Tazium, I gave up on soaps and creams and just use Silcocks Base emolient cream from the Chemist (about €5 for a large tub), I now get a great shave and moisturised all in one go.

uch

Actually meant to say too regarding the blades, get the Sample Pack from Shaving.ie and you should find one that suits you, I had to try 3 or 4 different types before I found what suited me best

Tazium

The order is in with shaving.ie for some new products.

Thanks for the tips.

paddyandy

I had no idea i was up against people pushing bathroom products i'll not waste any effort here again.

MadsL

I had no idea i was up against people pushing bathroom products i'll not waste any effort here again.

Someone disagreed with you on a discussion forum *shocker* :eek:

If you stick around boards long enough you'll find that tends to happen. No-one is pushing anything, and I agree with about half of what you said. The stuff about electric razors I would disagree with however (any advertising influence there?)

You'll find that most people in this forum are rather seriously into their shaving kit.

Tazium

paddyandy wrote: »

I had no idea i was up against people pushing bathroom products i'll not waste any effort here again.

Nah, don't be like that :eek:. I appreciate your comments and you were the only one to suggest reading the ingredients on the cream!

I can't shave without something to help the blade though. That's just my skin. I also like the idea of Silcox base and I'll give that a go too. I want a better feeling, reasonably close shave and I'd like to use a safety razor to get it.

Cabaal

paddyandy wrote: »

I had no idea i was up against people pushing bathroom products i'll not waste any effort here again.

Its not about pushing bathroom products in fairness, I hate branded stuff in day to day life.

I'm simply pointing out that other stuff can be a major factor when shaving and especially for people with sensitive skin that get razor burn etc very easily.

Hell if I could get away without spending the extra few euro on a different soap I would, would eb much easier to just pick up any brand from shops instead of ordering on-line but then I've tried that and sadly it didn't work out.

Only benefit is one bar of soap lasts me a good few months so its likely cheaper then a if I bought generic shaving cream as I also shave every day.

MadsL

One other thing to check is the direction of hair growth on your neck. It might be that it is growing east/west and you are shaving north/south

*north being up

Check your growth pattern and maybe try ensuring you go WTG and XTG leave ATG alone for a while.


WTG = With the grain
XTG = Across the grain
ATG = Against the grain

Dord

I would suggest that you pay attention to the direction of the hair growth on your neck. I had problems for ages shaving my neck until I took more care and followed the weird direction changes of the hair.

Genghiz Cohen

Just to echo.
Mitchell's Wool Fat is amazing, smells great too
I'm just starting to nail the direction of my hair under my neck, just either side of my throat.
Silky...

ScumLord

I was having that problem too but I have discovered ways of over coming it that where down to the way I shaved.

Slow down, was the first thing that helped, when I started going much slower I got a better shave. I look at it as giving the one blade the time it needs to do the job.

Less pressure, I was pushing the blade into the face and found it wasn't necessary and caused cuts and rash.


It did take me a long time to get the hang of shaving (I'm not a regular shaver) with the DE blades they are totally different and need a skill level to work for you that the disposables and engineered around.

As was said already, too much pressure on the skin will cause friction and more rawness, as will shaving against the direction of hair growth.

Why use hot water? Cool or cold is better for avoiding skin irritation. And sometimes shaving gels and foams are part of the problem. Try a mixture of shaving oil and olive oil, dab some extra cold water on your face, make sure to keep the razor wet while shaving, and rinse the blade frequently - that last one is especially important if you're using multiple blade razors, because the gaps between the blades will get clogged otherwise.

Tazium

Thanks for all the comments and tips fellas. I placed an order for a bunch of stuff with Shaving.ie and since that gear has arrived I've followed the Mantic guides and the tips on this forum and it's a lot better now! The Poraso razor burn cream is fantastic as is their pre-shave stuff and their shave cream. I've not tried the Mitchels wool fat yet. I'm most surprised by the tiny amounts used during the shaves. I've enough to last at least a year.

The neck is still my trouble spot so I'm spending more time getting it right and I expect I'll have it consistently good after another couple of shaves.