issue with bumps on lower neck

this has been an ongoing problem for me, and being that I shave so infrequently, I fall out of my routine and I'm not too sure if I'm using the correct style razor for the type of facial hair that I have. a few things I've learned along the road: if I go too long between shaves, my hair tries to grow back into my skin and causes red bumps...and my neck hair grows in like 4 different directions, making it incredibly tough for me to get an irritation free shave!

SharpSpine seems to think that I need to start using a razor that is mild while being highly efficient...he recommended the ever-ready 1914 razor.

for my last shave, this is how I went about it:

- washed my face with ursa major face wash
- splashed my face with cold water before face lathering using LPV and a synthetic brush
- did 1 pass with an injector type L1, from the bottom on my neck to the edge of my beard
- hopped into the shower, did a mild wash on my face and then applied ASB

the resulting shave after 2 days:









if someone has similar stubble as me, what's worked for you?

Hi Andrew,

I get razor bumps on my neck area as well, but not as significant as yours.  This is what has worked for me.

1. Never use a blade for more than 3 uses.
2. Clean the blade with alcohol after every use.  
3. Go for one pass with touch up.  WTG only.
4. No skin tauting.
5. When shaving the neck, keep your head looking straight into the mirror.  Limit tilting your head back, which tightens up the skin and causes a closer shave.
6. This may be blasphemy, but use an electric on trouble spots.  I bought a philips norelco nose hair and eye brow trimmer, which also works great for getting stray hairs on the beard map area.  I will do a light pass on trouble spots and finish up with the norelco trimmer on my neck.  
7. Shower after every shave to wash away any residual lather.

Hope this helps out!

Regards,

Kyle

I have one spot on my lower neck, left side where that happens sometimes. I've always attributed it to using too much pressure or trying to get too close, as Kyle mentioned.

I have the same trouble! I am finding the more I use a scrub brush beforehand, the less it happens. I also try to build the lather back up for pass 2 and 3 to the same amount as the first pass, rather than just what's still in the brush. It seems to give that extra bit of cushion.

My beard hair is exactly the same as yours. Curly, prone to becoming ingrown, and grows in literally 4 different directions on the right side of my neck. During the Fall/Winter it's better for me and I can just use whatever razor I feel like and have very little issue. When it gets warmer, my neck can look like yours does pretty easily.

So here's what I do that works great for me when I get irritation:
-Use warm to mildly hot water to rinse with
-Stirling Pre-shave soap non-mentholated
-Ikon 102 slant with a Personna Med Prep Blade
-Good quality soap
-Shaveworks "The Cool Fix" as an aftershave**

**The Cool Fix I can't recommend enough. My best friend turned me onto it and it's awesome. Made for women to use after waxing or electrolysis to prevent ingrown hairs and calm the redness. Works like a charm on my sensitive neck skin. Even when I get really bad ingrown hairs this stuff clears it up in about two days. You only use a little of it too, so a bottle will last a long time especially if you're only doing a neck shave. Our local Ulta store carries it, and that's where I got mine, Amazon has the 2oz bottle for a little over $11.

I get these sort of bumps on my lower neck from time to time, too. Two things have helped recently: not stretching much when shaving that area (keeping the skin sort of relaxed; as someone above suggested, try looking straight forward rather than tilting up); and using a mild-but-efficient razor with a sharp blade. The OneBlade, the ATT slant, often the Wolfman: all of these help, with the OneBlade doing the best so far. I suspect my GEM 1912 is in that category, too, but I've only used it a few times.

I suspect part of what happens is the hair gets tugged at more than it should, causing irritation. But I really don't know the dermatology of this.

Andrew, have you ever tried shaving, every day, just incorporating a gentle one-pass shave, especially, in that area?
I have very similar hair to yours and I find limiting the passes on my neck with my favourite shaver and a good blade works well.

Good luck.

I used to get the same thing when using aggressive razors. Using a Feather AS-D2 my neck has no irritation at all. I'm sure there are more affordable razors that will work, but for me it is the combination of a mild and efficient razor that works.

I struggle with this on the back of my neck (head shaver) I like a lot of Kyle's answers below, particularly 3, 4, and 7. Here are some things that seem to have helped me. Some of them may be counterintiutive, and a little controversial, but they've helped me go from antibiotic treatments every 2 or 3 months for an entire year to almost an entire year with none.

-Consider going one-and-done with blades. Just try it for a while and see if it makes any difference.
-Use cold water
-Moisturize. If you're not already, try using a moisturizer morning and night. Nivea Creme is inexpensive and works well for me.
-Use an aggressive razor. This goes along with 3 and 4 below. If I use a REALLY aggressive razor, I can do 3 and 4 below and still get a DFS.
-Try Tend Skin (or a homemade version you can find online if you want to save a little cash). I've had very positive results.
-Use hand towels to dry your face, and never use one more than once without washing.
-Move to synthetic brushes. The exfoliation from the boars was actually irritating my follicles, making things worse.

Hi Andrew,

I get razor bumps on my neck area as well, but not as significant as yours.  This is what has worked for me.

1. Never use a blade for more than 3 uses.
2. Clean the blade with alcohol after every use.  
3. Go for one pass with touch up.  WTG only.
4. No skin tauting.
5. When shaving the neck, keep your head looking straight into the mirror.  Limit tilting your head back, which tightens up the skin and causes a closer shave.
6. This may be blasphemy, but use an electric on trouble spots.  I bought a philips norelco nose hair and eye brow trimmer, which also works great for getting stray hairs on the beard map area.  I will do a light pass on trouble spots and finish up with the norelco trimmer on my neck.  
7. Shower after every shave to wash away any residual lather.

Hope this helps out!

Regards,

Kyle

thanks for the replies so far...keep the ideas rolling in!

Andrew, have you ever tried shaving, every day, just incorporating a gentle one-pass shave, especially, in that area?
I have very similar hair to yours and I find limiting the passes on my neck with my favourite shaver and a good blade works well.

Good luck.

no, and I doubt I'd stick with it. what I am going to try to do is shave a few times a week though!