Shaving Advice

Gents,

I need some advice on wet shaving. I've used multiple razors, variety of blades, growth pattern, etc. The problem is that I still get ingrown hairs on my neck. What advice can I get? Thanks gents.

Gents,

I need some advice on wet shaving. I've used multiple razors, variety of blades, growth pattern, etc. The problem is that I still get ingrown hairs on my neck. What advice can I get? Thanks gents.

What products are you using? It could be any of them or all of them. Do you have a quality soap and are you lathering it properly to produce a slick and stable lather? Are you using an aggressive razor that may be irritating your skin? Do you have a pre-shave regimen?

A few gents here who have the same ingrown hair problem find that a single edge razor and blade, like the GEM Featherweight helps quite a bit.  Perhaps some of them will chime in.  I don't remember if SharpSpine and andrewjs18 have the problem but I know they recommend SE razors/blades as they both have sensitive skin.

A few gents here who have the same ingrown hair problem find that a single edge razor and blade, like the GEM Featherweight helps quite a bit.  Perhaps some of them will chime in.  I don't remember if SharpSpine and andrewjs18 have the problem but I know they recommend SE razors/blades as they both have sensitive skin.

I have sensitive skin too, especially on my neck. I used to get ingrown hairs on the middle of my throat but using a DE and quality soaps has resolved that issue. I haven't tried an SE so can't recommend one but the Feather AS-D2 has been great for my skin. The Edwin Jagger DE89 and iKon 101 also provide me with irritation free shaves at a fraction of the cost and when paired with the right blades of course. However, the AS-D2 is a more forgiving razor even than the DE89, thus I highly recommend it for anyone with sensitive skin that can't tolerate an aggressive razor.

what type of facial hair do you have? thin, coarse, etc., etc.?

most people will switch over to trying a SE of some sort (injector or a standard SE like a GEM or ever-ready) if they have coarse facial hair as the blade is stiffer than a DE blade and doesn't flex as much when it's slicing through the hair. another alternative is to try a slant since it adds torque on the DE blade and makes it stiffer.

a few other basic tips people will typically recommend: shave with the grain (WTG) and do fewer passes around your troublesome areas. for me, my lower neck is prone for ingrowns so I really only do 1 pass over the area. sure, it's not as close of a shave as say on my cheeks, but my cheeks don't give me any problems with ingrowns and bumps.

oh, I'd also like to mention that not only does the hair on my neck grow in 4 different directions, but it lays flat and it gets curly if it gets long enough.  the problem with my curly, flat laying hair is that if I don't shave often enough, the hair will literally try to grow back into skin and cause red bumps on my neck, like so:

Gents,

Thank you for the many responses. I am in the military, and a Hispanic male. My skin is very sensitive and the water here is quite hard. I am using Derby w/ a RazoRock Baby Smooth. Great shave, but the ingrown hair are killing me. I shave with the down pattern, even on my face. I am also currently using a Proraso boar brush, and I also have a synthetic brush. Soap is Catie's Bubbles, and aftershave is Thayer's Witch Hazel Rose Petal.

Gents,

Thank you for the many responses. I am in the military, and a Hispanic male. My skin is very sensitive and the water here is quite hard. I am using Derby w/ a RazoRock Baby Smooth. Great shave, but the ingrown hair are killing me. I shave with the down pattern, even on my face. I am also currently using a Proraso boar brush, and I also have a synthetic brush. Soap is Catie's Bubbles, and aftershave is Thayer's Witch Hazel Rose Petal.

Hm. The Derby is a fine blade for some, but it's not particularly sharp compared to other blades out there. Somewhat counterintuitively, a sharper blade (with good technique!) will often cause less irritation since it cuts through whiskers more effectively, with less tugging, and not tempting you to even subconsciously apply extra pressure. An especially sharp blade, I find, lets me use a deft, light touch, which means I'm cutting whiskers only, not scraping my skin.

So, in addition to continuing to focus on your technique (slick lather, good angle which means not too steep, and very light pressure), check out some other blades. Some sharper ones I like include Astra SP, Personna "lab blue", Gillette Silver Blue, and, my favorites, Feather.

If it turns out your whiskers are indeed on the thick side, you'd probably benefit from a razor which has more blade rigidity. Some DE razor designs accomplish this by how they grip the blade (the Gillette NEW, the Wolfman), or by torquing the blade in a slant design. Single-edge razors, as mentioned by others above, use thicker blades, which are inherently more rigid. I've started trying some vintage Schick injectors and they're great: relatively easy and shave really well with very little trouble.

Finally, focusing on your hair growth direction is really important. It can switch direction where you don't expect it. Be sure to shave with the grain (WTG) first, then across (XTG). Leave it at that and see how it goes. I'd only add against the grain as a third pass if you don't have problems with the first two passes, and then if ATG is troublesome, skip it. A perfectly close shave isn't worth irritation and bumps!

Gents,

Thank you for the many responses. I am in the military, and a Hispanic male. My skin is very sensitive and the water here is quite hard. I am using Derby w/ a RazoRock Baby Smooth. Great shave, but the ingrown hair are killing me. I shave with the down pattern, even on my face. I am also currently using a Proraso boar brush, and I also have a synthetic brush. Soap is Catie's Bubbles, and aftershave is Thayer's Witch Hazel Rose Petal.

How many passes are you doing and are you using too much pressure?
Your razor is a very mild DE razor which might be tempting you to apply too much pressure.
You may want to reduce the number of passes and use less pressure, along with performing WTG and XTG patterns to see if this may help.
Personally, I would suggest a more aggressive razor than the RazoRock BS such as a Merkur 34C or Progress (great razor and it is adjustable) to see if that would help out.
Good luck.

My neck is like Andrew's. No matter what I use, I get razor bumps if I shave against the grain. Hair simply grows out too flat against the skin. I think the advice about skipping the ATG pass is right on. And possibly ease up on the pressure, if you are indeed using too much.