Shaving Irritation: A Scientific Approach

ESBrushmaker , Your points are very good and I agree. My personal goal on the 'scientific approach' is not to lay out a bunch of right way and wrong way rules. To your point, folks have to find what works for them. Rather, my goal is to build a framework of truth. There is much variation in men, so what what is true for most won't be true for all. This framework of truth is meant to uncover information that both myself and others don't know. It is also to dispel some myths, which are believed to varying degrees.

You gave a perfect example with a straight razor. Boker says that the optimum angle for a straight razor to do its job is 30 degrees. I cut easily around my nose. Even though 30 degrees may provide optimal cutting efficiency, I keep the blade flatter so I don't see any blood.

Thanks to all for their comments!

scanning my neck with a microscope would be neat!

ESBrushmaker ,  Your points are very good and I agree.  My personal goal on the 'scientific approach' is not to lay out a bunch of right way and wrong way rules.  To your point, folks have to find what works for them.   Rather, my goal is to build a framework of truth.  There is much variation in men, so what what is true for most won't be true for all.  This framework of truth is meant to uncover information that both myself and others don't know.  It is also to dispel some myths, which are believed to varying degrees.

You gave a perfect example with a straight razor.  Boker says that the optimum angle for a straight razor to do its job is 30 degrees.  I cut easily around my nose.  Even though 30 degrees may provide optimal cutting efficiency, I keep the blade flatter so I don't see any blood.

Thanks to all for their comments!

I think you've achieved your goal--and I appreciate your approach.

Neat website, BTW. (Now, if Andrew can just scan his neck )

ESBrushmaker ,  Your points are very good and I agree.  My personal goal on the 'scientific approach' is not to lay out a bunch of right way and wrong way rules.  To your point, folks have to find what works for them.   Rather, my goal is to build a framework of truth.  There is much variation in men, so what what is true for most won't be true for all.  This framework of truth is meant to uncover information that both myself and others don't know.  It is also to dispel some myths, which are believed to varying degrees.

You gave a perfect example with a straight razor.  Boker says that the optimum angle for a straight razor to do its job is 30 degrees.  I cut easily around my nose.  Even though 30 degrees may provide optimal cutting efficiency, I keep the blade flatter so I don't see any blood.

Thanks to all for their comments!

I think you've achieved your goal--and I appreciate your approach.

Neat website, BTW.  (Now, if Andrew can just scan his neck   )

for science, I'd let someone check out my neck!

ESBrushmaker ,  Your points are very good and I agree.  My personal goal on the 'scientific approach' is not to lay out a bunch of right way and wrong way rules.  To your point, folks have to find what works for them.   Rather, my goal is to build a framework of truth.  There is much variation in men, so what what is true for most won't be true for all.  This framework of truth is meant to uncover information that both myself and others don't know.  It is also to dispel some myths, which are believed to varying degrees.

You gave a perfect example with a straight razor.  Boker says that the optimum angle for a straight razor to do its job is 30 degrees.  I cut easily around my nose.  Even though 30 degrees may provide optimal cutting efficiency, I keep the blade flatter so I don't see any blood.

Thanks to all for their comments!

I think you've achieved your goal--and I appreciate your approach.

Neat website, BTW.  (Now, if Andrew can just scan his neck   )

for science, I'd let someone check out my neck!

You're a good man, Andrew.

andrewjs18, My iPhone 5s has a zoom lens.  haha.  The guy who did this study is in Redmond, England.  His name is Kevin Cowley and his email is cowley.k@pg.com.  If you ever to to the UK, you ought to reach out.  You never know if he might have a study you are interested in.

Here is a bit more info about our necks.  As you can see in the scan below, cheek skin is flat like the midwestern plains and neck skin is like the mountains.  The author did a good job by making the mountain peaks red, because that matches the color of the blood that comes if you irritate them.  

Oh, and there is more about our necks.  Whiskers come out of the follicles at a much lower angle on the neck.  That enables trapped hairs with have been covered.   It also creates laying down whiskers, which the razor glides right over.  

I don’t have anything evidence based to share on the flat layers, though have ideas.  I wonder if pre-shave oil helps get them standing more.  I wouldn’t recommend add oil to the mix for those with low irritation, though may be something to try if this is a trouble area. I also wonder if if the shaving brush helps here.  

It makes perfect sense to me that if you can get oil or soap under the flat part that it will be much more likely to be cut by the razor.

I know my neck hair lays VERY flat against my skin.

You can try to use a bar of glycerin soap and rub it against the grain on the neck as Douglas Smythe recommends as a preshave soap. That should help trap the soap under the hair and lift it.

You can start the video at the 8:50 mark.

https://youtu.be/3S8X_4ISgJg