Problems on neck

[pal251]

Hi all


I am having problems with having irritation and bumps mainly on the lower end of my neck (basically all of it). Basically everything jawline down is getting messed up....I have always shaved in the shower with reasonable results but would still get irritation. Ive tried almost every cartridge 1 2 3 4 bladed systems out there with the same results so I started going with a double edge razor.

My technique is as follows..I start out shaving down and along the jawline rinsing in hot water after every stroke. Then I shave down directly from bottom of jawline to the bottom of neck. I am using a open comb merkur razor with the blades that come with it. I take a shower and wash my face before I start and lather up with shave soap and brush. I use a non alcohol based lotion/aftershave

PLEASE help me..I think it may be in my technique not sure.

[fatt_tony]

I would take that blade that came with the razor out and throw it as far as you can. These are bad because of all the bumping around they do traveling with the razor. Get some derbys or something of the like. Maybe a blade sample pack or something. I have never tried an open comb razor so i can not comment on the agressiveness of it. But definetly use a differant blade. And try not washing your face before you shave or not washing the areas going to be shaved. The natural oil left on you face will help the razor glide smoothly and also shaving said area will surely clean it.

[Mottern Man]

1. More Prep work (my neck has pretty tough hair a needs more work for prep). Wash it good with a gentle soap and give a hot towel treatment a try. I don't use a hot towel but it may work for you. After washing give hot water enough time to soak in your face i.e. give yourself a ton of hot water splashes.

2. Let your lather set a min; this may help soften the beard

3. Your razor may be to aggressive for you, try something more mild.

4. Try a blade sample pack you may not be using the right ones.

5. Watch the grain make sure you are shaving with it (some neck hairs don’t go N-S etc.). Go one pass with the grain until it heals up.

6. Absolutely, positively use NO PRESSURE WHAT SO EVER. You should feel the razor barley even touch the skin (you want it to cut hair not erase the face).

7 An ABAS may help get rid of razor burn, don't be scared to give Aqua Velva a try :cool: (or Clubman, Old Spice, etc.).

Good luck and remember "just shave baby"!

[JayKay]

Open comb razors are more agressive than their closed combed companions and can often give you a better shave, but will also give you more of a chance to mess up causing razor burn, cuts, etc. You should shower and wash your face before shaving but dont use a scrub or an exfoliator, just plain ol' face soap. As for the blades bouncing around in the packageing, this is a bit of a myth. Its seldom for the blades edge to be damaged during shipping while with the razor. What is more likely is the blade doesnt agree with your skin. Most people find that the blades dont agree with the, but the few who do like them tend to buy other blades because the merkurs are uber expensive. You should also learn the direction of your beard growth on your neck. You may be shaving ATG or XTG without even knowing it. Possibly invest in a preshave rutine. Also, keep practicing your technique, generally the neck is the last place you'll have your technique down.

[JayKay]

P.s.


Dont use the velva. I hear its really windshild wiper fluid :D

[Mottern Man]

Open comb razors are more agressive than their closed combed companions and can often give you a better shave, but will also give you more of a chance to mess up causing razor burn, cuts, etc. You should shower and wash your face before shaving but dont use a scrub or an exfoliator, just plain ol' face soap. As for the blades bouncing around in the packageing, this is a bit of a myth. Its seldom for the blades edge to be damaged during shipping while with the razor. What is more likely is the blade doesnt agree with your skin. Most people find that the blades dont agree with the, but the few who do like them tend to buy other blades because the merkurs are uber expensive. You should also learn the direction of your beard growth on your neck. You may be shaving ATG or XTG without even knowing it. Possibly invest in a preshave rutine. Also, keep practicing your technique, generally the neck is the last place you'll have your technique down

Yea, all of that too. :cool:

P.s.


Dont use the velva. I hear its really windshild wiper fluid :D


And a damn fine one. :p

[pal251]

Ok I will try a sampler pack, what store besides west coast shaving has one since they are closed till the 20th I believe.

What does ABAS mean...does it mean alcohol based after shave?

How about BBS what does that mean...

I need a acronym dictionary to figure out half the stuff on this board :)

[Reformation Student]

Ok I will try a sampler pack, what store besides west coast shaving has one since they are closed till the 20th I believe.

What does ABAS mean...does it mean alcohol based after shave? I believe so

How about BBS what does that mean... Baby butt smooth

I need a acronym dictionary to figure out half the stuff on this board :)

Refer to the red text

Also, if you try an alcohol based aftershave, try Pinaud Clubman. It has great healing qualities and it smells just like an old time barbershop :)

[JayKay]

www.razorandbrush.com offers sample packs at good prices. I prefer theirs over the west coast shaving ones. ABAS does mean alcohol based after shave, but it'll hurt like hell if you're still working on technique.

[Mottern Man]

ABAS does mean alcohol based after shave, but it'll hurt like hell if you're still working on technique.

Makes it a good yardstick.

[Michael]

Ok I will try a sampler pack, what store besides west coast shaving has one since they are closed till the 20th I believe.

What does ABAS mean...does it mean alcohol based after shave?

How about BBS what does that mean...

I need a acronym dictionary to figure out half the stuff on this board :)

For a list of the more common acronyms, go here (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1893&highlight=acronyms).

Re the care and feeding of blade sampler packs (http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2346&highlight=disquisition)...

And lose the open comb until you get the hang of this.

[oldfat1]

I have found that taking smaller strokes, dividing the neck area into halves or even thirds helped me. By taking shorter strokes you can keep the blade angle the same (works for me anyway) and I must repeat use no pressure, you should feel the blade just slide across without pulling. Try turning the water off, then listen to the sound, you can hear the hairs being cut while only feeling the razor slide over your face.

I agree that the open comb is not the best newbie razor. I have a couple of Superspeeds laying around, send me a PM with your address, I'll be glad to send you one,

[fritz]

Open comb razors are more aggressive than their closed combed companions and can often give you a better shave, but will also give you more of a chance to mess up causing razor burn, cuts, etc. ...
I know that view seems to be widely held, or at least often repeated, but my experience is slightly different. I agree that the early Gillettes (through the NEW) that have open combs can be very aggressive. However, I have the Merkur 1904 classic in open comb, and the 11C "barberpole" in open comb, and find them much more forgiving than the 38C and the LHC "closed comb" that Merkur uses. Unless you press too hard, the Merkur open combs will not let the blade edge touch the skin unless you have very close to the correct angle. So if it cuts whiskers at all, then you have the right angle. Whether that makes it a good or a bad choice for a newbie, I don't know.

I do think the Merkur blades are more likely to be a big part of the problem. There seem to be many people that these blades do not suit well.

[pal251]

I tried watching and making sure I did not go against the grain the last few days plus I have been pressing very lightly compared to what I was. I think it is helping but I need to find a good aftershave and pershaps a good preshave

[pal251]

Update ----

As of today my neck has cleared up tremendusly. I started shaving light as possible going down to half way down neck from the top. Then going nose to ear on checkbones. After that I relather and shave up from the bottom of the neck about 2 or 3 inches. It seems the hair on the bottom of neck goes up instead of down for me. It seemed to have cleared it up immensely I also take a shower before the shave and rinse off with cold water afterwards.

I picked up some alcohol based aftershave at walegreens...its the popular one....cant think of the name. Its the italian clubman pinaurd or something. Then I put on some lotion about 3 or 4 minutes afterwards.

Now I want to try a shaving cream from a tube instead of my soaps..

[Mottern Man]

Pinaud Clubman, good stuffs

If you need a lotion may I suggest Nivea Aftershave Balm also sold at drugstores.

Nice to see you getting along with your shave. :cool:

[JayKay]

If you can get it locally, I would suggest Kiehls Facial Fuel Moisturizer as an aftershave. Stuff works like a charm. I'm also a big fan of splitting up the neck into different sections. From the jaw bone to the curve of the neck and than from the curve down gets it done for me.

[shavingidiot savant]

Hi all


I am having problems with having irritation and bumps mainly on the lower end of my neck (basically all of it). Basically everything jawline down is getting messed up....I have always shaved in the shower with reasonable results but would still get irritation. Ive tried almost every cartridge 1 2 3 4 bladed systems out there with the same results so I started going with a double edge razor.

My technique is as follows..I start out shaving down and along the jawline rinsing in hot water after every stroke. Then I shave down directly from bottom of jawline to the bottom of neck. I am using a open comb merkur razor with the blades that come with it. I take a shower and wash my face before I start and lather up with shave soap and brush. I use a non alcohol based lotion/aftershave

PLEASE help me..I think it may be in my technique not sure.

Hiya, and a belated welcome to here,
I was gonna try and fumble my way through a possible solution to your neck problems, but it looks like you resolved that by yourself. Yeah, mapping the grain is a strange thing to do, but it sure does help. It seems the neck whiskers are God's little joke on us guys......they grow every which way possible in a totally random manner. My neck's beard pattern looks a lot like crop circles...heh. Anyway, I'm glad you figured that part out because that should make things a lot smoother sailing from now on.
I agree with the other members about dumping the Merkur blades, at least for the moment. You can always revisit them later and will be able to make a better comparison then. Let me explain by relating my own experiences. I started off using the Merkur blades when going to a DE, and used em for 8-10 shaves. Now, I'd just stopped using my injector (which was excellent), and I was used to smooth shaves. Although I never cut myself with those Merkur blades, I also never got a shave that didn't have some 'pull' to it. I chalked it up more to my technique than the blade. I was dead wrong, and after switching blades my shaves instantly became a LOT better. There ARE some members who do like those blades, but not too many.
The razor is one I haven't used, but sounds like this one may be best suited as one to revisit also sometime. It's not that you CAN'T get a good shave with some razors, but rather they take a more experienced hand to tame...heh. They need a reference point, in other words. In addition, even with great technique, the razor itself may be too aggressive because of it's design. On the other hand, some razors can be too mild. You want to minimize those extreme options if you can, when first starting out. Oh....one thing I'd highly recommend would be using a hot towel on your face for a minute or two just before shaving. That made a big difference in my shave, even though it's a little thing.
Anyway, I have a razor I can send you to try for a few weeks. You can choose between a 40's superspeed or a 60's slim adjustable. Both have their fans here, and it's up to you. Hehe, I'll also include a few other blades which you might find amusing.
Let me know if that interests you and pm me if you like. Otherwise, good luck with your shaving journey.
Martin

[pal251]

I forgot to mention I ordered a superspeed a couple days after getting the merkur and as soon as I got it I have not went back to the merkur. I believe the merkur was too aggressive..perhaps from the open comb plus my technique improved around that time I think

[mercV12]

I had the same problem. Aqua Velva applied on my neck 5 times a day did the trick in 3 days.