horrible burn 1 day after shaving

RoyalMarine

i work in a job where i need to be freshly shaved on a regular basis.

also, we have a horrible shirt and tie to wear and its killing me.

i shave in the morning, and then have a shower. my neck feels great. i go to work and everything is fine.

the next morning, there is a small bit of stuble and its not noticable. so i dont re-shave.
i go to work, and within an hour of wearing my shirt, my neck is on fire and ive got millions of red spots all over my neck. its not the shirt, as it happens with all my shirts.
ive washed them over and over to make sure there is no starch on them.

im using very plain sensitive shaving gel from wilkinson sword. and i use a fresh blade everytime.
i dont use any after gel / lotion / balm or anything.

is there anything i can do to stop it burning so bad?

mcauley

Ouch. . . I had a similar (probably smaller scale) problem. . . Are you shaving too close? I bought an electric razor, it doesnt give AS close a shave, but it does eliminate this problem. . .

My understanding was: You are having a very close shave (with a razor). They skin seals up over the newly shaved hair follicle. Then the hair begins growing again, it then needs to "break through" the skin, this causing the red spots and irritation on the skin. . . . Its not a pleasant scenario.

The electric razor gives a decent enough shave, but not TOO close. . . Give it a try.

Other theory would be that a) You may have very sensitive skin, b) you may have very coarse facial hair. . .

They fact that it's "one day later" indicates that its the same problem as me - the hair gets to the stage where the skin has sealed over it, and then need to break through the skin again - thus causing irritation / redness / spots.....

Good Luck OP!

Red Hand

Shave after having the shower. Don't dry your face or head after stepping out of the shower. This means that the stubble is still soft after having the warm water on it and will come off easier.

Maybe use a balm, too, to cool off the burning feeling?

mcauley

@ Jeremiah - I do both of those things - but if I shave using razor (i.e. Mach 3 / Fusion) I still have the same problems.

I guess I just have sensitive skin and the facial hair protruding through the skin causes irritation/discomfort - for me its electric shave all the way. I do prefer the close shave of a razor, but I have to compromise cos of the irritation!

jdivision

don't use an electric razor, makes it worse for most people. you need to shower in order to open your pores, then wash your face using a facewash (not soap, it'll dry out your skin and irritate it) and then shave preferably with a gel like King of Shaves (not one out of the can). Afterwards use a post shave moisturer - get a good one, it's worth the investment. The best midmarket one I've used is the King of Shaves one (available in Boots) but some people on here like the Nivea one. The next day, wash your face again and moisturise your face again whether you shave or not

il gatto

Proraso ftw.

Ginger

Check you neck size, it sounds like you have a half size too small to be honest. Also if you have polyester shirts this can also cause this issue as its not a natural fibre.

If you can find it, BioTherm Hommes active shave repair is an excellent after shave balm that does eliminate most of this. Unfortunately its pricey at 15GBP.

RoyalMarine

mcauley wrote: »

Other theory would be that a) You may have very sensitive skin, b) you may have very coarse facial hair. . .

They fact that it's "one day later" indicates that its the same problem as me - the hair gets to the stage where the skin has sealed over it, and then need to break through the skin again - thus causing irritation / redness / spots.....

Good Luck OP!

thanks for the info. yeah i have very sensitive skin.
ive tried an electric razor and it made it a lot worse because it was a dry shave.
i think it might be because i shave very very close.

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Shave after having the shower. Don't dry your face or head after stepping out of the shower. This means that the stubble is still soft after having the warm water on it and will come off easier.

Maybe use a balm, too, to cool off the burning feeling?

i prefer to shave before i shower. but before i shave i wash my face with warm water and put a steamed hot towel on my neck for 2 mins to open my pores for shaving.

jdivision wrote: »

don't use an electric razor, makes it worse for most people. you need to shower in order to open your pores, then wash your face using a facewash (not soap, it'll dry out your skin and irritate it) and then shave preferably with a gel like King of Shaves (not one out of the can). Afterwards use a post shave moisturer - get a good one, it's worth the investment. The best midmarket one I've used is the King of Shaves one (available in Boots) but some people on here like the Nivea one. The next day, wash your face again and moisturise your face again whether you shave or not

dont use electric.
see reply above to showering before.
dont use soap.
nearly all shaing gel's give me a horrible rash. ive got very sensitive skin and this is the only one that doesnt cause a problem.
and i wash my face and moisturise everyday as it is

Ginger wrote: »

Check you neck size, it sounds like you have a half size too small to be honest. Also if you have polyester shirts this can also cause this issue as its not a natural fibre.

If you can find it, BioTherm Hommes active shave repair is an excellent after shave balm that does eliminate most of this. Unfortunately its pricey at 15GBP.

shirts arnt polyester
and ive got 4 shirts for work. and there's plenty of room in them. the shirt isnt hugging my neck. in fact id say they were half a size too big. but thats beneficial.

bought a bottle of that biotherm hommes just now! hope it works as im desperate and tried everything!

thanks a mill for all the replies.

JuiceC

First things first get yourself Tend Skin which will repair the damage!!

Then shave in the shower using a decent shaving cream and brush (e.g. proraso). After shaving use a tea tree oil based face wash (e.g. menu) to cool the face and also get rid of any reside & hair from.

Then Use the Tend Skin and once dry apply a small amount of a decent balm or moisturiser.

(Hopefully!!!) probelm solved.

Good luck.

fenris

+1 for proraso
get the starter kit in knights of stephens green - shaving brush, tube of shaving soap, pre-shave cream and a little tube of "just in case you cut yourself"
The pre shave cream is quite good afterwards.

Shaving gels and foams in cans can really irritate - needs more than just soap in there to make it come out of the can.

It may also be worth thinking about a single blade razor like a Merkur, you are less likely to rush your shave if you have a razor that can actually cut you!

Finally only shave where there is lather with a wet razor, don't go back for seconds without putting more lather on, one of the functions of the lather is to protect you from razor burn.

il gatto

yeah. I use a Merkur Futur and it makes you go a bit slower (better than ending up like a victim of Sweeney Todd:D).
I know this sounds obvious, but you don't shave up the way, do you? Going against the grain is a surefire way to irritation.

RoyalMarine

fenris wrote: »

+1 for proraso
get the starter kit in knights of stephens green - shaving brush, tube of shaving soap, pre-shave cream and a little tube of "just in case you cut yourself"
The pre shave cream is quite good afterwards.

Shaving gels and foams in cans can really irritate - needs more than just soap in there to make it come out of the can.

It may also be worth thinking about a single blade razor like a Merkur, you are less likely to rush your shave if you have a razor that can actually cut you!

Finally only shave where there is lather with a wet razor, don't go back for seconds without putting more lather on, one of the functions of the lather is to protect you from razor burn.

sometimes id miss a bit but i wouldnt put more foam on. guess i should be more attentative in the future. thanks for the info!

il gatto wrote: »

yeah. I use a Merkur Futur and it makes you go a bit slower (better than ending up like a victim of Sweeney Todd:D).
I know this sounds obvious, but you don't shave up the way, do you? Going against the grain is a surefire way to irritation.

yeah i shave with the grain. it gets a million times worse if i go against the grain.

JuiceC wrote: »

First things first get yourself Tend Skin which will repair the damage!!

Then shave in the shower using a decent shaving cream and brush (e.g. proraso). After shaving use a tea tree oil based face wash (e.g. menu) to cool the face and also get rid of any reside & hair from.

Then Use the Tend Skin and once dry apply a small amount of a decent balm or moisturiser.

(Hopefully!!!) probelm solved.

Good luck.

excellent! ill that that method in the morning when i shave.

ike

+1 on shaving in the shower, I have sensitive skin too and can really only shave every second day, luckly i don;t have a really heavy, dark growth. I picked up a cheap plastic mirror with suction pads which stick to the shower door. Saves a lot of time too. To prevent the mirror fogging up just wipe it over with a bit of shower gel or something and rinse off

I also use a tree tea oil face wash before and afterwards