The Shaving Rash of Mystery

Ray Dow

Well lads. I recently started getting a shaving rash on my neck. I've been shaving for years and never had this before (it showed up about a month ago). I wet shave about twice a week, I tried changing my foam but the prob seems to be getting worse, on Monday the rash came and went for about 24 hours after the shave. The rash forms just below the hairline on the neck and is itchy as f*ck.

Any ideas?

Twee.

The lads here might be better able to help you!

Insect Overlord

What kind of a blade are you using? It might be that you need a fresh one.

Outkast_IRE

When are you shaving ?
I would suggest straight after a hot shower .
If that isnt feasible i would say wrap a very hot wet towel around your neck/ face for a few minutes before starting.

What are you shaving with ?
When i used gillette/wilkinson sword blades i found some packs werent as good/sharp as others and therfore more likely to cause rash.

Would you consider changing to a safety razor, its much less likely to cause skin rash and is better than any cartridge shave.

Lastly what foam are you using ?
Some of the main foam brands imo arent great, i use proraso and its great
http://www.shaving.ie/categories/Shaving-Products/Shaving-Cream/

Lastly are you using any balm after your done shaving, that can help alot with irritation/rash after a shave.

Ray Dow

Using Gilette Fusion, blades and gel. Blade is relatively new.

Never use hot towels and I'd often shave whenever needed not necessarily after a shower. Never had this prob before so there was no need for any foreplay.

I use Nivea moisturer to finish the job, again this has been my ritual for years and never a bother.

It's a bit of an odd one to be honest. Will give it a couple of weeks before I go down the posh wet shave route. Thanks for the advice lads.

Gran Hermano

What you dismiss as foreplay and a posh wet shave is likely the solution.
Plenty of people have had shaving rashes caused by shaving gear and routines just like yours.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Outkast_IRE

A posh wet shave ??? very silly comment , this is the way people where always shaving until Gillitte and others convinced them otherwise with slick advertising.

Ray Dow

I wasn't being dismissive, guys. The foreplay term was just a witticism and as for the posh shave, I'm assuming the "old fashioned" way of shaving is also the more expensive way. I meant posh strictly in a monetary sense not a derogatory one.

As for the insanity quote, if I was content with doing the same things over and over again then I wouldn't have started this thread.

Thanks for the advice anyway lads. I'll give the "posh shave" a chance and I'll let ye know how I get on

Outkast_IRE

Ray Dow wrote: »

I wasn't being dismissive, guys. The foreplay term was just a witticism and as for the posh shave, I'm assuming the "old fashioned" way of shaving is also the more expensive way. I meant posh strictly in a monetary sense not a derogatory one.

As for the insanity quote, if I was content with doing the same things over and over again then I wouldn't have started this thread.

Thanks for the advice anyway lads. I'll give the "posh shave" a chance and I'll let ye know how I get on

Actually its far cheaper than shaving with cartridge razors.
Put it this way I can get 100 Feather DE blades for 30 quid . These are amongst the very best blades without argument and are on the high end of expense.

Since i would get 5 shaves out of a blade, you can imagine how long these would last.
As for the razor handle your can get great ones from 15 euro up wards and you will never need to replace it unless you want to.

shaving creams are cheaper than foam .
all you need then is the brush to make up the foam.

You will save a fortune. The price of mach 3 blades etc is a sick joke at this stage.

Sofaspud

I use Personna blades that cost about €10 for 100. Razor cost about 20, brush about 25 and I have a couple of different soaps, I use Arko frequently and that only costs about 3.50.

I haven't had to buy blades or soap for well over a year (though I only shave about once a week), and I still have most of it all left.

One small investment will have you "posh shaving" for basically pennies for the rest of your life.

Columbia

There are some commercial products that claim to get rid of shaving rashes, but I've never tried them.

I've used Sudocrem to good effect. It's not a quick fix, mine took about 5 days to clear, applying every night before sleep. Only problem is it's tricky to wash off in the morning without irritating the skin more. If I feel I've had a bad shave I will put a little on my neck as a precaution, and I never get razor rash.

I echo what others are saying, give DE shaving a go. A Palmolive shave stick in Tesco is about 50-60 cents and will last a couple of months, most blades are 10-20 cent depending on what bulk you buy them in, and will last a couple of weeks each (based on shaving twice a week, as you stated). The razor itself is the most expensive thing you'll have to buy, but it will outlive you.

Tefral

I got an Alum block and since then, no rash...

DublinWriter

Could someone else be using your razor on the qt?