Shaving materials for very sensitive skin

adocholiday

Hi all,

Hoping some of you more seasoned groomers might be able to give me some advice. Over the past 3 years or so I have gradually developed pretty bad psoriasis around my scalp, ears and a bit on my nose. One of the other issues this has caused is the skin on my neck particularly to become incredibly sensitive. Every time I shave now I get very sore and often bleed where the irritation is pretty bad. I'm at the point now where I only shave once per week, luckily my managers in work are pretty understanding because I have a very heavy beard and have to shave every day to keep the clean look.

I'm getting very fed up with this. There has to be some products or techniques out there that I can use to make the shaving experience more comfortable.

At the moment I am shaving with a Merkur Classic 42c with Feather blades, an Omega Boar Shaving Brush and I use Taylor Jermyn Street Shaving Cream for Sensitive Skin. That cream was a marked difference to the Proraso Red Sandalwood soap that I was using but it's still an issue for me.

Can anyone recommend any other blades/creams or pre/post shave products that might help with this? It would be really appreciated. I know that technique is important too, but I think I have that down after following various videos etc.

beardybrewer

Well, there are a lot of soaps and after care products for sensitive skin but you seem pretty happy with your soap so as long as it giving you reasonable glide plus cushion you can leave that be. That said don't be afraid to experiment with your lather in case you can whip it up for a bit more protection. Personally I'd want some tallow in my soap to ensure that cushion.

What stands out to me is using Feathers with very sensitive skin. Now, maybe you're technique is spot on and it's not an issue but in general Feathers offer a more aggressive shave. In particular on the neck which is nothing but awkward angles. Perhaps switch it up and try Voshkods, Gillette Yellows, Personas, or Astras.

Another simple suggestion is prep. Make sure you shave after a hot shower or consider using a hot towel pre-shave. Not only is a hot towel (with option pre-shave oil/cream) a little slice of luxury but it will make a big difference to your shave.

adocholiday

Thanks for that reply very helpful. I would be open to trying new soaps/creams if there were any other suggestions, I'm not dead set on the Taylor's one, it's just one that works better than others. I might have a look for one with tallow to try. Any suggested brands?

In terms of blades I have used Gillette Classic Blue, Wilkinson Sword Classic, and Astra Superior Platinum. The Feather's I found best because I have such coarse hair. It's more trying to find the balance between irritation and a good shave. If the blade isn't aggressive enough I've to do multiple passes, making the irritation worse so sometimes a sharper blade is the better option.

The pre-shave prep might be key. I haven't really done anything in that regard except I usually shave after a hot shower and I take time to lather well, massage it into my skin with my hands after brushing on, and then lather again for shaving. I don't use anything like facial scrubs, pre-shave oils etc so that might be worth a shot.

I had a hot towel shave in a barbers a couple of months ago and he commented on how sensitive my skin was. He spent ages prepping with hot towels, almond oil, lather massage etc. and he still could only do 2 passes. I think I might be doomed!

colly10

I rub cade shave oil in before i lather and find it works well, maybe worth a try. Also if you dont already, avoid shaving against or cross grain, 2 passes with the grain should do the job as long as your not missing bits everywhere

The Wolverine

Would you consider rubbing in Johnson's baby oil maybe 5 mins before applying your cream?

Found it good for me.

Pkiernan

Try a sample pack of Personna Platinum blades.
Also use a pre-shave cream not just before the initial With The Grain pass but before every pass. I.E. apply cream before each time you lather up for the next pass.

Orion

beardybrewer wrote: »

What stands out to me is using Feathers with very sensitive skin. Now, maybe you're technique is spot on and it's not an issue but in general Feathers offer a more aggressive shave. In particular on the neck which is nothing but awkward angles. Perhaps switch it up and try Voshkods, Gillette Yellows, Personas, or Astras.

That was the first thing I thought of too. Vokshods are quite agressive too so Personna or Astra might help.

Wesser

What about seeing a dermatologist and getting your psoriasis treated?

adocholiday

Thanks for all of the replies. I purchased Proraso pre-shave cream and a sample pack of various blades from Shaving.ie and had a go with it yesterday. I had one Feather blade left so I said I'd stick with that to see exactly what difference the pre-shave cream would make. A kind of process of elimination I suppose.

It really made a great difference, the shave was smoother and my skin was noticeably less irritated afterwards. No burning sensation mid shave either. I'll have a go at a second shave on Wednesday and I'll use one of the Personas blades to see if it further improves things.

Wesser wrote: »

What about seeing a dermatologist and getting your psoriasis treated?

I have done but there is no 'cure' for psoriasis unfortunately, just methods to keep the symptoms at bay. The only treatments that really work are steroid creams. I generally only use those creams when it flares up particularly badly because they are very greasy and they thin out the skin. It's a bit of a balancing act