Easy, first thing I wanted to say that this is truly a FAB forum with a lot of good info. Admittedly I've been been lurking and viewing the topics and thought best to post for the first time as I've taken a lot from reading posts contained here
.
I've been head shaving for around six years now and not with consistently smooth results but have always tried to modify what I do and think I can give some things for you guys to consider along with the issues you've already heard. I see head shaving over three phases. Cleansing, Shaving and maintaining your skin (in this case your dome).
Take cleansing, many guys talk about bumps, irritations that are caused by acne, the shaving process or
Pityrosporum Folliculitis. It is important to understand what causes these for one guy might not be the same for another but there are some good products that have been recommended on forums such as
www.acne.org . Anti dandruff shampoos such as Head&Shoulders contain a zinc ingredient that is anti fungal and helps a great deal with bumps created from an oily head. Personally I use a znp bar for my head
http://www.amazon.com/ZNP-Bar-4-2-oz/dp/B0000Y3CQU. Basically an anti fungal/dandruff treatment in bar form containing zinc and I do think that using something like this regularly along side the occasional use of a good quality scrub such as St Ives which is touted a lot here, should really help. I do feel a scrub that contains salicylic acid though should only be be used occasionally though as over use of an acid treatment can be counter productive. Along with basic hygiene, changing the pillows frequently etc should do a lot to calm the skin and making shaving that little bit easier.
For shaving I've tried many razors like I'm sure youz all have have. I've got into traditional wet shaving with a good brush, safety razor and Creme but I don't think it's really necessary for head shaving. Primarily due to the skin much being much taughter around the scalp and good head shaving is based on slickness unlike hydrating your face with a good lather to soften your beard. All the Gillette's are good IMO, the fusion by far the quickest shaver but I really never could see a huge difference in the closeness of a shave between that and a machIII or even the Sensor Excel. I had real problems getting use to the headblade though it gave the closest shave I could get other than using my De razor to my head. Instead I came up with a compromise. I loved using the atra blades which I've personally found to be the sharpest cartridge available for the headblade so I got a chrome atra razor handle off ebay to use them with and that's worked sweet. So that's my razor of choice with My DE to finish off if I ever need it.
There's really a good number of shaving lubricants out there. For moi, I've found Bald Guyz Shave Gel is the best lubricant I've used but there's some really good substitutes out there. Billy Jealousy's Hydroplane is very very slick (
https://www.billyjealousy.com/itemdetail.cfm?id=83) though abit pricey and for anyone who definitely has an issue with irritation caused by the actual shaving process, Aveeno's Therapeutic Oatmeal shave gel is very good. Not as slick as the first two mentioned but it's not a big deal . There's one shave oil I wanted to mention as well called Hot six Oil.
http://www.bronnerbros.com/products/hot_6_oil.html. Which I found out about on another forum. Smells gorgeous and used in conjunction with these or any other shave gel should give a great smooth shave. It's very conditioning containing many natural oils and this isn't fact BTW but I've always thought it to help with any shadow you can get over the day because of it's conditioning properties. For me anywayz. Shave Secret is another oil I know that's been mentioned here and I might give that a try aswell.
I feel these and other good products mentioned such as Nivea's extreme comfort gel and HeadSlick (though I didn't like the menthol) along with good regular anti fungal cleansing shouldn't be harsh on the skin at all and pave the way for more consistent smoothness. And regular clearer skin.
I prefer a matte finish so I'm not much help on those wanting shine but I tiny amount pure aloe vera gel after a cold rinse helps with the matte look but also is a great skin calmer for many types of irritation including shaving bumps and redness. Banana Boat's Dri Block lotion
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Banana-Boat-Sport-Lotion-Dri-Block/dp/B001AT3OIK is something I do want to try after reading a post about it here. I found Headlube Matte abit stick and Matte for Men was ok but I don't think it was particularly special. Two products that I think are worth considering are firstly Musgo Real's Aftershave splash
http://www.carterandbond.com/detail.phtml?pID=MR4000&filter=Brands%3AMusgo+Real. This is really for those who are looking for an aftershave treatment. Amongst it's other ingredients, contains both witch hazel and aloe and has been the best thing for my face in terms keeping a smooth blemish free look and would recommend it for the head followed by your favorite moisturizer/sunscreen. It's regarded as one of the best splashes out there on shaving forums such as BadgerandBlade.com. The other treatment is Propylene Glycol. This isn't something to use after shaving but something that can be applied at night after washing. Sometimes I apply aloe vera but I started using this after it cropped up on
www.acne.org. I can't actually explain what it is that well. It's a humidification solution that has to be mixed with distilled water (50:50). You can buy it though pre mixed from on line cigar vender's. I know I know!! There are a few posts on it within the body acne subject of the above group. It's like a anti bacterial lotion that basically dries out in your skin keeping it germ free etc. I use it occasionally at night applying it with a spray bottle and letting it dry & it helps loads as my bumps I've found come from an oily skin and not shaving per se so if you think it might be relevant yo you, read up on it.
The things I've mentioned with patience have been great for me and and I've really enjoyed the sly look along with other things I've done to change my life. Hope you guyz found it useful like I've found your discussions. I just recently got back home (Britain) from quite a stint away and both head and body have suffered abit from my travels but I'll get some pic's up sometime.
Ps I've waffled abit. I'm bed bound at the mo. Sorry.
PPs My fingers hurt!
Peace
Shaf
