Hard to shave back of head--cowlick, neck burns/bumps. Suggestions?

[Bald Hobbit]

Day 6 Sly.

Hi, I've been shaving my head for the last week, and I love it. Problem is, the back of my neck. It's a more fleshy area, so it's nearly impossible to get smooth, and I keep getting razor bumps there. Also, my cowlick is right in the spot in back where the skull dips slightly, so that's hard to get smooth. Any advice?

Also, how long is it before you're used enough to shaving that you know how to get all the spots down smooth?

[TheSlyBear]

Firstly, how many times are you going over it to "get it smooth"? If it's more than once, stop! Mine will never be as smooth as the rest of my head either, and going over it again and again will just lead to irritation.

I also find that, for me, shaving every other day, as opposed to every day, keeps back-of-the-neck irritation at bay. 

The other sly brothers will likely chime in with products they've tried that could help.

[ZachM]

Hello, Chris.  Yes, it is hard to get the back your neck totally smooth.  I find that shaving every other day helps instead of everyday.  Also I don't know what you're shaving with, but I recently switched to the HeadBlade and found that shaving against the grain was much easier and resulted in a smoother shave.

[mrzed]

my cowlick is right in the spot in back where the skull dips slightly, so that's hard to get smooth. Any advice?

Ah, you've got that spot too!

It just takes going over it from all directions. Front to back, back to front, left to right, right to left, and on the diagonals.
Even then you miss it some days. 

Oh, well.

Live goes on and the rest of the head is smooth.

Congratulations on a week of being bald.

[Frontier Guy]

Yeah, the cowlick requires approach from multiple directions.

And, for me, there are several spots on the back of my neck that simply defy being shaved smooth - and I'm content not giving them any more worry. Visually it's not possible to tell that they aren't smooth - and all the headrubs so far have been focused on the top of my scalp which is BBS and A-OK.

Going Sly is supposed to be about simplification and less worry (in my interpretation).

[Razorhead]

I agree with slybear. The more you go over the same spot the you risk irritation. Try. Applying king of shave oil first then shaving cream on top of that. Kos helps to eliminate irritation. The neck is the hardest part for me too. I don't expect perfection for smoothness there.

[Bald Hobbit]

Thanks, guys. And it's not that I'm trying to get the neck perfectly smooth, just shaved down a bit. I think I really just need to go with the grain on it, I'm new to this and that should've been my first action.

[Sir Harry]

Believe it or not, it's harder to shave the back more than any other area for most guys. The hair in the back is stronger than on the top and at the crown. Even when I get that BBS feeling all over I still can see the shadow or the MPB ring around my head. I wouldn't lose any sleep over not being perfect, a little stubble beats bumps anytime. Shave Secret from WalMart is another good item to use with your shaving that can give you a good shave without irritation. You can use it alone, or mixed in with your shaving soap/gel/cream. No more than five drops per shave, I still have the bottle I purchased New Year's weekend. Good Luck!

[greatnessinc]

For the cowlick try this: shave in clockwise/counter clockwise circles/semi circles depending on how your hair grows.
Back of the neck irritation can be helped with use of Cortisone (might not clear it up immediately but it'll reduce irritation). I use Cortizone 10 and sometimes Cortaid.

[mahaw90]

I used to have this problem. Try applying some baby oil to the back of the head, so the blade slides extra easy across the skin. Also take your time, i find that going especially slow at that little bit at the back of the head helps me a lot. Also a good aftershave will really help, ClearHead by HeadBlade or Bump Patrol. Both very good.