razor burn

[kferg22]

hey guys..first post here.
i just have a few questions. so i started shaving in march. i've gone with the grain every time except once and i went against and broke out in razor burn on every spot on my head except the top. so i went back to shaving with the grain until a few days ago. a guy i know said he shaves his head with the braun 3 series electric razor and doesn't get any razor burn so i went out and bought it. it requires you to shave against the grain dry. the back of my head broke out like crazy again but not as bad as the first time.
so my questions..
is there any way to reduce razor burn after shaving? i use a nivea after shave which i read was good and i go through all the necessities when shaving (after shower shave, wet, cold water afterwards)

will my head eventually get used to shaving against the grain and not break out as bad? i really want to go against for the smoother look.

and lastly, a guy i know shaves and said he puts rubbing alcohol on his head after shaving and it helps with his razor burn. any truth to this?
any help would be appreciated!

[Frontier Guy]

Welcome kferg,

I don't know about electric shaving, but with blade shaving oftentimes the problem is solved by putting on a layer of pre-shave oil before your shave lotion. For example: Shave Secret (available most places, about $4 at Wal-Mart). I put one drop on my razor and massage five drops onto my scalp. I've never had a problem (I shave against the grain), and a friend who was having issues said they stopped immediately once he started using the oil.

Other guys will be along and give you other options and advice. But again, welcome.

[kferg22]

thanks a lot frontier guy. yeah i'm probably going to go back to the regular razor. and definitely go get the shave secret. i'm really hoping that the more i go against the grain the more my head will get used to it and not be so sensitive. i was reading into bump patrol to use after shaving so i might get that as well and hopefully it will work

[Switchy]

Welcome !  I have shaved in the past with a Electric Razor and often wound up with a burn especially on the neck.  I only shave with a HB sport now and no problem.  Try not to put to much pressure on your razor.   Good Luck.

[Mikekoz13]

Are you shaving with the grain first and then against the grain? Shave with the grain first to get rid of as much of that stubble as possible. This should help with the irritation.
Also... use good quality products. Nivea makes nice products but maybe they just aren't for you. Try another decent product so you have a comparison.

Alcohol after the shave.... not sure about that one. I know a lot of the guys use witch hazel.

[kferg22]

i've only shaved against once and i just went straight to against. i read on here a lot though that most people go with first so i'll give that a try. and yea i'm going to look into the headblade products i read a lof of people on here swearing by them so i'll give them a go. is the witch hazel used as an aftershave product? just rub all over the head? thanks for the input

[Switchy]

the witch is good for alot of things 

[Frontier Guy]

Contrary to the others, I'm not a fan of witch hazel. Just doesn't do anything for me.

Which really makes the point ... every guy is unique. You need to try a few products to find what works best for you. Razors seem to have a huge range of suitability nuances. And, while I'm at it, I'll give my thumbs up for the HeadBlade sport - it's great (for me). Just be sure to let it glide easily - no pressure.

[kferg22]

you know i actually started out with the headblade. the day i decided to shave it i went out and bought the headblade. it was disastrous lol i had to call my girlfriend to come over and help me finish it because i couldn't use the headblade. i like the regular razor. but i bought bump patrol last night and i've been putting it on my head a good amount and it seems to be doing the trick. hopefully with the other headblade products like headshed and headslick it'll cut down on the irritation. i really just want to go against the grain and get that closer look but don't feel like dealing with the razor bumps every single time

[Sir Harry]

you know i actually started out with the headblade. the day i decided to shave it i went out and bought the headblade. it was disastrous lol i had to call my girlfriend to come over and help me finish it because i couldn't use the headblade. i like the regular razor. but i bought bump patrol last night and i've been putting it on my head a good amount and it seems to be doing the trick. hopefully with the other headblade products like headshed and headslick it'll cut down on the irritation. i really just want to go against the grain and get that closer look but don't feel like dealing with the razor bumps every single time

First, welcome! Second, as Frontier Guy said, everyone has to experiment for themselves to find something that works for them. I personally like to rub an ice cube over my scalp immediately after shaving it, bumps are almost nonexistent. Adding a small amount of your favorite aftershave also helps.

[baldjoeg]

I like to use witch hazel after I shave. You could try using a little shavers secret before the shave . I also use a little baby oil before I shave which makes the razor glide much smoother. Use cold water on your head after the shave to help close p the pores. I hope that this is helpful.

[kferg22]

thanks for the replies! so i used bump patrol on all the areas that were irritated and the bumps went away. i shaved with the grain this morning and am trying to get the confidence to go against the grain again.

this time i plan on using headshed first, then using headslick, shaving against the grain, rinsing with cold water, and using bump patrol. i've heard nothing but good things about witch hazel so if bump patrol doesn't help with preventing the razor bumps i'm definitely going to try witch hazel.

whoda thunk being bald was this much work 

[Frontier Guy]

whoda thunk being bald was this much work 

It gets easier with time, and also faster.

[benlen]

I personally like to rub an ice cube over my scalp immediately after shaving it, bumps are almost nonexistent.

+1 to that! Good way to cool down your dome and close up the pores that have been opened by showering/shaving.

I haven't been shaving for very long, but I can say that post-shave I like to take a wash cloth, wet it in very cold water, and then drape it over my head, which fights red spots, closes up nicks, and wipes away any little bit of blood that might be there, depending on how well I shave (sometimes I'm inconsistent or press too hard on the razor!)

[RoWilJr]

Heard the ice cube trick works well... I personally run my cranium under running, cold water... YMMV8)