New bloke from the UK - any advice please?

[jamiegunner]

Hello to everyone

I have been browsing the forum for the past week and
am very pleased to join and proceed with my first post.

A bit about me and my current situation:

- I have been a short haircut man for a few years now, usually a 1 on top with zero'd down sides.
- The weekly trips to the barbers have become very expensive as you have likely all experienced.
- I unfortunately suffer quite badly from Seborrheic Dermatitis aswell as slight follicultis (I believe to be fungal aswell), currently the outbreak is on my scalp and has spread to my face.
- My current treatment programme is based around Zinc Pyrithione treatments (soap and shampoo), as well as an skin conditioning oil known as Biom8 made for SD.

After having browsed the forum, I noticed a few other members who have SD mentioned that going sly has completely kept their SD at bay.

So essentially a week ago I started with shaving my head via the Remington Flex 360 shaver which brings it close to the scalp but definitely does not leave a cut close as I would like. However, I noticed even with this cut that my SD improves and allows me to keep my scalp much cleaner.

I then progressed to trying my first shave yesterday with DE blade going with the grain, unfortunately, this caused quite a lot of scalp irritation and actually cut a few of the raised hair follicles I am currently experiencing with this SD outbreak.

The advice is require is essentially, do I use the Remington Flex 360 as a daily shaver and hope my scalp condition improves to the point where a DE blade is more comfortable? Or push through it with the DE for 30 days in the hope that my skin improves and toughens up to the blade.

Out of personal choice - I would love to eventually get to the point of completely sly going against the grain with a DE blade and a beard at a nice thickness.

I have attached a pic after my first shave with a DE blade - which as you can see has left some further bumps but also does not cut as close as I would like due to the thickness of my hair.

Any advice on opinions are most welcome.

Lastly, I am very glad to be a member

All the best,

Jamie

[reddog]

Hi Jamie, yes, I'm one of the guys that have had dermatitis issues on my head. The doctor never really diagnosed the exact problem. I get breakouts mainly on the back of my head. Had it for decades, and I was surprised when it disappeared after shaving. The shampoo and lotion from the doctor didn't help at all, and she wanted to start long term antibiotics. I didn't want to do that, so I told her I would rather just keep my head shaved bald.

As far as a shaving routine, conditioning your scalp takes time. Use the foil shaver, and try different razors when you can. It could take several months to get used to shaving. If you get irritation, try Bump Patrol.

I used to use the dermatitis issue as a reason for wearing my head shaved, but the truth is I have learned to love the baldie haircut, and that's why I keep it!

[Magoo]

Welcome Jamie , some of the members have said shaving helped with problems you seem to have. My only comment is , to try a cartridge razor instead of  a DE. Personally I use a DE on my face , but for head shaving a disposable or cartridge works better and faster. And I find a 2 bladed disposable works for me. The expensive  multi blades I find unnecessary. Welcome to SBG , and I hope head shaving works for you.

[jamiegunner]

Good afternoon

Thank you both for your very prompt response and making me feel welcome on the forum.

I agree and will proceed with using the foil shaver every day for 30 days which still keeps my hair very short and in the meantime continue to use the DE blade on my neck and jawline in order to practice the correct technique.

My hope is in that time my dermatitis and overall scalp condition improves to the point where I can shave sly comfortably and keep me scalp much more clear and cared for ongoing.

I will keep an eye on the forum and post at the end of the month to confirm if I have had any success.

[wpruitt]

Welcome

[Semi-Sly]

Hello to everyone

I have been browsing the forum for the past week and
am very pleased to join and proceed with my first post.

A bit about me and my current situation:

- I have been a short haircut man for a few years now, usually a 1 on top with zero'd down sides.
- The weekly trips to the barbers have become very expensive as you have likely all experienced.
- I unfortunately suffer quite badly from Seborrheic Dermatitis aswell as slight follicultis (I believe to be fungal aswell), currently the outbreak is on my scalp and has spread to my face.
- My current treatment programme is based around Zinc Pyrithione treatments (soap and shampoo), as well as an skin conditioning oil known as Biom8 made for SD.

After having browsed the forum, I noticed a few other members who have SD mentioned that going sly has completely kept their SD at bay.

So essentially a week ago I started with shaving my head via the Remington Flex 360 shaver which brings it close to the scalp but definitely does not leave a cut close as I would like. However, I noticed even with this cut that my SD improves and allows me to keep my scalp much cleaner.

I then progressed to trying my first shave yesterday with DE blade going with the grain, unfortunately, this caused quite a lot of scalp irritation and actually cut a few of the raised hair follicles I am currently experiencing with this SD outbreak.

The advice is require is essentially, do I use the Remington Flex 360 as a daily shaver and hope my scalp condition improves to the point where a DE blade is more comfortable? Or push through it with the DE for 30 days in the hope that my skin improves and toughens up to the blade.

Out of personal choice - I would love to eventually get to the point of completely sly going against the grain with a DE blade and a beard at a nice thickness.

I have attached a pic after my first shave with a DE blade - which as you can see has left some further bumps but also does not cut as close as I would like due to the thickness of my hair.

Any advice on opinions are most welcome.

Lastly, I am very glad to be a member

All the best,

Jamie

I can only speak for myself as well as from the point of view of being a professional barber.

For myself, I wore a high, tight and brutal horseshoe flattop for almost 30 years.  The back and sides were always shaved.  I used to have a lot of trouble with dermatitis on the back of my head and neck. My dermatologist told me that this is often a problem with very short haircuts because the pores were getting impacted with sebum.  She told me that I should either: A. stop getting it shaved down to zero every two weeks or; B. Shave it every day with a razor so that I would be exfoliating the skin every day.  She told me that I should also scrup the area every day with a stiff burush when I was shampooing to make sure that the follicle opening were getting cleaned out.  She told me to then follow up with a good astringent.  She also gave me antibiotic cream

Now that I am fully shaved the problem has mostly gone away - but if I get in the habit of going a week without shaving the problem comes back!  Seems the Doc was right about keeping it shaved or letting it grow out to buzzcut length!  And, I still scrub the scalp with a brush when I shower to ensure a good exfoliation.

As a barber I can tell you that shaving with a foil razor simply cannot provide the kind of skin exfoliation you need,  the foil shaver is incapable of cutting all the way down to the  follicle opening and it does not scrape of a layer of dead skin for you like a razor does!

Using a DE to shave is not always the best option for a beginner.  Using a DE takes real practice and finesse.  Try using a good quality multi-blade razor like a Mach III or, better yet, get yourself an Omnishaver.  You will get a wicked close shave and without the irritation and risk of cutting yourself that you have with the DE. 

[Tyler]

Welcome to sbg!

[Sir Harry]

Welcome! It looks great on you