sly bros help!

[Nick912]

Guys the last couple days out of no where I have been getting these little red bumps on my dome. As you can see from the pics they are pretty gruesome.

Here is my routine lemme know if I need to add or drop anything!

Shave in the shower with a HB sport with trips.  I shave against the grain in the front and with the grain in the back. I soak my head for about 5 mins in hot water then put some baby oil on it and let a hot wash cloth sit on it. Wash the rest of body, then lather head with either HeadSlick, KOS Alpha, or Aveeno Thereputic Gel. Shave until melon is nice and slick. Cold water rinse in shower and then Ice rub out of shower. Then I rub head with Witch Hazel. Let dry. Rub head with Tea Tree oil Lotion. Then apply 10% Benzoil Peroxide to those damn bumps. Then BG moisture gel or Aloe.

What the heck are those bumps from? One of my sly bros said I need to start shaving with the grain if I want to get rid of them. I have been headshaving for almost a month now also. I didnt have them as bad when I first started.

[SLYinKC]

You might just need to give your scalp a rest for a day or so and lay-off all the stuff you're using.

[andrew]

I agree with SLYinKC ...   

You're use a bunch of products and may be getting a skin reaction from one of them.   I've tried lots of different products and have experienced some reactions from a few.

[Timmay]

i agree with the rest of the sly bros.  Too many of you guys use way too  much stuff on your heads...in my opinion.  I dont know your skin situations and all that ..but all i do is give it a hot water rinse in the shower...to open up pores.  Use headslick shaving gel ..my headblade against the grain.  Cool water rinse followed by an ice cube rub.  Then all i use is clear aloe vera gel and i have never had any bumps on my head....smooth all day long...so give it a rest and it might be quite possible that some of those applications might be counteracting against the other making it useless to put on.......so go simple starting out then see where you are from there

[schro]

Welcome Nick. As far as the bumps go, I wish I could give you some advice (I've never had any of the red bumps). Then again, I don't use a bunch of products in my daily shave routine. Maybe Andrew & Rick might be onto something. Give the scalp a day or two off, maybe reduce the # of products, and see what works. I know it's trial & error, but I'm not a doctor, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

For what it's worth, I use a Headblade Classic Razor, Headslick with a little Barbasol Shave Cream (to help reduce the razor clogging you get with HeadSlick), and use L'Oreal's After Shave Balm Lotion. When I've travel, I've used Edge Gel to shave and have gotten comparable results.

Good Luck,
Schro

[Razor X]

I get that problem from time to time.  Not sure why.  Through trial and error, I found that exfoliating helps tremendously.  It seems like the total opposite of what you should do, but when I get those bumps, I exfoliate every day until they start to clear up.  It usually takes 5 to 7 days.

I agree with the advice not to use too many products on your scalp.  I use Headslick and St. Ives Apricot Scrub when I exfoliate.  In the winter time when my skin gets dry, I use a small amount of Headlube to moisturize it.

[JDog]

Nick I too have experienced the bumps from time to time and like the other guys have said,  it could be attributed to a number if different things. Using all those products may tend to irritate the skin a bit.

Using the Witch Hazel is a good idea.

[R o b 6]

Nick:
I agree with the others. Less is probably more here. I just made it past the six-week mark and I had a few bumps in the beginning, too. I'd take a 2-3 shave-free days off and give your dome a chance to recuperate from all the scraping, drying agents, exfoliants, moisturizers, etc. Then only add back the essentials: lather of your choice, and a light lotion with SPF. The Witch Hazel's a good one to have on hand.

I've had good luck with a simple routine of Edge gel, Mach 3 Turbo (sorry guys, not a HB convert yet) and some of the same L'Oreal stuff with SPF Schro mentioned. Might exfoliate with the scrub twice a week. I'm still trying to master the awesome shine factor, though.

Good luck!

[Tyler]

Hey Nick, I think these guys have given some good advice.  One thing I should add is to check the pressure you're using on the blade and how often you are changing the blades.  I got bumps like that for about 3 days and on the fourth day I realized I was putting a ton of pressure on my blade according to what I normally do.  I guess I just got comfortable in my routine.

[Robmeister]

Nickmeister:

I concur with the aformentioned comments of my sly bros as far as the number of products you use.  Also, the baby oil immediately caught my attention.  Might be clogging yer pores.

Now, everyone's different, but over the year that I've been scrapin' the bean, I've never purchased ANYTHING (besides my FUSION) to use up there.  Just now finishing this big ol' can of some shaving cream I've had forever.  Sometimes I'll use some expholiator stuff my wife has in the shower.

I do end with a cold water rinse followed by some sort of after shave balm (100% Aloe is awesome) but it's stuff that's been around the bathroom forever.

Make sure you're patting dry your freshly shorn egg, rather than "rubbing" ... other than that, don't know.

Maybe try just the minimum for a while.  Hot water wash (no scrubbing, etc.), shave cream, cold water rinse (I get back in the shower and lean just my head under the coldest water I can stand for about 30 seconds) and then a mild moisturizing balm for sensitive skin and that's it.

[Nick912]

hey thanks sly bros for all the help and good vibes!

It will be agonizing but I will give shaving a break for a few days and try keeping it simple. Do I need to shave with the grain for a while or can I continue going against?

I will also watch my blade pressure as well.

Thanks again! This site rules

[Anthony]

Do you naturally have coarse very thick curly hair?  That could be your problem?  Judging by your routine you have everything covered and should be great.  The fact that you still get these means the hair is growing in a fucked up way or a product your using might be clogging your pores.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

All good advice for you Nick, I'd also suggest cutting back on a lot of the stuff, particularly "oils" concentrate on the benzoyl peroxide gel--all over.  One thing you might also want to try to make sure the pores and folicils are clear and not clogged up, a louffa pad--cheap, less than $3 at Wal-Mart.  Start w/ a gentle overall rubbing in the scalp in the shower w/ an acne soap, Cuticura or Cleasel, and over a month or so, build up to a good rub down to make sure those pores and folicils are clean and clear of debris.

[WannaBePadre]

You've gotten a bunch of good advice ... less is more ... exfoliation can help reduce bumps.

For myself, if I "go to town" with shaving at multiple angles, or with multiple passes, or with multiple razors ... I get irritation. Even if I use an electric razor, or change to a different brand of blade I get irritation (or draw blood).

I haven't seen this suggestion ... I find that if I let the scalp air dry (don't towel off your head after shaving in the shower), I have less irritation.

[Nick912]

guys I think I may have found a product that helps with these bumps majorly! 

http://www.byebyeblemish.com/us/dryingLotion.shtml

My girl uses this stuff when she gets breakouts. 2 days ago I started putting it on directly to the red spots and they really have calmed down in 2 days! They dont seem as irritated and inflamed. I believe it is working to make them vanish. It only can be worn at night before bed though, it stinks!!

I would highly suggest trying this for bumps and breakouts!!