will it get better?

[agentfortyseven]

I have just started shaving my head going on almost two weeks, and I still have quite a lot of irritation and bumps on the sides and back of my head. I have changed my routine based on the information found here.  I am just wondering if any of you guys started with the same problem and it eventually cleared up?  I can be patient,  but man it sucks to go out with my shiny new melon looking that way

[AJ Q-Ball]

Just go with the grain for several days.  Also if you can, lay off a day to give your skin a break.  I hardly ever go against the grain in the back because of the chance of obtaining nasty razor burn. Put cold water or rub an ice cube (Harry's idea) on your head immediately after shaving. Also put some astringent like witch hazel on and 100% pure aloe vera gel. The aloe vera gel is really good for burns.

[Hingatao]

It gets better! If I remember correctly, it took my scalp close to a month to adjust to being shaved.

[reddog]

Go to Wal-Mart and get some Bump Patrol, it really worked great for me when I started out.

[Frontier Guy]

I'll add ... be really careful about applying pressure. Use the lightest touch you can until your scalp toughens a bit.

[agentfortyseven]

I'll add ... be really careful about applying pressure. Use the lightest touch you can until your scalp toughens a bit.
[/q5uote]
Good idea! I do catch my self getting a bit too aggressive with the razor trying to get as smooth as possible. Thank you

[agentfortyseven]

Go to Wal-Mart and get some Bump Patrol, it really worked great for me when I started out.

I will give that a try, do you think it would be helpful to use on days i dont shave also? I've cut back to shaving every few days

[agentfortyseven]

It gets better! If I remember correctly, it took my scalp close to a month to adjust to being shaved.

So there's hope for me yet yay!
Thank you!

[agentfortyseven]

Good idea thanks, i have cut back to shaving every few day's and decided i will only go wtg for now even though it gets very tempting to go atg!, i had no thought of just going wtg on the back i just assumed there would be a noticable difference if i went atg on top.
Thank you

[gwsmallwood]

Staying away from full-on ATG passes has really helped for me, but it will likely take some experimenting to figure out what works for you.  Try to only change one thing at a time and give it at least a week before changing anything else. 

I switched to a double-edge safety razor, which has helped a huge amount.  I can shave ATG now if I want to, with minimal chances of razor bumps, although I still get more irritation doing so.  For me, the problem is folliculitis, not ingrowns. 

I have very coarse hair, hence very large, open follicles following my shaves.  I have to use alcohol-based aftershaves and occasional use of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid products to keep the bacteria from getting into my freshly shaven follicles.