The 2 Minute Guide to Daily Shaving: How to Get Rid of Neck Bumps

Daily shaving is a real pain in the neck. If you have sensitive skin you are almost certain to have bumps, ingrown hairs, pimples or an itchy red rash on your upper neck - right in the crevice where the face and neck meet. For this reason, I have averaged shaving once per week for the past decade and a half.

Trying to shave with these pesky bumps is a highly uncomfortable experience. You will typically cut yourself, bleed all over the place, and never, ever get rid of those bumps.

To combat the gruesome and dreaded neck bumps I have tried, well, mostly nothing. I have, however, decided it is time to always keep my face clean, lean, mean and shaved. I set out on a mission to master the perfect system of daily shaving to get rid of, once and for all, those goddamn neck bumps.

I have found the trick to never getting those pesky ingrown hairs and today I will share with all of you.

Before we get started, let’s review our toolkit:

I am a wet-shaver. That means I prefer to shave with a tool and not a toy.

• I use my trusty Merkur Classic Safety Razor, a product of superior German craftsmanship and design.
• In the safety razor I place the best of the best blades, the superior German Merkur Double Edge Razor Blades.
• I use the best of the best in Italian shaving cream, Proraso and the best in Italian badger hair shave brushes, the Omega Pure Badger Shaving Brush.

These tools are not necessary to get rid of neck bumps but they are highly beneficial, they offer a superior shave, and they will save you sweet green American money. If you’re still shaving with a toy, and buying the newest and greatest in whatever plastic contraption with 13 blades and only $40 per case, you are wasting your money.

The Merkur safety razor is a one time, $27 purchase that can last a lifetime. The Merkur razor blades cost $6 for a pack of 10 and last far longer than the junk sold in Walmart. The badger hair brush is a $30 investment that will last for years and years. The superior Proraso shaving cream goes a long way, only a quarter sized amount (or less) is needed per shave, and it only costs around $11 per tube.

“Quit throwing your money away on toys and buy tools.”

Ok, now that we have our tools set up let’s find out how to get rid of those pesky neck bumps….

First Step: You will shave before you shower.

• Wet your badger hair shave brush with warm water and run the brush across your face, getting your whiskers wet and warm.
• Mix up a quarter sized amount of shaving cream in a coffee mug or similar contraption. To mix up the shaving cream into a foam, you will want to take your WET badger hair shave brush and swirl the brush around the shaving cream.

Next, you will work the foam into your already wet face. You will spend one to two minutes working the foam into your face with your Badger’s hair shave brush, making sure to get the foam in between all your whiskers.

When your face is nice and lathered you will begin to shave.

The most important part of shaving and not getting those red, irritated neck bumps is to shave with the grain.

On your upper lip, cheeks and chin you will shave downward.

You will shave downward almost everywhere EXCEPT for where the neck meets your chin. Where the neck meets the chin, the crevice that gets all those red bumps, you will shave at an upward angle, being sure not to go against the grain and irritate the skin.

Though you are able to shave repeatedly on your upper lip, cheeks and chin to get the baby-smooth feel, I like to give the lower neck area only a once or twice over. The more the razor brushes across the area, the more cuts, bumps and ingrown hairs seem to appear.

After you have finished shaving, downwards for the cheeks and chin and upwards for the neck crevice, you will take a hot shower.

The hot shower after shaving is the entire key to getting rid of the neck bumps. The heat will open up the pores of the neck and those ingrown hairs will cease to appear, leaving you free to shave daily or every other day without shaving over bumps and ingrown hairs.

Let’s recap:

• Shave before you shower.
• Shave with the grain.
• Have hot shower after shaving to open pores (end with ice cold shower, of course)
• Go kick some ass

If you have a problem with neck bumps you may want to not shave for several days, up to a week or more, and let those bumps and ingrown hairs heal before you begin your daily shaving.

Pictured below: Neck free and clear of bumps and ingrown hairs while shaving daily for two weeks. Shadows may appear to be neck bumps and ingrown hairs but they are not (except for on accidental cut visible on your left). That neck is almost as smooth as a baby’s. If I were to shave daily and not use the method above I would have a red rash all across the top of my neck. Note: Upper body strength not achieved by daily shaving.

The above picture has been scientifically coolified, to see the uncoolified and clear-necked version click here.

Enjoy shaving daily, or every other day, and not having to deal with those itchy and uncomfortable ingrown hairs.

-Victor Pride

PS - Look for our next article, How to Get Jacked in 3 Minutes Just by Shaving and Drinking Whey Protein Shakes.