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.
Enjoy shaving daily, or every other day, and not having to deal with those itchy and uncomfortable ingrown hairs.
-Victor Pride
Victor, I never know what to expect from you, and you never cease to amaze. Great article on whisker cutting. I too am a safety razor man, mine is a Gillette, just like the one seen in Band of Brothers. I shave cold, and don’t do a lot of wetting- I want the beard stiff against the blade, not warm and pliable. That is simply what works best for me, and you bet, agree 100% on showing after the shave. Rarely wear cologne, my humble opinion manly men just wear aftershave. Also, I get good mileage from Wilkinson Sword branded blades, also made in Germany- in a pinch you can stroke the razor backwards firmly on your arm and it will hone the blade, giving a smooth shave with a blade that is getting a little dull. Spartan, eh? No strop needed!
Mackman
John,
Yes, I much prefer to shave cold but when I shave daily I have to modify. I don’t wear cologne either, hate the overwhelming smell.
This is really great stuff! Do you think a straight blade razor would have the same benefit as the safety blade?
One of these days I will find out. I have a set of 7 straight razors in storage somewhere. They were my grandfathers, they are old school and sharp as hell - they will slice through a piece of paper in one swoop. One day I will dig through storage, find them, use them and make a post about it.
After spraying neck with warm water after shaving to open pores, why should we apply cold water? Doesn’t cold water close the pores. If this is the case, wouldn’t the cold water help cause ingrown hairs and razor bumps? I would think that we should try and keep the pores on the neck open and so avoid applying cold water.
This is an awesome guide to shaving. I always get neck bumps. Seriously. Thank you for this.
Probably your best post, shaving with razors, and brushes really does feel different.
Your article reminded me of this Awesomeness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FAP8o5ZEo0
I don’t have the neck bump problem very often, probably because I’ve always shaved before showering, but I’m going to try out those new tools if only for the money-saving. Appreciate the suggestions.
Victor,
I read this article and I instantly knew that it was for me. I have been looking for an alternative to buying razors constantly, but didn’t really know where to start. So after reading this I immediately starting my search on Amazon for my new razor. I order Merkur FUTUR style Safety Razor Chrome Finish with adjustable blade angle which was a little bit more expensive than what I could have got one for but I figured what the hell, this will be the razor that I have for a long time and it will definitely be worth the money in time. I went ahead and ordered Merkur extra blades, because I live in a small town and basically my shopping choices are WalMart, I know it is awful. I also took your suggestion for Proraso shaving cream I was a little unsure which one to buy but I got Proraso Shave Soap Jar, I hope that will be okay but I can always order a different kind of Proraso. Have you used Proraso Shave Soap Jar? Where the tricky part sort of came in was the Badget brush, I ordered Shaving Brush with Badger Hair Bristles - Rich Looking Handmade Shaving Brushes for Men - Look Your Best with the Highest Quality Traditional Wood Handle Badger Hair Shaving Brush by Elite Men’s Care Products, it was like 22 bucks so not a huge price, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSYSF0I/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A239ACTMKLL44Q not 100% if I made a good choice there or not. I would greatly appreciate your advise on this one! I know that there are a number of choices out there and I knew that I didn’t want a silicone one from other revews but I didn’t know if I needed to spent 70 or 80 bucks on one either.. My last question is do you have a stand for yours? What do you use for a shaving bowl? I looked at both of these but I wasn’t sure.. I am the type of person who likes to get everything I need at once so I will have it and then it is done. If I have learned anything in 2013 that my time is precious and it is priceless.
Warmest regards
Dale
I hope to hear from ya
I have always had ingrown hairs and bumps, and I have used ever kind of disposible razor I can buy I even bought a straight blade razor but then chickened out because I was afraid I would cut my throat but it is nice decor in my bathroom (lol). I have used every kind of pre-shave and post-shave balm and honestly found out that alochol afterwards basically keeps the bumps down but it burns like HELL. I also invested in Braun Series 7 and used Electric Shave to help with whiskers to be hard and it worked sort of and in a hurry it will work but it is hard to get a close shave with it. I mean it will get the 5 o’clock shadow off when I am in a hurry but not the close shave I like.
For years I shaved my head as well because I started loosing my head because I started loosing my hair at 13 and it was so embarrassing so I just decided to shave it but I am now on a reg of Propecia & Rogaine and I have actually saw hair growing back on the crown and some in the hair line area. It is a slow go but I am determined to get as much as I can back before I look at a hair transplant, plus I really don’t have $7500 to invest at this time but I am shaving.. I refuse to go in debt for it so I am shaving up..
I’ve got a humongous bump on my neck, just appeared out of nowhere. I’m going to check some of these items out. Thanks Vic.
Also, I would recommend this product called “bump patrol” results in 48hrs great stuff!!
What if you take a shower BEFORE you shave? Does that not help get rid of the red bumps?
Sorry for late response. I have this prob for years. It flares up in summer, I live in Australia. It was a bacterial infection for me. Some Doxycycline 50mg tabs cleared it right up. It has not returned. Hope this helps!
Guess what happened a few days ago? Just shows what Vic is saying is right - stick with the tried and true, not the toy razors of today…
http://imgur.com/gallery/1eiimPd
Ok well Gillette spent a billion dollars developimg their razor. Yes with a B. Their 3 or possibly 4 bladed razor is highest tech razor ever developed. Forget the older models. Shave down (with the grain). Use shaving cream of any variety but leave it on there 3 to 5 minutes. After shower is actually better because your beard is softer.
Here’s the really great [email protected]@@. These razors will dull and are costly. However they can be sharpened like any quality blade. I use a wet washcloth and stroke it on the counter top 12 times against the razor cut after each shave as if you are stroping an straight razor. Your razor will last many months maybe a year. Look this up on google search.
As far as the razor bumps shave around them and let them resolve. If this doesn’t work look up sycosis ibarbe on web search. This will tell you how to treat them. They are a real problem for curly hair beards esp black men.
Congratulations on bold and determined all contributors.
Damn , you look nice :D nohomo :) I always was shaving after shower as I felt it makes shaving easier. Now I go to kick some ass. Nice article
Thanks for the tips, bro! I will try shaving before I shower this weekend. It is such a pain to have “chicken skin” on my chin and neck area whenever I shave.
Fuck if I ever bother using a manual razor. I am so fucking beautiful I will not damage my delicate skin with that shit.
I always use a trimmer to achieve a five o’clock shadow.
Even when I worked as a waiter years ago, I refused to shave fully. The boss called me out on it. I told him to go fuck himself. Fortunately I was fired.
I use trimmer not razor. Works awesome and clean trim within 2 minutes. No wastage of money and no neck bum. Cheers.
Note: Upper body strength not achieved by daily shaving.
Funny!
Thanks for the tips, gonna give this a go.
I’m gonna give this a try. Thanks so much.