Merkur being delivered tomorrow and my ingrown hairs!

M

mattprince

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82
Hi,

I have bad ingrown hairs and have done all my shaving life (19yrs ish) and have used pretty much every type of blade (the disposable ones such as fusion, mach3 etc). I have red bumps that are very painful and have tried the sprays you can get that are supposed to work but none do for me.

Anyway... Ive ordered a Merkur Futur and some Men-U shaving cream, brush and preshave, oh and some moisturiser for afters.

Does anybody have any advice on how best to shave for ingrown hairs and in particular with the Merkur?

Any help would be really helpful as dont want to get the Merkur (tomorrow) and do something silly.

I really hope this type of razor gets rid of my ingrown hairs and very painful red bumps.

Matt
 
Personally I think the Futur is probably not the best choice for a beginner but yes, lightness of touch would be one thing to bear in mind.

I possibly wouldn't bother with moisturiser and pre shave right now, try and get a good technique developed and keep things simple. You don't know what's causing ingrowns so it can sometimes help to get right down to basics to help work out what was casing the problem.
 
I have a futur. It's a fantastic razor.

My advice would be, keep it set on 1. Don't be tempted to fiddle around with it. I use mine on 2.5 and find it to be perfect.

Secondly, use a Derby or a blade more forgiving. I find this razor to be not fussy about what blades it has in it.

And lastly, zero pressure. It's quite heavy, if you press, you will have an uncomfortable shave and get quite a few nicks.

Don't be scared of it, it's perfectly fine for a starter razor as my good friend whom I infected with SBAD had one as his first razor before I even got into all this and got on with no issues.

What finish did you get? I'm tempted to get a chrome one but not until next year now.
 
I wouldn't worry about getting a close shave yet. Just have a good comfortable one and get to know the razor.

You'll be surprised how much bite 1 has.
 
Canuck said:
Personally I think the Futur is probably not the best choice for a beginner but yes, lightness of touch would be one thing to bear in mind.

I possibly wouldn't bother with moisturiser and pre shave right now, try and get a good technique developed and keep things simple. You don't know what's causing ingrowns so it can sometimes help to get right down to basics to help work out what was casing the problem.
Click to expand...

Ive noticed that when i go on holiday and i get a good suntan on my face and neck that the problem is nowhere near as bad. Any ideas?

Matt
 
Dipesh said:
I have a futur. It's a fantastic razor.

My advice would be, keep it set on 1. Don't be tempted to fiddle around with it. I use mine on 2.5 and find it to be perfect.

Secondly, use a Derby or a blade more forgiving. I find this razor to be not fussy about what blades it has in it.

And lastly, zero pressure. It's quite heavy, if you press, you will have an uncomfortable shave and get quite a few nicks.

Don't be scared of it, it's perfectly fine for a starter razor as my good friend whom I infected with SBAD had one as his first razor before I even got into all this and got on with no issues.

What finish did you get? I'm tempted to get a chrome one but not until next year now.
Click to expand...

Wonderful advice and right on every point. I have a Futur and I find it a fantastic razor . I also use a setting of 2 or 2.5. It's a more complete shaver than the Gillette adjustable and I think that you'll find it easier to use.
Don't be frightened by the size . You'll get use to it.
The only thing that I have to add is: I'm a little ACD about blade placement. I always check to make sure that both sides have equal show when the head is in place, and the second recommendation is related to the finish. I have the smooth, Glossy finish. I find that a little Alum on the fingers help to hold it when it's wet and soapy.
 
mattprince said:
Hi,

I got brushed steel finish. If i set it to 1 will it give me a close shave though?

Matt
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Hi Matt,

I do get the occasional ingrown, and typically when I have obsessed a little too much about closeness. I think this may have to do with your ingrowns. Try not to think of closeness just now.

Regarding your holidays: On my holidays I tend to not bother as much about the closeness of the shaves. If you feel the same, then this could also be the root of your ingrowns.

Watch Mantic59's videos on youtube. He has one about ingrowns. Suggest to mash up an aspirin and mix to a paste with water, then apply. I've never tried it, so can't say if it works.

/Max
 
mattprince said:
Ive noticed that when i go on holiday and i get a good suntan on my face and neck that the problem is nowhere near as bad. Any ideas?
Matt
Click to expand...


UV light is antiseptic and ingrown's are mainly caused by shaving too closely, study the guides and take your time.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll try the crushed aspirin and see if it helps. I'll stick to setting 1 for a while also to get used to it and then try to up it to 2 and so on in the future. Will update later as to how the first Merkur shave went

Matt
 
IanM said:
Don't shave against the growth of your beard. You might not get a face like a snooker ball, but you'll get fewer ingrown hairs.
Click to expand...

Yes definitely no shaving atg, I suspect that and excessive pressure is the root of your problems when trying to get your face as smooth as ( as it was for most of us). Doesn't matter about the razor settings, if you get a close enough and comfortable shave on setting 1 so be it.

An irritation, bump and ingrown free shave is what you are aiming for, when your techniques come together you can then ramp up the closeness if you choose.

Don't touch that dial it ain't the razor.
 
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