My system

Special Issues Razor Bumps/PFB (Pseudofolliculitis barbae)
#1

Ok this is the deal. I’m a black and I have dark coarse curly hair. I, like many other have tried every product under the sun including electrolysis. After years of experimenting and disappointments this is my system:

Andis Outline II electric clippers. Note: with simple tools you can adjust the blade tolerance to whatever lenght you want. Many people dont know this. Second, I use a light brush against my face to exfolitate. The key is to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate. I also use a mixture of baking soda and cetaphil 3 times a week. The key is to keep the dead layer of skin (that the hair gets trapped in off your face and neck). This continuously removes the top layer of skin which the hair starts to curve into. Essentially, the hair will stay on the top of the skin. I shave every other day. This combined with shaving with an electric razor does leave a little hair on my face. Whatever. I have become resigned to this fact and have learned to live with it. I have also found a wonderful product that has changed my whole shaving routine and caused me to throw away many of my useless products. It’s shave oil by the Art of Shaving. I put some on after I was my face (with a buff puff- again I’m exfoliating). Wait a few minutes and then I shave. The oil reduces the friction and allows the clippers to gluide easier over my skin. It also softens my hairs. This shaving oil has become my shaving cream and it works great. Now I’m thinking about finalizing my routine with Tend Skin, however, I don’t want to walk around smelling like vinger all day. I’m very smell sensitive and most of the products that I have brought have been fragrance free. Alas I have ingrown hairs AND sensitive skin. So, what about this vinger smell? Does it go away after application?

#2

The main trick with PFB is to avoid cutting hairs so close that they can recede under the skin. The closer you get, the more likely this will happen. That means you absolutely must exfoliate as you note. The more dead skin cells and drier your skin is, the more likely you’ll get ingrowns.

Yours system seems pretty good. Preparation is the key to alleviating this vexing problem.

#3

i see a lot of positive comments here regarding Tend Skin. i’ve never tried it, but from what i’ve read it sounds like merely a really intense form of salicylic acid, which is used frequently in cosmetics as an alpha-hydroxy acid exfoliator.

using a leap of logic, it would make sense that any AHA product would help you. i use one by Paula’s Choice on my face, basically because i personally don’t like most of the smells and additives in many other AHA products out there. it does carry a slighty “vinegary” smell when first applied and also stings a bit, but both of these things disappear as it dries and is absorbed into the skin. at least, i don’t think i smell like vinegar!

it might be best to use this product every night (or every other night at first for your skin to become accustomed to it) as i believe AHA’s make one’s skin more photo-sensitive. also, any smell could be washed away during the morning routine.

of course, it might also be best to see if the experts around here agree with me first. :wink:

edit: silly me! salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid. meaning it can also exfoliate inside the pore. since i use both exfoliating methods alternately, i was confused. so, the cream that i use for that has little to no smell whatsoever, and doesn’t really hurt. the above advice still applies, though.

[ November 12, 2003, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: suspiria ]

#4

Not sure whether this product has already made its way through the forum since I am new, but I thought I would share my experience and success.

I am also black and did not shave for years due to problems with bumps and ingrown hairs. About a year and a half ago, I was introduced to Tend Skin, which I did not like, (also did not use it long enough to really assess how effective). During my search for Tend Skin, I came acros another product called ‘Bump Stopper’ by High Time Products and this really did it for me. They produce a shaving gel, but the main product, which I do not go without now is a facial cream with moisterizer. Smells like any other facial cream and therefore is very unobstrusive. I have been shaving consistently now since then and have not had the problem as before. It has even gotten to where I now regularly forget to apply it as recommended, so every now and again the familiar facial tingle comes on. I use it and it takes care of the problem.

The active ingredients are listed as Resorcin 6%, Bromelain 1.5% and Vit A.

#5

</font><blockquote><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>quote:</font><hr /><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Originally posted by Andrea:
<strong>The main trick with PFB is to avoid cutting hairs so close that they can recede under the skin.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Here is my Q. If the problem is caused by hair growing out and then curling back and stabbing the nearby skin, wouldn’t cutting it close be all right? You’d think the simple solution would be to keep cutting it so it can’t grow out to stab the nearby skin.

[ December 09, 2003, 02:37 AM: Message edited by: Quark4Lepton ]

#6

“The main trick with PFB is to avoid cutting hairs so close that they can recede under the skin.”

This is true, but a sad truth. It basically handicaps me in such a way that I can never have a close shave. I guess that’s why I am considering LHR…