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Shaving my chest

LostNinjaLostNinja Registered User regular
in Help / Advice Forum
So I prefer to keep my torso area clean shaven. It's a personal preference, I think it just looks better without hair, plus I prefer to wear v-cut shirts, or other shirts with open collars and I just think that not having chest hair popping out of that creates a cleaner look.

My problem is that I'd like to find a way to avoid the razor irritation that follows. I'm doing it to achieve a cleaner look, so having a bunch of red bumps on my chest for the next couple of days after I do it is counterintuitive. Another problem is that, as is, I can only really do it once a week, any more and the irritation is a lot worse. This creates a weird cycle where I do it and it looks good for a couple of days (assuming I don't get irritated), followed by a few days where it's longer than I like, but not long enough to comfortably shave yet.

Do you have any advice H/A? I'd prefer to avoid waxing, because I tried a home kit once and it hurt way worse than was worth it as the hair came back after a couple of weeks. I'm also not sure about something like nair as I've heard it burns pretty bad and it might not work out great since I clearly have sensitive skin (if anyone has experience to the contrary I'm open to be convinved). I currently use a Gillette body razor (have also tried a fushion razor) and shaving creme and do it in the shower. I also use neutragena post shave lotion to try and calm down the irritation that appears to do an alright job. Does anyone have any products that might work better, or tricks that might help out?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

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    MetalbourneMetalbourne Inside a cluster b personalityRegistered User regular
    You may need to try a different shaving cream. A lot of my issues disappeared when I switched from shaving cream to soap. You'll have to try a few different things. Razors may play into it also. multi-bladed razors will murder my face but not my legs. single bladed razors will kill my armpits. Alternately, you can try switching to an electric razor, but you really do need to use it for a few days before it will stop irritating.

    Waxing on your chest is especially brutal. Not sure why. Out of all the places I've had waxed, it was the worst.

    The best thing for irritation I've found is witch hazel.

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    Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Laser hair removal.

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    FiggyFiggy Fighter of the night man Champion of the sunRegistered User regular
    edited January 2015
    I get really bad irritation on my neck area if I don't wet shave:

    - Hot, hot water on your chest for a bit. In other words, you just had a nice hot shower.
    - When you get out of the shower (or do it in there), splash some more hot water on where you will be shaving, in case it has dried off by the time you're ready to start shaving.
    - Apply cream. Get something of quality with little alcohol. Bonus points if you pick up a shaving brush to apply it. I like this stuff. Available at most drugstores. You'd probably just need about a quarter-sized amount. You're just looking for lubrication for your razor, not to lather yourself like a snowman.
    - Shave in the direction of hair growth with a relatively simple razor. Don't go for multi-blade monstrosities. You can get a really close shave with little irritation with a safety razor, but if you're not willing to get into that, a two-blade dealie will be fine.
    - When you're finished, splash your chest with the coldest water your taps will produce. When I'm doing this to my face, I use the cold water as a way to rinse off the leftover cream, so that I can't chince out from the cold--gotta get all that cream off somehow!

    This method basically softens the hair and opens the pours, then closes them back up when you're finished. Give it a shot.

    You may also want to moisturize after. Not aftershave. Moisturizer. Something gentle. You can have a great shave and then 5 minutes later your skin has dried out and you're back to square one. A quality shaving cream should help lessen this problem but a good moisturizer afterwards seals the deal.

    Figgy on
    XBL : Figment3 · SteamID : Figment
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    GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuboJiAUMd8

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    SeveredHeadSeveredHead Registered User regular
    uhh not sure if you really think that your hair gets thicker when you shave but no, it doesnt no. what happens is the thickness of the bottom of the hair grows out and its now on top, but it doesnt actually make the hair thicker.

    things i pooped: https://www.artstation.com/severed0


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    GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    SeveredHead wrote: »
    uhh not sure if you really think that your hair gets thicker when you shave but no, it doesnt no. what happens is the thickness of the bottom of the hair grows out and its now on top, but it doesnt actually make the hair thicker.

    I believe everything said on Seinfeld implicitly.

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    MetalbourneMetalbourne Inside a cluster b personalityRegistered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuboJiAUMd8

    That's some nice body shaming and policing right there.

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    LostNinjaLostNinja Registered User regular
    Figgy wrote: »
    I get really bad irritation on my neck area if I don't wet shave:

    - Hot, hot water on your chest for a bit. In other words, you just had a nice hot shower.
    - When you get out of the shower (or do it in there), splash some more hot water on where you will be shaving, in case it has dried off by the time you're ready to start shaving.
    - Apply cream. Get something of quality with little alcohol. Bonus points if you pick up a shaving brush to apply it. I like this stuff. Available at most drugstores. You'd probably just need about a quarter-sized amount. You're just looking for lubrication for your razor, not to lather yourself like a snowman.
    - Shave in the direction of hair growth with a relatively simple razor. Don't go for multi-blade monstrosities. You can get a really close shave with little irritation with a safety razor, but if you're not willing to get into that, a two-blade dealie will be fine.
    - When you're finished, splash your chest with the coldest water your taps will produce. When I'm doing this to my face, I use the cold water as a way to rinse off the leftover cream, so that I can't chince out from the cold--gotta get all that cream off somehow!

    This method basically softens the hair and opens the pours, then closes them back up when you're finished. Give it a shot.

    You may also want to moisturize after. Not aftershave. Moisturizer. Something gentle. You can have a great shave and then 5 minutes later your skin has dried out and you're back to square one. A quality shaving cream should help lessen this problem but a good moisturizer afterwards seals the deal.

    Thanks, this was really helpful. I'm going to try to get a nicer cream and not lather as much on. I also never really knew I should use cold water afterwards. I also think I'll try using a simer razor and see if that helps at all, if not I'll go for a safety razor.

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    DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited January 2015
    it's probably worth pointing out that there are equally as many women and men who would love to see your chest hair popping out of your vneck as there are who would prefer the cleaner look, so make sure you're doing that for yourself and not putting yourself through irritation to impress others

    Dhalphir on
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    PacificstarPacificstar Registered User regular
    When I was younger I started the laser hair removal process. It hurts, a lot. A whole lot. Like getting jabbed with a needle over and over. It hurts more in certain places too, like the back of your neck, and near your nipples. But it works! It's also expensive. Nair has given me chemical burn, too.

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    IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    I used to use nair on my legs. For some reason my mom was willing to buy me skin napalm and not razors when I first started growing hair. I have course hair and since nair basically breaks it down, it would take too long to get a smooth result. If it hasnt changed much since I used it back then, I would steer clear.

    Twitter|Insta
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    azith28azith28 Registered User regular
    I would suggest instead of razor shaving you get a good set of clippers. They get it pretty close and there is no razor burn. you can razor shave the exposted chest parts if you wanna be really clear.

    Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
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    crimsoncoyotecrimsoncoyote Registered User regular
    Pacificstar wrote: »
    When I was younger I started the laser hair removal process. It hurts, a lot. A whole lot. Like getting jabbed with a needle over and over. It hurts more in certain places too, like the back of your neck, and near your nipples. But it works! It's also expensive. Nair has given me chemical burn, too.
    Basically this, though you would probably still get irritation/itchiness/red spots for a few days afterward. Takes a long time too.

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    JuliusJulius Captain of Serenity on my shipRegistered User regular
    You should just do like I do and not grow any chest hair in the first place.

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    LostNinjaLostNinja Registered User regular
    Dhalphir wrote: »
    it's probably worth pointing out that there are equally as many women and men who would love to see your chest hair popping out of your vneck as there are who would prefer the cleaner look, so make sure you're doing that for yourself and not putting yourself through irritation to impress others

    I really am just doing it for me, I personally just prefer the look.
    azith28 wrote: »
    I would suggest instead of razor shaving you get a good set of clippers. They get it pretty close and there is no razor burn. you can razor shave the exposted chest parts if you wanna be really clear.

    I've tried clippers, and didn't feel that they got a close enough shave for me.

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Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum