# shaving super thick facial hair



## heartsdelight (Apr 2, 2012)

No. It's not a joke. I was wondering if there are any men out there with super thick facial hair. My husband's beard and mustache hair is insanely thick. I have never seen hair so tough. He always cuts himself shaving because it's so hard to get close and the razor dulls halfway through. I've tried shaving him to help with the different angles and such the hair grows (his chin is impossible) and it helps a little but still hurts him. He got an electric razor for Christmas- he never uses it now. It didn't get close enough and he could only use it if he had no more than two days' growth. Otherwise he had to start out with a manual razor. 

We've googled this to no avail. Any suggestions/tips on products to help? He often just goes a couple weeks without shaving because it's such a pain unless he does it daily (and even then it's still a bit painful, his hair is so ridiculously thick and stubborn!) but he's now in law school and will need to look more consistently clean cut.

Thanks in advance!


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## alton (Jul 18, 2012)

Try shaving after a warm shower, supposedly makes a little things easier.


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## BeachGuy (Jul 6, 2011)

I have to shave every day because I have thicker growth but nowhere near like you're describing. My only suggestion would be to use the electric razor first every day, then follow with a bladed razor? Have you talked to a dermatologist maybe? Do you have one of those old-fashioned barber shops in your town? Go talk to the old barbers there...I'm sure they've seen it all with their years of experience.

Good luck!


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## chillymorn (Aug 11, 2010)

if you can't beat them join them.....grow a beard!

always use a new razor always wash with soapy hot water to soften if up some.

bur growing a beard might be the best solution!


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## Almostrecovered (Jul 14, 2011)

I love the electric fusion razor, I shave in half the time and it has a beard trimmer for my goatee, razors last for a moth before I replace them too


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## Lon (Jun 6, 2011)

my facial hair is surprisingly coarse, and the worst part is the stuff on my neck grows in all directions so there is no avoiding going against the grain. Personally I can't shave daily anymore just way too irrtating, i have to let my face heal for atleast a day... I had a really good electric razor and can shave a few days in a row with that but it isn't as close plus as the irritation develops I have to make sure to give it a few days rest over the weekend, and also remember to exfoliate or I get ingrowns like crazy (but they eventually poke through on their own). I started using a shaving brush with cream a few months ago but have found the results are not any better than my fingers with gillete gel. Best results for me (as far as both closeness and comfort) is to shave at night rather then first thing in morning because the skin tends to puff up around the follicles as we sleep, then it means I have a bit of shadow ni the morning but still closer than the electric. it also gives me a chance to get lots of warm water on the hair, and I let the cream really soak into the hair for a long time (softens the hair and makes shave a little more comfy but more importantly saves the blade). Also dry the blade off really well in a fresh dry terry cloth towel and he may be able to get another use out if it.


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## Married&Confused (Jan 19, 2011)

nair for men?


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## ChelseaBlue (Mar 5, 2012)

Have you tried badgerandblade.com, especially the forums? Those guys know everything there is to know about shaving.

Good luck.


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## HereWithoutYou (Jul 26, 2012)

Maybe try exfoliating first?


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## heartsdelight (Apr 2, 2012)

Thanks for the input. He normally showers morning/mid-day if it's not a working day, and then showers as soon as he gets out, so we've tried that. We've tried some exfoliating but it didn't seem to help, though we didn't do it terribly long so we should probably give it another go. Any manly recommendations for exfoliating products lol?

Lon, your situation sounds exactly like his. He doesn't like having facial hair because having a beard itches and makes him break out, but shaving irritates his face something crazy. 

I will look into the razor and forum mentioned. Thanks guys!


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## Deejo (May 20, 2008)

heartsdelight said:


> Thanks for the input. He normally showers morning/mid-day if it's not a working day, and then showers as soon as he gets out, so we've tried that. We've tried some exfoliating but it didn't seem to help, though we didn't do it terribly long so we should probably give it another go. Any manly recommendations for exfoliating products lol?
> 
> Lon, your situation sounds exactly like his. He doesn't like having facial hair because having a beard itches and makes him break out, but shaving irritates his face something crazy.
> 
> I will look into the razor and forum mentioned. Thanks guys!


Check the Jack Black line of skin care products for men. You can Google them, or search a nearby retailer.


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## lifesabeach (Feb 25, 2012)

I have fairly thick facial hair, not as bad as your H, but pretty bad. I got the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 3-1 Styler for Fathers Day. I have to say that it works really well for me. It has a close trimmer and 3 attachments for if you let it grow for a while. And a normal razor attachment. It is about 20-25 bucks at walmart.


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## Homemaker_Numero_Uno (Jan 18, 2011)

pseudofolliculitis

Pseudofolliculitis barbae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Electrolysis might be a viable solution if you have the time and the funds. 

My son has this condition even though he looks white and has blond-red hair. I'm half Cuban and have spiral hair and he inherited that from me including his beard. Because it's spiral it's always somewhat thick. The problem with the itching beard comes because the spiral causes the ends of the hair to go back towards the skin, instead of away from it as straight hair does.

There is a magic length to set a razor to, it's stated in the wiki article.


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## costa200 (Jun 27, 2012)

What kind of razor is he using? 
I have pretty thick beard and mustache. Can't do it with an electric razor (hairs get pulled and not cut, it's torture). I do ok with this stuff after a hot bath:


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## Halien (Feb 20, 2011)

Unfortunately, I take after the native american side of the family, so I can't grow a decent beard, but I use the Gillette Fusion (four blades) because of sensitive skin. A close friend sounds like your husband, though, and he recently told me about having to use some of the sites mentioned here because of his problems in getting a good shave. His solution was to use a shaving conditioner (like Nivea), and he uses a new Fusion blade every other day.


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## Kasler (Jul 20, 2012)

Gonna have to be a daily bi-daily shaver from now on. 

I know the pain.

If I don't shave for two weeks I'll be looking like Rasputin.


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## Almostrecovered (Jul 14, 2011)

lifesabeach said:


> I have fairly thick facial hair, not as bad as your H, but pretty bad. I got the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 3-1 Styler for Fathers Day. I have to say that it works really well for me. It has a close trimmer and 3 attachments for if you let it grow for a while. And a normal razor attachment. It is about 20-25 bucks at walmart.


This is the razor I was referring to as well so that's two recommendations


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## that_girl (Jul 6, 2011)

Have him go to a barber. They work wonders.

Or a gardener.

Either/or.


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## Runs like Dog (Feb 25, 2011)

Just go full on al Qaeda terrorist like my eldest child.


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## AbsolutelyFree (Jan 28, 2011)

It's very hard to use a razor on a few day's worth of growth. Use an electric hair trimmer to get it down to something managable, then finish the job with a razor. I like using a disposable razor vs electric, but either one works. 


By the way, the best razor you can use is actually a single-blade. The shaver itself is more expensive than the ones you can get at Wal Mart, but the blades are very cheap. Overall, the shave is a lot closer and I find it can cut through the hair easier.


Edit: Also, regarding the barber thing -- It's a good idea, even if you go just once. You can observe how they do it and then try to follow along at home.


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## costa200 (Jun 27, 2012)

If everything else fails


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## Duke (May 15, 2011)

Have him go to badgerandblade.com forums and learn to shave with an old fashioned double edged safety razor. Takes a while to get the hang of it, but it's a much more comfortable shave compared to cartridges or electric. It is for me anyway, though my beard is not as thick as his. The blades are less costly too, though you'll make up for it when you start buying the good shave creams.


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## heartsdelight (Apr 2, 2012)

Thanks for all the advice. We're going to try out a few things. It just makes me so sad to hear him say "I wish somebody had told me shaving hurt so much." He said the blades seem to rip his hair out a lot instead of cutting them because the hair is so thick it gets caught in it. Yikes.


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## Lon (Jun 6, 2011)

heartsdelight said:


> Thanks for all the advice. We're going to try out a few things. It just makes me so sad to hear him say "I wish somebody had told me shaving hurt so much." He said the blades seem to rip his hair out a lot instead of cutting them because the hair is so thick it gets caught in it. Yikes.


I don't think the blades are "ripping" out the hair, if so he needs to use sharper blades, but maybe the coarse hair is pulling his skin up into the blade - that is why he has to go with the grain... and also maybe use a double or single blade razor... I find for me on my neck, since the grain goes every which way it does better for me to go one pass across the grain, and if it isn't as close as I'd like just leave it because another stroke will make me regret it all day. Same as my chin where it is the thickest and also hard to get good contact over the jawline, it's easier to go across the grain (not against, nor with) since it seems to get it in less strokes.

I remember the first couple years shaving never hurt, it wasn't until my beard hair matured in my late 20's and got so thick and coarse that it became a pain. I used to always rock the freshly shaven babyface look, now I go a couple days between or else I'd be sporting something that resembled pizza.


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## Shoto1984 (Apr 11, 2009)

I agree with Beachguy. I suggest a wet/dry electric razor right out of the shower. Panasonic makes a few models and I'm sure there are other manufactures also. Follow the electric with a sharp good quality blade razor. That's the best you're going to get.


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## VeryHurt (Mar 11, 2011)

www.Harrys.com


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## 2ndchanceGuy (Sep 28, 2015)

heartsdelight said:


> Thanks for all the advice. We're going to try out a few things. It just makes me so sad to hear him say "I wish somebody had told me shaving hurt so much." He said the blades seem to rip his hair out a lot instead of cutting them because the hair is so thick it gets caught in it. Yikes.


 It sounds like he is waiting too long to shave. ?? If I skip a couple of days it is way tougher. He needs to shave every day or twice a day with a good quality blade or good electric shaver. 
I recently bought a Phillips Norelco shaver with the 3 rotating heads.
It is quick and painless to shave every day. but like I said if I wait 2+ days. There will be pain !


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## Malpheous (May 3, 2013)

Go to a barber that does straight razor shaves. Pay attention and learn. If it feels good and works, then start easy with a safety razor. Hot shower/towel. Quality shave soap or shave butter. If that works well, move on to a straight razor. An easy and cheap way to start is go to the local beauty supply. Like Sallys. Many carry a razor that you can use split safety razor blades in. You just gently fold and snap the blade while it's in the paper. This helps you not have to do all the stropping and care. 

*disclaimer* Once you get good with a straight razor you'll almost always love it. This can be costly as buying new fancy shavers can be an addiction. I haven't bought a pack of Gillette replacement blades in ages. But may have spent a few hundred on new shavers in the past 6 months because... Well... I like 'em.


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## lovemark (Jun 10, 2016)

You have to look perfect! Anyway it's your especial day ,and the condition of your haircut means a lot0 Just choose at machohairstyles your best one and be the most handsome at this important day!!! :laughon't forget about your beard! A blonde beard can be as sexy and attractive as any other if trimmed and groomed in the right way.>


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## Malpheous (May 3, 2013)

1.) Hot shower. Get that beard soapy and wet with warm/hot water. Steam it.

2.) Safety Razor or Straight Razor. Safety razor may be best here. 

3.) Quality shave soap in a mug. Badger hair brush.

4.) Lather it up good. And shave.

5.) Change/strop blade as needed.


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## MikeTO (Aug 18, 2016)

He should take a nice hot shower before shaving. I suggest he gets a safety razor, shaving brush and shaving soap. He should try multiple double edge razor blades. Feather razor blades are the sharpest blades. He will need an aggressive safety razor for sure. You might want to get a shaving forums for expert advice.


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