Most shaving problems are technique problems. Ingrown hairs come from cutting the hair below the skin surface, so the fix is a single blade, with the grain, no skin stretching and less frequent shaving. Razor burn is friction, and the eight causes can be tested one at a time starting with blade age.

Ingrown hair protocol
Blade angle, direction, preparation and the four week reset that clears a neck full of bumps.
07 Steps04 weeks Reset
Intermediate Level
02
Razor burn
Eight causes, tested one at a time, in the order most likely to be responsible.
08 Causes02 weeks Test period
Entry Level
03
Wet against electric
Six questions that decide it, and the answer is different for different parts of the same face.
06 Questions04 Options
Entry Level
04
Under beard protocol
The skin under a beard is a separate environment with its own problems, and beard oil is not the answer to most of them.
02 to 04 /week Wash04 Steps
Entry Level
05
Post shave protocol
Sixty seconds of decisions that determine whether shaving is a neutral event or a daily insult.
04 Steps01:30 Time
Entry Level
This article contains no affiliate links, no sponsored placement and no link to any commercial product, brand, retailer or clinic. Nobody paid for it, nobody previewed it and nobody can have a protocol changed. Our editorial standards set out the two disclosed archive exceptions, neither of which is this page.
Nothing here is medical advice. Speak to a pharmacist, a GP or a dermatologist about your own circumstances.
The advanced protocol pack
Everything in this section, plus the annual schedule and the full troubleshooting index. Free, delivered by email.
Free. One email with the pack, then a note when a protocol is revised. No product recommendations, because we do not make any.