Growing a beard - how to reduce the itch???
 

I want to go without shaving for a while again to see how it looks... but everytime I've done it before I couldn't stand the itch after a few weeks. Is there anything I can use to reduce or eliminate the itch?

I've never had a problem with the itch, and I haven't shaven in a little over a year now.

just stick with it the face will have to get used to the hair....

i dont know if theres really anything that can be done to help...

heard this on the radio and looked it up. thought it was interesting.

http://www.health-news.co.uk/showstory.asp?id=106331
time to bust out the razors, boys.

Okay... I shave every two or three days, I don't smoke, I work in a manager occupation, I have sexual intercourse as often as I like, and I'm 6'5". Not married though. Yet.

Should stop itching after a few days, if you really want a beard just keep it around for a while and you'll get used to it.

I guess I'll just have to try to deal with it then.. but it does itch like hell, especially on my neck.

As for that radio story.. I've heard that before.. but shaving every other day hasn't helped in having sex anymore often, I don't smoke, I'm still in school, and I'm 6'1"....

I hate polls, they are always slanted in some direction. It was probably a poll sponsored by Gillette.

I sometime use facial lotion when my beard really starts to itch, but I only use it when it gets so bad that it drives me crazy

The itch does go away after a while. for a while there, though, I was scratching like a dog, even thought of using my leg.......

Well being as its cold and dry here I've been using facial lotion lately, so I'll see if that makes a difference. It's been about 1 week since my last shave and my neck is already starting to itch some. I think that the lotion may help some because I just put some on after taking a shower a few minutes ago it's not itching...

I have the same problem. Using Cetaphil skin lotion helps the itch without causing breakouts. The bottom of my beard, on my neck, grows upward. That part just has to be shaved off.

Hah, that's kinda funny because I use Cetaphil lotion too :)

It's funny, my face itches whenever I shave. Then again, I shave once every 2-3-4 weeks. Or whenever I feel disgusted with myself. My face is hairier than my balls! *giggles*

I never had issues with my chin itching. *shrugs* I do know shaving exfoliates the skin, so I try to rub my face with a washcloth to keep everything healthy. *nods* Beard = not shaving. It's how I did it.

Okay. I don't ever want to hear a reference to your balls in the same breath with a giggle ever again, you get me? :|

Back on topic: A well-groomed beard is less likely to itch. Comb it frequently. Trim it so it's reasonably short. And yes, some time will help.

shave...it..off?

hehe.

Just leave it. It goes away when the hair gets longer, and you get used to it anyway. At the moment, I'm away from my office, so I'm only shaving once a week if that.

I have a goatee, and that doesn't itch at all. The stuff around it itches a tiny bit every once in a while when I let it get long, but I'm used to it now. I actually find it itches most around the line of my goatee when the rest is clean shaven.

I really don't understand our society's obssession with shaving... that poll just proves it. Bearded men have less sex? What the fuck?

Shave my face and head oncee a week (I have very sensitive skin and a heavy beard), 6 foot, work on a computer, married, don't smoke, lots of sex. I say the mythbusters have busted this one.

I just dealt with it, it lasted maybe a week at most and then my skin got used to it. Hasn't been a problem since.

Noting you can do. Time heals all wounds and this too shall pass. Enough cliches yet?

i've found that shaving and trimming leaves sharp edges on the hair which irritate the skin and cause massive itching. So, i just try to avoid rubbing the hair against my chin and i shave the lower part so i don't have a FULL beard, all the way down my neck, robin williams style.

and yeah, it gets softer as time goes on, the sharp edges wear off and it's not as stiff so it doesn't irritate.


As for the article that was posted about shaving and manual labor, think about it, which one causes the other? In manual labor, you're judged more on getting the job done vs presenting the best outward appearance. In office work, you're judged on your work ethic and your appearance, oftentimes your appearance takes precedence to what you do/how you're perceived. It's hard keeping an office job w/out shaving or keeping up with personal hygiene. I dont' think a manual laborer could just start shaving daily and instantly be transferred over to officework.

I don't really see it as a cause/effect thing, more of a "This type person is more likely to do this" thing. How many anal retentive, metrosexual, manicure receiving, sweater-wearing construction workers do you see everyday?

its funny because for me it itches when im clean shaven

I have always found the itch goes away as it grows out, though sometimes that few days between just being scruffy and actually having a beard can be pretty agonizing.

mine is more of when it's 1/4-1/2" long, then it itches like crazy...