Face breaking out

Hi I was wanting some advice.  My current shave routine is :
Shower
Shave Soap face lather
Shave - 3 passes
Rinse with hot water
Rinse with cold water
Apply Witchazel and allow to dry.  I’ve also substituted an alum block here before.
Then finally apply aftershave
In winter I may follow with a balm.

My face is beginning to breakout bad.  I switched to this type of shaving to prevent breakouts.  

Is there something I should be doing differently?  I’m trying different blades.  Could the blades be causing this?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

If you are new to this, it is 99% your technique that's causing the issue, not the equipment.

Don't do 3 passes at the beginning. Do two WTG passes for some time to get your technique correct. See if that still causes problem.

You can try a blade sampler. You can also check a few shaving videos (mantic59, Michael Freedberg etc) to see if your lather is proper (not too airy or not too dry).

There is a chance that you are using too much pressure.

Finally, again, don't do full 3 passes at the beginning.

I think your routine is perfectly fine. If you are early into wetshaving, don't stress yourself out! It took me a quite a while to learn how to apply the "right" pressure for my face, and settling in on the right equipment. Eventually you will settle into comfortable shaves, which would reduce the irritation your skin is getting. When I first started, I had breakouts too, because my skin was getting quite a bit of irritation from shaving.

Also, I find diet to be a big one for me when it comes to breakouts... perhaps lay off oily, spicy foods and dairy products for a while....

I was getting minor breakouts when I first started as well. Thanks to a post on this forum, I realized it was the tallow-based soaps causing the issue. Try applying more witch hazel. I apply it twice and use generous amounts. I still get the little white-heads every now and then but not nearly as bad when I first started

Hi, Scott scotte122 !

What do you mean by "breakout?" Like acne breakout? Is it all over your face? Only where you're shaving? Just certain spots?

I know if I shave too close on my neck, I will get bumps and ingrown hairs(& look like big nasty pimples.) I don't shave Against The Grain on my neck. That gets close enough without being dolphin smooth on my neck.

I also deal with rosacea, as well, but that tends to affect higher up on my cheeks, around/on my nose, and my forehead. Some shaving could affect those areas too if they get that high up on my face. Not really any reason to allow that, though.

You'll have to go product by product, step by step in your routine to learn what is the trigger for you. First let your skin heal. Then: simplify everything, less products, no artificial scents and no lanolin. Good luck.

May I suggest that before you drastically change anything try bowl lathering instead of trying to erase your face.
All that rubbing can not be making it very happy. A soup, salad, sugar, dessert or finger bowl could work wonders.
Or a coffee mug if you don't mind the noise.
Furthermore get a gentle, inexpensive synthetic brush if you are not already using one.

Now, let's see. Lather, witch hazel, alum block, aftershave and balm !!!
That poor face. No wonder it is revolting.
How about trying only one magic potion at a time. That might indicate the culprit /s causing all your suffering.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a BBS face.
Mickey

May I suggest that before you drastically change anything try bowl lathering instead of trying to erase your face.
All that rubbing can not be making it very happy. A soup, salad, sugar, dessert or finger bowl could work wonders.
Or a coffee mug if you don't mind the noise.
Furthermore get a  gentle,  inexpensive synthetic brush if you are not already using one.

Now, let's see.  Lather,  witch hazel, alum block, aftershave and balm !!!
That poor face. No wonder it is revolting.
How about trying only one magic potion at a time. That might indicate the culprit /s causing all your suffering.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a BBS face.
Mickey

I think you make a really good point here, Mickey.

When I think back, I honestly didn't know what a good lather was until about 1.5 years into this adventure into traditional wet shaving. I might have gotten lucky now and then, but I didn't have anybody to show me first hand what I was looking for in a decent lather. I also feel that it was hard to learn from just watching videos. So, I was face lathering a lot longer trying to get my lather right. That led to some extended brush time that may have resulted in some irritation or brush burn. I was also face lathering with too much pressure on my face with the brush. This didn't help at all. But, I just didn't know any better at the time.

Maybe I'm just a slow learner.

I was getting minor breakouts when I first started as well.  Thanks to a post on this forum, I realized it was the tallow-based soaps causing the issue.  Try applying more witch hazel. I apply it twice and use generous amounts.  I still get the little white-heads every now and then but not nearly as bad when I first started

+1. Tallow-based soaps give me zits. I stick to vegan formulae now.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I'm going to try several of these. The question was asked what type of breakout. It looks like pimples to me. They are on my face and neck. I may just be using to much product. I'm definitely going to back it off some and try some more of these suggestions.

Thanks again.