Thread: Skin toughening?

Hey guys, new DE shaver here with some straights in the mail to me. I have always had problems with razor burn and lots of weepers and bleeding when using cartrige razors. I have started shaving with a brush and soap which has helped. I also recently started shaving with a DE and am liking it a lot. My question is:

Will my skin toughen up with regular shaving? I have been enjoying the wet shaving experience and have been shaving every day with much less irritation. I still have not had a nick/razor burn free shave, but they are much more comfortable than they were before. I guess it could be my technique is getting better with learning the DE, but I am hoping that my skin will get used to daily shaving and toughen up a bit. Any thoughts?

I think "supple" might be a better word...

haha I was looking for something more like tanning or leathery

I used to have more razor burn in my 20's than now in my 40's. In my 20's even cartrigde blades would give me razor burn every day, nowadays they only do occasionally. I feel my skin matured.

Whenever I have shaved for a while with cartridge blades and return to straights I get more irritation for a short while. So my guess is that both practice and maturing and "the skin getting used to the thing" play a part.

Yep, something happens to your skin. It took about a month for mine to get tanned just right --- a little leather conditioner every once in a while an you're good to go. Later,

Justin

I can't speak about DE shaving since I never went that route.

As for straight razor changing your skin, yeah it's interesting. It takes a few weeks and teh skin seems to deal with the agressive depiling action of the straight better, but doesn't seem to feel tough or leathery at all. Quite the oposite. it's smooth, fresh and tender after proper shaving and conditioning. I hope you like it as much as the rest of us do. As you suspect though, go easy on the pressure, watch your angles and stretching and do plenty of good luxurious prepping and post shave conditioning and you'll get your best results.

X

Yeah, xman is correct. After the initial break in period, my skin feels better than it ever has --not leathery but well toned and supple ---I must feel my face a 100 times a day --

Justin

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

---I must feel my face a 100 times a day --

Facetubator

X

Guilty as charged, xman. Tends to happen more when I'm checking out the classicshaving web site --a little shaving porn, I suppose . Now, I will quit ,as my cheeks, they do blush. Later,

Justin

Just to add a little more info to the "toughening" question: an adaptive process called keratinization occurs in response to the repeated exfolliation of the skin on the face while shaving.

Over time, the outter epithelial cells start to thicken (toughen) providing a bit more protection for the underlying dermal cells.

Just thought you'd want to know...


Scott