Thread: Alum block! Ouch

Hi Everyone

just wondered if someone can give me some advise?

Ive been using my Dovo best quality straight razor now for a bit, and so far I have picked it up pretty quick. I have got the first pass down to a tee, and even the second and third pass on my cheeks works out great.

The problem I have is getting that really smooth finish on my neck, my hair seems to grow from so many different angles I have to treat it as three separate sections and come from different angles on each section.

By the time I have done this and gotten that really smooth finish I have caused a lot of irritation. no cuts, just the odd blood spot, then I used my Alum block that arrived today and boy did it sting. Ouch!

So should I give up trying to get that smooth finish on my neck or is it just a case of more practice?

Any Advise is appreciated.

I have the same problem with my neck and have resolved to 1 good pass WTG and, if not too sensitive I'll try ATG. Generally that's if I've not shaved for a few days though.

Daily is 1 pass WTG which gets me through the day. I found that stretching in different ways on the neck gets the hairs to pop up better. A little experimenting required sadly. I let mine grow for 3 days to see how the hair grows and I've got 4 different directions, 2 either side of the Adam's apple and they aren't a mirror of the other.

my neck hair is the same way, grows in different directions. when you are shaving, pay attention to which directions the hair grows and, in time, you will memorize it. this way, you will know exactly which directions to shave from on the first and second pass. no need for a third.

You are just starting out with a straight so it likely means you need more time to figure things out and improve your shaving skills. There are number of things that cause irritation to the skin and from my own experience the most likely causes are too much pressure, bad angle on the blade and a razor that is not sharp enough. Give yourself at least 6 months of slow patient practice and things might improve. Don't try too hard too quickly for that BBS shave, it will come in time. Alum will let you know right smartly that you are not doing something properly.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

You are just starting out with a straight so it likely means you need more time to figure things out and improve your shaving skills. There are number of things that cause irritation to the skin and from my own experience the most likely causes are too much pressure, bad angle on the blade and a razor that is not sharp enough. Give yourself at least 6 months of slow patient practice and things might improve. Don't try too hard too quickly for that BBS shave, it will come in time. Alum will let you know right smartly that you are not doing something properly.

Bob

I didn't explain properly. This is why I still only do a 1 pass shave with the occasional 2 pass. I've got a decently thick beard and I'm able to get a decent shave in 1 pass now. It's not BBS but it's smoother and less irritating than a cartridge. I don't get spots on my chin or neck either.

It is nice when the alum doesn't bite quite as hard as it used to, you'll feel a bit smug when that happens for the first time

Oh and I did find that sketching out the general direction of hair growth on the neck and pinning it to the mirror when I shaved helped figure things out. Make sure you sketch a mirror image though!

Sounds normal when you try to do too many passes in one sitting. Try living with a reasonable result on your neck with 2 passes only until your skin gets a little more used to the process. Then go for 3 but I would never suggest a 4th.

All great responses.
Straight Razor shaving is one of those activities where less is more.
Less pressure is more effective, fewer passes until technique is solid.

Yeah, that alum block is the ultimate honest broker!

It gets better everyday.
Good luck

The other thing you could try is using a bit of distilled witch hazel as a splash after a shave. It still lets you know where you went wrong but doesn't make you wince quite so much and the smell doesn't hang around either. Just a thought, I still do that now from time to time.

Thanks Guys, great advise as always. I guess I'll just take it steady and keep working on my technique until I get better.

Thanks again,

It really does take quite a while to work all the kinks out. You hit plateaus where you seem stuck until something else clicks and you improve again. Good luck.

Bob