New to wet shaving, how to reduce razor burn with new straight

Happy Friday Folks,

I'm brand new to wet shaving. For 28 years I've been using disposable cartridge razors and got into this universe by thinking about how wasteful canned shaving cream is.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I've got a new 5/8" straight from SRD, and a VDH shave kit with soap and brush.

My first use of the VDH shave kit with my old cartridge razor produced the best, closest shave of my life. Great success... I'm done with canned shave cream for good.

Three days ago, I tried my first straight razor shave. Things went pretty well on my cheeks and sideburns with the grain, but I had lots of razor burn on my neck. I assume this is due to a combination of my shave technique and pre-shave prep.

So last night I took more time on the pre-shave. I rinsed my face with water and lathered up, then let the soap sit on my face for 5 or 10 minutes, then rinsed it off, wet my face, and lathered up again before shaving.

I find that the soap tends to dry out during my shave. I'm pretty slow. So I reapply on occasion, but still I'm getting some aggresive razor burn on my neck, particularly where it's hard to go with the grain because of the direction my hair grows there.

I'm trying to figure out if I can improve my pre-shave to prevent this, or if it's a matter of my angles and stroke, or maybe both?

Any advice would be welcome.

This board has been really helpful in getting me started down this path.

Thanks,
Handjam

The soap drying out could be an impact, getting the lather right takes practice.

In my experience though the most common cause when starting out are either a dull razor, not likely given where you got it from unless you've dulled it when stropping. Therefore my guess would be you might not be stretching your skin properly. Skin stretching is really important.

Others might have some more suggestions. Good luck solving this

My lather dries up pretty quick with a new soap. Trying to nail down the combination of water and soap to get it to last longer, more water usually helps. However, I'm a pretty slow shaver and only do sections at once. Think of your face as split up into quarter sections. Plus, adding moist lather on top of dry lather hasn't really worked for me in the past. You're probably better off wiping off the lather, wet the area and reapply.

You haven't mentioned a strop, which helps keep the edge in good shape. If you do, check the videos produced by Lynn Abrams and gssixgun on stropping to help. Pay attention to how they hold the razor, it will aid you in the motion as well as the pressure. Also, the amount of slack in lynn's strop in his newer video will guide you to the proper tension.

I don't think your irritating can be healed by better pre-shave preparation. You can have next issues:
1. Stropping, you haven't mentioned that you have strop and use that you using it.
2. Dry soap, to prevent it from drying try to lather one part shave it, than lather second and shave it. It's best option for the start.
3. Most common issue. Maybe you apply to much pressure, try to give razor short, light strokes, don't apply pressure at all, razor might find it way under razor weight. Try different angles.

Irritations on the neck usually the biggest, it's the most difficult part to shave.

You need good honed razor, no pressure, wet lather, try different angles and clear irritationless shave will come with time.

Keep the angle of the blade low and watch your pressure. It's very common when transitioning from cartridge razors to use too much pressure. Use just enough to remove the lather, the razor will take the whiskers with it.

Lather half your face at a time. As you gain experience and speed go to a full face lather. As for your razor burn on the neck pay closer attention to blade angle and make sure you are no more than two spine widths away. Meanwhile let your face get healed up and in a couple days go for the gusto.

First and Foremost, Welcome from SE Washington State USA! Walla Walla to be precise.

As has been posted, pressure is your enemy, there should only be enough to keep the razor in contact with the skin.

Also when there is too high of an angle all you are doing is 'Scraping' the beard off. This is as close to a Guarantee that you will get razor burn from a straight as there is.

Also there is a reason that it's Highly Recommended that you shave only the Cheek Area when you are starting out!

Give your face a break for several days then Go Back To Just The Cheeks.

As far as lather goes, I'd recommend that you 'Initially' lather the entire face then wash it off with Hot Tap Water then reapply to the entire face. If the lather starts to dry out, just reapply.

As a parting comment and advise, please consider including your whereabouts as you might have experienced help not far from you. You'll never know if you don't include where you are at.!

Neck is often a trouble spot for the new SR shaver and is especially sensitive to burn because of two tendencies, IMO: 1) Not stretching enough in the right direction: and 2) use of too much pressure when you still see whiskers after making a pass with the razor. I know that's what I did until a let my beard grow a day and then felt the stubble with my hand to "map" my face, in other words, to learn, and remember which direction thugs whiskers are going and then deciding what is the correct direction to stretch to make you first pass WTG. That gave me much more success. I hope it helps you.

Remember, a SR and pressure never makes things better!

Yup, what all those guys said. The neck is the hardest and most sensitive part of the shave, with the oddest hair grain and is the scariest part. All of those things contribute to the difficulty of shaving the neck. To summarize:

1. The lather needs to be wet and slick -- learning to create proper lather, like everything else, takes some practice. If it dries out, put a few drops of water on your brush and go over the old lather to get it wet again. Don't shave if it starts to feel like plaster.
2. Map your hair growth to shave with the grain (WTG) as much as possible. If it's not possible to shave WTG because of a difficult stroke angle, get as close as you can get to WTG.
3. No pressure other than the weight of the blade.
4. Make sure you stretch the skin with your free hand and by tilting your head back. Use alum on your fingers if things are slippery.
5. The angle of the blade to your skin should be about one spine width away or a touch more, but don't allow it to get past two or you'll reach a point where you will be scraping your skin. The absolute ideal angle for each razor can only be discovered by feel.
6. Short strokes.
7. The razor needs to be well stropped before each use.

The use of a balm rather than an after shave helped to reduce burn for me while I was learning.

Thank you all for the advice. I added my location info as suggested, cudarunner.

Shaving my cheeks WTG right now feels pretty easy. Is it still recommended that I stick with just that for a while? It doesn't seem like I would progress very far just doing that. Should I stick with the cheeks, but add in XTG and ATG?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Uzi

4. Make sure you stretch the skin with your free hand and by tilting your head back. Use alum on your fingers if things are slippery.

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Great tip about alum. Hadn't seen that one before, and my hands have felt slippery when trying to stretch the skin.

I'm a bit leary of screwing up Lynn's honing with bad stropping so I didn't strop before my first shave, and only a few light laps before my second. I'll have to work up the courage to stop it more before my next shave.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by handjam

Thank you all for the advice. I added my location info as suggested, cudarunner.

Shaving my cheeks WTG right now feels pretty easy. Is it still recommended that I stick with just that for a while? It doesn't seem like I would progress very far just doing that. Should I stick with the cheeks, but add in XTG and ATG?

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Thanks for adding your location. As via PM there is experienced help very close by.

Yes I would recommend that you keep just shaving the cheek area UNTIL you feel that your are Comfortable and Efficient with it.

Then move to the Neck area UNTIL you feel that your are Comfortable and Efficient with it.

Save Under the Nose and the Chin until last.

This will allow you to build confidence.

It's kind of like learning to drive a car. Being able to back it out and back in the drive way starts the basics. Then learning how to drive in town allows you to become more comfortable with the controls and being able to use them proficiently.

THEN once you feel comfortable driving in town at slow speeds driving on the highway/freeway at much higher speeds wont' be 'Quite' so unnerving!

Put it in perspective. Would you rather learn in the driveway and then on city streets OR Just be given the keys and drive down the freeway?

It's really quite similar.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by handjam

Great tip about alum. Hadn't seen that one before, and my hands have felt slippery when trying to stretch the skin.

I'm a bit leary of screwing up Lynn's honing with bad stropping so I didn't strop before my first shave, and only a few light laps before my second. I'll have to work up the courage to stop it more before my next shave.

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Adequate Stropping is Essential to getting a good shave.

I recommend an average of 25-30 laps on the linen side followed by 50-60 laps on leather. Take your time, it's not a Race!

Remember that proper form is key.

I think one of the most underrated 'Tools' in learning how to shave with a straight is 'Patience'. Take your time, with Patience and Practice it will come :tu

If you watch your angle an pressure and still have the problem you may want to try a pre shave product. It helps to lubricate the skin & keep the lather from drying too quickly.

I can add a couple of cents: Just apply lather and shave. Don't lather up, then wait 10 Minutes, rinse and relather. What for? Are you afraid your beard won't be soft enough? A sharp razor will take care of it, believe me.

By putting warm lather on for so long you are softening your skin which will make it more sensitive to rash. Since you shave slow anyway, the lather will have more than enough time to soften your beard.

Pre shave actions are to some extent alot of gimmicking and somewhat counterproductive in my opinion if done wrong or too much.

Now shoot me. :-)

Best wishes,
OldSalt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OldSalt

I can add a couple of cents: Just apply lather and shave. Don't lather up, then wait 10 Minutes, rinse and relather. What for? Are you afraid your beard won't be soft enough? A sharp razor will take care of it, believe me.

By putting warm lather on for so long you are softening your skin which will make it more sensitive to rash. Since you shave slow anyway, the lather will have more than enough time to soften your beard.

Pre shave actions are to some extent alot of gimmicking and somewhat counterproductive in my opinion if done wrong or too much.

Now shoot me. :-)

Best wishes,
OldSalt

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I won't shoot you. If you can't get a decent shave with little to no irritation by simply lathering up and shaving the problem/s is/are not a lack of pre shave prep.

A pre shave prep may help mask what the trouble is by helping you get past your real problem/s.

Bob

Stropping your razor before shaving with the right angle and pressure will benefit you and your neck. So start stropping and you'll be on your way to very close shaves.