Skin Irritation

Hello I am a first time Straight Razor user I just recived my first DOVO and #4 Beginner Strop on monday from thewellshavedgentleman.com Have to say I love it . I did my first shave and with a little practice I can get a closer shave so I am not disappointed. My question is after I shave and put on my after shave and I my face gets all red. could this be because I am using an Alcohal based After shave. The after shave i am using is Pinaud Clubman's After shave lotion(regular). Because I was thinking it could also be the soap because I have noticed that my lather isn't thick enough (Van Der Hagen). or my Techinque I could be adding to much pressure. if so what type of after shave or soaps do you recommend. Thanks in advance.

Welcome!

Technique is probably the major reason. Prep, pressure, and angle are the prime suspects.

The razor has come to you shave-ready so that's not it. Bad lather / prep may lead you to apply more pressure if the beard is tough to cut (even with a sharp razor). Try better prep (more time, warmer water, prep lather - rub in with fingers, steaming towel, etc.)

A bad approach angle is also going to scrape the skin more.

First - Prep maniacally.
Second - Less pressure.
Third - 30 degree or so (but not 90 degree or similar) angle b/n blade and skin.

Also: Try ASB or aftershaves without alcohol. Maybe JASON 6-in-1, Lucky Tiger skin toner w/ witch hazel, aloe, bla bla, Trumper's Coral Skin Food (or Limes). For me CADE, Lanvin Aprege, Gucci Pour Homme, Victoria Secret Very Sexy ASBs also work well. I can also use ones with alcohol, I just don't do it too often (but Musgo Real ASB, for example, has alcohol and is still mild and not drying)

Soaps are too many, really. For ultra-sensitive skin try something without fragrance - e.g. Honeybee Sue. Or, if you want some fragrance, you can try Trumper's violet - lather is not really comparable to, say, Tabac - but it has never irritated my skin, iirc

Good luck
Ivo

Ivo pretty much has it covered there. I'd add one thing from experience: it took my skin a couple of weeks to 'calm down' from switching to straight shaving.

I just shaved a few hours ago and i kinda figured it out when i started shaving once I removed the lather I would go back and shaved again to the same spot. this time I didn't I just keeped it on single motion and would re lather and shave the same spot after I was finish and added the after shave no red face so I believe I could be my case. I do need to also work on my prep I am little by little working on my Aresnal. I ordered lynn's DVD I didn't have the money then but little by little.

P.S. Thanks izlat and majurey!!

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Originally Posted by majurey

Ivo pretty much has it covered there. I'd add one thing from experience: it took my skin a couple of weeks to 'calm down' from switching to straight shaving.

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majurey i shaved today first time with a honed razor,apart from a cut on top lip caused by resting the edge while trying to get the angle right i came away pretty much unscathed....but my face has felt hot all day not sore but hot, is this the feeling that takes a couple of weeks to calm down?

I couldn't really say without, well, getting under your skin, heh heh.

My first couple of shaves left me with a lot of razor burn, mainly from a blade not shave ready. Razor burn leaves your skin red, blotchy, tender.

But for a good 2-3 weeks (once I had sorted out the sharpness) my skin felt constantly sore. It wasn't red, but even with 48 hours between shaves parts of my skin (especially the neck) had slight irritation and was tender to touch.

After that, the only times I've had sore skin is when I've got a little overzealous with achieving BBS and have pressed too hard with too steep an angle, but even then it only lasts a couple of hours.

Some might say that the initial soreness might have been down to technique (or lack of), but there's no way technique improves enough within 2-3 weeks shaving every other day. It's been 6 months for me now and I'm still wanting to improve technique in many areas (e.g. top lip and chin :rant:).

Prep and technique are key, but your skin and your skills have got to get used to the new shave as well. In the mean time I would suggest that on top of your aftershave that you use some extra moisturizer on the more tender and red spots. I use the art of shaving's ingrown hair cream found here. I am sure there are other options, but this has worked out well for me, especially with alleviating the ingrown hairs that can occur when starting out.

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Originally Posted by tonyspurs

majurey i shaved today first time with a honed razor,apart from a cut on top lip caused by resting the edge while trying to get the angle right i came away pretty much unscathed....but my face has felt hot all day not sore but hot, is this the feeling that takes a couple of weeks to calm down?

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I am still new to SR shaving (1 month plus) and was getting the burn/hot face syndrome at first, but have found that I can get a BBS shave :y using the correctly sharpened and stropped razor (thanks to Lynn!), lots of wet lather (Nancy Boy and Proraso), lots of hot water before the shave and between passes, and I finish with a face tonic that is almost all natural (witch hazel, rose water, etc.) from C.O. Bigelow from Bath and Body Works, and then a balm (also natural) from Bigelow. Also, there is something to be said for the face getting used to the SR versus using the disposable crap. Don't forget the light touch, as mentioned earlier. Now, unless i get happy with the razor on a few difficult spots, I don't get the burn/hot face anymore.

The lightest of pressure is the key. No pressure and just the weight of the razor is the goal. You must beat the temptation to immediatley go over a tiny spot that you just shaved to get a few whiskers. One single shaving action per pass. You'll get two more passes! I got two With The Grain and clean up with one Against The Grain. When you keep going back to get a few missed whiskers without that layer of good lather, there goes the razor burn! Everyone's skin type is different but an aftershave with cooling menthol may be the trick to soothe the skin. As your technique improves you can use other types of aftershave. I love the tingle (sting!) of alcohol based aftershaves. I figure, let's get the sting over right away and let's have a soothing effect immediatley afterwards for the rest of the day.
Ernest