Thread: Every day shave irritation

Giving your pre shave prep extra attention can help to. pre shave prep can make huge difference on a shave when the edge is not a lazer.

Im with the folks that are talking about angle and preasure. That besides a edge that needs touched up are the main issues with irritation IMO.

You've been given some great advise already. One thing I found that helped as well,is a good quality soap.
There are many out there, there is a thread here which will give you an idea of the best ones over all.

FIRST TIER SOAPS AND CREAMS

It's a long thread, but Obies list t the beginning will help you out

Have you tried a pre-shave treatment? I don’t use one myself, but several folks here have sensitive skin and recommend the Proraso pre-shave.

Angle, pressure, prep, lather, edge. The information given is spot on. But there's one other that comes to mind..your new to straight, I presume. Most of us have many years under our belts, and our skin is more tempered from shaving this way. I too, was in the same boat as you, just keep rowing, calm waters are ahead.

Lots of good advice here. You might also consider your after shave regime.
The whole idea is to minimize skin irritation.

First of all, a thorough rinse is important in order to remove all soap remnants.
Also, when you dry your skin, patting it dry, rather than rubbing helps.

Finally, it might help to apply something soothing to your skin: something like
Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloa Vera. For your usual hot spots on the neck, you
could apply a thin coat of vaseline or a vasoline based antibiotic lotion.

Avoid alcohol-based aftershave lotions, but there are a few products that are
specifically intended to prevent/heal shave bumps.

Go lightly on the shave and stay cool after.

Here's a little post shave advice----> After you're through shaving wash your face and rub an alum block over your damp skin. This is a disinfectant. Next give your face a splash of witch hazel. This is a nourishment and promotes healing of any damaged skin.

Benz sez---> Look sharp and smell nice for the ladies.

As far as a pre-shave prep:

Hot shower
Proraso pre-shave, or bloom water (whatever I'm in the mood for)
3 drops of pre-shave oil

Post shave:
Alum block (always)
Thayers Witch Hazel
Aftershave: variety - Stirling, Lucky Tiger, Proraso, Clubman

I tried shaving with a Feather DE on day 3 last week. I was astounded at how well it shaved. The Feather was one of the last blades to try in a sample pack. I was timid about trying it because I heard it was an aggressive blade, but man o' man... what a great shave. Perhaps it's just a matter of my skin getting used to shaving every day.

I also tried something else. I saw a video by Michael Freedberg, and he did a test on his face with the brush... put the side of the brush to your face when lathering, and then pull it away to see if the soap is too paste like. When the soap creates nice peaks on your cheek, there should be enough water in the lather. I used that method until it was just right, and then I shaved with the Feather DE.

My skin was a little less irritated on that 3rd shave, and two or three days later, my neck looks fine.

So many variables, but I'm going to stick with that lather method. Perhaps there just wasn't enough water in my lather to make the soap slick enough. Or maybe I just wasn't using sharp enough blades.

I have always had a fast growing beard. As I have aged, that beard has grown coarser and tougher. When I had teenage acne, I started shaving with an electric shaver as I could not use any type of blade. However, with my fast beard growth, the electric shaver never got close enough, so I often needed to shave again later in the day...bummer.

I have blue eyes and a ruddy complexion, and a condition known as rosacea. Thus, my face is easily sun burned, cold burned, wind burned, and razor burned. I have found that I get the most comfortable shaves using a properly honed straight razor and top tier shaving soaps lathered with a soft tip brush.

1. The razor- I hone my own razors. My first finisher was a Naniwa 12K SS, but I found the edge was too harsh for my face. I get better edges for my face using natural finishing stones. I have tried several different stones looking for the one(s) that best produce an edge keen enough for my tough beard, yet smooth enough for my sensitive face. My latest venture is with a Zuly Grey from South Africa. I refresh the edge of my razors, whenever they start to lack keenness or smoothness. Since my beard is tough on the razor edge, that usually happens every 4-6 shaves, depending upon the quality of steel in the razor.

After honing the razor, I polish the edge by stropping on bench strops with Cubic Boron Nitride of 0.50, 0.25 and 0.10 micron pastes/sprays. These pasted strops have made a significant difference in the smoothness of my shaves. After the pasted strops, I strop 50 laps on cloth and 100 laps on leather.

2. The brush- If your skin is sensitive, I would suggest that you bowl lather rather than face lather. Face lathering might irritate your skin. You also need to use a brush that has soft tips with minimal scritch. Although a silvertip badger will work, there are also synthetic, horsehair, and broken-in boar brushes that meet that criteria.

3. Soaps - You need a great soap that has slickness/glide, and good cushion to protect your skin from the blade. In particular, avoid canned gels and foams that can dry your skin.

Depending upon your skin, you face might be sensitive to some scents. For me, soaps with lime or close sting my face, but everyone is different in this aspect.

There are many different soaps from both well-established firms and recent artisans that can meet that criteria. Look in the soap and cream forum for suggestions. Personally, I prefer tallow-based soaps as I think they give a better face feel after the shave, but there are also good vegan soaps for those who have an objection to the use of animal fats.

Also once you find soaps you like, then experiment with the amount of water you add to the soap to produce the slickest, most cushioning lather.

4. The shave- Like others have already said, use very light pressure and the correct shave angle (never more than 30 degrees). As indicated "shave the lather" not the beard. You want to remove the minimal number of skin cells as you remove your beard. Although many of us shave three passes (WTG, XTG, ATG), if you are getting bumps, you might try shaving a couple of passes with the grain and forego other directions until you figure out what works best for you.

5. Be sure you do not remove residual lather from your face by rubbing with a terry washcloth. I suggest using microfiber cloths that are much smoother. You can find them in the auto section of a local store. Also pat your face rather than rubbing it. Whether you shave with warm lather or cold, always finish by rinsing with cold water to close your pores. You might complete your shave using a shave balm for sensitive skin to protect your newly shaved face.

It might take you some experimentation to get to where you need to be, but your face will thank you for it.

best advice I can give the lather the palm of your hand until you can consistently get a good lather, than later and shave your forearms(easier to hide if you nick yourself as well as see what you're doing), after that is good, move on to your face. also pick up an alum block that way when you nick your face , it won't look like Swiss cheese for more than an hour or two.