Thread: Shaving advice!

I shaved from 17 to 57 with a Gillette and spray goop.

I hated shaving so much and got it done in like 3 minutes.

Then I discovered straights, bought one and cut myself good.

It was so terrifying that i actually lost sleep knowing I was going to shave the next morning.

I even made youtube vids for the guys here so they could advise me.

Coming up on a year now, and shaving is so great, it relaxes me and gives me time to slow down and smell the roses (you just cannot rush a straight shave).

Anyway, I love shaving with a staight so much now that I spend a lot of time faceturbating to see if I can find any bristles that would give me an excuse for another shave.

I am lucky, I'm one of those people that could shave with a broken bottle because i have hide like a rhino but I fully agree with the others here.

Bite the bullet and bin the throw away cartridges. Get a decent DE or better yet an inexpensive straight razor fom here, some soap to die for, a cheap brush and go for it for a month. Your face is going to thank you and the guys here will give you all the help they can.

This forum taught me to shave, to strop and now to hone, get that straight and start enjoying your shave.

....while others could shave with spit, and a broken beer bottle.

Good one Mike!
If you want to learn and grow, get a DE or just right to a straight. At first you wont see much difference in irritation, but after a few shaves it will start to become better. Its said that after 100 shaves you really start to understand. A quality soap is important so you get the cushion and slickness needed.to help you. Along with what others are saying. Preasure is your enemy! A blade should be so sharp is goes thru whiskers like a hot knife and butter.

Good luck and be sure to let us know what your plan is. The cartrage razors are never going to get you much comfort. But as you know, they will do the job but there is no fun in it.

It’s a little complex, mostly because we all have different skin and whiskers, and the direction of growth combined with the direction of the shave all have some bearing on the subject. Every stroke of a three blade razor is like three strokes with a single blade razor. Minimizing your shaving and making every stroke count helps too. I had a beard for many years because I could not keep up a clean shave for very long. Wet shaving with either a straight, DE or single edge razor, combined with good products and technique is all you need. You will have to do some experimenting to dial it in.
Sorry for the long post.
Mapping out your hair growth direction can help you figure out some of your problem areas. There are many preshave products out there. The two that made a big difference for me is Proraso and Noxema. I can honestly say I have been shaving regularly without irritation for quite a while. The above advice has been rock solid. Irritation culprits are typically too much pressure, dull razors poor prep and poor shave products. Also after shave is not just to make you smell pretty. They are to help cleanse and fortify the skin.
My final point, you don’t have to post all your questions online, you do have the option to private message any mentor with questions.

Skin irritation was one of the reasons I switched to straights. Recently I found out that my after shave balm (alcohol-free) was to blame for considerable irritation as well. Nowadays I am using unfragrenced Aveeno hand cream as an A/S and have virtually no more skin irritation

I had gotten a fair bit of irritation from alum blocks.

You probably should see a dermatologist but what I’m about to say will be much cheaper if not actually useful or accurate.

Irritation/inflammation may be caused by:

Mechanical abrasion: Your razor, washcloth, preshave scrub, or some combo of each is removing too much skin and causing an inflammatory reaction. Solution: Ditch the cloths and scrubs and only use the razor with the lightest touch possible. Since you’re going to be using a zero pressure/drag approach with the razor, only sharp blades will be useful. A dull razor does not cause “burn” but encourages one to use too much pressure which most certainly will.

I would characterize a light touch as being able to hear the whiskers being cut but barely able to feel the pressure, drag, or tug of the razor on the skin.

Chemical: Some chemical in your peri-shave routine is causing an inflammatory response. Solution: Simplify! Eliminate all chemicals except a light, neutral lather. Or perhaps baby oil. Shower after you shave to remove all lather. Put nothing else on your face.

Thermal: The water you use can be too hot or cold and start an inflammatory response even before your razor meets your face. Solution: use room – body temperature water.

Bacterial/Fungal: Not a diagnosis but there could be some funky microbial thing going on. See you doctor.

Innate Hypersensitivity: I’m not diagnosing anything here (especially lupus) but again see your doctor.

And remember that irritation sets you up for more irritation. Don’t try to shave already injured or insulted areas.

Hi and welcome aboard. I am another that switched due to irritation. My neck was like a pimpley ingrown disaster. As said decent products, keep it simple, reduse pressure and go slow.

Less variables makes it easier to find the faults. Only add or change one variable at a time and you should be able to figure it out quick enough.

I have been shaving for around 55 years. For the first 50 of those years, my shaves were not good, I am sorry to admit. I have a tough, fast-growing beard and very sensitive skin. I never could shave with a foil shaver like the Braun; it caused terrible irritation. I could use a Norelco rotary shaver without irritation, but the shave was never close enough, so I had to shave again in the evening if I was going out.

Multi-blade cartridge razors shaved close enough, but they irritated my skin.

For the post five years, I have been shaving with either straight razors, double edge or single edge safety razors. I now get very close shaves without irritation. However, it took me a while to find right combination of razors and blades, shaving soap, beard preparation, and shaving technique to get me to where I am today. It did not happen overnight.

If you are interested, I will be glad to help you diagnose your current shaving situation and suggest ways to improve each aspect of your shave. However, that is too complex to do on the open forum. If you are interested, send me a private message.

You first need to find out the reason. it could be:
- Improper use of the razor (pressing too hard).
- The presence of acne, lesions, acne on the skin (in the process of shaving they are cut off, irritation occurs, the infection moves to other areas of the skin).
- Use of alcohol-based toners and lotions, which dry out and irritate the skin even more.
- Allergy to shaving foam or lotions.
- Improper storage of shaving accessories.

You really should see a good dermatologist and check your shaving products.

Electric razors caused my face to glow like a light bulb. Switching to a straight has been the best thing for me. Its a bit intimidating at first, but its not at all difficult. I tell everyone that great grandpa did it this way and he wasnt uniquely gifted, he just took off his whiskers. Like most of the replies so far, I would also recommend witch hazel as an aftershave. Multi blades are a scam. If the first blade cuts the whiskers, the other four are either scraping skin or are merely there in a supervisory role.