Shaving advice!

I was the same way. Every cartridge razor I tried irritated my face. I learned shaving with williams soap and a Walmart brush. I tried canned goo which just made it worse so back to williams. Yes my 9 years in service having to shave every day was fun.

Then 13 years ago I decided to try a straight razor just for the bad ass effect and found this site (then called straight razor place). I learned actual proper lather, proper prep how to use a straight, proper aftershave and better soaps and creams.

A few years ago I started also using safety razors, although I can get close to straight razor shave with one of safety razors it isn't quite there.

Now I fluctuate between straight and safety, guess what no more irritation.

My advice would be to learn safety razor (unless you want to go straight to straight, full pun intended). Get a good brush and soap/cream and jump into the wetshaver rabbit hole. I recommend safety because though it has a learning curve the curve isn't much.

Try an intime gel, you will see the difference for sure

First, make sure you are shaving WTG, With The Grain, or as close to it as practical within the limitations of your facial topography. You don't have to get it perfect on the first pass. Lather, shave, then lather again and do a cleanup pass. The first pass should be thought of as reducing the beard, not totally eliminating it. It is the setup for the final pass. Try two WTG passes for now. That should give you a SAS (Socially Acceptable Shave) without torturing yourself.

A single blade will generally be much easier on your face than multiple blades. There are some decent single blade disposables and cartridge razors out there. Most of them will shave about as well as a DE, TBH. It takes a while to learn to really get the best out of a DE. Personally I think learning to use a straight razor is a lot easier than learning to properly use a DE. It is simple, elemental, and intuitive. But CHOOSE one, and stick with it for a month or two at least. Don't be constantly changing stuff. If you change just two variables, you won't know which is helping and which is hurting. So go single blade stick razor, or DE, or straight. If you go with a stick razor, whether cartridge or disposable, go with one that does NOT have a swively head, so you can control the shave angle. The swivel heads do not "automatically follow the contours of your face", at least not while maintaining the optimum shave angle, which changes anyway. If you go DE, I suggest an adjustable, but DO NOT FIDDLE WITH THE ADJUSTMENT. Leave it on a setting just on the mild side and never change it until you really have a handle on DE shaving. It's a variable. Leave it where it will likely be in the ballpark and don't mess with it. If you go with a straight razor, make sure it is verified shave ready. Many promise shave ready. Few deliver. Most sellers on fleabay or etsy don't have a clue, they just say shave ready cause it sounds good. The best way to get a decent beginner straight razor is to buy from a member on this or any other straight razor forum. If a member says it is shave ready, his reputation is vulnerable and will take a hard hit if it is not. Everybody has off days, but buying from a forum member, especially one with a long posting history and a good reputation, is about as foolproof as it gets. If you buy on fleabay first look and see what all he sells and what his feedback score is. If he sells a lot of shave ready razors and his score is near perfect, obviously nobody is pissed off at getting a razor that won't do the job. Such a seller ought to be good for your to buy from. You can also ask about a particular seller on a forum. The seller might even be a member. Just don't post links to active AUCTIONS. I don't know about here, but on most forums that would be a no-no because it drives up the bids, and someone might be bidding on it and hoping to get it for a reasonable proce. Usually a "Buy It Now" listing is okay to post the link. You will also need a strop, if you go with straight shaving. Don't just get the cheapest thing you can find. It will end badly. Again, you can ask for advice on this or any other straight shaving forum. So choose your weapon, and pick a good one, and ask for help if you need it.

No matter what type razor you want to use, a good lather will help a lot. Good lather does not squirt out of a can. You need a soap or cream, (remember, no cans!) and a decent brush. Basically you got synthetic, horse, boar, and badger. They all have their pros and cons. I suggest a medium to large size silvertip grade badger. This can be expensive or it can be pretty reasonable. My favorite brush currently is my 30mm Silvertip from Larry at www.whippeddog.com. I actually have three of them. You as a beginner with no set preference yet would probably be just fine with a 26mm brush. You can get the same size silvertip cheaper from China but there are not many Chinese brushmakers making a decent quality product, and you have to wait on it to get to you on the slow boat from China. Larry's brushes are only a few bucks more, and you get it in days instead of weeks, and you are buying from an American with a good track record. If you want something "nicer", post your question. I won't get into brushes too expensive to attract my interest. They mostly all do the same job, you just pay for a little extra cosmetic gloss and artisanal materials and workmanship when you buy a premium brush. A boar is cheaper but kind of prickly, not good for sensitive skin, and it doesn't hold soap and water like a badger. Black badger is almost as prickly. Boar will eventually soften up a bit, but still won't hold product like a badger. Horse can be a bit floppy, synthetic isn't really ready for the big time yet. Proraso makes some pretty good soaps, with one for sensitive skin. C.O. Bigelow is just rebranded Proraso. My favorite cream is Godrej Rich Lather. It is dirt cheap and very good. Look for it at your local Indian or Middle Eastern grocery.

Get your gear, and do your homework. Learn how to make a good lather. Let it stand on your face and soften your whiskers. The hot towel routine is totally optional and you cn do without that, but remember to shave WTG. Also STRETCH your skin good. Tight skin resists cuts and irritation. Loose flappy skin attracts trauma. Keep your pressure light. Don't try to dig the whiskers out of their follicles. Think removing the lather. Whiskers will come away with it. Keep your shave angle as low as possible while still being able to cut whiskers efficiently. Too high a shave angle is SCRAPING, not shaving. Not what you want. Right? This is especially true with a straight razor, where you have pretty much totall freedom, but it applies to other razors, too. This is why you don't want a swiveling head. You have no control.

I like to shave right out of the shower, without drying my face. Try it. I lather, then strop my razor while the lather sits on my face, then shave.

Once you decide on a razor, like I said, don't change it for a while. That includes DE blades. Avoid the super cheap ones. There are threads here and there on DE blade preference, I won't get into it, except that my favorite DE blade is the Feather. These are about the sharpest DE blade in the world. That doesn't mean they will irritate you or cut you, necessarily, but you do have to be a bit more careful and use a shallower shave angle with them. Personna red packs or med preps are okay, Gillette 7 Oclock greens are okay. You may have to order online except I do know that Sallys Beauty Supply has Personna blue packs. The Wilkinsons in the drugstores and groceries are meh. Okay but underwhelming.

Anyway do your two passes. wash your face in cold water, and apply your aftershave. You probably would not do well with an alcohol based AS. A witch hazel AS like Lucky Tiger would probably be better. Or a shave balm like Nivea.

Man Alive! Did you guys read the post above mine? Crescent City used the phrase "Facial Topography"!!!! As a school teacher, I have to say that I could not be more proud of his for using that phrase. Never let it be said that we arent an educated bunch over her on SRP!

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Originally Posted by MrZ

Man Alive! Did you guys read the post above mine? Crescent City used the phrase "Facial Topography"!!!! As a school teacher, I have to say that I could not be more proud of his for using that phrase. Never let it be said that we arent an educated bunch over her on SRP!

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I dropped out of high school. I'm not educated, just smart.

I just noticed all of the typographical errors in my post! Holy Smokes.

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Originally Posted by MrZ

I just noticed all of the typographical errors in my post! Holy Smokes.

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You mean the one bragging about how educated we are?

I’d like to add my $0.02 as well.
Like the OP my quest for shaving improvement has always been due to unsightly red marks on my neck. Here’s a few of my observations:
1) my red marks on neck weren’t due to a dirty blade. Mine were immediate and appeared even with a brand new blade. Probably some type of mini-trauma to the area.
2) cartridge razor > electric shave > DE shave > straight razor (most to least irritation)
3) I shave every day now and don’t take rest days. IMO my skin has improved by doing this
4) I shave in the morning and apply a splash after shaving or a balm if I feel I need a bit extra attention on my neck.
5) at night before bed I apply vitamin E oil to my neck. Really helps regeneration of the skin
6) using a straight razor I now shave from north to south on my face and this results in an against the grain shave on my neck. Initially I thought this would make my neck worse, but it’s actually improved it.

Take it slow and good luck.

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Originally Posted by Socalandrew

6) using a straight razor I now shave from north to south on my face and this results in an against the grain shave on my neck. Initially I thought this would make my neck worse, but it’s actually improved it.

Take it slow and good luck.

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Funny. For me when I started with a straight razor I found that one side of my neck grows in an odd direction so I attack it with the grain on the first pass to ease irritation.

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Originally Posted by planeden

Funny. For me when I started with a straight razor I found that one side of my neck grows in an odd direction so I attack it with the grain on the first pass to ease irritation.

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I struggled reversing the straight razor and doing an upwards pass on my neck, so it was more a case of shaving down my neck due to necessity. Glad I did though, although I still get some red marking on my neck it’s a huge improvement over the methods of shaving.