Thread: Face feels molested after/during shaving

Hi folks,

So I'm new to straight razor shaving and have recently started to try it out. As you can see by the title of this thread ... it has not gone so well. Here's my equipment:

- Strop
- Dovo shaver (professionally honed)
- Herban Cowboy soap
- synthetic soap brush
- hairy face

I've read the faq. I've watch videos on youtube. I've honed my razor. I've stropped it first. I've showered. I apply good lather. So I know that I'm new to this, but other newbies _seem_ to be having better experiences. As soon as that razor touches my face it burns like hot sauce and sticks to my skin. Definitely _not_ gliding down my face. Feels horrible and my skin is the color of a fire-hydrant afterwards.

I've also searched the forms a bit looking for hints. However, I present this question to you: the professional -- what should i do to improve this experience? My hair is VERY coarse, and my skin is rather sensitive: so maybe there is no solution? I normally shave with an electric razor.

Thank you!

It's hard to tell, but something 's definitely wrong.

It could be your lather. You might have a sort of allergic reaction to it.
It's rare, but does happen, and you should rule that out.

You could have dulled the razor, due to inadequate stropping.
Something that happens often with guys new to straight razor shaving.
I always advice to test the edge for sharpness, after stropping, prior to shaving. The hanging hair test (HHT) is great for this: take a freshly washed, preferably thick, head hair, hold it between thumb and index finger and try to sever it with the razor at about 1/2" from the holding point. If it does, you can be sure the razor is up to its task.

You could be using too much pressure perhaps in combination with a wrong shaving angle.
Place the razor flat on your cheek, with hardly any pressure, lift the spine about 20 degrees. (That is the half of the half of a perpendicular angle). Slowly move the razor down, from sideburn to cheekbone. This should cut the whiskers pretty close to their base, leaving a bit a stubble for the next pass "against the grain" (something you better not attempt before you gained some confidence performing the "with the grain" pass.)

A two to three day beard is generally best for learning, and it gives your skin some time to adjust during the beginning of the learning curve.

Hope this helps,
Bart.

Well, Bart did a great job of covering a lot of points so I will try not to repeat.

I would have two recommendations for you.
1. Send your razor out to a honemeister to have it put is great shape. You will then have a reference about how the edge of the razor should feel when sharp.
2. Be very careful when stropping. Use no pressure, only the weight of the blade. I personally ruined a blade fresh from a honemeister when I first started out.

I'm pretty sure your soap isn't very liked around here. You should be able to get a good old school shaving shop or just regular shaving cream will likely be better than that Herban Cowboy stuff.
However if that's what you use for shaving, normally that's not the problem.

My money is on your razor not honed right.

Thanks for all of the good points gentleman! I'll try the hanging hair test tomorrow.

A few other points:

- I'm using a vegan strop from The Heirloom Razor Strop Co, which seemed to have been well reviewed here.
- I had originally tried some body co shaving soap and had the exact same reaction.
- When the bristles of the synthetic brush touch my face, it feels pretty horrible already. Perhaps both soaps I've tried have some normally innocuous ingredient that my body despises?

I'll try the hair test in the morning and see how that goes. Thanks again for the quick responses!

I fairly new myself to straights ( a grand total of 3 weeks). From all that I have read here in the forums about the hair test it seems to be more of something to impress your friends than an indicator of shave worthiness of your razor. The best test of whether or not your razor is ready is to put it to the real test, shave with it. You will learn what is a properly prepared blade, not the hair on your arm.

Yes, the HHT demonstrates a sharp edge but not always a smooth one.
Seems most aspects have been covered but you don't say what your honing progressions were before stropping.
Your razor may need more refinement at the polishing stage.

ralph,

If your face feels irritated when you apply the lather - this is bad. My non-medical diagnosis if that there is something in the soap which is giving you an allergic and if the brush is bristly and stiff, it may be excerbating the problem. You also say that you both honed and stropped the razor you had professionally honed. We could be having problems on many fronts here: bad soap for your skin, too aggressive lathering, a compromised edge, unsuitable technique, and/or not enough practice.

From your choices of shaving products, I'd guess that you prefer to use things which have a non-animal origin. I'd look around for some soap or cream of a well know label that does not use animal products and that should be identifiable on the label. To reclaim a potentially damaged edge, it may be a good idea to send the razor back to the person who honed it if you know that they indeed are adept at honing razors - not just any old kind of edged tool. When it comes back don't hone it or strop it. Mix up some new lather and start shaving the easy parts of your face.

When you do try the strop, make sure that both the spine and edge are on the surface when you make the stroke and start to turn the edge up, rotating on the spine, before you stop the stroke and reverse direction. Keep the strop reasonably taut and use quite light pressure on the razor.

Good luck and report back,

So I tried the dubious "hair test" this morning and my hair wasn't even fazed by the blade. It pretty much just bounced off the blade and then corrected its position once the blade had passed. So, it seems that my first try will be getting the blade re-honed and picking up some new soap. I did strop the blade 3-4 times (as in a set of times) but with at least some attention to the proper method (spine first, taught strop, no pressure). Is this enough stopping to securely screw the blade? Perhaps it was never honed well in the first place? The blade was a gift, and it had a "professionally honed by so-and-so" tag on it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for soap made from natural products? I suppose it's not that big of a deal seeming how the two natural soaps have irritated my face.

First,try not to be frustrated. You have to walk before you run. THERE IS a solution. I too, have an extremely tough beard and believe me-once you feel what a TRULY SHARP razor can do,you'll see why we all are so dedicated.

Pre-shave prep is crucial. Your skill will only come with practice. Learn to respect the blade-but don't fear it. Razor burn/ irritation occurs when you don't let the RAZOR do the work. And if its not sharp-its not going to cut your whiskers-it will however turn your face into HAMBURGER.

I encourage you to read through some of the threads posted. You aren't the only one to experience frustration. DON'T QUIT.