2nd and 3rd Shaves

After my bloody first shave I call shaves 2 and 3 a success. A couple of small nicks (very minor) but all in all successful. However, I'm getting an unusual amount of razor burn. Much more than I would get if shaving with a Fusion (oops, I said the bad word). Also, the shave cream is getting very dry. If I lather my entire face, then start to shave the right side, by the time I get to the left side it's more like clay than cream. Can any one help me out with these two issues.

Lastly, could one of the senior members please look at the SRP bylaws and advice as to when one is no longer considered a "Newbie":).

Hi Jessaw35,

sounds your shaves are getting better and better. I consider myself a newb as wel just after 2 months of straightshaving..
I started with a bloody shavette and looked like I'd been attacked by my two lovely cats. This just went away when I got a real straight and then I only had some minor nicks .. Well last week I cut myself pretty ugly when I was in a bit more hurry then my technique allowed.
I've never had real razorburn.. just bit of a red face right after the shave. but could it be that you put too much pressure on the blade or do you go over the same place too many times. I found that reducing the blade angle, good stetching of the skin and short strokes work great for me.

Maarten

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Originally Posted by jessew35

After my bloody first shave I call shaves 2 and 3 a success. A couple of small nicks (very minor) but all in all successful. However, I'm getting an unusual amount of razor burn. Much more than I would get if shaving with a Fusion (oops, I said the bad word). Also, the shave cream is getting very dry. If I lather my entire face, then start to shave the right side, by the time I get to the left side it's more like clay than cream. Can any one help me out with these two issues.

Lastly, could one of the senior members please look at the SRP bylaws and advice as to when one is no longer considered a "Newbie":).

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it sounds like you are off to a good start as for the razor burn i would say its probally your razor is not quite sharp enough,blade angle,blade pressure or a combination of the 3 as for the shave cream i use soap but if it starts to dry out i just wet by brush and get the lather wet again it could be a poor quality cream or being new it may be taking you a while to get one side done and the cream is drying out on the other side of your face you might want to try only doing one side at a time or rinsing the dry side off and re-applying the lather before you start on the other side of your face i honestly cant tell you about the newbie status but i dont see where that would matter much it dont effect your ability to ask questions or recieve great advice im still new to this myself but im sure a mod will be along shortly to let you know :gl: oh i almost forgot FACE PREP good beard preparation can make or break a great shave

Perhaps your blade isn't sharp enough.
Perhaps your blade angle is too steep.

Don't be afraid t add more water, or even more cream if you need to. Shaving half the face at a time is a good idea as well.

Yes, I know I just repeated everything that jszabo said, but Repetitio est mater studiorum. (Repetition is the mother of learning.)

Newbie status doesn't last too long. Ask more questions and you'll get past it soon enough.
J.

I was wandering if maybe my razor was NOT sharp enough but with nothing to really compare, I wasn't sure.

Now I guess I'll be seeking HONING :cry: info.

Man, if the newbie info is this good, I can't wait to graduate to one of the SRP elite.

A lot of good responses here, cant say I can add anything new. But just the same here is my 2cents.

Dull razor leading you to use pressure to compensate, Lather is toowet and dries out quickly or you are not up to speed yet. No shame in that. No longer a noob when you can get BBS without any issues. JMO. PM sent

If you lather your whole face and the lather is dry by the time you get to the "end" of the pass, then just try lathering in stages.

Lather right cheek
Shave right cheek
Lather right neck
Shave right neck
left cheek
left neck
goatee area

Divide and conquer is the way to go when beginning. Until you get faster and more efficient with straight shaving, this will help your lather last as long as you need it. Plus, in time you'll have a better feeling for the water/soap ratio.

I have exactly the same problem. This is my only my 5th shave and like you on my first I cut myself frequently. However I was extremely lucky and saw a shave video on here the next day and the shaver emphasized light touch MULTIPLE times. The next day my shave was much less painful, but as I shave I tend to forget the light touch and halfway through I find myself pressing harder. The factors that seem to go for me are less watery shave cream. I find myself lathering up 3 or 4 times and It seems to be better this way. Finding the right angle is hard though sometimes especially right around the chin.
I'm not sure if my razor is honed correctly but user honedright has graciously offered to check my razor in person whenever I can meet him. I'll tell you the result of that.
Lastly the one thing that helped out a lot was buying replenishing aftershave from Nivea. I was using Old Spice before but it's just alcohol and fragrance. This replenishing balm actually seems to help my face heal faster. It might just be the placebo effect but at I think it's working!
Good luck with your shaves!