Thread: OMG! MY FACE IS ON FIRE!!!

So.... Here is what not to do. Nick yourself all over and irritate your skin real good shaving. Then, if it is not painful enough, splash some handfuls of aquavelva aftershave on your face! OMG! OUCH! I think there was a seen from the movie Home Alone to that point....

Anyway, this was my 3rd shave. My face was a little irritated from getting used to the 1st and 2nd shaves. I don't know what I did different, but I ended up nicking my face all up. My face was red, swollen, and scabby when I went into work and got lots of questions such as... " Geesh! What happened to your face!!!"

So, I didn't think I ws digging in with the point or anything. I stropped 30 times both canvas and leather. I had a great lather. Shaved after showering with lots of prep. Did everything I knew to do.

Can anyone tell me what I did wrong?

My Straight is off limits until I figure this out. I have to be in a wedding in the next few weeks.

Thanks for everyone's help!

if I had to guess I would say either to much pressure bad angles or you messed up you edge stropping.

How do you tell if the edge is messed up?

+1 on everything Doc said.


Also, if it makes you feel any better, I did pretty much the same thing my first few shaves.


The best advice I can give you at this point is to take at least 1 day off from shaving all together, 2 if possible. The face heals reather quickly if you let it.

Then, check your razor with the HHT or TPT, strop it VERY well, and VERY carefully and begin again.

Yep, you need to pay more attention to the angle you are shaving at. Needs to be 30 deg. or less. Someone on this forum recently stated that Corn Huskers had lotion works exceptionally well at stopping the burn. Might try it, and yes give your face a rest.

Ray

Sounds like you need to read a post called "Stop" and another that says read this before shaving...........

Have fun,

Lynn

+1 on all the info. Verify the razor is sharp and pay attention to your angles. Don't get too aggressive let the razor work. I say that from experience. Since this is just shave #3 you may want to slow down a bit and use your str8 in areas you're confortable with and work your way into the tougher ones. Take your time but I wouldn't put your str8 away you'll figure it out.

Don't let the razor pause on your face either.

I just finished my first shave and had amazing results till I was doing an XTG pass on my mustache and stopped to think "What the hell am I doing?" and BAM, a nick.

Also, get an alum bar. they're amazing. I had some serious irritation but no bumps and only 1 weeper by the edge of my lip. alum bar soothed it all and made the nick dissapear. Oh and always always watch your pressure. I did and kept thinking over and over, go lightly, go lightly, and I noticably had less irritation.

Originally Posted by JokiJo

Don't let the razor pause on your face either

+1 to that my brother..

My first and only major cut in the short two weeks I've been shaving was attributed to that dreaded pause. I was traversing my chin (which oddly enough is much more difficult than my stash area) when I paused and kept the razor on my face.. oooouch. I'm guessing I must have shifted slightly to the left or right and cut myself pretty nasty.

Keep at it, read the wikis and know that eventually it gets easier (I hope).

I agree with everyone else in here. Most likely being that it is only your third shave, your technique is a bit sloppy. Just as everyone has already stated, make sure your razor is sharp, learn how to strop properly, and maintain a proper/comfortable angle. And above all use MINIMAL pressure to avoid that nasty razor burn.

Also something that I didn't see mentioned yet was the aftershave. My skin doesn't really like aftershave splashes, expecially ones with alcohol in them. Now every aftershave I use is a balm, and has some kind of moisturizer in it. You could go really high end and get some Truefitt and Hill (great stuff by the way), but it doesn't have to be. My first balm (which I still use from time to time) was made by The Real Shaving Co. and cost me $6.00 at a local Shoppers Drug Mart. Using a balm may help sooth your face after.