Thread: I figured out my angles... and i got razor burn!

So yesterday's shave went pretty well. I noticed, that the shave was a lot smoother when I increased my blade angle accidentally. I had read so many posts saying that people underestimated their angles, so it seems that I overestimated mine for the first few weeks.

Excited by this new discovery, I proceeded to complete three full passes, leaving my face almost BBS all over (as close as I've ever been, anyway.) Normally I do two passes at most, and you can still see stubble.

Although I feel like my shaving technique has improved substantially with the new angle, my skin seems to be paying the price for the extra pass, especially near the jaw, where my old shaves were least effective, even once I figured out the stretching (my beard is thickest where my jaw hinges.)

So last night, after dealing with a face that felt like a fiery desert for the majority of the day, I decided to rub a small amount of %0.5 cortisone into the irritated skin (I know some girls use it on their *cough* legs.) When I woke up this morning, the redness was almost gone. I know that cortisone can thin the skin, and shouldn't be used regularly, but it saved my face.

So, yesterday was a day of learning for me. I learned 3 things:

1. My angles were two low
2. My face doesn't like extra passes
3. Cortisone will save you in a pinch

Your old angle may have been too low , but I doubt it . I remember when I had been shaving with a straight for about 1 month , I made the same "discovery" . The higher shaving angle worked well (except for the razor burn) until I gave myself 2 good cuts during the same shave . These were real cuts that bled alot , not nicks . When I finally worked up the nerve to shave with a straight again , my angle was so low that the razor was almost flat on my face . You still need to develop your technique . It will take months to do this , not weeks , and years to truly refine it .

One other possible cause for the irritation is too much pressure. I find that as the blade angle is increased I need to reduce pressure accordingly. I suppose that makes sense. As you increase the angle of the blade whatever pressure you apply serves to press the edge into the skin with more force than it would at a shallower angle. The extreme example would be comparing a blade angle of 0 degrees to 90 degrees.

My guess is that if you keep at it 3 months from now you'll be getting smooth and comfortable shaves with no irritation. It takes practice ... and a sharp razor.

Today, I used the same angles for a two pass shave, and was extra concious of my pressure. I got a very close shave, with virtually no irritation. Before changing my angles, the side of the blade would stick to my face sometimes, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't steep enough. The irritation must have been from the extra shaving I did yesterday in all my excitement. And no cuts in the last five or so shaves.

Originally Posted by JonnyBoy

Today, I used the same angles for a two pass shave, and was extra concious of my pressure. I got a very close shave, with virtually no irritation. Before changing my angles, the side of the blade would stick to my face sometimes, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't steep enough. The irritation must have been from the extra shaving I did yesterday in all my excitement. And no cuts in the last five or so shaves.

Awesome!
For me, my blade angles vary depending on the passes-- for WTG, it is fairly steep (still under 30 degrees or so, but with light pressure). As I work XTG then ATG, I go shallower and shallower.

-Chief

Originally Posted by JonnyBoy

Today, I used the same angles for a two pass shave, and was extra concious of my pressure. I got a very close shave, with virtually no irritation. Before changing my angles, the side of the blade would stick to my face sometimes, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't steep enough. The irritation must have been from the extra shaving I did yesterday in all my excitement. And no cuts in the last five or so shaves.

If the blade was sticking to your face , your angle was too low . You definetly don't want the blade to be sticking to your face . Like everyone else has said . keep the pressure light . With more experience you will not need to concentrate on the angle , because it will become automatic .

All above have valid points, but in addition getting used to a straight is sort of like "breaking in a pair of boots". It is your foot that gets broken in as much as the boots. IMHO I think your face gets tougher as you scrape even a perfectly sharp and perfectly angled straight across it.

So - if you get wicked razor burn, give your face a rest (maybe use a DE for a day), but don't give up. It'll get better.