Thread: Pimples irritation and razor burn. Technique? Blades? Soap/Aftershave?

I've just recently entered the exciting world of shaving with straights. More accurately, I've been using a shavette type holder with disposable blades. I've been at it, using the straight every two or three days and I've gotten pretty good with it. When shaving, I can now manage to get through without any nicks, and usually without any weepers. However, I'm still having some problems.

When shaving using my straight, I have been going in two passes, WTG and XTG/ATG depending on what part of my face I'm on. Like I said, I can generally make it through with no problems, but in certain spots, all within half an inch of my lips, it'll feel like razor burn when I'm done.

The reason I only shave every third day or so, is because if I go more often than that, these razor burn areas turn into very small whitehead pimples. I was horrified to get up this morning and see about 9 of them very small and clustered together near my upper right lip, and my last shave was on Saturday morning. I'd like to keep at it with the straight so as to improve my technique and eventually restore and use my great grandfathers razor, but I cant show up to work with worse skin than I had in highschool.

There are so many variables to straight shaving that have changed since the recent days of the mach 3, that I can't be certain which is causing the irritation. I'm currently using a straight blade holder from Parker Safety Razor with "Shark Super Stainless" blades, I've tried both reusing the blades 2 to 3 times, and using a new blade for each shave. I use a badger brush from Parker with Col Conk old bay rum soap. I use some sort of Gillette branded aftershave, but have also tried (in efforts of mitigating this problem) Calvin Klein "Escape" scented aftershave.

I’m wondering which of these possible variables it could be that’s causing this to happen. As a reference, before getting into shaving with this “straight” I was using a mach 3 daily and I didn’t even bother with shaving cream or gel, I simply splashed some water on my face and started shaving, I also didn’t bother with aftershave unless I had a hot date with the wife. All of this and I rarely if ever had normal razor burn.

Has anyone else ever had this occur? If so, what was it that caused the problem? I’m wondering if it’s the soap, as I’ve heard some people have issues with glycerine. I’m also wondering if perhaps it’s the blades. I’ve heard that disposable blades on straights are much sharper than a properly honed true straight, but would that cause anything like this? It could obviously, my being a novice (about a month in) be my technique, but I’m making an almost obsessive effort to follow the advice on these forums, making sure not to press in with the blade, to follow proper angles, and to follow proper pre and post shave treatments, along with the fact that I can achieve BBS on certain parts of my face with no discomfort at all during or after the shave.

I know this post has been long, but I’m really concerned about this. I’d really rather not have to give up on straights, its something I’ve become very enthusiastic about (I even combed some antique shops in NYC during my lunch and bought a 6/8 full hollow ground from “Thistle Cut Co”), but I really can’t keep doing it if it’s going to make me look like a greasy teenager. Any help or advice would be deeply appreciated.