Thread: Straight vs DE? Sensitive skin, tough hair

One other thing which I don't know may apply to you is that when shaving using a different razor SR or DE, the skin can be more prone to irriration and will adjust (or get used to it) as time goes by. Castle forbes has a trial sized aftershave balm for a fraction of the normal bottle price. You may want to give it a try and see. I love it!

Keep at it and good luck!

I have fair skin and rosacea with a heavy red Scotch-Irish beard. I've used both and can get great shaves with both with no irritation. DE's have a smaller learning curve but I get a 5 o'clock shadow again within a few hours. With a straight razor, the learning curve is much larger and can be much more disappointing to newbies thinking that the shaves will be magical right out of the box. With patience and proper technique, a straight will be less irritating than other types of razors. Also with a straight, I don't see a five o'clock shadow for at least 10 hours.

That definitely makes the straight razor sound more appealing to me since it sounds like a closer shave. I can deal with a learning curve. I'm patient just as long as I know what to expect. The closer the shave the better as long as there's no irritation (eventually).

-Nick

DE's and straights are really totally different animals so it's hard to compare. In the hands of a skilled shaver you will get no irritation with either. With the straight the learning curve is higher but with the DE it's a matter of finding the right blade- razor combination for you. Also there are DE's that cost almost $300 which is straight territory.