Thread: DE razor newbie not getting good shave

Originally Posted by Dempsey

I do three passes and there is still stubble and I do one WTG and two XTG, I havent dared to go ATG yet because of the burning and lack of experience with this type of razor. There hasto be something Im doing wrong or does my skin just hafto get used to this?? Any special technique I'm missing here, lol. excuse me while I go put ice on my face.

Thanks

FWIW --

I don't think that people's skin "adjusts" to being shaved. I think their technique improves, until they're not scraping it away.

I could be wrong . . .

. Charles

PS -- one more thing to try as a pre-shave:

. . . If you shower before shaving, put some hair conditioner on your beard -- just a little bit, rubbed in -- and leave it on. Just lather right over it. It may soften the beard, and protect the skin.

PPS -- and just so you don't think you're the first one with these problems:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...e-shaving.html

Any time you experience razor burn it is a result of too much pressure. Too little pressure is just about impossible to achieve. Your skin will not likely do any adjusting to your shaving. The adjusting you will have to learn to do is to let the blade, not your hand, do the work. If it is sharp, your whiskers will come off without your skin coming with them.

When I started DE shaving, had nicks everywhere. Just get used to different blades, less pressure and more passes. Indulge in good cream and an alum stick. But beware, you are now on track to straight razor shaving and a big case of RAD!!!! Don't say you weren't warned!!!!!

"How long does a blade last before I should put a new one on?"

The real test is when the blade pulls or tugs at the beard. Some make a game of how long they can use a blade. I never got into that. Another rule of thumb is change the blade after 3 shaves no matter what. Again, your personal experience with a particular blade is what matters.

If you meet resistance from a blade on the first pass, I would stop and get a different blade. Especially when you are learning, don't push it. Never use pressure on a DE. If it's not cutting, stop and figure out why.

Didn't see anything on the soap your using (sorry if I missed it). That could cause problems too. I've tried a bunch of soaps with no problem until recently, when I tried a different rendition of a brand I've used before and it causes skin irritation. As soon as I stop using it the problem goes away.

Well I paid close attention to the angle just so it starts to cut and it still sounds and feels like Im pulling velcro off my face, its horrible! And does the brush need to break in or does it always feel like a bunch of little needles poking into my face when Im lathering? Its pure badger and but it doesnt help the razor burn feeling at all.

Check in the mirror-are you bigfoot? If so maybe a professional shave would do the trick! But seriously, shaving with a blade that requires you to do the work, not the expensive cartridge, really takes time to get the knack, but then you will be rewarded with the nicest, closest shave ever-and strangers are going to be surprised by your offers for them to 'have a feel.'
If you have a very thick beard, change blades more often and get to a good dept/shaving store and get a bunch of pre-shave treatment samples. Samples are the newbs best friend! We have all had/are having a different journey to the exposed blade shave, but it is worth it in the end for discovering about yourself, life and the universe...

What razor and soap are you using and what is your pre-shave prep? Are you shaving with a very aggressive razor?

The rasping sound is normal until the hair is all cut from your face with the blade running over bare skin, but not the pulling sensation. Tugging is often caused by either a dull blade or inadequate beard preparation. I shower/shampoo/condition my beard immediately before shaving. This removes dirt and oils allowing the shaving soap to more effectively soften my beard. Do not let the lather get too dry, tugging can also happen if lather becomes too thick, or if ones face gets dry and the hairs begin to get harder to cut. MWF, Cella, Proraso, Tabac, and Bigelow cream all work well for me.

I keep my lather similar in consistency to whipped cream. Greek yogurt consistency is starting to get thick, especially if drying. I dip my brush tip in water and remix my lather in the mug or on my face to keep it wet enough and relather sections of my face when necessary. Lather and the hairs should come off your face with virtually no resistence, if your blade is sharp and your beard remains softened.

Rubbing a shaving brush over skin burn can be a bad experience, you may have to give your face some healing time. Face lathering using the tips of the brush can be scratchy with some brushes, especially so with skin burn.

It is important to avoid pressing the razor onto your skin, pressure from the weight of the razor alone, or even less, should work well. Pressing the razor causes nicks and razor burn. Razor burn can also be caused by too many passes over the same patch of skin. I reduce my beard >= 80 percent using WTG passes. I then use XTG passes to achieve >= 90 percent reduction at which point I have a socially acceptable shave to DFS. I use ATG with skin streching for final cleanup to give me BBS or close to BBS. I would not irritate my face to try and force a BBS shave.

I find that the first sign that my DE blade is getting dull is that it gets harder to get a close shave. This can encourage more pressure and or more passes which leads to skin irritation. My blade needs to be very dull before I feel pulling, but inadequate beard prep will result in a tugging feeling, even when using a sharp blade.

Shaving on the road in a fast food restaurant public restroom using its hand soap to make lather resulted in tugging, skin irritation, possible weepers, and less than stellar closeness, even when using a new disposable razor. The experience you describe sounds like my experience when trying to shave dry with a disposable razor behind the visor mirror of my car, tugging, loud rasping, bad razor burn and a very bad quality shave with no closeness. I very strongly advise against dry shaving.

I shaved for a number of years using disposable razors and no lather. This was only possible because I shaved very quickly immediately after leaving the shower. My beard was very wet, still soft, and did not dry because of quick shaving. Although I am not avocating shaving without lather, my latherless shave, while not great, was certainly acceptable. The point being made is that pre-shave prep is very important to shave quality.

HTH

Originally Posted by Dempsey

Hi all, I'm new to DE razors and am not having much luck. I have watched a good video done by some guy called manic but I am not getting a good shave.
I spent 150$ on a Merkur razor and razors, pure badger brush and some good cream. yikes
I am getting a good lather from what I can tell and a good razor angle I think but its not a smooth shave at all.
Feels like I am not even using shaving cream and scrapes along my face, I have burning face all day.
I dont get a clean shave either, but I have never had a good clean shave with any razor so this is nothing new.
I do three passes and there is still stubble and I do one WTG and two XTG, I havent dared to go ATG yet because of the burning and lack of experience with this type of razor. There hasto be something Im doing wrong or does my skin just hafto get used to this?? Any special technique I'm missing here, lol. excuse me while I go put ice on my face.

Thanks

* Where are you located in BC? It sounds like you are using too much pressure and i would try other blades as the Merkurs are not very good, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by celestino

* Where are you located in BC? It sounds like you are using too much pressure and i would try other blades as the Merkurs are not very good, in my opinion.

I'm actually just east of you in Abbotsford.