Thread: Bad shave

I have always had difficulty getting a decent shave. No matter what I do there is stubble that is too coarse or just wont shave. I bought a starter set from Tony Miller and am having the same results still. I am thinking of upgrading to a badger brush, and am reading that a boar bristle brush is better for a stiffer beard. Is this true? What would be a good brush for me to use. The straight I bought is out for sharpening but whatever advice I can get before it gets back would be great. I also seem to have sensitve skin when it comes to shaving and even a brand new cartridge razor will not provide a shave that is comparable to what others would get. It is really starting to piss me off

You can try a Proraso/Omega boar brush that you should be able to find at your local Target. It's around $14-15 bucks. And go ahead and pick up the Proraso shaving soap or cream while you are there. These products ARE NOT with the shaving supplies. They are in a section called "Spa", usually near the cosmetics.

RT

Did I already recommend multiple lathers and hot towels?
I like the boar brush idea.

X

I have some pre shave oil that I have been using. It is supposed to be very good stuff. I have been applying it after a shower very sparingly and letting it sit for a minute or two, and then lathering and shaving. I also when I was using the straight used the oil, hot towel, lather, hot towel, lather and shave.

For me at least pre-shave oil made everything worse. My face always felt to slippery for the razor to cut.


Matt, sounds like all the wet shaving methods have been and still are causing you trouble. I know there are guys out there that can only use an electric. Any luck with those?


Tony

Hi Tony,

I have had a Norelco many years ago when I first started shaving. Since then I tried on occasion a newer electric although I can not remeber what make. The skin irritation was slightly less but the thing simply would not shave. It pulled and dragged I had to put it down after only a minute or two. I have not used a Double edge but I don't see why that would make much of a difference.

I tried the electric thing once myself. It tugged and pulled and left me looking like George Clooney back in the days when a 5 o'clock shadow simply meant homeless
<g>

Tony

I have always had very different results from different shaving methods.
It has taken me a long time to get a good result from straight shaving, and often i find that my beard feels too coarse to shave. I have tried every method going, and i still have times when my shave just doesn't come out as i want.
My most consistent shave definately comes form my merkur progress DE, which i can shave BBS with no problem and no need to concentrate on technique.
Whilst i find it much harder to get a good shave with a straight it is much more rewarding once you get it.
I would say that the best thing to do is to try every method you can and then choose the one which is the most suited to you, try a DE, it is definately different to a straight and may be the right one for you.

Nick

There's also the old Schick injector and the GEM razors. The blades are quite a bit thicker and stiffer than DE blades so they won't flex as much when they tangle with your beard.

Matt,

I empathize with your struggles--this has been a tough hill to climb for me, too.

What's worked best for me was getting a Feather AC razor, which is a straight with wicked-sharp disposable blades. (The Feather doesn't work for everyone, though; some members with tough beards found the blades would rattle around in the holder a bit.)

Also, sticking with a basic setup and only changing one thing at a time is good. It sounds like you might be jumping around, which I've done a LOT. It makes it much harder to figure out what's going on.

If you haven't done this already, I'd suggest starting a thread requesting help in the Newbie forum. Give us as much info as you can on what you've already done and tried. I will check it regularly, and we'll see if we can't coach you through some of your difficulties. (I've seen your posts in a lot of different forums, and I wouldn't want to miss any.) That way we can concentrate on answering all of your questions in one place. If you already have a thread going, post a link and I'll see what I can recommend.

Keep at it,
Josh