"Big" Experiment on the Horizon

Let me preface this with the statement that I am not a medical doctor, nor is this medical advice . . .
Now THAT'S out of the way, over the Christmas holiday I confess that I did not shave for FOUR days AND I have an extremely heavy beard. On the fifth day, I pulled out my heaviest straight edge, stropped it a hundred times, and needless to say the first two passes were very uncomfortable. Know what I mean, Verne?
So, I'm going to do the same thing over the NY weekend, BUT, this time, I'm going to apply a pre-shave of Dermoplast, which is an over the counter analgesic/anesthetic containing 20% of Benzocaine. Now, if I had a leftover prescription of Xylocaine (which contains Lidocaine), I might give that a try. If any of our members who read this IS a dermatologist or anesthesiologist, feel free to weigh in, but I will report the results aft the New Year. Beginners should definitely NOT try this!

RalphS

Actually I've gone 4 days between shaves and I can use pretty much any razor I have with normal prep and get a very comfortable shave including my 4/8s Gold krone. You shouldn't have to go to such lengths.

Can we have before and after photos ? I've not seen a human face with the top layer of skin removed. :D

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Actually I've gone 4 days between shaves and I can use pretty much any razor I have with normal prep and get a very comfortable shave including my 4/8s Gold krone. You shouldn't have to go to such lengths.

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I agree,,,same here. I get a very comfortable shave, so much so, that I'm sometimes surprised how smooth and refreshed my face feels.

A close shave usually include a few skin cells in my sink. However, I will do a before and after, to document history in the making! :)

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Can we have before and after photos ? I've not seen a human face with the top layer of skin removed. :D

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please try to avoid analgesic/anesthetic .
you will lose sense of cut on your skin. As a result you could have a big cuts .hope this helps

This chap doesn't seem to have any problems:

YouTube - Straight Razor Shave Demonstration - A Quick and Easy "Watch and Then Try it at Home!" Tutorial

Cheers,

Rob

After losing an unfortunate bet last year, I had to not shave for a month. Needless to say I had considerable growth. I trimmed it with clippers with a #1 guard and proceeded to shave as I normally would. I didn't notice any real difference in the shave except for a missed spot being horribly obvious. If slathering with dermoplast is something to do as a science experiment, go ahead, but I wouldn't expect good results...I would expect quite the opposite.

I whacked 1.5 weeks of growth off a couple days ago and my razor went through it far better than I expected. I hadn't touched this razor in about 3 months, so I took it for a spin on the Swaty then stropped it as I normally would. Imagine my surprise when I did a single pass and had a passable shave! I don't have an iron beard, but it's not very soft either. I will say that this shave was after a steamy shower, but one pass? Sweet :cool:

No matter how long your beard is, the razor sees exactly the same thing. You can shave off a days growth the same as you can a months (assuming you can get the lather onto your face and not just onto your beard).

I often go several days at a time without shaving, because I am free to do so right now. When I do eventually shave, the first pass might leave noticable stubble but the final result is fine. If anything, the extended time that the skin had to recover leads to less irritation than from daily shaving.

Changing from my usual long cutting strokes to shorter, "buffing" type strokes leads to a better first pass.

I have a theory that the beard mostly absorbs water from the tips, so several days growth will need more time soaking to become fully wettened. It's probably nonsense, but I make a point of spending more time on prep when my beard is long, and I'm sure it helps.

I think using an anaesthetic before shaving is a bad idea - please don't try it, even for educational purposes.

Just make sure you have plenty left for after the shave.

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

This chap doesn't seem to have any problems:

YouTube - Straight Razor Shave Demonstration - A Quick and Easy "Watch and Then Try it at Home!" Tutorial

Cheers,

Rob

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With regards to this video:

Newb: How long do I need to leave the lather on my face before I start to shave?

Answer: As long as it takes for you to take a swig of grog and a puff on a smoke.

. . . but they are not earthshaking, nor bloody. I applied a light coating of Dermoplast about five minutes ahead of any lather. I noticed my lips became slightly numb, but nothing dramatic on the face skin. I did not notice an appreciable improvement on the first pass, which still left significant stubbel.

Before the second pass, I applied a second coat of Dermoplast. Again, no significantly noticeable improvement in comfort.

I did not add any more Dermoplast. I made a third and fourth lather, and the fourth pass left a bbs face - however, I cannot attribute it to the Dermoplast.

The next time I receive a presription for xylocaine, which has a stronger anesthetic, I may try it again. However, I give the Dermoplast preshave two thumbs down. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

RalphS

Have you considered growing the beard a few days then going to a barber's for a shave? Depending on how that feels, it might give you some more insight.

Sounds like the blade is dull and some room for improvement regarding technique.

I had the same experiences (minus the topical anesthetic) when I first started.

FWIW, sometimes I use a little Tea Tree Oil after shaving.

It's a local anesthetic as well, but I dig the menthol feeling from it.

My blade may need a touch up . . . but I have no trouble with a day or two of beard. If you can achieve bbs after only one lather, my hat is off to you. It usually takes me three lathers to achieve near perfection, but I am a perfectionist!


RalphS

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Originally Posted by Whiskers

Sounds like the blade is dull and some room for improvement regarding technique.

I had the same experiences (minus the topical anesthetic) when I first started.

FWIW, sometimes I use a little Tea Tree Oil after shaving.

It's a local anesthetic as well, but I dig the menthol feeling from it.

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