Thread: Slow Healing Skin

Alum, witch hazel, and balm only sooth already distressed skin. I too would suggest getting rid of the Feather blade. I don't use a DE anymore but for when I'm traveling and more likely to wake up with the shakes. But when I was, I found that your blade choice is what made DE successful. And that choice was personal. Some guys loved Derby. Some loved Feather. You have to find what works with you. For me it was Kai. Feather blades will light you up quite nicely. If you admittedly have a heavy hand, you don't want to be using a Feather blade. And you might check your angle. Just like using a straight, you can't scrape along. You've got to ensure that you're cutting not scraping. Ease up on the pressure, check your angle, and try a less aggressive blade. But give your face a shot at healing because the aftershave products only sooth abused skin. They don't heal it.

I can admit that my first experience with Feather blades was no fun. I think that 'irritated all over' is a good summary.
My motivation for Feather is because of the 'wall of beard hairs' I experience sometimes. A sharper blade means less temptation to increase pressure, so that's actually helped me on that front.

Previously, I tried and Wilkinson, Personna, vintage Gilette with a Gilette Slim razor. Got fed up and purchased my current razor (Futur clone).
With the Futur clone, I tried Bic, Feather and even those Ming Shi blades that came with the razor. No silver bullet, but I can say that the Ming Shi were the worst of them.

Lets look at another angle - should a a beginner in my situation try to stretch the life of their blades? Or stick to 1-2 shaves until I get the technique right?

I almost invariably have skin irritation below the jawline. Still trying to find out what causes it. Upper lips are pretty sensitive too.

I'm far from having solved this issue, but I just wanted to mention that I've been getting a lighter hand and better results by setting the razor at 4.
What is basically happening, at a lower setting, is that I'm not seeing much hair removed. So I'm like "I demand those whiskers be cut!" and inevitably end up putting more pressure.
So I've had a good-ish shave with a Feather blade on its 3rd or 4th shave with that setting. The alum block wasn't stinging.

Personna med preps are my go to for de.

I didn’t see it mentioned but shaving before my shower and using cold or warm water helped prevent my skin irritation when I was learning to shave with a straight. A good soap or cream helps too. I like Taylor of bond street sensitive skin cream. Some soaps and creams I’ve used will irritate my skin before I even touch it with a blade. If you are still getting irritation in specific places, like the hollows of the neck or other areas that require an odd approach just watch the handle if you’re tilting it too far from your face it will make the razor act more aggressive.