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Hi i`m new to all this and never thought about pre shave other than a wash/shower.
I suffer from razor burn quite often, i have tried the post shave moisturisers, but they leave my skin feeling greasy and horrible,
Would a pre shave oil/moisturiser help prefent shaving rash but still leave my skin feeling normal?
Each skin is different, the only way to tell is to try.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigIan
You can try hair conditioner an see if it will work for you.
Some people use olive oil, or home made preshave oil which is a combo of several oils together.
I use home made preshave made from castor oil and olive oil in 1;1 ratio.
If you want to try a really good product that worked wonders for me, try Trumpers Skin Food as an aftershave balm.
If you're getting bad razor burn, a longer/ better prep might help. Try lathering, leave the lather on to soak and relather before shaving. Maybe try a pre shave oil as well. Try using some hot towels too. Soak a hand towel in hot water and put it on your face over a good coating of lather. Then reapply the lather before you shave.
One of the best results I got was to have a shower, lather, put a hot towel over the top and soak on the sofa for a couple of minutes. Then reapply lather, and another hot towel. Then I applied a third lot of lather before shaving. Granted, this takes too long most days, but it really did result in one of the best shaves I've had.
Also, when you're in the shower, thouroughly wash your beard and then really work a good load of conditioner into it as well. This will soften your beard and help with the razor burn.
The prep really is key to getting a good shave. You'll need a good quality soap, lots of hot water and be prepared to spend the time on it to get the best result. The lather has to be good to give the right level of slickness and glide as well.
Also,watch your angles. If you angles are too steep or shallow you can end up with razor burn. You should aim for around 30 degrees, or approximately two spines widths from your skin.
You also need to make sure your razor has a good edge and that your stropping is well executed. And dont skimp on the stropping! Make sure you give it a good 20 passes on the material and 50 - 60 on the leather beforehand. And do some stropping after to clean the edge and keep your razor in good shape.
The four elements of a great shave are:
- A shave ready razor
- Good stropping
- Good prep
- Good technique.
If one of these is missing, your face will tell you..! Make sure you spend the time getting all of these elements right, and you'll get the best shaves you ever had and no irritation!
Good luck!
Are you doing a through preparation ? I wash my face vigorously with hot water, rinse and do it again. Lather in a bowl and create a good amount of slick cushioning lather. Watch my blade angle and little or no pressure.
I don't try to get it all on the first pass. Here is a tutorial from the SRP Wiki on the gradual stubble removal technique with multiple passes. Some of the above info may help. :gl:
Hello, BigIan,
The advice coming your way by these learned gentlemen is sound.
I might also add that you avoid going over the same spot with the same angle excessively. A reasonable amount of repetition is okay; however, too much repetition can also cause razor burn.
As Jimmy notes, reduce the beard gradually. Each pass will remove a little more.
Keep at it.
Regards,
Obie
i think main reason for razor burns are dull blade as a result person uses more passes and pressure.
Second will be preparation problems.
third your skin needs to get used to the straight razor.
hope this helps
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigIan
I think one thing i forgot to mention is that i have not yet used a straight razor, I should hopfully be getting one for my birthday next minth if the Mrs takes the hint,.
Hello again, BigIan,Quote:
Originally Posted by BigIan
Might one assume, then, that you are using either a double edge or a multi-blade cartridge razor?
In that case, I would beware of excessive number of stroke over the same area. Also, keep a light pressure.
Regards,
Obie
BigIan,
I had all sorts of razor burn when I shaved with a cartridge and was never able to get rid of it. Once I switched to Str8 it started improving to the point that I am at now. I am only getting razor burn when in a hurry and end up using to much pressure.
As was suggested make sure the prep is good and use as little or no presure at all.
:gl:
Lu
p.s. Like your avatar
To tell you the truth when I first started with a straight and in earlier years when I had an electric or used other systems if I got razor burn no product ever really seemed to help. You can use something like thayers medicated witchazel which is loaded with menthol and some other stuff and it will mask the burn for awhile but I know of no product which will eliminate it.
If your using a DE use less strokes and less pressure.
The only thing that will fully eliminate razor burns from a Mock3, is to throw that multy-blade plastic doohickey away.
Razor burn was one of the most counter-intuitave parts involved in str8 shaving, for me. I believed that razor burn was a function of the number of passes, since for every pass with the new cartridges equals 3 or 4 passes. Once my initiation was over(what I call the burn everyone gets for the first week until our faces or legs adapt), I found myself trying to make the least amount of strokes and just leaving whatever stubble was left to the next shave. As I have progressed I have found that pressure, mapping and stretching had more to do with it and if you do these right razor burn will be a thing of the past, even with 3, 5 or ten passes. It took me about 20 shaves to get to the point that I can do a shave with zero irritation, that is unless I get in a hurry and forget about one, or more, of the steps to a great shave. In my experience with a lot of things in life I have found that shortcuts are possible, str8 shaving is not one of those, imo, but then again str8s arent about quanity, but quality. A shave ready razor, proper stropping, good pre-shave prep, mapping, stretching, proper pressure and angle are all needed for a clean, comfortable shave, oh and I almost forgot TIME. Have fun and good luck.
If you have good tools, you need to let the tools do the work. If you feel the blade touch your skin, then you're not letting the tool do the work and you'll get burned. You're not shaving; you're scraping, and scraping is not good.
So let me ask you guys this. When I used my mach3 or electric my face would feel ok, but then at the end of the day and for the next day or so my face would hurt. Is that the same as razor burn? If I went ATG with my mach3 then not only would my face be in agony, but id get ingrowns.
If I read correctly, you said you always had trouble with razor burn, even prior to using a straight razor. In that case, Prep, prep, and more prep. Check your angle, make sure your blade is shave ready. Make sure you shower first, if not, Use a hot towel. Make or buy some pre shave oil. There all pretty good. I like Castle Forbes, it's the only one that's not an oil, so it doesn't seperate with water.
Once you've done your prep and apply the shave cream, put a hot towel over your face with the Shave cream. Let it sit for at least 30 seconds, remove and reapply the cream.
There are lot's of AS Balms out there. There are two that are especially suited for your condition:
Taylor of Old Bond St. Sandalwood Luxury Aftershave Gel and
Speick Men Intensiv Creme\
These are high end, (expensive) but when you use them, you'll know where the extra money went. There are many other AS Balms out there. Coral Skin Food, Speick, Nivea,
Castle Forbes 1805, one of my favorties...
The first two I mentioned are thick, like Vaseline almost....The TOBS is Alcohol free and has Witch Hazel in it....