Thread: DE Shave irritation

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I think too many people brush off DE shaving as some slam dunk easy skill and compared to straight use it is easier however it's no slam dunk.

+ 1. I've cut or nicked myself way more with DEs than with straights. That is one reason why I nearly always shave with the straight anymore.

Hi,

Some how I thought it would be easier than the straight. It turn out be another item to learn. I think my first course should be to try each of the five blades I have with my fix Gillette. Pay attention to passes and pressure, then try the adjustable later.

The more I read, the more it seems to be personal preference on blades.

Thanks for the info.

- Mike

Yes, blades are definately a personal taste thing, and I should have mentioned that in my last post. Sorry If I led you astray there. As I mentioned, I settled on Treets and Astra's, but you may hate both of them. I tried a blade a week, swapping over to a different blade, until I had sampled all the ones in my sample pack.
I picked my three favourites out of those and put them through a week apiece. I'd say it isn't enough time to make full judgement on one blade over another, but it suits my purpose as a sometime DE user.
I have a preference for my Cut-throats and only bought the DE as a plan B. I could use it every day quite happily, but...Well I just love the glint of steel at my throat...To use that most over-used word today...It adds the 'Bling' to shaving.


Mick

Hi,

No, I think you were clear. About personal taste or preference. I'm up to the challenge. It won't get figured out in a day, so we'll just have to see how it goes.

Thanks,
Mike

Hi,

I thought I'd update this thread. I followed the advice here. I used light pressure. Basically just let the razor glide on the skin. I also used a new Astra blade. The result was BBS with no irritation.

I noticed a few things while shaving today. It helped to listen to the cutting and feel of the edge of the blade on the skin to try maintain an idea angle. I also came to the conclusion that there is no shame in lathering more than once. I suppose as I pick up speed it may be possible but for now I like to soak a wet wash clothe and apply to re-wet my face, then re-lather. Today I lathered twice.

The next course of action is to go back to a new persona platinum and follow the same process to get a sense of comparison. Maybe alternate between them for 2-3 shaves to see how they degrade.

Thanks again,
Mike

Congrats on the improvement. Nothing wrong with taking time to learn new things, even if it means lathering a dozen times, speed will increase fairly quickly once you have an idea of what works for you.


Mick

Hi,

Thanks. Having this place for support really really make the difference in success or a lot pain the way to success.

- Mike

Hi,

I gave my beard some timet to grow. I used the same techniques with new Persona Platinum as I did with the Astra. The results we good. I'd even say very similar. No irritation and a good close shave.

- Mike

Hmm, this is a familiar story. The number one issue is technique, and it sounds like you've got that well in hand, so the next thing is the blades themselves. Methodically trying out various brands for a minimum of a week each will eventually lead you to the ideal blade for your purposes, at which point I strongly suggest that you buy an awful lot of them. Good blades have a habit of being discontinued, and if the rumours about Super Iridiums are true, it's happening yet again.

Hi,

I've read that in a thread somewhere before. It's going to take me a bit to get through my sample pack.

Mike