Thread: OK, What am i doing wrong??!!

Always had trouble getting a close shave as it seems my stubble grows out of the skin at quite a shallow angle so it comes out almost lying parallel with the skin. Each hair is very thick too. After years of struggling with cartridge type blades i got a safety razor:

Merkur 34C HD
Trufitt & Hill Ultimate Shaving Cream
Edwin Jagger Pure Badger Brush
Astra Superior Platinum Blades

Have read countless guides online and am currenlty using this method (am now on my 5th safety razor shave):

Hot shower (lots of steam)
Then over to the sink filled with warm (not hot) water
Mix up the cream in its tub with the brush
Apply to face with brush

Now i've tried both long slow (6 secs from neck to chin slow) strokes and short faster strokes with the grain (re lathering between strokes), this still leaves me with 1.5 - 2mm of stubble. It generally feels like im using a blunt cartridge razor, i feel a lot of tugging and pulling, its almost like the blade cant cut the hairs.

So then i try the above across the grain, this will get me down to 1mm, even longer at tricky areas.

So my only resort is to go against the grain, now ive tried all manor of combinations of strokes with do eventually result in a close shave BUT with a LOT of pain, discomfort and blood. With cartridge razors i can just about get away with it but the safety razor i genuinly feel like if lost a layer of skin, its worse than any razor burn ive ive ever had, to the extent that i have to have the coldest shower i can bare for at least 5 mins, and even after that i cant touch my face for 45mins - 1hr afterwards because of the pain! This cant go on, mainly because of the pain and discomfort but also because in total i end up lathering and shaving each area 10+ times.

I have yet to try pre shave treatments but as im at an extreme level of discomfort i dont think any pre shave treatment with make that much of a difference.

Is there anything else i can try before going back to expensive cartridges?

Hi there!

It sounds like you could have several small problems all combining into a lousy shaving experience.

1. What is your lather like? It should be creamy and well hydrated and rinse easily off of the blade. You may be using too much cream and not enough water, or not working it enough on your face.

2. The angle at which you hold the razor to your face is very important. It should be cutting hair, not pulling it. Let the razor do the work, don't force it.

3. Try different blades. The ones you're using may not be the best fit for your face. I personally prefer Feather and Gillette 7 O'Clock blades.

4. Try multiple passes. With, across then against the grain. Each successive pass should reduce the stubble more and more until you have a smooth face.

5. Stretch your skin during the shaving pass. With your free hand, reach over your head to your side burn and use your fingers to pull your skin slightly upward and taut.

Mantic59 has some incredible videos on shaving with a safety razor. Watch them a few times, especially the ones on making lather and how to shave with a safety razor

His YouTube page is here:

YouTube - mantic59's Channel

Best of luck!


Mark

Thankyou, will have a good read and watch those vids tomorrow and see if i can figure out where im going wrong. Will post back tomorrow.



Sent from my Galaxy S

Originally Posted by Veleno142

5. Stretch your skin during the shaving pass. With your free hand, reach over your head to your side burn and use your fingers to pull your skin slightly upward and taut.

This is the main one that I notice you didn't mention in your shaving routine. Its very important to stretch the skin to get the hairs to stand up and to provide a smoother surface for the razor to glide over.

The other guys pretty much covered what I was going to say except not to get discouraged. I've been wet shaving for over 9 months and I got my first irritation-free BBS 2 weeks ago with a DE razor. West Coast Shaving sells great blade sampler packs (more vendors do, that's the only store I can think of right now) that will help you figure out what works for you. For example, people swear by medical prep Personnas and Red Pack Personna blades and both blades are among the worst that I've tried. I use Astra blades and they feel like they were made for my face.

Also, trying different soaps and creams might help. If you find products you don't like, someone on here or other shaving forums will likely buy them from you quickly and for a decent price.

It seems to me that the only thing that would account for your experience is improper shaving angle.

The other possibilities (lather, blade choice, stretching, etc.) would only account for minor differences - not the 1.5 mm left after your first pass.

I have facial hair that I'd describe as you do, and I had the same issues with cartridges. I've also used the Merkur HD.

I'd suggest that you experiment with blade angle. Remember to use no pressure!!! Let the razor do the work. If your angle is right, the hair will get cut - and close. If you use pressure you're actually moving the hair away from the blade (counter-intuitive, I know).

Lather quality, and the other stuff mentioned will affect shave comfort, but shouldn't impact closeness (the Astra SP's are nice blades....not as sharp as Feathers, but they're still very good).

All the best......you should be able to get a great shave from any DE razor, as long as your technique is fine.

My son has a beard much like yours. The secret is finding the correct direction to stretch that skin so those whiskers are elevated.

You can also try cold water shaving.

Thanks alot lads, have a lot of info to go on there. Will have another go tonight.

Just to add, i am stretch a little so maybe i'll work on that a bit more. And also i do not apply pressure i just let the weight of the razor take care of that. The only thing i cant get my head round is the angle, there seems to be only one angle where i can actually hear the blade cutting so thats the angle i use?

I have the exact same problem. I do a three pass shave with the middle being a SW-NE direction on one side and a SE-NW on the other (S would be down, N would be up). First pass straight down, last pass straight up. Hot towel prep also helps a lot. I have to do this with any form of shaving I do (Straight, Safety or Cart.)