Thread: I think I have the worst beard/skin combo...

Howdy gang! So I have been a sponge, soaking up knowledge and patiently learning the ropes. I can get an ok shave but still not as smooth, consistent, or as comfortable as using a DE (as to be expected starting out). I cannot get a bbs with a DE without lots of irritation and ingrowns anyways (been shaving with a DE since 2009), but I can easily get a DFS with DE, and am making progress with the straight.

Here is my issue. I have a tough and coarse beard that lays flat on my skin. The hairs themselves are very thick and stiff. I am fairly fair (not pale) with light brown hair but my facial hair is almost black in the really bad areas (chin down to base of neck) and you can still see it even when shaved flush with the skin. My skin is kind of dry, oily, and sensitive. Doh!

When shaving, I have been practicing using as little of blade angle as possible with the spine against the skin. This is with a new and freshly honed Aust from SRD. With no angle a lot of the hair just laughs as the blade literally slides off WTG. I can increase angle until it cuts, but it almost starts pulling a little at that point, or i can feel the blade uncomfortably slide against the skin (like a scrape). I always do a N to S WTG pass first to reduce stubble as XTG or ATG is impossible with out reduction. Going XTG or ATG, the blade literally wont move agaisnt the hair except on the cheeks which are pretty easy to shave. On the chin it often sticks even WTG. This is using the spine on skin technique for blade angle XTG and ATG. Sometimes a little bit of blade bluffing works, but it is risky. I cant really go ATG when DE shaving either unless I use some Hydrolast products (very slick and fast but expensive and a PITA to lather). The same thing happens with the DE in terms of sticking ATG or XTG.

My prep involves a hot shower and face wash and conditioning with Mane and Tail. I think I can rule out the blade as well. I bought it new from SRD, shaved a bunch, chipped it and had it fixed by SRD. The first go around I stropped after receiving the blade. Second time it was honed due to the chip, I didn't hone it to see if my stropping was the issue. It felt the same and actually felt better after stropping. Post shave treatment includes a alum block, witch hazel and essential oil splash, and hydrolast conditioner (amazing stuff).

I have read endless guides, and tried different techniques I have seen in various posts, but the beard still triumphs. Am I missing something or are my attempts futile evidence by failed attempts at bbs DE shaves, especially on the chin and neck? I mean heck there is hair that basically doesn't cut! The razor slides off or gets stuck at no angle and pulls at higher ones! Anyone have any experience with this? I try to be slow and deliberate as well, and have tried everything from hydrolast to arko to cella and tabac... help!

Ryall

I think you need a tree surgeon, no really, what you need is to find a barber in your area that SR shaves. If a competent barber has trouble with your beard then you know it isn't just you. Short of that, see if you can find a mentor in your area. Having a more accurate location will give any mentor near your the ability to assist. Good luck.

Great ideas, thanks! I am in Wichita Falls, TX. Also, I should add that using a Parker shavette with a feather blade does cut a little more efficiently and closely WTG, but can be very unforgiving.

Put Wichita Falls in your profile so that others in your area can get together with you and help with your difficulties. We are here to serve.

Solutions you might not have thought of as yet. I don't have your problems exactly, I have sensitive skin, sparse stiff beard and Rosacea. I was into hot shower, hot lather , hot rinse. Nothing but trouble until I switch to cold water shaving. And it doesn't have to be totally cold. Works with lukewarm water also.
Last step in my shower is a cold water face rinse and an application of a little hair conditioner on my beard. I leave it on and after I make my cold water lather and strop my razor I re-wet my face with cold water, apply a little bit of Cremo or Kiss My Face with my finger tips as a pre-shave, lather over it and shave and finish off with an alum block rub and a cold water rinse and apply Nivea for Sensitive Skin or similar. Changed my life and my enjoyment of shaving.

My suggestion for what it's worth.

Would you say after prep & lathering your beard has softened ?
The only time I have had a similar experience to you is when I first tried to shave my head without taking the time on prep & lather.

Hey ryall,
I am not sure if you do this, so fogive me if you do, you dont really mention skin stretching, if you pull your skin in the oposite direction to growth the hairs should stand up a bit more. i also think that maybe if you are trying to use the whole blade straight on you will have quite a bit of resistance to overcome, you say that a shavette with de blades and de's work for you, their blades are about half the size, you could try using less of the blade on your razor, and cutting with the blade at a bit of an angle (guilotine stroke) this means that the hair is sliced by the razor rather than chopped.
I notice the products that you mention are typically used by method shavers, and from the little i know about it, you dont beard map, you just use certain moves in a certain order, i may be wrong, and i dont want to sound critical if it works for you, but have you allowed your beard to grow a bit and worked out direction of growth for your facial hair, i can pretty much guarantee that it wont be consistent, the grain direction will change dependant on where on your face you check.

Hey yall thanks for the tips! Ill definitely try the cold water. I have been stretching the skin and trying different ways and directions. I don't use method shaving forms while using a straight, and have been using mostly non-hydrolast products as well. I jave instead been using motions appropriate to the direction of beard growth with the straight. I also have experimented witj using different sections of the razor, but those techniques are still formative. I'll be sure to look closer at that as well.

What type of shave soap are you using? A good lather goes a long way to getting a smooth shave.

Bob

Speaking of looking closer... I have a tough beard. Beard prep definitely helps. Extensive beard prep really helps (two or three hot towel and lather combinations will soften my wire hard beard). I don't always have time for extensive beard prep. A really sharp blade matters too. But looking closer was a huge step forward for me.

Amazon sells a 5x magnifying swivel mirror. I mounted it in the shave den. I also picked up a $38 USB microscope (originally for inspecting the blade) and inspected my beard with that too. I've mapped my beard a few times now and my understanding has changed a bit each time. But when I really started looking close with the scope and magnifying mirror, I realize I have more than one whisker pattern and type even in the same facial region.

My neck is the most challenging, but I'll stick to the center of my neck for an example (straight north south across the middle of the Adam's apple). My whiskers are both dark and grey. Among the grey whisker I have two types: very course thick grey whiskers essentially the same as the course dark whiskers, and a smaller diameter lay flat gray whisker. Careful mapping gives me 8 regions of whiskers on my neck and most contain the three types of whisker (course black, course grey, and lay flat thinner grey).

I've also figured out multiple passes WTG provides no irritation and some beard reduction. Same too with XTG passes, the real trouble begins with ATG passes. Troublesome if I haven't done all of these steps:

1- Good beard preparation and maintain a sharp blade
2- Good beard reduction WTG and XTG
3- Good skin traction
4- Good blade angle
5- Cold water rinse before minor touch up
6- Moisturizer and dry before considering any other product

Number three is most interesting. I say skin traction because when I look very closely sometimes the whiskers lift, when I do one of the following contradictory things:

1- Stretch from behind like you would expect.
2- Stretch in front of the razor's travel (risky but works in a few limited regions of my face).
3- This is odd, but relax my skin and let the razor gently push up against the bunched skin.

Number 3 is dangerous because it is all feel and easy to cut yourself, but to attain comfortable BBS with no burn, I have a strip of beard at the bottom where this is all that works. I've had to look closer, carefully map my beard, work the equipment, and work harder than I expected to get a really good shave. Now that I have something that works (and I have some sideways work that took a long time to figure out as well), it is slowly becoming habitual. And it is a habit of growing success, I'm enjoying this more everyday.

I am finally to the point where I know the region, beard direction, and what to do there from memory. In just over 50 shaves and a lot of study, my shave has finally become the best shave I've ever given myself (using any kind of shave gear). The straight razor has a steep learning curve! It also has the best results. This is why professional barbers use a straight blade. I've been searching for a barbershop shave experience at home and I am getting closer and closer. The mental part of this sport is important too. Once I started working full time on a comfortable shave? About shave 15 or 20 after scrapping up my face more than once with resulting razor burn, well closer shaves followed not far behind comfortable shaves. A really sharp blade helps too.

You will figure it out too! Good luck!

Ed