Thread: Are these welts? Technique or equipment?

Looks like ingrown hairs. Probably need a touch up on the edge. I use shavettes and straights. Do you feel you need more pressure and passes with the straight to achieve a good result? If so it's the edge

Originally Posted by CrownCork

Looks like ingrown hairs. Probably need a touch up on the edge. I use shavettes and straights. Do you feel you need more pressure and passes with the straight to achieve a good result? If so it's the edge

If you mean more pressure compared to the shavette then yes absolutely. It is a pretty small razor though too. So I was expecting to have to put a little effort in.


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Originally Posted by animeist

If you mean more pressure compared to the shavette then yes absolutely. It is a pretty small razor though too. So I was expecting to have to put a little effort in.


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I'm going to agree with CrownCork, and guess it's the pressure that's doing it; if the blade is properly sharp, you don't need pressure (I read once you should only really be holding the blade as tight as needed to not drop it). Experiment also with the angle and direction of your passes.

The other thing I did that helped was switch soaps; though if your shavette wasn't giving you problems that might not be the issue for you. Either way, I'm using D.H. Harris now (I think it's the sodium tallowate that makes it nice and slick) with a generous amount of Nivea Sensitive Post Balm Shave (the one with no alcohol) afterward, and it has given me a big improvement. Might be something to look in to.

Originally Posted by ffourteen

I'm going to agree with CrownCork, and guess it's the pressure that's doing it; if the blade is properly sharp, you don't need pressure (I read once you should only really be holding the blade as tight as needed to not drop it). Experiment also with the angle and direction of your passes.

The other thing I did that helped was switch soaps; though if your shavette wasn't giving you problems that might not be the issue for you. Either way, I'm using D.H. Harris now (I think it's the sodium tallowate that makes it nice and slick) with a generous amount of Nivea Sensitive Post Balm Shave (the one with no alcohol) afterward, and it has given me a big improvement. Might be something to look in to.

Yeah I think my soap is ok, I am using Taylor's sandlewood.

I'll keep that in mind when my new razor rocks up. Unfortunately, I am to broke to get it honed properly if my new one is blunt too.


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Aloha!

I'd guess an edge issue, and/or a technique issue, and/or a sterile issue. I have the opposite problem as you, OP. When I go from my Straight to a Shavette, I have razor burn issues or nicks and cuts. They are a different shave. I have never mastered the Shavette. My straight is so much more forgiving. The Shavette amplifies any of my errors 10 times. Speaking of amplification (magnification);

Here is a video showing a nick in a razor edge that was causing the user irritation. He didn't see this under magnification until he got to about 400 power. SEE AROUND THE 2:30 time Mark in the video;

We may think our edge is great, smooth, sharp and perfect for shaving, but if you have an issue like this, it can cause some irritation.

Yet with all those bumps, it's more like mass irritation. So check technique, check your razor angle (it is different than a shavette - you can get away with a higher angle of attack with a shavette than a straight) and make sure your razor is clean. I am not a germaphobe, but I do put a touch of 70 percent alcohol on my blade after a shave and before a shave. Same with my shavette and DE. Just keeps bacteria and virus at bay.

-Zip

One more thing.

I used a shave oil for a while thinking I was doing myself a favor and was getting some razor burn and irritation. When I stopped the shave oil and just went with a good soap or cream, the irritation went away.

Moving from Glycerin to Tallow soap also smoothed out my shave. And for me, Proraso Green pre-shave and cream really soothes my skin. If I start having issues, for me, going back to Proraso Green helps calm things down on my skin. This is obviously highly subjective. You have to experiment here, but that's half the fun of wet shaving.

Mahalo!

-Zip

Who hone it to shave ready? Then maybe we can determine if it it. Plus new guys and stropping usually degrades edges and your just compounding bad stropping with paste. So lots going on, as to having to push the razor thru, well that's not a good edge. Go back to your shavettes for a bit then make sure you have a proper edge, and practice stropping on clean leather for a bit till you are doing that right. Tc

Originally Posted by ZipZop

One more thing.

I used a shave oil for a while thinking I was doing myself a favor and was getting some razor burn and irritation. When I stopped the shave oil and just went with a good soap or cream, the irritation went away.

Moving from Glycerin to Tallow soap also smoothed out my shave. And for me, Proraso Green pre-shave and cream really soothes my skin. If I start having issues, for me, going back to Proraso Green helps calm things down on my skin. This is obviously highly subjective. You have to experiment here, but that's half the fun of wet shaving.

Mahalo!

-Zip

I only just started with the oil today and felt it was a bit easier. I do prefer the smell from the proraso red though.

I have proraso red cream too so maybe I will try that again too. It is difficult to know if the lather is perfect just from videos and people's description.

I love the experimenting part. However, I have job interview next week and would not want to look like this for that lol.


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Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

I'd guess an edge issue, and/or a technique issue, and/or a sterile issue. I have the opposite problem as you, OP. When I go from my Straight to a Shavette, I have razor burn issues or nicks and cuts. They are a different shave. I have never mastered the Shavette. My straight is so much more forgiving. The Shavette amplifies any of my errors 10 times. Speaking of amplification (magnification);

Here is a video showing a nick in a razor edge that was causing the user irritation. He didn't see this under magnification until he got to about 400 power. SEE AROUND THE 2:30 time Mark in the video;

We may think our edge is great, smooth, sharp and perfect for shaving, but if you have an issue like this, it can cause some irritation.

Yet with all those bumps, it's more like mass irritation. So check technique, check your razor angle (it is different than a shavette - you can get away with a higher angle of attack with a shavette than a straight) and make sure your razor is clean. I am not a germaphobe, but I do put a touch of 70 percent alcohol on my blade after a shave and before a shave. Same with my shavette and DE. Just keeps bacteria and virus at bay.

-Zip

Yeah I think my best bet is to go back to a shavette until my new one arrives next week and test that one. I find with my shavette that it was to sharp and felt like it was taking layers of skin off with each shave (I know it wasn't but that's how I was left feeling).

The angle I use on my straight is about the thickness of the razor so about 4/8, but I have tried less and I have tried more of an angle. I will start using the alcohol though, never know what you may miss.


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Originally Posted by animeist

If you mean more pressure compared to the shavette then yes absolutely. It is a pretty small razor though too. So I was expecting to have to put a little effort in.


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Size of the razor won't really matter. I have a few that are 4/8 or less, old vintage blades I bought that had cracks or just extreme wear through the years. They don't require any more pressure than a full size 5/8 or 6/8 blade. The edge is what does the work more so than the weight of the blade. So just to lump in with everyone else, it has likely become dull.

I will say this though, the height of the blade edge to spine is probably not doing you any favors. It's easier to keep a wider razor flat on the strop, and it's easier to see and control the blade's angle relative to your face while shaving. Since a straight is a little different than a shavette, I posit that it will be easier to learn with a wider blade. But when you DO shave with the skinnier blade, try to keep the spine between half a spine width and 1.5 spine widths away from your face. You'll want to keep the spine a tic closer to your face with that one since it's shorter.

It's easier once you've got muscle memory down and can shave without thinking too hard about it.