Thread: All's well until it starts to grow back...

I have had severe acne for over forty years. Shaving with a str8 has, if anything, decreased the incidence and severity of it on my face.





Wayne

Lightening up can't hurt, but one thing I've learned from years of DE shaving is that the angle of the blade can make a big difference. Yoy keep hearing 30 degrees, but if you can reduce that angle and the razor still cuts, you should do so. The flatter the blade, the less you scrape the skin.

Why are you using that awkward postion for the blade? Why not use your left hand with the tang away from the ear? Another thing you can try is to drop the heel of the blade and shave diagonally up. It's easier than directly against and it might be good enough to get the stubble.

Bingo on the Mach3. They're known for causing irritation, bumps etc.

If you're not familiar with a DE, why not touch up with a single blade disposable, like a BIC? They work fine if you don't use pressure.

Originally Posted by Tchaikovsky

I'll put more conscious effort into lightening up on my touch. And as Joe Lerch mentioned, I'll try doing light 2 'with', and 'across', and then a light light 'against for the third. I've been having difficulty with going UP on my cheeks. Since the hair grows down and at an angle, and a with/against stroke does not get that close shave, i've been forced to hold the razor awkwardly and gently go up the cheek.

What I've been doing is holding the razor in textbook fashion, yet inverted. So if I'm shaving my right cheek, the tang will be on the side closest to my right ear. What do you guys think? Any better ways to pull this trick off?

As far as the ingrown hairs, over several days before my next shave, I do my best to tweeze all of the ingrowns out so they're free to be sliced by the razor. It's tedious, but well worth it.

My last thought, is that the damn Mach3 I'm using to do the touch-up is causing all of this trouble; and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised. I use it to go over VERY lightly once I've put the straight razor down. The problem areas, where the beard are thick like the chin and upper lip get the most of the mach3, and thats where most of the whiteheads pop up. Suspicious.

For the time being, should I try doing a touch-up with a DE? I know next to nothing about DE, and if you guys think this may be good for me, any info would be appreciated. Thanks