Thread: HELP : Should I straight shave ? Or shouldn't I ...

Originally Posted by gringo84

Well, I tried a Super Speed, a merkur 38C, a Gold tech ...
With blades : tiger, gillette 7'o clock ( yellow ), Persona Red, Merkur, Derby, Wilkinson economy ...

I can't say that I haven't tried !!

When I go ATG with a Sensor, it's ok.
When I go ATG with a DE, it's as if the blade stayed stuck into the hair. I cut myself, I'm on fire, and the shave is poor quality.

So maybe I've not tried a sharp enough blade like Crystal or Feather. But with my sensitive skin, I'm pretty afraid ...

You certainly have given it a try. I'm not sure that a move to Feather blades is wise at this point.

If you were finding the blade "stuck in the hair", then certainly angle is an issue. My Merkur HD used to just glide, even on ATG passes with some pressure.

I'm pretty sure about the angle, but maybe I'm wrong .... How can I know to be sure I'm doing everything just fine ???
Because on my own, I'm sure I'm doing, but can I really be certain ... ?!

One should come at home when shaving, and tell me, lol.
This way, I'd be sure, and you too ...

I think it is possible to do this without me coming to your house. If I do have to come over there, I require a nice meatloaf dinner, a salad with Bleu Cheese or Stilton dressing, and a glass or two of a nice Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel. Then, for dessert, a nice Creme Brulee would be nice.

Failing that:

I think it is easy to get the right angle. I would recommend starting with the razor's handle vertical to your face and gradually lowering the handle until you start to hear the familiar sound of whiskers getting cut (somewhat like the sound one hears when spreading butter on toast). That's the sweet spot. Any more than that and you're going to get razor burn and less than that you're just not shaving. Tell me what you think.

This is all very strange, Gringo84... It seems that you are well aware of what to do and you seem to be doing things right. The brush thing is, for me the strangest, I confess... maybe you have developed an alergy of some sort to some of these products?
Or maybe we should call on Dr. House or something... My mind is utterly boggled!

Maybe you should see iif you could find a barber that does straight razor shaves.

Once,

I went at the barber. I thought he was straight shaving, instead of this he was using a shavette with feather single edge blades.

I have a one day stubble.

When he tried for the second pass, ATG, he said : I can't, your bristles are too flat on the skin, I'm going to cut you and let you a f*****g razor burn.

He tried on the cheeks, almost OK. But on the neck, and on the around the mouth area, oh my god, I have NEVER EVER felt a razor burn like that.

My skin was totally red, with blood everywhere ...

Originally Posted by gringo84

Hi folks,

First, sorry for this too long story, but I cannot make it shorter, if I really want you to help me I have to tell you the whole story ... So I will :

I'm a dark haired 26yo guy, military. So I HAVE to be clean shaved, every other day.

I first began shaving with an electric, but aiming for a better shave, and when I became a military, I started wet shaving with a M3 and canned goo. With normal acne, as a lot of teen have, shaving bumps and others were almost transparent. Until the day I cleared up my acne with some antibiotics.
....snip....

Do visit the post medical facility. If you have skin problems
as many men do you can get a dispensation from or relaxing
of the regulations for shaving. Do get a better than average
hair cut.

Since you have tried a number of things you may need to look at them
again in a different light.

The one thing that helped me was the yellow handle BiC razors for
sensitive skin. They have an opening that is large enough to rinse
clean. They have a single blade that is not designed to cut
whiskers below the skin line (important). They are inexpensive so
you can toss them as soon as they begin to dull.

If you can get a "pass muster" shave from these, other blade solutions are
the next thing to explore. Note that travel restrictions and post regulations
may prohibit open razors the same as they restrict handguns and knives.

The BiC blades let me and perhaps you explore shave soaps and creams.
In my case I discovered how allergic I am to many products. Tossing the
bad ones and learning how to use the good ones made a lot of difference.
Some products would give me a good shave but the next two days would
see me getting a worse and worse rash as shaving and products insulted
my face. My solution was a three days test rule. If after three days in
a row I saw no problem I would keep it. If I had any problem I would
discard it.

There are a lot of tricks. For a lot of folk using a brush with goo and
water will improve the shave. In part it is because the skin gets cleaner and
they work more water into the lather.

Next reconsider the notion of a close shave. Whiskers can grow
nearly horizontal. In the swirly places where my whiskers change
directon they are extreme vertical or extreme horizontal depending on the
swirl. It is impossible and not desirable to cut whiskers off below the skin
and when dark enough there is always a shadow. Some blond
blue eyed butter bar may have NO CLUE which is why I mentioned
that you see the post medical folk. I am not blond or blue eyed
but way back then I had no clue


The key for me was to shave with a sharp single blade
with good shave prep. The choice of other sharp single blade
solutions can be long and expensive which is why I recommend
the BiC for sensitive skin yellow handle tossables. There are
much better blades but these are not bad at all.

On after shave products. Many are bad for the skin
be it alcohol or a secret stuff in the fragrance component.
Skip them for the most part. Nivea for sensitive skin is
worth a try.

If this works a good DE or straight will also work.

Thanks a lot for the previous advice(s).

I give my face a chance to recover then I will give Yellow Bic a try.
With brush and soap do you think ????

Or with shaving gel as I used to ?

Appearantly everyone is different. Those yellow Bics feel like I'm shaving with a pocket knife. Yes I have sensative skin. If you buy the Bics, buy the smallest package they have. Good luck. I really do hope they work for you.

Yours, Jim

Originally Posted by gringo84

Thanks a lot for the previous advice(s).

I give my face a chance to recover then I will give Yellow Bic a try.
With brush and soap do you think ????

Or with shaving gel as I used to ?

Brush yes.

Shave soap, shave cream or gel. Tell us what
shave soaps and shave creams you can find and we can
help. To start look for a Van Der Hagen Premium Shave
Set (Soap, Bowl, Brush)... Keep an eye open for
Williams shave soap, Proraso cream, C.O. Bigelow.

So, Try what you have with an inexpensive brush.
First rinse with cool clear water.

Add a little shave soap or whatever to the brush
and give yourself a gentle scrub.

Rinse with clear cool water.

Add some lather, gel or cream with the brush.
the can of goo stuff can be improved with water
and a brush. I do recommend that you try
some good shave soaps.

Shave with a fresh clean blade, no more than two or
three shaves per blade to start. More or less
as you learn...

Single pass, just tidy the whiskers up reducing the stubble.
Inspect for missed patches. Lather a second time and tidy
up the patches you missed so you can pass inspection.

Rinse and let your face air dry.

About 30 min after your face is dry
consider an application of a balm.
No alcohol, no cologne.

The yellow handle BiC tossables are not the best
blade you can find, but good. Williams and Van Der Hagen
soaps are also ordinary, but good. These are cheep and mostly
easy to find. They are also airport friendly.
You are welcome to grab the small bag and
save a buck but my market has a dozen for
not too much per blade.

The important part is that these do not have
a multitude of blades designed to shave whiskers
below the skin line.

My goal in recommending them is to calm down
your face and minimize irritation when wet shaving.

After a week or three if this is an improvement you should look into
DE razors or a straight.

DE razors with an assortment (sample pack) let you
explore various qualities of sharp, smooth, harsh and more.
For a minimum of cash.

A Straight puts you fully in control. With time and practice
you can shave, hone, strop and maintain your razor exactly
the way you like it. The learning curve is real.

A good clean shave soap and brush.... makes a difference.