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

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.

The only remaining trouble areas were my cheeks, and my neck. I have a SO HARD beard, and hair growing flat against the skin, that my derm said I had folliculitis, the kind of sick that black men often suffer from !!
He adviced me for doing some laser hair removal, to see if it improves.

I chose IPL, and a device I could buy to make it by myself at home, and finally, it makes the thing a lot cheaper !!!

Currently, I have done about one year of IPL :
- The moustache and the chin are terribly difficult to treat, but it improves from a session to another
- The cheeks are "almost clear" ( *We 'll see below )
- The neck is clear, and there is no trouble.

So, you should wonder " What does he post here, if he does not shave anymore ?? "

Here is the answer :
On the cheeks, hair need a lot of time and IPL sessions to definitely disappear. That does mean that they become thinner and thinner, at the point that they have a lot of pain to get through the skin as they regrow, 5 or 6 weeks after the IPL.

So, as you can imagine : Bumps, zits, redness ... And logically : Scars.

However, I have a good routine : I clean my face up every night with a glycolic face cleaner, I even bought the Anthony Logistics ingrown hair treatment, but this does not make the trick ... :thinking:

So, I tried DE shaving, with a badger brush and a ToBS cream.
But I have never had as smooth a shave than with my M3 and a gillette gel ... And I find that the creams let my skin a bit greasy too, which tends to confirm with the hours passing by !! :shrug:

When a visit my doctor for another reason, I had the occasion to show him the spots, he told me about acne. BUT, I m pretty sure it's not, but it's some kind of ingrown. ( I have also the problem, minor, on the chest and the legs when I wax them ). On the rest of the face, it's clear, with not any pimple !!

So, FINALLY, I come to the end :
I wonder if I should continue the IPL, with the goal to eliminate every hair, which is, I'm pretty sure, the only solution I could get to definitely get free of this issue,

OR

Try to get a better shave, with a straight for example ( I can get one in my family if needed ) and give up IPL ...

Please guys, help me, because ths is progressively ruining my life and of course, my confidence ... :ziplip:

First off: welcome!

second: Long story, good story :). I don't know if straight razor shaving will mitigate all the troubles you have. If your hairs have the tendency to grow into the skin, full removal is the only option.

You wrote that DE shaving gave you a smoother shave, but did it also lessen your problems? If so, a straight shave could(with the proper technique) give an even better result.

A straight razor shave gives you a mild exfoliation, which could also help you.

Good luck :gl:

Disclaimer: I have not seen you nor am I a dermatologist, your results may vary. Possibly my advice won't help you one bit.

Thanks !!

No, I said, in fact, that I could not get a smooth shave with DE, and badger brush and co ! But I stayed stuck with the bumps and others ...

I tried the following :

- with a shaving gel and a Gillette Sensor, I can get a very smooth shave on areas such as mustache, or chin, with few irritation, and no ingrown. But if I wanted to get a close shave on the cheeks, I would have to go ATG, which increases the risk of ingrown, so I don't.
- with the same razor, and an " old fashioned preparation " ( meaning : badger brush, hot towel, and shaving cream ) : I cannot achieve the same result. The razor does not glide as easily, I am not close shaved, and get more irritation ...:needcoffee:

My apologies, I misread it then. Than I cannot give you a sound advice. You could try to get a SR shave from one of your family members and see if it helps you, nothing ventured nothing gained. Unless you believe it will be bad for your skin. I can't really think of anything more :thinking:.

That is a very strange condition you have... and stranger than that is the fact that you say that you got better shaves with a cartridge than with a DE with proper cream. But a lot of factors come into play here...
Are you sure you lathered properly? Did you lather on the face or in a bowl? Did you apply the lather by "painting" it onto your face or did you do so in circular motions?
I'm sorry to ask all this but I guess that you should give the DE a second and better chance before you move into straights. The reason is simple - straights are indeed better than DEs or anything else. But the learning curve is a bit steep and with the sort of problems you have, it may become even steeper. I'm sure that you will succeed in the end, don't get me wrong. It is just that I think you should consider giving the DE another chance before you move on to a straight razor.
Straight razors can be very punishing in the begining - it all gets blissfully better, of course - especialy if one has very tender skin... as the one that results from laser treatments.
Just my 2 cents, of course...
But hey, WELCOME to SRP! You'll find this to be a great community. And never hold back a question or a doubt you may have - these guys know everything! :)

Hi,

thanks for welcoming :)

To answer your questions :

1 / I'm lathering in the bowl, then on the face
2 / I used to apply by painting moves, as circular motions seemed to irritate a lot my skin before she even met the blade !! :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gringo84

Hi,

thanks for welcoming :)

To answer your questions :

1 / I'm lathering in the bowl, then on the face
2 / I used to apply by painting moves, as circular motions seemed to irritate a lot my skin before she even met the blade !! :(

---

I just asked about your technique because if the lather you make is too wet or dry it will not work properly.
So... does your lather have the consistency of whipped cream? That is what you should aim for anyhow.
I have to say that if your skin is irritated by a badger brush exfoliating your skin a bit while you apply the lather, I'd say that you really have some sort of strange problem with your beard. There are some brushless creams around that you should try. They seem to be good and provide an alternative from the canned goo and the traditional creams and soaps...
Hope this helps.

It sounds like using a straight might help you, but it depends on what you are going for. If you are looking for a completely smooth shave every day, it may not be the best option going on what you have been saying. If you are looking for a good, presentable shave, then it might be good. A good WTG pass will almost always be more than sufficient to be within regs if you are on duty.

I can not and could never shave ATG every day, my face would not tolerate it. I was in before I switched to a straight razor, but with a cartridge I just did a one-pass shave, skipped the weekends and then had a ATG shave Mondays.

Again, it depends on what you are looking for. A straight will certainly help with irritation and bumps, but you may want to stick with a one or two pass shave with it. Not the ultimate shaving Nirvana, but well within any regs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001826

Pseudofolliculitis barbae is a disorder that occurs mainly in black men. If curly beard hairs are cut too short, they may curve back into the skin and cause inflammation.

---

I know it may be difficult as active duty military but have you gotten a second opinion from another Dermatologist? The reason I ask is if your skin is already so sensitive that doing circular motions with a wet lather brush causes irritation, I would be incline to treat that issue first. The other treatment for hair removal may be causing damage to the skin that is not being aloud to recover well enough between sessions. In that case any shaving would only cause more irritation. I do know from experience that the light treatments do not mix well with a number of the topicals that would be used for treating bacterial or fungal folliculitis, that you may or maynot have.
Your Doc should also be able to right orders permitting you to not shave for a period of time till the situation with your skin can be treated properly.

If "I" were going for a second opinion I would take everything with me all the meds, the machine everything. Explain the procedures you have been using, and all the issues you have, ask lots of questions. With the light treatments they do need to be adjusted to individual needs as even the lamps for seasonal affective disorder can burn the skin if used to long.

I also am not a Doctor or a Black Male, however I do not think Straight shaving will be a magic cure for your issues. The learning curve in the beginning is tricky enough for many people with no underlying concerns and it is possible that for you closer may not be a good option.

Good luck and best wishes in your treatment.
Thank you for your service.

Welcome to SRP. I'm sorry to hear of your problems.

You did not mention much about your preparations. Here are my suggestions of things you might try, that may help enhance your shave experience.
First, I would recommend that you shave only after a shower. Second, use a shave oil. Third, use a quality natural shave soap and a good brush, with sensitive skin canned goo is not for you. Fourth, try a wedge grind for your straight, it will cut straight through even the coarsest beard. Fifth, do not go ATG if it bothers your skin - do not opt for silk smooth shaves but choose in stead to go with the lightest approach still passable in your service. And finally, take good care of your skin after the shave. Perhaps an alcohol based splash to properly clean up and disinfect, followed by a natural moisturizer. Use some butter in stead of lotion, as lotions often contain many chemicals.

Best of luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TeMpTiN

I know it may be difficult as active duty military but have you gotten a second opinion from another Dermatologist?

If "I" were going for a second opinion I would take everything with me all the meds, the machine everything. Explain the procedures you have been using, and all the issues you have, ask lots of questions.

---

+1 to TeMpTiN's advice.

I am a doctor (not an MD, but a DVM). Doctors are human beings and as such are fallible. If a patient is not responding the way I expect them to or if the client seems uneasy with my diagnosis, I always encourage them to get a second opinion. After all, two heads are better than one.

Sorry you're having such troubles. Good luck

hey welcome to SRP,

I laud you for serving your country.

I agree with several of the comments posted:

-see another Dr. and take all your treatments with you.
-don't give up on a badger brush and ToBS just yet. I'm not sure how long you've been using these products but if you're not getting a thick lather then you're missing out.
-shave only as close as the Military forces (see what I did here ;P) you too.


Not being a Dr. of any sort or even really all that bright :jedi: I don't know what advice I can offer. However, I do think that you should start experimenting with a straight razor. Straight Razors don't encourage ingrown hairs because they don't cut below the skin (as I understand) they have a somewhat exfoliating effect (as I understand) which should all be beneficial to you. A straight is super sharp and should (as was pointed out by another member) have no problem cutting into your beard.

Also, experiment with all kinds of creams and soaps until you find what works for you or hopefully best for you. There must be some sort of product out there that suits your skin. Maybe there are even special prescription shaving creams? This might be a tad pricey but for you it will be worth it in the end.

Experiment with pre shave treatments, oils, towels, etc. to find what's best for your skin and what leads to the least irritating shave.

In sum, I think that you're the type of guy that can benefit from the knowledge on this forum and from straight razor shaving. Sure, it's a steep learning curve. Sure it's a bit more time consuming. Sure it's a little pricey at first but it's also the holy grail of shaving and face treatment which is probably what you need.


Finally, look around and see if you can find an aged barber who can give you a professional straight razor shave. This should tell you if, done properly, the straight might be a benefit to you. Plus, there's a good chance that a guy that's been shearing beards for 50 years has seen it all and might have some good advice for you.

Stultsy

A ton of thanks for you guys, for helping me as you do ... Much appreciated :beer1:

A lot of questions too ...
So I'm bringing answers :

A certain time ago, I also went especially to my derm, who confirmed about acne. He said that the beginning point was a blackhead ...
Yeah, maybe he's right, I don't know. All I can say is that :

- The doc I went to, did not know I was doing some IPL
- But the derm did, because himself adviced me for it
- When I say that I feel my skin irritated with a brush, I obviously shave AFTER a hot shower, and when I lathering on the face, I can feel a stinging and " warming " sensation. I tried a silvertip by Kent, and a Pure badger by Plisson.
- For the creams I have tried Proraso, and ToBS lavender. I actually did not see any difference between the two in terms of efficacity :thinking:
The DE seemed not to glide easily, and I end up irritated with stubborn stubble !!!!!:jedi:
- At first, I have a little pimple, like a redness, but it's quite underneath the skin. Then, day after day, I can see a little hair regrowing, inside of it, but it's not the same on my legs or on my chest, where I'm REALLY able to SEE the hair UNDER the skin/the zit.
When it comes to happen on my face, I barely can not see the hair, and if I can, I do not understand why it makes this kind of trouble, because I do not see underneath ...


Does this help you of any sort ?

Welcome to SRP! You've already gotten some great advice here from the fellows. Might I suggest trying witch hazel as a post shave treatment..it'll help soothe and close the pores...worth a shot :)

Yes, it's worth a try.

Usually, I rinse off with hot water, shortly. Then with very cold water. And I pat dry off. I do not rub.
That's all. I have the feeling that if I apply any kind of mosturizer or balm, my skin is greasy, and I'm not sure, but I seem to have more problems ...
I 've read a lot of good reviews about Niveo for men sensitive skin aftershave balm, maybe it's worth a try.

I used to apply Proraso balm, and I find it good, but my skin tends to be oily during the day when I apply this, whereas it's not oily if I don't apply aftershave.

So, I still do not know what to do ... :confused:

Regarding your attempt at DE shaving, you mentioned it was not as smooth as your shaves with a Mach 3 and goo. I think that is pretty much universal for the first shaves with a DE. My first three were lousy, the next five better, and by the time I got to shave #15 I was getting shaves that rivaled or exceeded those I used to get with a Pro Fusion and proper preparation. There is a learning curve even with a DE.

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 ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gringo84

- When I say that I feel my skin irritated with a brush, I obviously shave AFTER a hot shower, and when I lathering on the face, I can feel a stinging and " warming " sensation. I tried a silvertip by Kent, and a Pure badger by Plisson.
- For the creams I have tried Proraso, and ToBS lavender. I actually did not see any difference between the two in terms of efficacity :thinking:

---

I would suggest there are 2 possible causes of the stinging feeling. It could be the brush, or it could be the cream. Next time you shower, try them separately to pinpoint the culprit - use the brush only with water (make sure it is properly cleaned for residue). If it is indeed the brush maybe try a synthetic brush. After that, try your cream, without the brush. If it is the cream, search for a better suited soap.

Best of luck

Ask your doc about the hair removal treatments and interactions with sunlight afterwards. Also interactions with some medications. This may be the biggest part of your problem.


HLS

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HLS

Ask your doc about the hair removal treatments and interactions with sunlight afterwards. Also interactions with some medications. This may be the biggest part of your problem.


HLS

---

Well, I'm not following any treatment !

To tell the truth, the only things I apply on my skin are some cosmetics designed for men ( cleaner + ingrown hair lotion, both by Anthony logistics ) ... Nothing medical :nono:
And I cannot say I'm really ( and often ) exposed to sunlights ...

And we almost could say that it's the hair regrowing from IPL which is involved, most of the time !! It grows back thinner and thinner, maybe it's the reason why it has troubles for getting through the skin ...

But it appears like hormonal acne that some teen have, on the jawline and the bottom of the cheeks, looks so ugly ... GOD !!! :banghead:

Quote:

---

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.

:gl:

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 ...

Quote:

---

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 :confused:


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 :cen yellow Bics feel like I'm shaving with a pocket knife:tameshigiri:. 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

Quote:

---

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.

I had acne well into my adult years, and it turns out that much of it was ingrown hairs and that has cleared up since I started shaving with a straight razor. The single-blade disposables should give similar results, since they can't cut off the barb below the skin level.

My skin is also sensitive and I have found that shaving with cold water is much much gentler than hot water. Because the cold gives goose bumps, it might help to stand up those stubborn hairs on your cheeks.

The mildest, most neutral soap or cream I have yet used is The Body Shop's Maca Root shave cream.

There has been a lot of discussion of cold-water shaves on SRP, lots of precedent. Run it as cold as it'll come from your pipes. Come summer, I'm going to keep my witchazel in the fridge, too. That'll feel gooood!

Good luck with it all. I hope you find a solution.

Hi guys,

To say the truth, I have a red bump which seem to appear from nowhere, no hair ingrown, nothing. Just a hair at the very base, looking more as a folliculitis than anything else !!

Talking about that, I made some research. And I red a lot of thing on folliculitis, especially :
This is a hair follicle inflammation due to various factors such as : shaving, intense perspiration, stretching clothes, fatigue ...

And I have noticed that sometimes, not to say every time, I have an intense sport session when I sweat a lot, my issues seem more important. This is the same when I'm tired after one or two nights at work ...

An update on what I am doing :
- Still waiting for the Feather to arrive
- Still waiting for my shaving soaps to arrive. I find the creams a bit too dry, and not gliding enough Maybe it's the key.

I think I have a skin VERY VERY sensitive to various infections/fatigue/diet and whatever or so. And I know that my skin will never be perfect, and clean shaved. At this point, I'm pretty sure, and desperate, about that affirmation ...

So, things remaining to test :
- soap instead of cream
- feather blades
- straight razor
- one blade razor ( Bic Metal ?? )
- electric shaver ( with no pleasure, and no close shaving :( )

BTW; when you say you cold shave, what is your exact procedure ???

I guess your lather is warm tough ...

I will give it a try. Maybe it is gentler for the skin, and minimizes the pimples issue !

You could try this...
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...orst-ever.html

I've just read all the topic above : It 's definitely worth a try !!!

Questions :

- Do you think I could get better results and less irritation even with my shaving gel instead of shaving cream ???

After all, the shaving gel is ALWAYS cold in the can, whereas the lather is always warm, or hot. Which is the essential difference I never noticed : the temperature.

Maybe, this could explain why I 've always got a closer shave with a canned shaving gel ...:lurk:

Whip your lather up with cold water and you'll have cold lather! One guy made lather with snow a few weeks ago. That's only a seasonal solution, though.

Good luck. I hope this approach helps you.

Hopin' too ...

Making some research about that, and finding some hints I'm letting you know :

1 / One guy said shavings creams and soaps gave him acne like pimples. So he shaved at the end of a hot shower, with nothing else that hot water running into his face.
I tried today on certain areas just to test it : On the left sideburn, under the lower lip, and a small bit of chin :
I can say there is no razor burn on these spots, but shaving with nothing isn't much enjoyable. You can feel the blade dragging on the skin. BUT, there is no shaving product, understand - no chemical - , and once out of the shower and skin is dry, there is no slippering sensation, or greasy skin, nothing but a smooth skin.
A whole shave is to test this way.

2 / I also found a guy who said that he shaved DRY for years. With a manual razor but no water. And this was the only way for him not to get razor bumps.

3 / For the cold shave, I found a LOT of testimonials, but I can't definitely say how it is because I have not tested it yet.

-> My next shave is tomorrow, and I do not know which way I should go ...
I feel inspired by the 1/ but I am a bit afraid ...

After I tried two of the 3 solutions above :

1 / Shaving with just hot water : no fire, and a smooth shave, but a lot of irritation the day after.

2 / Shaving cold : OMG. Never had a such razor burn, even on my first DE shave !
Some cuts and nicks under the nose and on the chin, and very bad shaved ...

3 / My next step is straight razor ... To be continued !
If I'm still alive for this !