Thread: Razor burn

It's simple really. Razor burn is irritation. So you have to decide what you are doing that causes the irritation and the list is big, very big so the solution is not simple. Your skin getting used to the blade,too many strokes, the wrong strokes, too much pressure, wrong angle, bad prep, dull razor, bad edge or wrong products being used, allergies, and that's just some of them. So you need to examine all aspects of your routine for adjustments.

+1 to TBS. The other guys info is great. Larry's suggestion on progressing through WTG toward XTG is great. Lots of guys progress past WTG "Oh, I got that" and don't take the time to get good WTG shaves/angles/pressures figured out.

But that said, TBS hit the heart of the matter.

What's irritating you?

P.S. I had serious irritation on my neck with cartridges; the smooth edge of a well honed straight was my ticket to relief, but I had to get all the other variables in place too. I don't prep like everybody else recommends (everybody does it slightly different), but I've found the mix that gets me irritation free shaves. You'll find that mix too.

Thanks LarryAndro, I will do as you have suggested this morning and see how it goes. I was considering either not shaving or using a DE to minimise rasor burn.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Sunbird

... I was considering either not shaving or using a DE to minimise rasor burn...

You asked about razor burn, and that is what we have been addressing. You might considering still using a DE to back pain free into straight razor shaving.

Shave all your face down to BBS with a DE, and then "shave" with a straight razor. If done right, you should be able to shave your smooth, but lathered face almost indefinitely without producing razor burn.

Shave your face next time to almost BBS, then finish with the straight. If you get any razor burn, next time shave even closer with the DE before using the straight.

Control the amount of whisker left for the straight razor with the DE. Back into straight razor shaving a little at a time. Don't hurry your way into full use of the straight. Enjoy the process!

Straight razor shaving requires you master many techniques and variables. When you shave a full beard with a straight, it requires you learn 11 (being silly) techniques all at once! By backing into straights with a safety razor shave preceding the straight razor shave, it reduces the variables to one or two at a time.

Thanks Larry Andro, off to try that right now.... I will let you know how it goes shortly.

I cheated,

Hot shower, carefull preperatation, sharp razor...... just had to give it a go.

I only shaved the sides of my face WTG. Very smooth, but was also aware of how noisy the razor is slicing through the whiskers. Actually quite loud in my ears. Is this normal? The DE is silent.

I then shaved the rest with the DE. Very nice and smooth, woops should not have admitted that. I still think the EJ DE89L with Feather blades is a great DE combination.

I then did a WTG with the Straight, but felt it was just going over old ground again without the difficulty of catching on the whiskers.

In summary, a worthwhile experiment. I realise also that for the last three days I have been doing three passes WTG, ATG and XTG just because I am enjoying shaving with the Straight so much.

Probably overdid it!

Thanks for the support and encouragement.

Originally Posted by Sunbird

... I then did a WTG with the Straight, but felt it was just going over old ground again without the difficulty of catching on the whiskers...

When you first start with straight razors, doing as you did is not pointless. There is the fear that the blade is going to sink into your face, and it takes a shave or two to really become comfortable that the blade isn't as dangerous as imagined. You learn the angles and speeds of movement that work. That is no small accomplishment. When "shaving" an already shaved face, you also learn grips and positions for holding the razor. There are more skills not mentioned.

You have shaved with a straight several times, and skill-wise you are probably already past these techniques.

There's a really good guide, about everything really that i found handy, by a guy called christopher moss. He's a member here i believe (it was the link in his guide that led me here). In the actual shave section there's some great pics of how to shave on different passes. Now it's different for everyone (hair direction etc) but the basic skin stretches got me started off and i've found it really invaluable, and it's very well augmented by the info on here. But for getting started XTG and ATG i recommend it highly.

Its called the art of the straight razor shave

Originally Posted by Sunbird

I cheated,

Hot shower, carefull preperatation, sharp razor...... just had to give it a go.

I only shaved the sides of my face WTG. Very smooth, but was also aware of how noisy the razor is slicing through the whiskers. Actually quite loud in my ears. Is this normal? The DE is silent.

I then shaved the rest with the DE. Very nice and smooth, woops should not have admitted that. I still think the EJ DE89L with Feather blades is a great DE combination.

I then did a WTG with the Straight, but felt it was just going over old ground again without the difficulty of catching on the whiskers.

In summary, a worthwhile experiment. I realise also that for the last three days I have been doing three passes WTG, ATG and XTG just because I am enjoying shaving with the Straight so much.

Probably overdid it!

Thanks for the support and encouragement.

No problems using the DE.

And so far as noise goes, I'm continually amazed at how much noise the razor makes. I can hear it cutting, but I can't feel it cutting. The whiskers just aren't there anymore. It's rather noisy compared to what I was used to, but doesn't pull like what I was used to with cartridges. FWIW.

YEah i do take a warm shower, i do add lather and massage my face(you can laugh but it feels great) and then i do the hot towel seconds before shave, i to WTG, XCG, and ATG the i use cold water, and i add after shave, but after wards it hurts, do pre shave lotions help prevent this.