Skin Conditioning?

Hey all,

I was hoping to ask you fellow members a quick question about skin conditioning. I am 22 and have only been shaving for a few years really so I was hoping that some of you gents who have been at this for longer might have some input here. My question today deals not with razor technique, rather it's about the skin itself.

The other weekend when I was visiting my parents, I walked into the washroom to brush my teeth while my dad was shaving. He was running late for a meeting and didn't have time to do a proper shave. He simply wet his face and hands, applied some bar soap, and then proceeded to go directly against the grain in short, back-and-forth strokes, up and down his entire face. I was freaking out because I know that if I were to do that, I would get all kinds of irritation and razor burn.

When I asked him whether he was worried about how his face would feel later on that night, he said 'no', he had been doing this for years and years and although it was an issue at first, his skin had gotten used to it after a while. He is always BBS and thats how he does it. With a mach 5!!! I have never seen him with any irritation or ingrown hairs, and he goes about this so quickly and carelessly that I cant even express my jealousy. He has a thick beard too, if he doesn't shave at least once a day.

So coming now to my actual question; is my dad just really lucky to have crazy tough skin? It certainly isn't his technique, and its not something that he can tell me about objectively, so I have to ask other guys. Is there any truth to the notion that, after a number of shaves, you skin can get used to shaving ATG and stop becoming irritated? If I use a light hand and patience I can get BBS shaves, but it always comes at the price of a few red bumps later that day. I yearn for the day when I can stop worrying about getting irritated skin from shaving ATG! Has anyone found this to be true.

(I should mention, I spent about 20 minutes searching for topics on this- If I somehow missed a thread covering this I am sorry I must have search the wrong keywords.)

I don't know about your dad's luck or tough skin. I think that what you saw was, a man who had experience in shaving for many years and skill with the equipment that he chose. I'm 51 and straight shaving for only a year. I don't go against the grain; I do two passes with the grain. I am happy with the results of my shave.
At 22 years, your shaves will get better with time. JMO

As with all things, the more you practise something, the better you become at it.

I have also found that my face has adapted to the use of a straight razor and has become far more tolerant of sometimes less than perfect technique.