Thread: wedge burn

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Pressure may be the problem. With a really sharp edge you need to use less pressure. Otherwise you will be removing more skin.

Thanks Randy. I'm going feather light. The burn is worse with big wedges, and I'm beginning to think it's just a matter of too much heft creating a kind of de facto pressure. But to be honest there's no blade I've totally conquered this with. I'll get the smoothest, most comfortable shave imaginable, and then within forty-five minutes there's a warm, faintly ticklish sensation and sure enough razor burn is breaking across my face like rosy-fingered dawn.

I know it's not a soap/allergy thing, because I use the same setup with my DE.

It's kinda got me down. I've looked through past threads, and mild but persistent razor burn just doesn't seem to be a big hurdle on the learning curve for most people the way that honing or shaving the chin are. At the moment I'm shaving at night so by morning I'll look normal. But that's coping with the problem not solving it...

If anyone had this problem early on and has since conquered it, I'd sure be grateful it if you weighed in.

If it was razor burn you would feel it immediately. I think the fact that it starts 45 minutes after the shave is indicative of something else. Maybe a rash or allergic reaction.

I know when I started I clearly remember my first shaves and I had razor burn in spades and it was already kicking in before I finished shaving.

I agree about feeling razor burn (RB)immediately - something that you don't feel for a while seems to be something other than RB - unless you use Proraso pre/post, which can delay the onset of RB. Also, there's nothing "ticklish" about RB. The most telling test is what it feels like when you use an alcohol-based AS - if it doesn't feel like your face has been put into an oven when you slap on the AS, its likely not RB.

You may be using the same soap as you do with your DE, but I bet the soap is sitting on your face much longer than it does when you use the DE. This extra time may be the difference between having and not having a reaction. I noticed that several soaps gave me more irritation/dryness when I switched to using a straight - even though I had used them without problem with a DE or cartridge. I suspect that this might be the culprit.

I have recently acquired some Honeybee soaps (glycerine, shea butter, clay, and other good stuff) that feel much better on my face than anything else I've used(except for Coates Tea Tree cream and maybe JM Fraser cream). You might want to try some of these soaps (very affordable - sold through her e-bay store and she'll let you mix and match flavours and take advantage of multi-soap discounts).

My limited experience is that flexier blades give me more irritation than wedgier blades. I tend to have to go over the tough spots a little more with the flexier blades and I tend to agree with thebigspendur on this point. Wedges give me a nice comfortable shave - I only get irritation when I use too much pressure - but I also don't have any of the really big wedges.

Good points above - I particularly support:

1. Honeybee shea butter soaps - at least the chamomile that I have
2. You should feel burn sooner (in general)

However, there is one thing I used to experience (mostly w/ multi-blades, but also DE and electrics): even more than 45 min a/r the shave: I would get some redness and itching, which would often later develop into um, red bumps or little whiteheads (not even sure if these are right names in English). They could be several in a particular location - I am assuming where I didn't do a good job. This is why I hated shaving.

My experience with straight razors has been much, much better. I have only gotten this a couple of times or so, I think - when I was clearly using wrong angles and / or too much pressure on a dull blade. I MAY get some redness from the straight sometimes immediately during or a/r the shave but it doesn't turn into a problem - just disappears in a bit (10 - 15 minutes or so) and no bumps / whiteheads develop. Most of the times I think the redness is from reactions to soap, but sometimes I know I was a bit aggressive, too.

I do not use Proraso - mostly CADE ASB, Coral Skin Food, Lucky Tiger AS Toner, and JASON 6-in-1 ASB.

Cheers
Ivo

I've been at this for about six months now, and I still battle some irritation most days. It seems like the problem is usually that I'm too aggressive on my ATG pass.

My face will feel OK for a while, but by mid-afternoon it's burning a little. I wonder if it's the oils in my skin coming back to the surface and irritating still-tender skin...

Proraso post-shave milk and the pre-post cream seem to make this problem worse for me.

I shower after I shave, so I doubt it's an allergy, and I've had the same problem with several types of soap and cream.

The problem is lessening every day, though, as I really focus on my technique and try to avoid repeated strokes over the same area.

Josh

I also agree with the last two posts that it might not be razor burn.
I would try the following. Hopefully with these as a rough guide, you'll find the problem and get over it painlessly:

- Is you razor disinfected? Where did you get it from? If it was an eBay purchase, you have no idea where it was kept before. I would try disinfecting it thoroughly before trying to shave again.

- I would avoid using Proraso and any alcohol-based post-shave treatment. IIRC Proraso contains menthol which can irritate some people's skin, esp when shaving with a straight. It's best to avoid the alcohol too. The mildest thing I've ever tried (and use frequently now) is Coral Skin Food by Trumpers. If you haven't tried this yet, I can't recommend it enough.

- As has been said before, you've got the foam on your face longer when straight shaving, as opposed to shaving with a DE. Therefore, I would encourage you to keep your face wet throughout your shave. When stretching your skin with the 'free' hand, dip it in the sink (which is full of water) lightly - that should help keep your face lubricated at all times.

I hope I've been of use with these brief points - I speak from experience on all of them!!

Suzuki and Spendur - sounds like a 21st-century law firm - this is helpful info and gives me hope. There is definitely a delayed reaction and a warm ticklishness rather than scorched rawness. On the other hand it's definitely more pronounced in the tough spots around the chin.

Two things occur to me. One is that I oil my blades to prevent rust, as we have kind of a damp, underheated new england wood house. I'm never given much thought to cleaning the oil off; I just strop unless it's excessive in which case I'll sort of wipe it with a tissue. The other thing is yes, Suzuki, you've got a good point there about time spent lathered up. It's easily 25+ minutes for a straightrazor shave, or more or less twice the time I spend with a DE.

Am I right in thinking the irritant in soap is usually the fragrance? I think Colleen makes fragrance-free soaps...

I know what you mean about flexy blades and all. But I've got a couple of big (8/8) hollow and quite light Fillies that seem to be the best by far for my skin. They're big enough not to get stuck in the stubble, but they don't have anything like the heft of even a medium-sized wedge, so they're very comfortable.

Thanks guys.

Thanks Rum, Ivo and Josh. Your posts appeared for some reason after mine.

I have been using proraso afterwards and I think I'll stop. The menthol's nice, but it sort of feels like the kind of cheap, thick skin cream I have indeed found to irritate my skin in the past.

What do you use to disinfect a razor? Would alcohol do it?

Yes. I know people also insert them in boiling water for a while (blade only, of course). Not too long, should not mess with the temper, afaik.

I have never tried Barbicide but it's also used.

Just don't use bleach / solution on it!

Cheers
Ivo

Originally Posted by dylandog

Thanks Rum, Ivo and Josh. Your posts appeared for some reason after mine.

What do you use to disinfect a razor? Would alcohol do it?

Looks like we posted them at about the same time, but some arrived seconds before yours!!.

I'm not sure about disinfecting. I think there was a thread on here recently... hang on a sec I will see if I can find it for you.

Update: Here is the thread.