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- #21
xxvaleria didn't say that in this thread.
My prep is working very well. Now even better; as I'm working the ingrown hairs better. With all my careful face and brush scrubbing today, my neck redness is less; not more.
I may switch to a medium super badger known to not be floppy.
I've read that the harder soaps (and croaps) do better lather and mine have been really good.
I'm game for some of the best creams, as I did not like, or count the Real Shave Company Moisturizing shave cream. It sucked. It was so bad, that perhaps I got a bad batch. I also do not count brush less creams. I don't like them, and they require excessive product.
A shave soap/cream is a finely balance formula. Otherwise we'd use hand soap. It's the right tool for the job.
I've been considering Proraso, its Red, TOBS Almond, and maybe even Irich Moos cream (stick being better). I just didn't think a cream could be better than my shave soaps. I could use one for travel; but I have my Speick stick. A cream might go well with my Silver-tip though. However, hard soaps work fine with my slight floppy and big Silver-tip none the less.
Tips: [The best I can at this point and by doing.] Feel free to improve me.
I might try a band around the brush to increase ingrown hair lifting. Do spend more time on your first brushing. Not damaging; but more time and not skipping any of the neck sections. Holding your brush at the loft might help lift more ingrown hairs. Just don't cause bad redness before the shave even begins. It's a fine balance; when you have bumps/ingrown neck hairs. Perhaps you thought it was acne, or just dryness/flaking. Perhaps it's actually not cutting close enough last time; but without burn or nicks. Healing may be a factor so you can get closer; but ironically skipping days might foster ingrown hairs! Use gentle and yet thorough face scrub on days you don't shaving. Use much less pressure/friction on your neck. Dealing with shaving the curves better really matters.
Cream or soap, I do like face lathering for total speed, convenience, and exfoliating at the same time. It's a nice option. Especially with a good stick like Speick. Great for traveling too.
Also: I'm extremely thankful for the advice to consider only WTG on the neck, and that may be the only way to stop ingrown hairs. My problem is hair growing in all directions does not have a WTG. Perhaps I can still discover a predominate or least bad way. We'll see. It's not obvious.
Noted formula recommendations for passes thus far:
1. WTG, ATG, limited touchups (No official XTG; but did with touch-ups. Worked while being extremely light-touched on the neck)
2. WTG(all), XTG; but ATG on neck, then ATG(all). Hmmmm.
3. WTG
New:
#1 worked. I am still trying too much for closeness; but then I'll know. Every shave, is closer, and more even. I think I'm hovering right before some burn. Yet this is still slight burn (rather ingrown healing splotches) on the neck; where I'm not wanting to leave any stubble to become ingrown. I've benefited from taking time exfoliating, with select face cleanser, and the brush. Yet seeing how close I can get on the neck is not necessary.
A correction may need to be my beloved coconut oil. Another fine post says coconut oil is comogenic. I've not noticed an acne issue from it. Could this be because I'm using the processed, clear, no smell, coconut oil? Is it just because I'm shaving everyday?
My Cella has the recommended Almond oil. Maybe I should give Cella time on my face; while washing and prepping other things before the shave. Perhaps the Almond oil (in Cella, or Lanolin in MWF etc...) can work like the coconut oil has for me.
I'll need something better to use as a balm; because nothing has been better for me than the processed cocnut oil.
I have a theory. Perhaps the cocnut oil was keeping me from getting any closer, and that's why the feather does not seem to get more stubble smooth. I should go carefully.
At Thanksgiving I went for extreme closeness and received a even burn all morning, with the Pol-Silver iridium and Cella. I didn't use the coconut oil then. Hmmmm. I was in a hurry to be somewhere. The Pol-Silver smoothly burned me after I finished. All a bad situation. The coconut oil calmed it by afternoon though. Just like a sunburn relief treatment. ...just a wee bit over the line.
Next test: Is it closer, without pre-shave oil? Perhaps less passes and touch-ups will be needed.
"By the sounds of all this, you might begin to think that the lather you normally create for shaving could possibly serve as a pretty good pre-shave prep and in thinking this, you would be absolutely correct."
My prep is working very well. Now even better; as I'm working the ingrown hairs better. With all my careful face and brush scrubbing today, my neck redness is less; not more.
I may switch to a medium super badger known to not be floppy.
I've read that the harder soaps (and croaps) do better lather and mine have been really good.
I'm game for some of the best creams, as I did not like, or count the Real Shave Company Moisturizing shave cream. It sucked. It was so bad, that perhaps I got a bad batch. I also do not count brush less creams. I don't like them, and they require excessive product.
A shave soap/cream is a finely balance formula. Otherwise we'd use hand soap. It's the right tool for the job.
I've been considering Proraso, its Red, TOBS Almond, and maybe even Irich Moos cream (stick being better). I just didn't think a cream could be better than my shave soaps. I could use one for travel; but I have my Speick stick. A cream might go well with my Silver-tip though. However, hard soaps work fine with my slight floppy and big Silver-tip none the less.
Tips: [The best I can at this point and by doing.] Feel free to improve me.
I might try a band around the brush to increase ingrown hair lifting. Do spend more time on your first brushing. Not damaging; but more time and not skipping any of the neck sections. Holding your brush at the loft might help lift more ingrown hairs. Just don't cause bad redness before the shave even begins. It's a fine balance; when you have bumps/ingrown neck hairs. Perhaps you thought it was acne, or just dryness/flaking. Perhaps it's actually not cutting close enough last time; but without burn or nicks. Healing may be a factor so you can get closer; but ironically skipping days might foster ingrown hairs! Use gentle and yet thorough face scrub on days you don't shaving. Use much less pressure/friction on your neck. Dealing with shaving the curves better really matters.
Cream or soap, I do like face lathering for total speed, convenience, and exfoliating at the same time. It's a nice option. Especially with a good stick like Speick. Great for traveling too.
Also: I'm extremely thankful for the advice to consider only WTG on the neck, and that may be the only way to stop ingrown hairs. My problem is hair growing in all directions does not have a WTG. Perhaps I can still discover a predominate or least bad way. We'll see. It's not obvious.
Noted formula recommendations for passes thus far:
1. WTG, ATG, limited touchups (No official XTG; but did with touch-ups. Worked while being extremely light-touched on the neck)
2. WTG(all), XTG; but ATG on neck, then ATG(all). Hmmmm.
3. WTG
New:
#1 worked. I am still trying too much for closeness; but then I'll know. Every shave, is closer, and more even. I think I'm hovering right before some burn. Yet this is still slight burn (rather ingrown healing splotches) on the neck; where I'm not wanting to leave any stubble to become ingrown. I've benefited from taking time exfoliating, with select face cleanser, and the brush. Yet seeing how close I can get on the neck is not necessary.
A correction may need to be my beloved coconut oil. Another fine post says coconut oil is comogenic. I've not noticed an acne issue from it. Could this be because I'm using the processed, clear, no smell, coconut oil? Is it just because I'm shaving everyday?
My Cella has the recommended Almond oil. Maybe I should give Cella time on my face; while washing and prepping other things before the shave. Perhaps the Almond oil (in Cella, or Lanolin in MWF etc...) can work like the coconut oil has for me.
I'll need something better to use as a balm; because nothing has been better for me than the processed cocnut oil.
I have a theory. Perhaps the cocnut oil was keeping me from getting any closer, and that's why the feather does not seem to get more stubble smooth. I should go carefully.
At Thanksgiving I went for extreme closeness and received a even burn all morning, with the Pol-Silver iridium and Cella. I didn't use the coconut oil then. Hmmmm. I was in a hurry to be somewhere. The Pol-Silver smoothly burned me after I finished. All a bad situation. The coconut oil calmed it by afternoon though. Just like a sunburn relief treatment. ...just a wee bit over the line.
Next test: Is it closer, without pre-shave oil? Perhaps less passes and touch-ups will be needed.
"By the sounds of all this, you might begin to think that the lather you normally create for shaving could possibly serve as a pretty good pre-shave prep and in thinking this, you would be absolutely correct."
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