I would DE shave but...

[J.B. Books]

"You gave something different your best shot and found it wasn't for you; that's more than many people can say about most aspects of their lives."

Great advice, and not just exclusive to shaving!

[gone down south]

I found the HD difficult to learn on, had the same problems you do - either constant irritation or subpar patchy shaves. I found my technique got a lot better when I tried out a Tech and a Superspeed, then my shaves kicked into overdrive when I applied those lessons to the HD. Both of those were mild and more forgiving of minor technique errors.

Either of those razors are commonly available for under $15 here and have great resale value. It might be worth giving them a shot.

[Hornblower]

Originally Posted by Scissors

Questions:
—Do you have stubble left over and irritated skin, or do you have either stubble left over or irritated skin when you use your DE?

—You write that you get "a red face from razor burn after multiple passes." Does this mean you have stubble when you only do one pass?

—What does your prep consist of?

(* * *)

Wetshaving with a DE is supposed to consist of multiple passes to reduce whiskers with each pass. If you do only one pass, you will have stubble left over.

If multiple passes always give razor burn, that suggests
—too much pressure;
—incorrect angle;
—insufficient prep;
—some combination of the above
Cartridges are more forgiving of pressure and long strokes because their heads are hinged, so the blade will track the contours your face (along one axis at least). With a DE, you have to follow the contours of your face yourself. Try using much shorter strokes with the DE so you don't have to adjust the blade angle in a continuous stroke. Also, lock your wrist; make your adjustments and stroke from the elbow and shoulder.

Finally, all that said, maybe you'll get a good DE shave but find the extra effort isn't worth it. It's your shave, so if using a cartridge with a brush lathered face gives you the most pleasure, go for it! You gave something different your best shot and found it wasn't for you; that's more than many people can say about most aspects of their lives. .

Stubble and irritation, particularly on my neck. I understand the idea of stubble reduction with multiple passes but after three (usually wtg to minimise razor burn) the shave is still not as good as I would like. I think the angle is pretty good, starting with the head of the razor on my face and tilting to get the cutting position with as little pressure as possible. Blades have been Derby, Iridium and Astra.

Prep is shower, soak badger brush in hot water for a few minutes, tip water away and lather cream in mug. Apply to face, massage with fingertips and finish with hot towel. Wet face again, apply shave oil, lather face and shave. Usually two WTG and one XTG or three WTG, using shave oil before each lathering. Rinse in cold water and use Nivea shave balm.

I'm not quite ready to give up yet but if I ever am I'll remember your closing comment which is particularly apt.

[DrZoidberg]

I am unable to get a super close shave without going against the grain. I also don't have sensitive skin though, so that helps. On my last shave I started using a Nivea Post Shave Balm (Replenishing). It's very nice! Have you tried any post shaving products?

[jsrdrnr]

Welcome to B&B!!!

[Hornblower]

Been using the Mach 3 with Proraso this week which is much more lubricating than my previous cream so today tried it with the HD, Derby blade and following up with an alum block. Still some redness but much better. We'll see how it goes.

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by Hornblower

Blades have been Derby, Iridium and Astra.

Wet face again, apply shave oil, lather face and shave. Usually two WTG and one XTG or three WTG, using shave oil before each lathering. Rinse in cold water and use Nivea shave balm.

I'm not quite ready to give up yet but if I ever am I'll remember your closing comment which is particularly apt.

Ok, you're having a go...

Try other blades, Derby's are very popular but they burn me too.
Do you need the oil? I think there's a possibility it can break down the lather - do you get any tugging or sluggishness from the blade?

Twice WTG is more likely to contribute to irritation, you're adding a pass that doesn't do remove much hair, so it's largely wasted. I'd suggest W/X, then X the opposite way.

Pressure and angle as always. Good luck

[techdog]

Try some sharp feather blades. My shave really improved because I wasn't able to cut the hair as easily with the other blades. Good luck.

[lvsc10]

Allow me to add my welcome to the cast of characters above. The observations/advise that has been dispensed is awesome. The type of shaving that is practiced by the guys/gals on this site is a PROCESS. Now all the proper pieces of that process have been expertly laid out for you and if you follow them, with minor adjustments, owing to your own particulars circumstances you will be successful with D/E shaving. Keep at it and keep us posted on your progress. Good luck!!

[Hughies_online]

Welcome to B&B! Use whatever works for your face

[Hornblower]

Originally Posted by Drubbing

Ok, you're having a go...

Try other blades, Derby's are very popular but they burn me too.
Do you need the oil? I think there's a possibility it can break down the lather - do you get any tugging or sluggishness from the blade?

Twice WTG is more likely to contribute to irritation, you're adding a pass that doesn't do remove much hair, so it's largely wasted. I'd suggest W/X, then X the opposite way.

Pressure and angle as always. Good luck

I ditched the oil when I started with the Proraso because it seemed slippery enough.

Paul (Techdog), I tried a Feather blade in the HD today. I'd been avoiding them in the sampler pack because of their fearsome reputation but was pleasantly surprised. No nicks or cuts and also no irritation. I've read enough posts on here to know I can't be complacent with them but I'll give them a go for a while and see what happens.

[ptirmal]

I agree 2 wtg doesn't seem to add much benefit especially if your technique is a bit off. I would switch that to a xtg in the opposite direction.

Are you sure your lather is good? I hate to reiterate but no pressure really means close to nothing, if you have to apply some pressure it could be your lather needs work.

[KennD]

Good luck as you try other ways of getting a good DE razor shave! I still use a Mach 3 when traveling, and it does a fair job at getting my face smooth, but feels nowhere near as hefty as my Merkur HD. But, I gotta admit, the actual shaving result is relatively similar, according to SWMBO.

I hope you do find a way to make the DE razor work for you, too. I've really enjoyed it, especially when replacing the blade and thinking how I'm not replacing another expensive plastic cartridge.

[chris456]

first: Welcome to B&B!

Being one of the few (it seems) that never really had a bad shave from a cartridge, when I made the switch to DE my shaves were not as good as my cartridge shaves. As I found out later the reason why my shaves werent that great with the DE was because...... I just started DE shaving! So I kept at it and my shaves have gotten better and better.

And B&B is a great place to ask for help, as you can probably already see. :)

[Bulldawg]

Originally Posted by Hornblower

I've been wet shaving for about 30 years; shave stick, cheap brush to lather on my face, quick pass with a Mach 3 Turbo. Not satisfied, I decided to try a DE so studied the advice on this site and bought a Merkur HD. Shave prep improved, a new Edwin Jagger best badger produces lots of lather from a cream and away we go. Which is where I come unstuck. After a couple of months and a few blade types (Derby, Astra, Personna) it just isn't working. My technique seems OK, no pressure and no nicks but the end result is poor. I know everyone says persevere but there is a limit to the number of times I can go to work with either stubble remaining or a red face from razor burn after multiple passes. I really want to like using a DE razor; the HD is a quality piece of kit but the results aren't doing it justice. However, with my improved preparation, going back to the Mach 3 and doing two passes with a ATG tidy up on my chin always produces a DFS at the very least. The Mach 3 has never given me ingrowns or razor burn so I may have to just stick with it and have the HD as an ornament. Am I alone?

Welcome to B&B! You may want to try a blade sampler pack from WCS. Believe it or not, if my blade choice were limited to Derby, Astra, and Personna, I probably would not be too motivated to DE shave. I get quite a bit of razor burn from those blades but Feathers work perfectly for me for whatever reason. With that being said, I'm all about doing what works for you.

[Hornblower]

I should perhaps rename this thread 'I Always DE shave...' The combination of Feather blades and a four pass shave mean I now get consistently good (and occasionally brilliant) shaves. Thanks once again for all the advice.

[JPM]

Welcome to the club.