Are feather blades causing abrasion on my skin?

[ShavingOnePercent]

I'm overall happy with my shave because I don't get any nicks/cuts, and the shave is close.

Also, my skin looks pretty good when I look at myself in the mirror. It could be the lighting conditions though. But I just don't see anything wrong when I look in the mirror. Even if I let some daylight from outside shine on the skin.

However, when I take a photo of myself in my bedroom (which has a fluorescent light) using my iPhone, and look at the face, I see some kind of small patches all over. Some of them look like razor bumps. These become even more visible at a particular angle.

Questions:

1. Have you had this experience, of thinking things were perfect (by looking in the mirror), but they actually weren't?
2. What could be the cause of this? I'm using Feather blades. Could it be that the blades are causing abrasion that I wasn't aware of?
3. If so, how can I avoid the abrasion? Should I try other kinds of blades? What blades do you recommend?
4. Finally, due to things like these, I sometimes think about just going back to the old Gillette canister goo and Mach3. I didn't get close shaves (which is quite bad), but at least I didn't have to deal with stuff like this. Do you think I should give up on this blade/DE thing?

 

[SiBurning]

Did you fluoresce your face when using canned goo?

Personally, I'd trust your eyes, rather than your phone camera. Those cheap camera sensors do some ugly things to compensate for the crappy image they grab.

But, you could switch to a different blade, soap, and brush and take another picture in a couple months and see if there's any change.

 

[BadgerBadger!]

I use feather blades exclusively, I'm not sure if I seen the same thing with myself. I would guess feathers can actually be more gentle on your face, given that they're probably very sharp and uniform, compare that to using a 5 blade razor with dulled blades.

Maybe you're just using the feather blades beyond their limit for your face. I only use mine two times each before they go to the bin.

 

[kingfisher]

sometimes I notice small red areas on my face, and I seem to have them slightly more frequently with Feather blades than with others. But I can see them in the mirror.

I think your camera is deceiving you. Try this: go back to the canned stuff and the Mach3 for a couple of weeks and then take another picture and see what it looks like. My guess is you'll still see the same thing.

 

[sychodelix]

If it is the feathers causing it, the fix is really simple. Use a little less pressure, and lessen the blade angle just slightly. The blade is meant to glide along your skin and not scrape it. If it isn't doing that, then you need to work on your angle just a little. You could use a milder blade like an Astra SP, Red Personna, or Crystal, but that only hides the angle issue. I hope it helps, because the last thing any of us want is for people to become discouraged about it. You haven't been at it very long, it just takes practice and a feel for the razor/blade combination.

 

[oxford1833]

The latest iPhone has some pretty significantly documented camera flaws, so I would definitely trust what your eyes and skin are telling you.

 

[celestino]

Great advice given above and i would highly recommend continuing with the DEs. Good luck.

 

[ChiefBroom]

I used Feathers almost exclusively (after a couple of Derbys straight out of the gate) through my first 6 months of DE shaving. They're certainly sharp and require a light touch, but that's generally a good thing. I did frequently have issues with weepers, and it sounds to me like you may be harvesting a little more skin than is ideal. Part of my problem was attributable to technique (which improved with practice) and part to obsessiveness with getting BBS results every shave (which continues). Interestingly, at least to me, the weeper/irritation problems disappeared as I progressed to use more aggressive razors, like British HD Rockets and #21s. But I seemed to cross a tipping point when I moved to a 2-piece, long-comb Gillette New. I loved the shaving experience it delivered -- it was actually kinda transformational for me -- but I started to nick myself again. Someone on eBay suggested I try Astra SPs in my LC New, and after switching back and forth for a few weeks I shared his conclusion that the Astra SPs were a better match for that razor. I'm not saying this is generally true; I'm just convinced that it's true for me.

To come back around to your problem, I'm pretty sure the reason I experienced less irritation with more aggressive TTOs was that I ended up polishing less with them. I.e., they were more efficient shavers; therefor, it took less polishing/buffing for me to get a satisfying result. But when it came to open-comb razors, their increased blade exposure in combination with Feathers didn't work out quite so well; I started to remove more than whiskers again. It may be that I'll continue to improve to a point where Feathers in LC News will be the best combination for me, but I'm not there yet. I tried Feathers again recently, and I still prefer Astra SPs in my current mainstay, a ball-end LC New.

Net/net, sometimes it pays to experiment a little. I used to think that the notion of different blades working better in different razors was BS, sincerely believed, but BS nonetheless. I was wrong.

Good luck. Don't give up.

 

[tmurzz]

I really do not think it's the feather blade in itself but maybe your doing with the feather blade? Who knows.

 

[eyesofgrey]

Feathers are harsh in some of my razors. I use 7 O'Clock Blacks in my most aggressive razors and the difference is significant.

 

[ShavingOnePercent]

...it sounds to me like you may be harvesting a little more skin than is ideal. ... obsessiveness with getting BBS results every shave (which continues).

I think you pretty much got it right. I also believe I'm harvesting a little more skin than I actually should, precisely because I want to get as close as possible. This may be the cause of my problem.

I've ordered some Derby blades. I'll try doing the against the grain passes with those, or just the whole shaving, and go from there. Could that help?


I'm using a Merkur 34C double edge safety razor, by the way. I've read that this is really a medium aggressive razor. Maybe I should try a mild safety razor? There are two mentioned here:

http://www.shaving101.com/index.php...-shaving/233-safety-razor-aggressiveness.html

Feather All Stainless and the iKon Bulldog. Unfortunately, I can't find those on eBay.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Abrasion is all about technique.

 

[eyesofgrey]

Just get a Tech or a Superspeed if you want mild.
Why would you drop $180 before you're sure it will work?

 

[Nick Danger]

You could use a milder blade like an Astra SP, Red Personna, or Crystal, but that only hides the angle issue.

That is an excellent point. My technique got much better when I switched to Feather blades, because it revealed all the mistakes I was making with my razor angle when I used Astra SPs. The more forgiving blades just let me develop bad habits.

I'm using a Merkur 34C double edge safety razor, by the way. I've read that this is really a medium aggressive razor. Maybe I should try a mild safety razor?

I found my 34c to be an excellent razor for learning. Just slightly aggressive, but not overly so. I actually found it harder to learn with my milder razors like my Super Speed and my Tech. I'd stick with the 34c and just work on using less pressure and trying slightly different angles.

Trying other brands of blades is always a good idea, since not everyone here loves Feather blades (and some people really hate them.) For me, nothing I've tried is better and now that my technique has improved, Feathers feel really smooth and comfortable.

Nick