Hello fellow B&B members (and lurkers)
I finally decided to give DE shaving a try because for years I've dealt with irritation from every shaving method you can think of. I am a black male with curly facial hair which makes shaving a nightmare. Before trying DE shaving I had been dreading the whole ordeal of shaving because of the irritation that would start sometimes hours after my shave with an electric trimmer. This disheartened me and turned me away from shaving altogether but didn't stop me enough to make me quit looking for an answer to my problems.
After reading about solutions to ingrown hairs and razor bumps (which I'm questioning whether these are the same thing or not now) I kept hearing about single blade razors being the key to success. I gave the idea a try by getting the Bump Fighter razor a chance on my face. The shave was ok but not to my liking. Like many others on their mission here, I am looking for the baby butt smoothness that I've imagined in my dreams.
To fast forward for everyone, I was able to convince my cheap self to buy a DE razor and a whole set of products and accessories.
Here you go:
Razor: A Merkur Long Handled Razor (purchased from Amazon for a reasonable price. Nothing special)
Synthetic Brush (Walgreens, my dear friend) along with a bowl and soap out of a starter kit.
I also have a sample pack of razors. The latest one that I used was Derby's Extra's which I have little opinion for at this point.
While I waited to get all of the stuff together I read all the information I could for DE shaving while also watching Mantic59's videos and more.
I started the whole process off by:
Hopping in a hot shower and doing my normal routine of facewashing. I use a face wash that was given to my family by some water softner people, I'm not sure of the name or ingredients. I also used a daily face scrub that I got from Walgreens which supposedly brightens and preps my face for shaving by removing the dirt and dead skin from my pores.
I got out of the shower with my face air drying and started to make my lather. With the lather I feel it is self explanatory what consistency you want. Mantic did a good job in showing people that and with the lather I felt that I have no problems but I don't think its a fancy soap because the whole kit itself (brush, bowl, and complimentary soap) was $12.
After making the lather I use my brush to apply it onto my face in a circular motion. I do this for about 45 seconds to a minute.
I start the shave off with my sideburns, going down my cheeks in a slow motion. I rinse with each stroke or 2 and leave my underchin(?) and neck area for last as to let the lather moisturize the hair.
With the 2 shaves that I've done I never changed the direction in which I was shaving. Even though I know this is wrong (Now I do) I shaved my whole face in the downward direction, even my neck. After my shave I felt a bit of stinging, almost a hot feeling, which I eased with Micheal Jordan aftershave balm. It relieved the burn momentarily but it persisted for about an hour and a half.
Today (Day 3) my skin is riddled in razor bumps and not to mention that it is sore and burning to the touch/rub. I want to say that there is a big combination of things that could be going wrong in my shaving. The most glaring point is that I don't know/understand what direction my hair grows. When I use the technique of rubbing my fingers over my hair in certain directions, it feels like they all sort of give in each direction. Against the grain I can feel and understand but I have a hard time finding the right direction. I would also say that I am putting pressure on the blade and causing irritation in that way. I have to try to drop the old habits of electric trimmers. Other than this if anyone would like to help me on my journey with information they have found I would be so thankful. My goal is to be able to touch my face and not feel bumpiness and irritation.
Thank you for your time if you read this far, I'm an undercover writer.
I finally decided to give DE shaving a try because for years I've dealt with irritation from every shaving method you can think of. I am a black male with curly facial hair which makes shaving a nightmare. Before trying DE shaving I had been dreading the whole ordeal of shaving because of the irritation that would start sometimes hours after my shave with an electric trimmer. This disheartened me and turned me away from shaving altogether but didn't stop me enough to make me quit looking for an answer to my problems.
After reading about solutions to ingrown hairs and razor bumps (which I'm questioning whether these are the same thing or not now) I kept hearing about single blade razors being the key to success. I gave the idea a try by getting the Bump Fighter razor a chance on my face. The shave was ok but not to my liking. Like many others on their mission here, I am looking for the baby butt smoothness that I've imagined in my dreams.
To fast forward for everyone, I was able to convince my cheap self to buy a DE razor and a whole set of products and accessories.
Here you go:
Razor: A Merkur Long Handled Razor (purchased from Amazon for a reasonable price. Nothing special)
Synthetic Brush (Walgreens, my dear friend) along with a bowl and soap out of a starter kit.
I also have a sample pack of razors. The latest one that I used was Derby's Extra's which I have little opinion for at this point.
While I waited to get all of the stuff together I read all the information I could for DE shaving while also watching Mantic59's videos and more.
I started the whole process off by:
Hopping in a hot shower and doing my normal routine of facewashing. I use a face wash that was given to my family by some water softner people, I'm not sure of the name or ingredients. I also used a daily face scrub that I got from Walgreens which supposedly brightens and preps my face for shaving by removing the dirt and dead skin from my pores.
I got out of the shower with my face air drying and started to make my lather. With the lather I feel it is self explanatory what consistency you want. Mantic did a good job in showing people that and with the lather I felt that I have no problems but I don't think its a fancy soap because the whole kit itself (brush, bowl, and complimentary soap) was $12.
After making the lather I use my brush to apply it onto my face in a circular motion. I do this for about 45 seconds to a minute.
I start the shave off with my sideburns, going down my cheeks in a slow motion. I rinse with each stroke or 2 and leave my underchin(?) and neck area for last as to let the lather moisturize the hair.
With the 2 shaves that I've done I never changed the direction in which I was shaving. Even though I know this is wrong (Now I do) I shaved my whole face in the downward direction, even my neck. After my shave I felt a bit of stinging, almost a hot feeling, which I eased with Micheal Jordan aftershave balm. It relieved the burn momentarily but it persisted for about an hour and a half.
Today (Day 3) my skin is riddled in razor bumps and not to mention that it is sore and burning to the touch/rub. I want to say that there is a big combination of things that could be going wrong in my shaving. The most glaring point is that I don't know/understand what direction my hair grows. When I use the technique of rubbing my fingers over my hair in certain directions, it feels like they all sort of give in each direction. Against the grain I can feel and understand but I have a hard time finding the right direction. I would also say that I am putting pressure on the blade and causing irritation in that way. I have to try to drop the old habits of electric trimmers. Other than this if anyone would like to help me on my journey with information they have found I would be so thankful. My goal is to be able to touch my face and not feel bumpiness and irritation.
Thank you for your time if you read this far, I'm an undercover writer.