Does your face get tougher?

[penn1313]

I've been traditionally shaving since June and at the beginning I was getting a lot of irritation. Even just a month or so ago I was getting a good bit on my neck about every other shave. Now I very rarely get any. I know my technique has improved, especially since I use a straight now three times a week (I think using the straight has improved my technique with my DEs, but that's a topic for another thread). Is my diminishing redness and bumps the result of better technique or tougher skin from using sharper blades for the past six or so months?

Penn

 

[semi]

i think so, i find it makes a bit of difference how used to shaving the skin is as well as technique.

i grew a beard for about five years (so had not shaved at all except my neck and cheeks) then learned to shave with a straight. after a few months i was getting less irritation and put it down to technique with shaving and honing.
but then i grew a beard again for a couple of months and when I went back to shaving I got more irritation at first even with improved technique. my face felt more sensitive so I had to be more careful shaving too close until I got used to it again.
i find my skin doesn't get exfoliated as much when I don't shave and have a beard protecting the skin.

 

[blackman]

I think it's a bit of both man. Your skin is getting used to the process and your technique is becoming more refined and your strokes more confident and precise. Everyone's different and some of the strokes you can preform with ease others may not be able to do without irritation.

That's just from my experience anyway.

 

[American1911]

I'm hope my face is not getting more scarred. The more I DE shave the more I learn my face and auto adjust my razor to avoid problems giving me better more comfortable shaves.

 

[Useless shaver]

i think so, i find it makes a bit of difference how used to shaving the skin is as well as technique.

i grew a beard for about five years (so had not shaved at all except my neck and cheeks) then learned to shave with a straight. after a few months i was getting less irritation and put it down to technique with shaving and honing.
but then i grew a beard again for a couple of months and when I went back to shaving I got more irritation at first even with improved technique. my face felt more sensitive so I had to be more careful shaving too close until I got used to it again.
i find my skin doesn't get exfoliated as much when I don't shave and have a beard protecting the skin.

I think it's a bit of both man. Your skin is getting used to the process and your technique is becoming more refined and your strokes more confident and precise. Everyone's different and some of the strokes you can preform with ease others may not be able to do without irritation.

That's just from my experience anyway.

+1

Nice, isn't it?

 

[HanzoSBM]

I can say with a fair bit of certainty that your face does get used to it. I wet shave every day but not always against the grain. When I do shave against the grain, it's ugly. If I power through it for about a week, week and a half, my skin calms down and I get a great shave. If I give it up for a few days, I've got to start all over.
I'm actually about to go on a trip and can't take my gear with me. I'm dreading starting the process over once I get back.

 

[Tonimus]

I don't know if I'm getting used to it, but my technique is definitely getting better. I'm not "afraid" of the blade any more and I am better understanding the curves of my face.

 

[dieselfuel79]

I don't know that your skin is getting tougher. You're perfecting your technique and your skin is thanking you for it.

 

[OldSaw]

I don't think skin ever gets "used to" being cut. It's all in your technique. Even after all these years if I don't pay attention or take shortcuts I will have problems, so my face is not "used to" bad technique.

 

[A28]

i believe it does my skin use to get irritated by my brush alone

I've been traditionally shaving since June and at the beginning I was getting a lot of irritation. Even just a month or so ago I was getting a good bit on my neck about every other shave. Now I very rarely get any. I know my technique has improved, especially since I use a straight now three times a week (I think using the straight has improved my technique with my DEs, but that's a topic for another thread). Is my diminishing redness and bumps the result of better technique or tougher skin from using sharper blades for the past six or so months?

Penn

 

[A28]

well not tougher just adapted?

 

[pipskicks]

well not tougher just adapted?

I think that sounds right. If it got tougher really, I would think it would last a few weeks or so at least, like a tan.

 

[FL shaver]

I feel as though my skin underwent some kind of transformation in the first couple of months of DE shaving. I felt as though it was getting tougher. Almost 3 years later I do not have leathery skin, but it certainly tolerates DE shaving better.

 

[tmurzz]

Yeah I don't believe my skin has got any tougher. The process and products I use have obviously made a difference overall health of my skin however.

 

[Retiredgene]

I think it's a bit of both man. Your skin is getting used to the process and your technique is becoming more refined and your strokes more confident and precise. Everyone's different and some of the strokes you can preform with ease others may not be able to do without irritation.

That's just from my experience anyway.

+100!

After having a beard for 30+ years when I returned to DE / Wet Shaving last December, I found irritation almost every shave. Since I shave every other day, I actually practiced lathering & using a brush on my "off day" along with studying the beard growth and of course reading BB (!) to get my technique better Now that it has all come together, I'm enjoying the shave and not questioning whether technique or skin toughening, just going with the shave

This from a former DE shaver in the 60s & 70s who grew a beard in the early 80s because of all the problems he had with cartridges, sloppy technique and that God awful shaving goop!!!

Gene

 

[Z-TON]

I'd also got some irritation and razorburn when I shaved after a break. But after several shaves (during this period I shave every 3 or 4 days), it disappears. I think it may be caused by steel and my skin gets used to the steel.

 

[Mick]

Actually you remove a little bit of your skin every time you shave so it is getting thinner not tougher. Luckily it rejuvenates quickly otherwise you would see the inside of your face rather soon

 

[Alum of Potash]

It's your technique, not your skin. After 1-1/2 years of straight-razor shaving, I recently switched to a dulled straight for a few shaves, and guess what, lots of irritation and bumps a-plenty. Sometimes I wonder if the alcohol in aftershave splashes doesn't harden the skin though...

 

[Shave_Rat]

Not sure on this... Over the weekend I tweaked a bit on how I wear my goatee, for the first time in 20 odd years. The spots that haven't been shaved in all that time broke out in bumps, the rest of my face is fine. That was with a single WTG pass, so there maybe something to the skin getting used to the prep/product/blade arguement.

 

[ODJ]

I dont think your skin gets tougher. My skin is actually softer and much smoother than when i used a Quattro. It's technique that results is less irritation.