Greetings from New Orleans - New to w/s and B&B - Requesting routine critique

[SamInNOLA]

Hello all,

I'm excited to embark in this journey; just got an confirmation that my RazorRock Game Changer (open comb) 84-P just shipped, so I will be ditching my Gillette Fusion SkinGuard soon.

I got interested in wet shaving after researching ways to reduce irritation on my face and deciding to ditch my Braun electric shaver. I resorted to the electric while I was active duty in the military and required to shave every day. I was using the typical multi-blade cartridges and canned shave gels, which made my face look like a bloody murder scene. The electric shaver helped with the pain and the irritation, but it was loud and not enjoyable. Now that I'm out of the military, I'm not required to shave every day, but I'd still like to keep the clean, well-groomed appearance; especially since I can't grow a nice, full beard.

As I mentioned, I recently ordered a RazorRock Game Changer (open comb). While I wait for that to arrive, my set-up is as follows:

• Pre-shave:
  • Every Man Jack Volcanic Clay face wash
  • AoS pre-shave oil, sandalwood
• Cremo Shave Cream, classic
• Brush: AoS Genuine (Pure?) Badger
• Razor: Gillette Fusion SkinGuard
• Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Toner, Lavender
• Nivea Post Shave Balm, Sensitive (no alcohol)

I got the AoS products as a gift over the holidays, and I still haven't opened the sandalwood shaving cream or the sandalwood post-shave balm, which I'll use once I'm through my current products. I'm currently shaving in the shower since I feel that the steam helps. My routine is as follows:

1. Wash my entire face with the warm water from the shower and my face wash.
2. Apply pre-shave oil to my beard area.
3. Wet the brush with HOT water from the shower and then apply some of the Cremo directly on the brush.
4. Lather directly on my face, which works great in my opinion.
5. First pass WTG; rinse with warm water; re-lather with the cream still left on the brush; second pass XTG/ATG; rinse/re-lather; touch-ups.
6. Warm water rinse to the face, then cold water; rinse off brush.
7. Finish shower (3-5 more minutes); dry off.
8. Splash witch hazel to my face and let dry a minute or two.
9. Apply after shave balm.

Irritation has decreased quite a bit but I still have some red spots/blemishes that I'd like to eliminate as much as possible. I ordered an alum block to try as well. I've read about people using both an alum block AND the witch hazel.

I would really appreciate any critique/feedback about my routine or products I'm using. Thank you so much for reading! I'm really excited to join this community. Happy new year!

- Sam
New Orleans, LA

 

[mumB_L_E]

Woah, we have pretty similar backgrounds between the military, cartridges, irritation and electric. Your routine is pretty solid, in my opinion. Potential modifications:
1. Press the pre-shave oil into your skin vs. simply applying to the area
2. Use warm/lukewarm/cool/cold water to shower and shave with. If cold water showers are understandably not comfortable for you, splash cold water on your face at the sink before witch hazel. HOT water can be a source of irritation.
3. If/when you incorporate the alum block, apply after step 6 and leave on for a minute or so before rinsing off.
4. Eliminate ATG pass until the irritation clears up.

Is your Thayer's alcohol free? If so, you should not have an issue using an alum block. I typically do not mix the alum with any aftershaves/witch hazel containing alcohol as the combination can be a bit drying.

 

[ackvil]

First, welcome to B&B.

Irritation usually is caused by poor blade angle and too much pressure on the razor. The neck is a tricky area to shave because keeping the right blade angle and little pressure is a challenge. The usual advice is to let the weight of the razor do the job - not put pressure on the blade. To put that in action I have found that using the two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. I have found that using the right grip on your razor goes a long way in keeping pressure off of the blade. The wiki deals with holding a razor and may help you. You may have to click on each photo to load it.

For information about blade angle, look here in the wiki.

Some additional suggestions:

• Be sure your lather has sufficient water in it. This makes your shave smoother.
• Be sure your face is sufficiently hydrated whether you use warm or cold water. If your face is wet before you apply lather for each pass, IMHO, your shaves will be better.
• Take a washcloth and dip it in cold water and then place it on your face after your last pass.
• UseWH on your face after you do step 3 above. Use an after shave balm that is a good moisturizer.
• At night, before retiring apply a good quality moisturizer to your face. I use CeraVe but there are other good ones out there, too. Look for a product that has ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

 

[SamInNOLA]

Woah, we have pretty similar backgrounds between the military, cartridges, irritation and electric. Your routine is pretty solid, in my opinion. Potential modifications:
1. Press the pre-shave oil into your skin vs. simply applying to the area
2. Use warm/lukewarm/cool/cold water to shower and shave with. If cold water showers are understandably not comfortable for you, splash cold water on your face at the sink before witch hazel. HOT water can be a source of irritation.
3. If/when you incorporate the alum block, apply after step 6 and leave on for a minute or so before rinsing off.
4. Eliminate ATG pass until the irritation clears up.

Is your Thayer's alcohol free? If so, you should not have an issue using an alum block. I typically do not mix the alum with any aftershaves/witch hazel containing alcohol as the combination can be a bit drying.

This is great advice, thanks! About the shower, I might even switch to shaving at the sink after I shower. I'll probably give that a try for a couple weeks once I get my DE razor in. And yes, the Thayers is alcohol free, so I will follow your advice with the alum.

 

[SamInNOLA]

First, welcome to B&B.

Irritation usually is caused by poor blade angle and too much pressure on the razor. The neck is a tricky area to shave because keeping the right blade angle and little pressure is a challenge. The usual advice is to let the weight of the razor do the job - not put pressure on the blade. To put that in action I have found that using the two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. I have found that using the right grip on your razor goes a long way in keeping pressure off of the blade. The wiki deals with holding a razor and may help you. You may have to click on each photo to load it.

For information about blade angle, look here in the wiki.

Some additional suggestions:

• Be sure your lather has sufficient water in it. This makes your shave smoother.
• Be sure your face is sufficiently hydrated whether you use warm or cold water. If your face is wet before you apply lather for each pass, IMHO, your shaves will be better.
• Take a washcloth and dip it in cold water and then place it on your face after your last pass.
• UseWH on your face after you do step 3 above. Use an after shave balm that is a good moisturizer.
• At night, before retiring apply a good quality moisturizer to your face. I use CeraVe but there are other good ones out there, too. Look for a product that has ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

Thanks Jim. I have been using a Clinique moisturizer at night and non-shave days, but I'll have to check and see if it has those ingredients. Seems like CeraVe is pretty popular among veteran shavers, so I will give that a try next.

 

[Jaybeez]

Your technique is pretty solid, with tweaks as described above. I was a shower shaver for years when I used a Gillette Sensor, but in 6+ years of wet shaving I've yet to get as good of a DE razor shave in the shower as I do at my sink. I think it's because I can see more clearly at the sink AND I can hear the blade mow the whiskers down. For me, my ears are an important part of the process.

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum from Australia. Glad to have you here.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Some great advice above!

A few points that I would stress:
#1. Prep: A hot shower works as a great prep for me. If I have time, a warm towel also makes the experience luxurious! Many like them, but I have found little/no benefit from preshave oils, etc.
#2. Lather: Face-lathering is also my favorite! Be sure to use plenty of product and water.
#3. Shaving: Focus on proper razor angle and NO pressure. Mapping your beard to understand the direction of growth may also help (it did for me)!
#4. Post-shave: Tons of options here! Really up to you!

Be sure to read through the Wiki and watch a few videos! Then off to the races!!

 

[SamInNOLA]

Welcome to the forum from Australia. Glad to have you here.

Thank you mate! Praying for Australia right now, hope you’re safe wherever you are.

 

[Stuart Ganis]

Welcome from West Tennessee!

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[mightyeskimo]

Hello all,

I'm excited to embark in this journey; just got an confirmation that my RazorRock Game Changer (open comb) 84-P just shipped, so I will be ditching my Gillette Fusion SkinGuard soon.

I got interested in wet shaving after researching ways to reduce irritation on my face and deciding to ditch my Braun electric shaver. I resorted to the electric while I was active duty in the military and required to shave every day. I was using the typical multi-blade cartridges and canned shave gels, which made my face look like a bloody murder scene. The electric shaver helped with the pain and the irritation, but it was loud and not enjoyable. Now that I'm out of the military, I'm not required to shave every day, but I'd still like to keep the clean, well-groomed appearance; especially since I can't grow a nice, full beard.

As I mentioned, I recently ordered a RazorRock Game Changer (open comb). While I wait for that to arrive, my set-up is as follows:

• Pre-shave:
  • Every Man Jack Volcanic Clay face wash
  • AoS pre-shave oil, sandalwood
• Cremo Shave Cream, classic
• Brush: AoS Genuine (Pure?) Badger
• Razor: Gillette Fusion SkinGuard
• Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Toner, Lavender
• Nivea Post Shave Balm, Sensitive (no alcohol)

I got the AoS products as a gift over the holidays, and I still haven't opened the sandalwood shaving cream or the sandalwood post-shave balm, which I'll use once I'm through my current products. I'm currently shaving in the shower since I feel that the steam helps. My routine is as follows:

1. Wash my entire face with the warm water from the shower and my face wash.
2. Apply pre-shave oil to my beard area.
3. Wet the brush with HOT water from the shower and then apply some of the Cremo directly on the brush.
4. Lather directly on my face, which works great in my opinion.
5. First pass WTG; rinse with warm water; re-lather with the cream still left on the brush; second pass XTG/ATG; rinse/re-lather; touch-ups.
6. Warm water rinse to the face, then cold water; rinse off brush.
7. Finish shower (3-5 more minutes); dry off.
8. Splash witch hazel to my face and let dry a minute or two.
9. Apply after shave balm.

Irritation has decreased quite a bit but I still have some red spots/blemishes that I'd like to eliminate as much as possible. I ordered an alum block to try as well. I've read about people using both an alum block AND the witch hazel.

I would really appreciate any critique/feedback about my routine or products I'm using. Thank you so much for reading! I'm really excited to join this community. Happy new year!

- Sam
New Orleans, LA

Welcome to B&B! Ditch the preshave oil and the Cremo. Get a shave soap stick. Your razor is great. If you can learn how to master a lather in the shower with a good soap stick you'll have conquered wet shaving. Your choice of Thayers is great. I believe if you can create a great shave with a quality razor, a good soap, and a quality witch hazel as your only after shave, you have learned all you need to know about wet shaving.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Bonsoir Sam from NOLA ('Louisiana: Pick Your Passion...Yeah Baby'!)!!

Welcome aboard the B & B (besides being enrolled in the fictional, sacred and utopian 'Order of Shavedom'), and please feel free to come up to the promenade / sun deck & 'sit-a-spell'.

All said, it sounds like you're off to a great start and on your way to shaving nirvana and The Zen of Shaving, yes (as you well know), this Forum has the knowledge, ideas and all around 'know-how' to assist in your Wet-Shaving experience. In a nut-shell...your 'gonna' love it here.

Also, the Thread entitled Wet Shaving Instructions & Tutorials, maybe of great interest to you and is very informative to include B & B's Interactive ShaveWiki's (again, which I'm sure you've already read).

And please don't forget The 7 P's of Shaving...Prepare, Patience, Pressure, Practice, Persistence, Post shave and Passion.

Although, you may not be addicted yet (I think I'm holding up fairly well...with a few exceptions), because we all suffer (gladly and are doomed perhaps), from this shaving compulsion (and other Acquisition Disorders), because at times..."Resistance is futile".

Lastly, please don't forget once you get time....to tell us a little about yourself in the Hall-of-Fame sub-forum and the Calling all Louisiana Members Subforum.

"[For] many people, [shaving] is not [simply a] voyage of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance". Philip Andrew Adams

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Welcome to B&B.

I grew up mostly in New Orleans, but don't live there now. Great place in many respects.

Cold shaves can help with irritation, but it's more likely to be too much something. Too much pressure. Too many passes. Trying too hard. Something like that.

My post shave routine (which has changed a lot over time) begins with hyaluronic acid, a couple drops applied to my damp skin and rubbed around to cover everything. Then, I use a splash. This product ^ really helps my skin, and might help yours.



When my skin needs it, I apply another couple drops later, or at night. Sometimes Cremo Moisturizer comes next.

There's room to experiment and a necessity to do so. Everyone does not have the same skin, whiskers, water, soap, technique, goals, and needs.

Just a thought: I might just rub the Cremo shave cream into my skin as a pre-shave and then lather up with a shave soap. Not that you must, or should, or any such thing, but just to see what that's like.

Connaught in England has a good many inexpensive shave soaps and excellent shipping to the US. Here are some I've tried. Valobra is excellent and smells like soap to me. Wickham is great soap. All the soaps listed are very good and not too spendy. Shaving soaps number in the hundreds I think. I'm not suggesting you try many or any I've mentioned.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Oh, one more thing, @SamInNOLA, sometimes too many products (too many per day, too many after the shave) can cause irritation. Sometimes less is more.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[dmshaver]

You've got a lot of good advice, & links to threads & Wiki pages. I suggest you read, & practice. You'll get the hang of it, it just takes good advice (which you've got) & time. Welcome to B & B, enjoy your journey!

 

[Texacan]

Hey man, I'm in NOLA too. If you're looking to try some different blades, let me know. I bought a sampler pack, and also won a PIF here. I'll be happy to gift you some blades to try. I have quite a variety, so if there's a specific one you're looking at, I can see if I have it.

 

[Snagmaster Queedo]

Hello all,

I'm excited to embark in this journey; just got an confirmation that my RazorRock Game Changer (open comb) 84-P just shipped, so I will be ditching my Gillette Fusion SkinGuard soon.

I got interested in wet shaving after researching ways to reduce irritation on my face and deciding to ditch my Braun electric shaver. I resorted to the electric while I was active duty in the military and required to shave every day. I was using the typical multi-blade cartridges and canned shave gels, which made my face look like a bloody murder scene. The electric shaver helped with the pain and the irritation, but it was loud and not enjoyable. Now that I'm out of the military, I'm not required to shave every day, but I'd still like to keep the clean, well-groomed appearance; especially since I can't grow a nice, full beard.

As I mentioned, I recently ordered a RazorRock Game Changer (open comb). While I wait for that to arrive, my set-up is as follows:

• Pre-shave:
  • Every Man Jack Volcanic Clay face wash
  • AoS pre-shave oil, sandalwood
• Cremo Shave Cream, classic
• Brush: AoS Genuine (Pure?) Badger
• Razor: Gillette Fusion SkinGuard
• Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Toner, Lavender
• Nivea Post Shave Balm, Sensitive (no alcohol)

I got the AoS products as a gift over the holidays, and I still haven't opened the sandalwood shaving cream or the sandalwood post-shave balm, which I'll use once I'm through my current products. I'm currently shaving in the shower since I feel that the steam helps. My routine is as follows:

1. Wash my entire face with the warm water from the shower and my face wash.
2. Apply pre-shave oil to my beard area.
3. Wet the brush with HOT water from the shower and then apply some of the Cremo directly on the brush.
4. Lather directly on my face, which works great in my opinion.
5. First pass WTG; rinse with warm water; re-lather with the cream still left on the brush; second pass XTG/ATG; rinse/re-lather; touch-ups.
6. Warm water rinse to the face, then cold water; rinse off brush.
7. Finish shower (3-5 more minutes); dry off.
8. Splash witch hazel to my face and let dry a minute or two.
9. Apply after shave balm.

Irritation has decreased quite a bit but I still have some red spots/blemishes that I'd like to eliminate as much as possible. I ordered an alum block to try as well. I've read about people using both an alum block AND the witch hazel.

I would really appreciate any critique/feedback about my routine or products I'm using. Thank you so much for reading! I'm really excited to join this community. Happy new year!

- Sam
New Orleans, LA

Welcome Sam and thank you for your service. I'm a noob here myself having only joined a week ago and I'm fairly new to straight razor shaving. But there are some very knowledgeable people here and I've met nothing but friendly people willing to help. I think you will like it here.