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Help a Noob with long time shaving probs.....

R

Rez90

Posted in shaving cream forum also. Mods please put this wherever it fits best.


Hi. I'm very happy to have found this forum as i've been looking for a long time for some GOOD advice to help with my shaving problems.

I've been shaving for about 15 years and have ALWAYS had the same problems.

Here's the list.

1) I have very thick facial hair. I'm not sure why. But it's so thick when i pluck a hair and roll it in my fingers it feels like a toothpick. (it's obviously not that thick...but you know what i mean)
2) the hair on my neck has no direction. It goes in every possible way and there is no consistency.
3) My hair has very strong curls to it. If i don't shave every day the hair curls so hard that it goes back into my skin and causes all kinds of problems.
4) over the last 15 years i've never not had dozens (maybe hundreds) of ingrown hairs on my neck. They are always there. I've never once looked at my neck to this day and seen no irratation.


Because of all of this, i can't use an electric. My mother bought me a few when i was in college to try and every time i use one my face destroys itself over the following week because the hairs get cut under the skin and just grow inside the skin. The result is me looking like that kid in middle school who's face blew up with acne. not to mention the pain associated with thousands of ingrown hairs on your face. Not fun.

I currently use a shick hydro 5 as it's the most confortable razor i've found. I can only shave down because if i shave up my face breaks out like hell on earth. Also, because my hair is so thick shaving is always very painful. Most of the time it feels like the hairs are being ripped out of my face rather then cut. I've tried almost every possible combination of OTC shave cream and shave gels. I've tried pre shave oils, many face scrubs...etc. But i've never had a clean, comfortable, and irratation free face.

Right now i use Zirc shave cream. They used to have an old formula that was thicker and i liked better but now it's much more frothy. I feel like i've tried everything but i'm hoping you guys can help me out.

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rez
 
natchez

natchez

Rez90 said:
Here's the list.

1) I have very thick facial hair. I'm not sure why. But it's so thick when i pluck a hair and roll it in my fingers it feels like a toothpick. (it's obviously not that thick...but you know what i mean)
2) the hair on my neck has no direction. It goes in every possible way and there is no consistency.
3) My hair has very strong curls to it. If i don't shave every day the hair curls so hard that it goes back into my skin and causes all kinds of problems.
4) over the last 15 years i've never not had dozens (maybe hundreds) of ingrown hairs on my neck. They are always there. I've never once looked at my neck to this day and seen no irratation.

Rez
Click to expand...

Here are some thoughts for you:

1. Thick hair requires more softening then thin hair, IMO. So, think about a good pre-shave routine.
2. Join the club. Most guys have neck hair that is wild in direction. A damp cotton ball can help you find the directions it is growing in.
3. Me too, very curly hair all over, including what is left on my head. There are a number of products designed for African Americans who are prone to this problem. Check them out.
4. Again, good pre-shave routine will help. But, with this one you are going to have to nip those little suckers before they grow back around. That means a close shave with the grain (once you figure out what directions that is #2 above).

I would try a DE razor with a quality blade. Start with something mild like a Gillette Tech or a Super Speed, and maybe some Personna Red blades or Astras.

Nothing seems to beat a good tallow based cream for softening, IMHO. Say, Mitchell's Wool Fat or the like.

I am sure others will weigh in,but welcome and good luck!

Good luck and remember you are going to be shaving a long time, so investing a little time and a few dollars can help you make the experience much, much better.
 
R

Rez90

Thank you. I apprecaite the advice.

Because i've never posted on a shaving forum i'm not exactly down with the lingo yet. Can you explain "DE" and also i've never heard of the shave creams you suggested. Is the a site you can link me to that sells them?

Thanks very much
Rez
 
R

Rez90

OK so i'm looking around amazon and i found a few of the items you mentioned.

I will purchase:

Mitchells wool fat
Gilette Tech Razor
Astra Blades
Shaving Brush (any recommendations?)

I figure this will get me on the right track. Any suggestions for a quality aftershave?


Thanks.
 
dmm26

dmm26

Welcome to B&B!

For now as far as a brush just get a cheap omega boar brush. That's what I did to keep things on the cheap just in case I didn't like wet shaving and decided to quit.

Get some proraso aftershave or Speick! Or there's always old spice which I'm thinking of getting too, (for nostalgia's sake honest)
 
kingfisher

kingfisher

Just so you know, Mitchell's Wool Fat is not a shaving cream; it's a shaving soap. And not just any soap, but a somewhat fickle shaving soap. It takes some practice to learn how to make a great lather from it. In my opinion, if you start off with changing all the variables at once, you might have some serious problems.

I'd say to change one variable at a time. If you're going to make your own lather with a brush, I'd suggest starting with a cream before moving to a soap; barring that, at least start with a soap that is very easy to lather. You might think about VDH Deluxe, which is available at most Wal-Marts.
 
Blue58

Blue58

Rez90 said:
OK so i'm looking around amazon and i found a few of the items you mentioned.

I will purchase:

Mitchells wool fat
Gilette Tech Razor
Astra Blades
Shaving Brush (any recommendations?)

I figure this will get me on the right track. Any suggestions for a quality aftershave?


Thanks.
Click to expand...

The Gillette Tech and the Astra blades are a good choice to start... I would wait on the MWF soap and the brush for the time being..

A lot of your irritation is from the multi blade razor. read all you can in the forums here on DE (Double Edge) razor shaving technique.

Your primary concerns with a DE will be not applying pressure when you shave like you would do with the razor you using now.

Also try shaving after you have showered and wash your face and neck to remove as much of the excess oils and to soften the beard hair.

Find a shave cream that has beard softening qualities and wait for a minute or 2 after putting the shave cream on before starting to shave.

for an After shave I would use what ever you currently use for now... as we help you learn each step of the shave process you can add or change one more part. This way we can identify what exactly is causing the problems and make any changes to just that one thing. This will also make it much easier for you to tell us what is going on.
 
GDCarrington

GDCarrington

mblakele said:
Welcome to B&B! Don't be surprised if a mod moves this thread to the shave clinic.

There is excellent advice at http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Getting_started_wetshaving and http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=71700 but sometimes it's better to show than tell: try Mantic's videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59
Click to expand...

Mblakele is steering you in the right direction. Watch Mantic's video and start with the basic techniques because those will bring the greatest returns and when you master them then you can change variables and try the more sophisticated techiques.

A good tech or superspeed DE and a sampler pack of blades will also help you out.

Good fortune to you.
 
gull

gull

DON'T BE FOOLED! Sorry for the caps but I read a post from you about the "Gillette Tech" on Amazon and I knew I needed to sign in and post. I fell for the same trap. It's the "Lord Tech" not the Gillette Tech. They are not the same razor, don't make the same mistake I made. Get a Gillette Tech from the B/S/T section of our forums, or try ebay.

I personally hated the Astra blades so I would get a sample pack. Believe it or not, the type of blade matters a lot, so you'll need to experiment to get optimum results.

A good brush for me was the Body Shop brush. It's not too expensive and it's been working well for me. It takes effort to make lather, but for $11, I'll deal with it.
 
Last edited:
Optionyout

Optionyout

Just start reading everything you can on this site. I'm the same as you. 10 months or so in now and it's just trial and error. But the difference is now you are being proactive and in the right place. I still get the ingrown hairs but nowhere near as bad as before. Preshave routine is under a sticky here and I do it to a tee. I shave every other day and use a face scrub on those days. Still finding the grain and technique and blades that'll be perfect but getting there and figuring that it'll never be perfect but definitely much better.
 
davidepeden

davidepeden

I used a Schick Hydro 5 from the time they introduced it, and I thought I was getting good shaves despite the ingrown hairs, etc. I switched to DE shaving last fall and haven't gone back to carts at all. No more ingrown hairs in all that time. You're going to enjoy your shaves again. Just check out the advice from the experienced members here--everybody is more than willing to help and there are no "dumb questions."
 
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