Help, shaves going downhill

[dawgfan13]

I have been DE shaving for about 2 months now and have been getting very nice shaves...up until about 2 weeks ago . I have been changing blades as I got a blade sampler about a month ago. However, I am getting poor shaves with blades that I was getting good shaves with. I am using the same soaps that I have been and the same 2 razors. I don't feel like my technique has gotten worse but it may have.
My main problem is irritation on my neck and weepers (which as I understand points to technique) and some redness. I am keeping the same shaving routine (shave every other day) and I am using the same prep (Kyle's shave prep). How can I improve my technique and work towards getting consistent shaves? Thanks in advance for your help!

Chris

 

[mdunn]

It could be that as you have been shaving for a wee while, and your confidence has risen, you have started to forget a bit of technqiue.

Try getting back to basics, staying with one soap/brush/blade combo for a few shaves in a go and concentrating on your pressure/angle etc

 

[DavyRay]

All I can offer is general advice.

Slow down. Lighten up. Watch that angle. Don't let your lather dry out.

 

[Topgumby]

What Mdunn said. There is a fairly well known sophomore slump in a lot of endeavors, and it sounds as if you've hit it.

At first, you are careful as mice, because it's new, exciting and you have laser like focus. At some point, you slack off on the focus and results fall off. A lot of guys switch up the gear at this point (New razor, new shotgun, new racquet, new skis, etc.) and because something is new, the focus returns...for awhile. Gear sellers just love this.

Just keep on keeping on, redouble your focus, revisit the basics, and don't expect great results as a given. They'll happen when you are not chasing them. After some time, the great shaves return and stay for keeps.

Good luck!

 

[Aaron W.]

Could be the blade you are using also. +1 on back to basics and make sure you are getting a good wtg pass that is critical and don't try atg just yet stick with xtg that might lesson the weepers and the redness. Hope this helps.

 

[Luc]

it could be that as you have been shaving for a wee while, and your confidence has risen, you have started to forget a bit of technqiue.

Try getting back to basics, staying with one soap/brush/blade combo for a few shaves in a go and concentrating on your pressure/angle etc

+1

 

[kg4ghn]

Same thing happened to me and really concentrating on the basics really worked.

It also took me 4 months to map my beard like everybody says to do when you first start.

 

[mretzloff]

It also took me 4 months to map my beard like everybody says to do when you first start.

I think this is key. I had a lot of trouble a year or so into wet shaving, and re-mapping my beard really helped.

 

[joto]

Any chance this is just improving expectations? My first few DE shaves were... not good. Think the elevator scene from "The Shining." Still, it didn't take me much time or work to improve the shaves to where they were better than a Mach 3 or one of those other facial sandpaper razors. That didn't mean it was GOOD at all, but I thought at the time it was great. I didn't know that I didn't know. Once I got a feeling for how much better shaves could be, the bloom was off and I really had to buckle down and refine all my techniques. Took me a while, but I got there.

Other than that, yeah, what they said! Good luck!

 

[nate]

I think this is key. I had a lot of trouble a year or so into wet shaving, and re-mapping my beard really helped.

This was the trick for me when I hit a little slump - it turned out the irritation was coming from not going WTG initially

 

[Oly]

I had the same thing, until I realized that with more confidence I went back to the pressure of my cartridge days.

 

[vegaskid74]

I had the same experience. My shaves started getting really good, so I started cutting corners, using a bunch of new soaps, blades, etc., and the whole thing fell apart. Go back to basics and relax.

 

[Squash]

What everyone else said plus: I solved a lot of my neck and other irritation problems by plucking the hairs that were the most irritated.

Bad are the hairs that are especially thick and grow along the face rather than away from it. Really bad are the ones where two hairs grow out of the same follicle; they must be eliminated.

If a hair offends you, pluck in out.

 

[Oly]

What everyone else said plus: I solved a lot of my neck and other irritation problems by plucking the hairs that were the most irritated.

Bad are the hairs that are especially thick and grow along the face rather than away from it. Really bad are the ones where two hairs grow out of the same follicle; they must be eliminated.

If a hair offends you, pluck in out.

I had always heard not to pluck them, but like you, it always seems to heal more quickly if I do.

 

[Danuhoh]

went from great shaves (almost BBS) to bad neck irritation, ingrowns, etc.

I took a step back, thought about it, and came to the conclusion that I was rushing and putting too much pressure on the razor. So....slowed down, watched my angle and used almost no pressure and I am happy to say that my great shaves are back. Actually a BBS today........

Good luck!