Help

[fbfreak985]

hello everyone, quick question,,, everyone talks about how DE razors are so good and they give the best shave. So i went online and purchase the following. Merkur Futur, Vulvix best badger brush, Proraso cream, jack black preshave,a jack black after shave cooling gel, and jackblack scrub
I did the following...
1)shower and wash my face
2) use jackblack face scrub
3) apply jackblack preshave
4)whip up some proraso
5) set up the merkur

i first shave down then reapply cream and shave up. I dont understand, i barely use pressure and my face is so irritated. My neck is like bleeding from a million spots. Its hard to get close by the chin area and mustache.

Im 20 years old, fairly thick beard, but my beard hairs and neck grow in all different directions.

Please somone give me some help.... I want to enjoy this DE experience and if not will have to go back to the mach III

 

[Koss]

Woah, you posted this like three times. In different forum sections.

 

[JLA334]

Maybe try two passes North to South rather than one pass North to South and the second pass South to North for a while. Ultimately you need to make an effort to map the growth of your beard and pay close attention to your blade angle.

 

[salisburyyates]

Remember to keep the angle of the blade at 30% perpendicular to your face. Rest the top of the razor head against your face and slowly tilt it down until the blade just makes contact with your hairs, and begin shaving up-down.

Do not bend your wrist, let your whole arm guide the weight of the razor.

 

[Jethro1984]

The scrub may be irritating your face. Try doing the scrub in the evening time at the sink or in another shower. That will give your face time to recover. Then shave in the morning. Or vice versa.

 

[snufflesdarkness]

Its great your so pumped to shave. First have you watched the shaving videos from Mantic59(you can search shave tutor) on youtube? It will give you great starting advice and different tricks and tips of wet shaving.

Also, if you are using a safety razor, you do not need a facial scrub. Because first, the shaving brush will help exfoliate your skin a little bit and lift the hairs. Exfoliating will also happen with single blade shaving. Your will notice soft baby skin after you shave and other people will too. Using a facial scrub then single blade shaving can be over kill on your skin. Especially using your futur which is aggressive adjustable razor. Also Mantic59 has tips about Futur in his videos for you.

Also most preshave products do not make much of difference for shaves, its a placebo effect for the shaver. It just causes your cut hairs and lather stick to sides of the sink when your done. Your shave cream/soap already contains oils like jojoba, olive, veggie glycerin, or even grapeseed oil to help is slide. You could create superlather which is a glycerin soap plus shave cream mixture to create it. Mantic59 also has video on this. Col Conk is excellent glycerin based soap to use.

Avoid hot towel treatment products like from Billy Jealousy. Usually they are sold with Jack and Black products like at Nordstroms. They are waste of money, not that hot, and leave your face pasty.

I have tried Black Jack line of products with shaving. They perform subpar and pricing is over the top. Especially their beard lube. Also, you may notice they sell a bottle of industrial hand lotion. All that is their version is corn huskers hand lotion you can get at Wal Mart/local pharmacy for less then 3 dollars. Corn Huskers can also be used as a aftershave if you have nothing else. Personally I think it works better as aftershave then Nivea and Noxema aftershave balm.

If you want the best preshave prep, lather your face(doesn't have to be perfect) then place a hot towel over your beard for minute. Then wipe of excess lather, then lather up and shave. Its also a Mantic59 video.

And finally, if you want a consistency in your shave routine, you can find stores that sell Proraso aftershave balm/liquid or aftershave splash to match your shaving cream. If you run out of Proraso, you can buy it at any Bath and Body works as their Green package Premium Cream. The company on the package is called C.O. Bigelow, but in small print will say made by Proraso. Any more questions post them online or send me a message.

Cheers.

PS What razors do you use? I recommend against feathers since you have an adjustable. Feathers are very advanced blades. Many shavers try them only once because they are very very aggressive. The blades I do recommend, especially for adjustable razor like yours are Derby blades. They are mild, consistent wear, and last average a week. Also very cheap and easy to get. Some places sell 100 blades for less 15 or even 10 dollars including shipping. From their get a sampler pack. Also keep your Futur as the lowest setting until you get the hang of shaving. My first two weeks caused irritation, but once you get it together, you will be fine. Your shaving technique, process will naturally get better. Your Skin will get used to single blade shaving and feel great.

Since you are new to shaving, I would of recommended getting the Merkur 34c Heavy Duty(HD) razor. They are the most balanced, engineered, and works well with all safety blades. Most Merkurs razors are not a good match with Feather blades(except the 34c razor). This is one reason why I believe many shavers get turned off by Feather Blades. The shavers who use antique razors like Gillettes love Feathers because they are good match. That's why I bought two, so I use Feather Blades with the.

Otherwise watch the youtube shaving videos of Mantic59. It will help greatly, entertaining, and well made.