How long does it take

[Grim_Reaper]

Just how long does it take before everything happens?
This is the 2nd time round for me trying the DE razors out, after giving up due to cuts and rashes, this time round though i have the merkur future and an Edwin Jagger chatsworth razor instead of gillette fat-boy and a merkur progress.

I also have an asortment of blades ranging from,

Feathers
Astra sp
Derby
Israeli
Crystols
Red personas
Gillette 7 o'clock yellows

Creams by TOBS, KMF, BULLDOG and soaps by proraso, MWF, Parmolive

I have been shaving with very little to no pressure (just the razor weight) with the three finger grip with the EJ razor but still keep getting irritation on my throat area and nearly always manage to catch my Adams apple .
this is off course really starting to *iss me off now, no matter what blade i choose or soap/cream it always ends up the same result with a red blotchy irritated neck with cuts to the apple.
I constantly look at all the video's and read thing on the forum every day, looking for advice/tips etc but all seem to fail.
Recently i have been cold water shaving to try to eliminate cuts/rashes etc but all still fail, maybe this DE stuff is not for me??.
By the way in case anybody is wondering i am 49 years old so been shaving a long time now but mostly with cartridge blades.
Is this a classic case of can't teach an old dog new tricks!!.

 

[mgoldmann]

I can only speak for my own experience so keep that in mind.

I have the kind of neck that gets irritation very easily- cartridge, electric, DE, disposable all give me a red blotchy neck. For me, the solution was adequate moisturizer after the shave. I ended up using Olay Complete as an after shave because it has all the things I was looking for (Aloe, Vitamin E, etc) with no alcohol or perfumes that might dry my skin or cause an allergic reaction. For the first couple weeks I actually put it on three times a day- after the morning shave, after work, and before bedtime. I'm now down to once a day.

As far as nicks and cuts, I can only offer that shaving with a DE is a fine motor skill, and fine motor skills take practice in order to develop "muscle memory" or the right habits.

Try to think back to the first time you used any kind of blade razor. What was it like? Did you have to go slow and work on technique? Did it eventually become faster as you became more confident?

In my case, I can't give you an exact date that I had my first injury free DE shave. One day-about 6 weeks into it- I suddenly realized that I couldn't recall the last time I cut myself. Of course, I've had some bad days since then when I got cocky and rushed or tried a technique that I shouldn't have (for instance, ATG on my neck is a bad idea except for one small spot just under my chin; I was foolish enough to try it in spite of my knowing that and paid for it).

Depending on you neck, you may even be in a situation where you can get a DFS or BBS shave on your face but only a CCS shave on your neck to avoid injury. There are parts of my lower neck where I only do a single WTG pass and then leave it alone. If that's not enough, or I don't like the way it looks, I'll use a small battery powered hair clippers (the kind some people use for ear hair) on the area near my adam's apple.

None of this may be the answer for you, but I hope it gives you a direction to consider. I wish you luck and hope you continue trying.

 

[TGilly]

I use the Edwin Jagger DE89 with shark blades, on the neck I like to go diagonally. How many passes are you doing? I had irritation problems when going over areas with no hair. Be careful with those sharp feather blades.

 

[Niles]

Just how long does it take before everything happens?
This is the 2nd time round for me trying the DE razors out, after giving up due to cuts and rashes, this time round though i have the merkur future and an Edwin Jagger chatsworth razor instead of gillette fat-boy and a merkur progress.

I also have an asortment of blades ranging from,

Feathers
Astra sp
Derby
Israeli
Crystols
Red personas
Gillette 7 o'clock yellows

Creams by TOBS, KMF, BULLDOG and soaps by proraso, MWF, Parmolive

I have been shaving with very little to no pressure (just the razor weight) with the three finger grip with the EJ razor but still keep getting irritation on my throat area and nearly always manage to catch my Adams apple .
this is off course really starting to *iss me off now, no matter what blade i choose or soap/cream it always ends up the same result with a red blotchy irritated neck with cuts to the apple.
I constantly look at all the video's and read thing on the forum every day, looking for advice/tips etc but all seem to fail.
Recently i have been cold water shaving to try to eliminate cuts/rashes etc but all still fail, maybe this DE stuff is not for me??.
By the way in case anybody is wondering i am 49 years old so been shaving a long time now but mostly with cartridge blades.
Is this a classic case of can't teach an old dog new tricks!!.

It took my longer than two shaves to get comfortable with what I was doing- a lot longer. If you are doing an against the grain pass, I would advise against it. I've been using DEs for years and have discovered that my skin just can't take against the grain. Another thing to be careful of is the blade angle. The blade should just barely be touching the skin. Above all, remember the adage that practice makes perfect.

 

[Jawaburger]

Your face just may not like the DE. There are a number of members here who use cartridges but still keep using the brush and a quality soap/cream as part of their shave. You shouldn't feel bad if you go back to carts; I assure you you won't be alone. You can take everything you have learned here about shaving prep and the actual shave and apply it to a cartridge shave.

 

[TheHammer]

The merkur futur isn't the best beginner DE razor. The EJ de89 is a great beginner razor though. My first couple shaves were questionable, especially since my neck is very sensitive and prone to irritation/ingrown hairs. Inward gettin great shave by my 4th or 5th shave, and using a good aftershave really made the biggest difference. Once I started using Speick AS splash, I have had no lingering irritation at all. Until your tecnique improves, the prep and follow-up are VERY important. Relax, have fun, and enjoy the shave

 

[Sully2]

Do you "stretch" the skin on your throat area as you shave it? Pulling the skin taunt with one hand as you use the razor with the other SHOULD put a stop to the cuts etc and in my own case stopped the redness / soreness in various areas.

Also using a pre-shave oil ( gel..whatever) ( Im partial to AoS products) has helped me considerable.

 

[MarcV]

I just read all the replies above and they are ALL GOOD ADVICE. Maybe the best has to do with lubrication, though.

Never shave any part of your face that doesn't have lather on it.

Use a balm after the shave, not for comfort but as preparation for the next shave 24 hours later.

Freely apply water after each pass, soak your face before relathering.

The rest is "fine motor skill" developed over weeks, months, and years. Those of us older (I'm 70 now) have the advantage of having started with SE or DE razors so we had to get the technique right or suffer in our own blood. You younger folk with cartridges who could press hard and not get bloody never had to develop the skill. We old guys are not smarter or cleverer, just more experienced. You can and will catch up eventually.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Took me 3 months to get comfortable, 6 months to be satisfied, about a year to be happy with my DE shaves.

 

[N2theBreech]

Took me 3 months to get comfortable, 6 months to be satisfied, about a year to be happy with my DE shaves.

About the same for me.

I'll toss some ideas out. You're probably doing most of them already, but just in case...

Sully mentioned streching your skin. Not only is that essential (for me), I rub my wet fingers on an alum block so my fingers grip the skin rather than sliding off. It makes a noticeable difference in my shave.

I suppose you've mapped the grain of the whiskers on your face already? Nothing worse than unknowingly going against the grain.

Try just going with the grain on your neck for maybe two passes a day for a few days, and see what happens.

Give your neck time to heal before tackling it again, otherwise it just creates even more irritation.

Here's something I find essential. It's right up there with "no pressure" and "use a shallow angle." Do not use your wrist or fingers to guide the razor, use your whole arm. It's the same motion that most people use when combing their hair. When they comb their hair, they don't hold their arm still and use just their wrist, the whole arm is in motion to guide the comb. Likewise for shaving, use the whole arm to glide the razor over the hills and through the valleys of the terrain of your face. If you are making a down-stroke, the whole arm should move downwards as a unit, following the contours. You could think of it as shaving "with your elbow" until it becomes a natural motion for you.

And prep! Make sure those whiskers are soaked, and be sure to use enough product when building the lather.

Good luck.

 

[johnh]

What N2 said plus just keep to two passes for the time being. WTG and XTG. WTG only under the chin / neck.

 

[Grim_Reaper]

I can only speak for my own experience so keep that in mind.

I have the kind of neck that gets irritation very easily- cartridge, electric, DE, disposable all give me a red blotchy neck. For me, the solution was adequate moisturizer after the shave. I ended up using Olay Complete as an after shave because it has all the things I was looking for (Aloe, Vitamin E, etc) with no alcohol or perfumes that might dry my skin or cause an allergic reaction. For the first couple weeks I actually put it on three times a day- after the morning shave, after work, and before bedtime. I'm now down to once a day.

As far as nicks and cuts, I can only offer that shaving with a DE is a fine motor skill, and fine motor skills take practice in order to develop "muscle memory" or the right habits.

Try to think back to the first time you used any kind of blade razor. What was it like? Did you have to go slow and work on technique? Did it eventually become faster as you became more confident?

In my case, I can't give you an exact date that I had my first injury free DE shave. One day-about 6 weeks into it- I suddenly realized that I couldn't recall the last time I cut myself. Of course, I've had some bad days since then when I got cocky and rushed or tried a technique that I shouldn't have (for instance, ATG on my neck is a bad idea except for one small spot just under my chin; I was foolish enough to try it in spite of my knowing that and paid for it).

Depending on you neck, you may even be in a situation where you can get a DFS or BBS shave on your face but only a CCS shave on your neck to avoid injury. There are parts of my lower neck where I only do a single WTG pass and then leave it alone. If that's not enough, or I don't like the way it looks, I'll use a small battery powered hair clippers (the kind some people use for ear hair) on the area near my adam's apple.

None of this may be the answer for you, but I hope it gives you a direction to consider. I wish you luck and hope you continue trying.

Thanks for all the advice here mate, i do moisturise regularly with some cream i got from my local supermarket this also has no alcohol or scent in it, its just a pure cream bu t that Olay you speak off seems OK and gives me hope

 

[Grim_Reaper]

I use the Edwin Jagger DE89 with shark blades, on the neck I like to go diagonally. How many passes are you doing? I had irritation problems when going over areas with no hair. Be careful with those sharp feather blades.

I haven't tried those shark blades yet, only tried Feathers, Astras, Derbys & the Israeli
All so far have left me with red blotches on my neck.

 

[Grim_Reaper]

It took my longer than two shaves to get comfortable with what I was doing- a lot longer. If you are doing an against the grain pass, I would advise against it. I've been using DEs for years and have discovered that my skin just can't take against the grain. Another thing to be careful of is the blade angle. The blade should just barely be touching the skin. Above all, remember the adage that practice makes perfect.

I have been using me DE for over two weeks now but only go with the grain and across on both my cheeks & neck, dont seem to get irritation on the cheeks though.

 

[Grim_Reaper]

Your face just may not like the DE. There are a number of members here who use cartridges but still keep using the brush and a quality soap/cream as part of their shave. You shouldn't feel bad if you go back to carts; I assure you you won't be alone. You can take everything you have learned here about shaving prep and the actual shave and apply it to a cartridge shave.

Do not want to go back to carts i refuse to keep paying the prices, i would rather suffer the irritation

 

[Grim_Reaper]

The merkur futur isn't the best beginner DE razor. The EJ de89 is a great beginner razor though. My first couple shaves were questionable, especially since my neck is very sensitive and prone to irritation/ingrown hairs. Inward gettin great shave by my 4th or 5th shave, and using a good aftershave really made the biggest difference. Once I started using Speick AS splash, I have had no lingering irritation at all. Until your tecnique improves, the prep and follow-up are VERY important. Relax, have fun, and enjoy the shave

I Havant used the future for a while now as i agree it is more aggressive than the EJ so ill stick with that for a bit longer

 

[Grim_Reaper]

Do you "stretch" the skin on your throat area as you shave it? Pulling the skin taunt with one hand as you use the razor with the other SHOULD put a stop to the cuts etc and in my own case stopped the redness / soreness in various areas.

Also using a pre-shave oil ( gel..whatever) ( Im partial to AoS products) has helped me considerable.

No i dont stretch the skin, as im using the weight of the razors head only i didnt think i would need to stretch out the skin, not noticed any bunching of the skin anywhere?

 

[Grim_Reaper]

Took me 3 months to get comfortable, 6 months to be satisfied, about a year to be happy with my DE shaves.

Really, looks like i have a long road ahead then lol.

 

[Grim_Reaper]

Do you "stretch" the skin on your throat area as you shave it? Pulling the skin taunt with one hand as you use the razor with the other SHOULD put a stop to the cuts etc and in my own case stopped the redness / soreness in various areas.

Also using a pre-shave oil ( gel..whatever) ( Im partial to AoS products) has helped me considerable.

I have been using pre-shave oil, mixture of EVOO & baby oil, but was wondering if it was actually doing anything?

 

[Grim_Reaper]

About the same for me.

I'll toss some ideas out. You're probably doing most of them already, but just in case...

Sully mentioned streching your skin. Not only is that essential (for me), I rub my wet fingers on an alum block so my fingers grip the skin rather than sliding off. It makes a noticeable difference in my shave.

I suppose you've mapped the grain of the whiskers on your face already? Nothing worse than unknowingly going against the grain.

Try just going with the grain on your neck for maybe two passes a day for a few days, and see what happens.

Give your neck time to heal before tackling it again, otherwise it just creates even more irritation.

Here's something I find essential. It's right up there with "no pressure" and "use a shallow angle." Do not use your wrist or fingers to guide the razor, use your whole arm. It's the same motion that most people use when combing their hair. When they comb their hair, they don't hold their arm still and use just their wrist, the whole arm is in motion to guide the comb. Likewise for shaving, use the whole arm to glide the razor over the hills and through the valleys of the terrain of your face. If you are making a down-stroke, the whole arm should move downwards as a unit, following the contours. You could think of it as shaving "with your elbow" until it becomes a natural motion for you.

And prep! Make sure those whiskers are soaked, and be sure to use enough product when building the lather.

Good luck.

Just under the apple my beard starts to grow up, but i always just do two passes straight down on the neck.