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Merkur 23C eating my face.

Hi all,

I have a Merkur 23c for my first razor because I could get it locally at a good price. I've been DE shaving for about two weeks now and thought I would get use to it. The razor eats up my neck. I do ok on my face but my neck seems to get chewed up pretty good no matter the pressure, technique. Any recommendations for a new DE razor that is less aggressive and might help this problem. Using Bigelow cream and pure badger brush. Have some new soaps coming from IB.
 
sounds weird, but are you re-lathering your face before you hit it...
depending on the cream/soap, after spending a lot of time on your face, the neck area gets a little dry...and can get torn up pretty quick.\

and dont forget to map the hair on your face to make sure you are following the direction of growth.
 
Before offering a recommendation, I will just say that there are a multitude of other things at play here that could be the culprit for your irritation aside from the razor.

What blades are you using? Have you mapped your neck growth yet? Getting that cream slick and protective enough? Taking your shave strokes smooth and steady with no pressure and proper blade angle? What's your prep like?

Necks are often troublesome for this community, so this is not an uncommon problem. But it seems to be the rare case where it is actually the razor that needs to change.

All that said, there are a wide variety of razors (many of the vintage variety) that you could turn to. The Schick Krona is a stellar razor that you can get "New Old-Stock" (NOS) where it's still in it's original packaging on ebay for $40-50, or there is the Gillette Tech which are often cheaper, but can be in poorer condition. For modern razors, you could try out another in the Merkur line (the 34/38C, or the 1904 might be less "bitey" for you) or turn to the Edwin Jagger line (I think they're all basically the same head, different handles).

Last but not least, welcome to the Badger & Blade community! We wish you luck on your shave journey....it will get better!
 
Ok, so I've been showering and heating a cereal bowl in the sink with really hot water. I place the brush and razor in the bowl while I shoer and then make a rich cream. I have been doing two to three passes rinsing my face between each pass. My neck gets irritated after the first pass. I have to say its not much better with modern multi blade razors which is why I've tried switching to DE shaving. I thought it would be better.

I've been using the Merkur blade that came with the razor and have some Feather new stainless blade I will try tonight. Haven't been shaving everyday since I was getting so much irritation.

I do have a new Georgetown G20 scuttle on the way as well as new Razorock soaps and aftershaves coming from IB. I had hoped I could get use to the Merkur 23C so I didn't get a razor.
 
Welcome to the number one shave site in the world B&B. [ please check in the Hall of Fame and do a quick intro http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame ]

The blade, prep, shave cream all of these can be a factor. Traditional wet shaving can be a process that requires for your skin to adjust. The sharper blades and the deeper shaving may be taking its tow and you must adhere to the signals. Try to do shorter strokes and less passes. I do 2 good passes on my neck and i am done. I wont look for BBS as a newbie, just look for hair removal. As you get better try for BBS, but not now.
 
I would try a different blade for certain just for starters. Be careful to apply no pressure at all, particularly in your sensitive areas. I'd avoid going across or against the grain until you can make WTG passes without irritation.
 
Switching to Feathers should help somewhat. Some folks can get by with that freebie Merkur blade, but it's pretty terrible for most others, myself included. One part that should be stressed here....If you start feeling irritation problems, STOP. Don't keep shaving over that area because it just gets compounded into a really irritated mess. If you only can do one pass for now, so be it.

And it still sounds to me like there are some pressure/angle issues you're working out with technique. Two weeks in is still a tough place to be...another month or so though and you'll be much further along. Stick with one or two passes for now. Forget about ATG - on your neck at least - until you can get through two full passes without irritation. Go to your local drugstore and pick up some witch hazel or Nivea balm too, those will help calm the fires of irritation a bit.
 
Don't get discouraged, it's a pretty common thing to have issues with your neck at first. Make sure you've really mapped your beard growth there - it's not rare for your neck hair to grow differently than you think it might (e.g., away from your adam's apple instead of up or down). Make sure you have very, very light pressure and are taking short strokes with the proper blade angle. It helps if you angle your head so that the area is as flat as possible as well.

Good luck, keep at it and it will get better.
 
Don't get discouraged, it's a pretty common thing to have issues with your neck at first. Make sure you've really mapped your beard growth there - it's not rare for your neck hair to grow differently than you think it might (e.g., away from your adam's apple instead of up or down). Make sure you have very, very light pressure and are taking short strokes with the proper blade angle. It helps if you angle your head so that the area is as flat as possible as well.

Good luck, keep at it and it will get better.
I would underscore what Dushea says about not getting discouraged. After shave #1 and #2 I was thinking these guys were crazy but I continued reading and learning and #3 got much better. From that point forward it's been smooth sailing and it gets better each stay. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded eventually. Whatever you do, don't push it when you're irritated. If you think you're going over an area too many times you are. When your skin talks to you listen. That sounds crazy but it's true.
 
Isn't the 23C quite a mild razor?
I doubt it is the problem. You could try the vintage Tech/Feather combo. It's cheap & it works for many, many folk on here & it's great for sensitive skin.
 
The Merkur 23C is suppose to be a mild razor. I'll switch blades and see where it gets me. Thanks everyone.
 
I have a very sensitive neck. What I found that helps is I stick to a 2 pass shave. At first I was trying for a BBS . Also mapping the neck. I discovered that the bottom half of my neck (this is where I get my irritation) actually grows opposite of the top. So I have to shave wtg N to S and the bottom S to N. Lastly, no pressure.
I'm still working on all this but things are getting better. Good luck.
 
Assuming you have a decent technique and are following the no pressure rule I would say it's the blade, those Merkur blades don't agree with many people.

Another thing you could try is getting an adjustable like the Progress (also from Merkur), and dial it up for WTG and then dial it down for ATG plus touch up, so in the end you only do two passes. It is a little more pricey at $60, but it's worth it in my opinion.
 
The Merkur 23C is suppose to be a mild razor. I'll switch blades and see where it gets me. Thanks everyone.

I don't know that I'd really classify it as a mild razor, it's quite efficient at cutting down stubble. This might be opening a can o' worms a bit, but I don't buy into the mild/aggressive categorization anyway unless it's on the extreme end of things (like the R41 or a FaTip vs. a Tech or Superspeed). Every other razor is somewhere in the middle and at that point, technique and blade choice become pretty big factors.

Anyway, I hope it works out for you jayl, and if not, you can always stick around to your 50 posts and then start posting stuff on the BST.
 
Sounds like me me when I first started. I just don't go ATG on my sensitive neck area ble haven't had any problems since
 
I had the same issue for weeks I tried different blades in my Merkur 34c it ate my face up every time. I knew I had decent technique and prep because I shaved with a knock off Gillette superspeed and was getting great smooth shaves so I decided to buy an actual Gillette superspeed and that changed everything and now with many different vintage Gillette razors and a few good quality blades I am getting mind blowing shaves. Good luck and welcome!
 
Since you already have the razor, find the right blade for it before you move on to more drastic solutions.. The blade is your most important personal choice in my estimation. Every face is different, and does not know about which brand is cool, and which is not.

For example, Feather blades are pretty cool, but on my face, they are bloodletters. Others won't use anything but a Feather blade.. You need to find a blade that works right with your face.

I found several that work well for me, and each one has a slightly different personality in different razors, but not a Jeckyl and Hyde extreme difference... If I like a blade in one razor, its a winner in every razor I own within reason.

My favorites are the multitude of Russian made Gillette brands, with Astra at the top of the list. In a hurry, I can wet my beard with only warm water, make a two pass close and fast shave, and never draw blood. With a good cream or soap, my favorite blades are a perfect start to every morning...

The bottom line is that you don't hate your razor until you run out of blades to try. Unless the razor is defective, or just plain misguided in design, the blade is the key to shaving joy...

Buy and try until your face smiles!! After I found my shaving nirvana, I ended up with several hundred Astras, a hundred Gillette Silver Blues, 98 leftover Derby blades, a hundred Iridium blades, and even a hundred of the latest Personna US blades.. I like some better than others, and there are other blades that work for me, but if the blade market dried up tomorrow, I am set for life. Total investment over time... Maybe $200.

Let your face find the right blade, and don't pay attention to the label until its time to order more...:)
 
I've been shaving at night because I wanted to develop good technique and not be rushed. I will probably continue this way until I feel comfortable DE shaving. So tonight I shaved with my 23C and a feather blade. Wow! what a difference. Not even a nick. Those Merkur blades were going to eat me alive and I tried my best with them. I hope tonights shave is not a fluke. I still have my eye on the Muhle 89 Grande. Im a big guy with big hands and I've heard its a good one for guys like me.
 
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