More aggressive razor needed?

[Gunzon]

I just got started using a DE razor a couple of weeks ago. My skin is extremely sensitive so switching to a DE razor was a no-brainer. Cartridge razors used to give me razor burn and bad razor bumps.

I purchased a Muehle R89 as it was recommended by many on this forum.

Now here is my problem. I can't really get a close shave out of it without getting razor burn. Using rel. dull Derby blades I get an ok shave without any burns. It's just not as close as I liked it to be. Using sharper blades (Thai Super Thins) I get pretty bad razor burn.

I read about blades and razors being more sharp and more aggressive. For me dull blades = pushing leather around but no burn. Sharp blades = razor burn for sure.

Should I go for a more aggressive DE razor? Maybe an adjustable? Could you recommend any quality razor that is more aggressive. Not looking to pay huge amounts of money. Would say the maximum I am looking to spend would be USD 80. Much less if possible.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[Mick]

Welcome to B&B

You should be able to get BBS with your Muhle (R89) with no irritation what so ever (I can)

If you "want" another razor you should look into one of the Merkur slant head razors. They are mild but extremely efficient shaving devices.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/301979-8-Pass-Shave-Using-2-Merkur-Slants

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame

 

[jaredsmith83]

I would try some different things before looking at the razor. Make sure you're not using any pressure during your passes, especially if you're going against the grain on your final passes. Do a quick facial hair map sometime if you haven't already, and just feel the way your beard goes so that you can attack it the right way. Often times, technique can be the key source of the razor burn and not so much what you're using. Check your angles on all of your passes too. I had a habit of dragging the razor across my neck and chin when I first started and got quite a bit of burn and irritation. But if you're wanting advice on more aggressive setups, there's several options. You can get an adjustable, like the Merkur Progress, Futur or a vintage Gillette. There are also aggressive razors like the Muhle R-41, which happens to be one of my favorite razors. Paired with a Feather blade, I've yet to have a bad shave from it...well unless you count the time I cut my nose because I turned my head with my razor aimed at me hahaha. But those are a few things you can look into before you decide to make another purchase.

 

[Luc]

Welcome to the forum.

My recommendation would be to hold on buying another razor. You can't be a pro right away, this takes longer than anyone might think. The head doesn't have a pivot like cartridges so when you shave, you need to have the right blade angle. The cartridge razor does that work for you. This is the first step. If it's not close, your angle is off for sure. If you get razor burn, it could be because you are applying pressure, you are going ATG when you think you are going WTG (mapping the grain of the beard is required), your lather is not up to par.

The blades that you are using could be better IMO. We all have different faces so a good blade for Fred is not always a good blade for Roger (different face, different razor, different blades = different results). Anyways, try a razor blade sample pack that has at least 4 different brand of blades in it. That way, you will be able to know which blade works best in that razor for you.

Then, it's all in what you do. lock your wrists and it should get better.

If you can write a bit more on your prep and which products you are using, that would be great.

 

[Mick]

Hey come on...

More razors.... More razors.... More razors.... Rah rah rah....

 

[jaredsmith83]

HAHA preaching the RAD!

 

[Codfish]

If you are new to DE shaving, it is natural to look at equipment as the root of shaving problems. But surveys of experienced shavers are overwhelmingly consistent in identifying technique rather than equipment as the most important factor in shaving success.

You have one of the finest and most forgiving razors in your possession. Time, experience and practice are very important right now. Most of us needed weeks to develop good shaving technique.

DE shaving is unlike cartridge shaving and often it is necessary to un-leard habits that were developed over years. Chief among these habits is using pressure while shaving. Most cart shavers find it counter-intuitive to use "no pressure". The rule is for real. It means NO PRESSURE AT ALL--only enough to keep the razor in feather-lite contact with your skin!

At this point, it is not as important to get a great shave as it is to get a comfortable one. It took me several months to get an all-over BBS shave. Go easy. Have patience, and practice, practice, practice. You may find it helpful to view some of the tutorials here on B&B or on YouTube for other suggestions. Good luck!

 

[Gunzon]

Thanks for your advice guys. I think I will wait and try more blades first and try to improve my technique.

As for my prep. It's quite simple. I shave after showering. I tried canned foam which was no good. The razor didn't glide properly. Tried shaving soap and brush. Against what most other people experience here it wasn't quite right for me either. It didn't really seem to give a good level of lubrication. Also using a badger shave brush seemed to add to the irritation after the second pass (less irritation if applied with my hands). The reason for this might be that I don't really have warm water out of the wall in my place. At the moment I am using Gatsby shaving gel (none foamy lubricant gel). I am sure most of you wouldn't really approve of this gel but it works very well with my sensitive skin. Far less irritation with this stuff.

I tried using an alum block and nivea moisturizer as an aftershave alternative. Didn't do the trick for me either. My skin gets quite reddish from the alum. Now I am back to Tabac aftershave and Nivea moisturizer applied once the aftershave has dried.

I am not sure why shaving soap isn't really working for me. Could a pre-shave oil make any improvement here?

On the upside, despite some razor burn. I dont get ANY razor bumps anymore since I switched to a DE razor. That's already a significant improvement and I am quite happy about having switched!

 

[Luc]

Thanks for your advice guys. I think I will wait and try more blades first and try to improve my technique.

As for my prep. It's quite simple. I shave after showering. I tried canned foam which was no good. The razor didn't glide properly. Tried shaving soap and brush. Against what most other people experience here it wasn't quite right for me either. It didn't really seem to give a good level of lubrication. Also using a badger shave brush seemed to add to the irritation after the second pass (less irritation if applied with my hands). The reason for this might be that I don't really have warm water out of the wall in my place. At the moment I am using Gatsby shaving gel (none foamy lubricant gel). I am sure most of you wouldn't really approve of this gel but it works very well with my sensitive skin. Far less irritation with this stuff.

I tried using an alum block and nivea moisturizer as an aftershave alternative. Didn't do the trick for me either. My skin gets quite reddish from the alum. Now I am back to Tabac aftershave and Nivea moisturizer applied once the aftershave has dried.

I am not sure why shaving soap isn't really working for me. Could a pre-shave oil make any improvement here?

On the upside, despite some razor burn. I dont get ANY razor bumps anymore since I switched to a DE razor. That's already a significant improvement and I am quite happy about having switched!

All right, I see a few red flags here.

If you already feel like your lather (or the shaving gel) is not doing the job, that's an issue. If you also feel that your post shave products are not doing the job, that's another issue. If you don't feel like any of those are helping or are right, then, you won't get a good shave.

Here's a couple of suggestions.
1-Warm water, if you cannot get warm water, maybe you could use a kettle to boil some water. Make sure that you don't pour boiling water on yourself or the brush (it might kill your brush). You could boil the water and add cold water to it or not boil completely and see if it's warm. If the water is warm, it should be right. If it's too hot, don't do it. Be careful with this one but that's what I would do if I couldn't get warm water.
2-The product that you are using will help you or not. You might have hard water which makes it more difficult to make lather. Your badger brush might not be broken (like a pair of shoes) and I find pure badger to be too scratchy for me. A boar is more comfy than a pure badger but YMMV. You could always build your lather in a bowl and apply it in a painting motion which would reduce any risk of irriatation.
3-For the shave gel, if it works for you, that's fine. I think that you might be getting irritation from a poor lather more than an allergy. A good product could help or not, it depends on your skin. If your lather is right, you won't get irritation. If the lather isn't right, you will get irritation. It's possible that you got hard water which makes it more difficult to make lather. Filtered water could help, if you buy just one bottle and try to make some lather with it, you should know very quickly if it's the water or not.
4-Nivea makes an Aftershave balm for sensitive skin, I would recommend that over a moisturizer if you want to stay in the Nivea line. If the alum block doesn't work, trash it.

Finally, my suggestion would be to practice your lather *before* your next shave, that's how it will improve. If your next lather is when you need it, then, you might not have enough time because you could be rushed in the morning to get out the door or want to go to bed eventually if you are a night shaver. Practice the lather, see how the product work, experiment with it, try more product and more water.

If this could help you, when I jump in the shower, I rub the soap in my beard and only rinse it at the end. some use shampoo or conditioner with success. Try something like that to prep your beard, it can hlep.

 

[Gunzon]

Ok, just tried bottled warm water (mircowave) against warm tap water. The bottled water produced much more, much thicker, less dry lather. Will try this on my face in two days for my next shave. Thanks for the hint. Read about hard water before but wouldn't have thought it makes such a difference. Will try to get my hands on different shaving soaps and cream also. Bit hard to get this kind of stuff where I live though (Bangkok). Will see what the upscale shopping mall has to offer next week.

 

[Mick]

Bit hard to get this kind of stuff where I live though (Bangkok).

Look for some of the English products like Trumper's or D.R. Harris. They might be available in some of the larger shops.

Your profile does not say where you are located. You might want to update this so that you can receive better (more location centered) help from other members.

To update your location profile:

1) Click Settings at the top of the page
2) On the left sidebar under My Settings click Edit Profile
3) Scroll down and enter a general location (how specific you want to get is up to you)

 

[Gunzon]

OK, worked on my technique, used a much lighter touch, and tried a shaving cream also. Results were as follows:

1. Haslinger shaving soap: pretty bad razor burn, some friction during the shace, ok shave
2. Gatsby shaving gel: no razor burn or irritation at all, no friction, ok shave
3. The body shop maca root shaving cream: razor burn (not as bad as the soap), a lot of friction, very close shave

So summing this up what seems to work really is the shaving gel. Good thing about it is even though it doesn't give much of a close shave I can do more passes with it without causing razor burn. Seems like I will stick with the gel. Doesn't seem as cool as soap or cream but it does work for my razor burn issue.

 

[Codfish]

OK, worked on my technique, used a much lighter touch, and tried a shaving cream also. Results were as follows:

1. Haslinger shaving soap: pretty bad razor burn, some friction during the shace, ok shave
2. Gatsby shaving gel: no razor burn or irritation at all, no friction, ok shave
3. The body shop maca root shaving cream: razor burn (not as bad as the soap), a lot of friction, very close shave

So summing this up what seems to work really is the shaving gel. Good thing about it is even though it doesn't give much of a close shave I can do more passes with it without causing razor burn. Seems like I will stick with the gel. Doesn't seem as cool as soap or cream but it does work for my razor burn issue.

Congratulations! Changing one variable at a time is the best approach to sorting out any shaving problem. Good work!