What's new

New Member Check In

Hello,

I'm a new member from the mid-Atlantic seaboard.

I've been using a cartridge blade ever since I was a pup, some 40 or so years ago, usually mindlessly adopting Gillette's current flavor. A few years back, I inherited a bunch of 3-blade cartridge razors from my dad and found they were smoother and more comfortable than the 5-blade Fusion or whatever it was called that I had been using. When the extra cartridges began to run out I realized there was no name on them. Same for the handle. My dad was, shall we say, thrifty and I should have known that these blades of his would not be name brand. (He was a sailor who poured all disposable income into a hole in the water!! Once when he was visiting and forgot his toothbrush I gave him a brand new super-duper $5 brush with all the bells and whistles. Always looking to repay a favor, when next I saw him he gave me a three-for- $.79 generic and didn't bat an eye. But I digress.)

After doing some digging I stumbled on this forum and a couple others. Turns out I had a Personna Match 3. I got some refills off eBay (24 for $12). Then I figured the name brand original might be better, or at least have some decent handles I could acquire, so I "reverse engineered" to the name brand Gillette Mach 3. I scoured the internet until I found what I felt was a decent deal on a stock of cartridges (20 for $28).

Next, my father-in-law had been giving all of us sons-in-law a bottle of Nivea sensitive skin after shave balm every year for Christmas. I just put them on the shelf. Never really saw the need and wasn't sure what he was talking about when he said it would help keep our faces looking young. None of us used it, and when he caught wind of that the gifting magically stopped. Turns out I'd been looking a gift horse in the mouth (whatever that means).

Recently, I figured I try it. Lo and behold, I liked it. Smelled nice, not too strong, usually no sting, just sort of moisturizing. Not that I had a dried out face to begin with, but it was pleasant. About the same time, my new Mach 3 "colossal" handle arrived from the good doctor in Germany.

And here's where things begin to turn weird...
 
Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.
 
Picking up where I left off.

I start to get some razor burn on my neck. I've never had razor burn. It continues for a couple days and gets pretty bad, at least for me. Bumps, red bumps. I couldn't believe it. And a prickly feeling. I had to look really closely in the mirror before I was sure whether it was bumps. Sho' nuf, there they were.

I decided to take a couple days off, change blade, and try again. But, after skipping only one day, I get to work only to see that my schedule has changed and I have a meeting. So, I pull out my work razor, Matrix 3, and my standard "Edge" gel (no balm) and head to the men's room. Worst shave of my life. Nicks all over my neck. Actual blood. Now I realize that shave was under pretty bad circumstances, but I just can't believe I'm having this trouble all of a sudden.

I dig deeper into the forums and become fully engrossed. I learn about face mapping and realize I've been assuming some grain patterns that aren't correct. I learn about beard reduction passes, soaps, creams, brushes, alum, astringents and traditional razors. Could it be time for me to explore DE shaving? A brush and some artisan creams couldn't hurt, right? Doesn't mean I have to give up my cartridge shaver.

I decide I'm probably pushing too hard. I buy a couple different cans of shave cream, including Nivea sensitive gel, which it turns out I LOVE! I realize I've changed two or three variables at once, the razor and the balm and maybe the shave cream too. So I take a step back, let a couple of days growth happen and start over with a new Mach 3 blade, Nivea gel, and careful attention (although I've never needed to pay attention in the past). That was Saturday. So far, so good. I'll report back when (if) I get to the bottom of this.

In the meantime, Feather (w/stand), blade sampler, a soap and a couple of tube creams, a little Snake-Bite, and a butterscotch RR 400 re-do with synthetic knot are on the way!! Not that I have to use them any time soon. I mean I can just put them in the cabinet for a rainy day, right? :biggrin:
 
Welcome to B&B. Start using them when you have plenty of time to shave so that you can discover the joy of shaving.
 
Top Bottom