Hello and good morning to all,
First I would like to say thank you to everyone for all of the advice posted here, several times I have been ready to post a question only to search the forums and find the answer already posted.
I have been wet shaving now for about three weeks. I am using a Merkur Futur razor and blades. I started off with the Proraso cream, pre-shave and lotion. I already owned a Crabtree & Evelyn (CE) brush from years past when I was still using a multi blade razor. Since then I have obtained CE almond oil cream and an assortment of Trumper products (thanks for the tip to someone on asking for samples).
My first shave was a thing of trepidation; imagine that sharp blade so close without the comfort of a preset angle and ease of a multi-blade. But I had a smile on my face the whole day and was amazed at the closeness of that shave. At 10:00 am my face felt like it used to at 6:00 am post shave, by 5:00 pm it was like midday used to be. Amazing, and to think I was paying ~$3.50 a blade for that privilege.
That was great for about 3-days then I thought I was doing so great that I set the razor to 2. Oops, mistake, my face developed very small red marks on the skin and multiple cuts. Okay so back to 1 and then after a week I was able to shave my cheeks against the grain for an even better shave. That was going so well, that I tried shaving my neck against the grain, a huge no-no for me normally. First couple days were great, same smoothness on my neck as my face, something I have never had since I started shaving (Im 47 you do the math). Then on day 3 or 4, I developed some irritation from the collar of my shirt right at the neck line. It was about this time the Trumper samples showed up so I started using the skin food (I think I like the lime better) with good results.
But now, I have an irritation that does not want to go away. I think I will try backing off on the pressure on my neck and not shaving against the grain there for a week or so to see if that helps.
Sorry, for the long winded post but I really appreciate all the freely shared knowledge here and advice. It is great to have an outstanding shave during the day; I feel like I stand a little taller and hold my head up when I do. Isnt it amazing that a good shave can do that for you.
First I would like to say thank you to everyone for all of the advice posted here, several times I have been ready to post a question only to search the forums and find the answer already posted.
I have been wet shaving now for about three weeks. I am using a Merkur Futur razor and blades. I started off with the Proraso cream, pre-shave and lotion. I already owned a Crabtree & Evelyn (CE) brush from years past when I was still using a multi blade razor. Since then I have obtained CE almond oil cream and an assortment of Trumper products (thanks for the tip to someone on asking for samples).
My first shave was a thing of trepidation; imagine that sharp blade so close without the comfort of a preset angle and ease of a multi-blade. But I had a smile on my face the whole day and was amazed at the closeness of that shave. At 10:00 am my face felt like it used to at 6:00 am post shave, by 5:00 pm it was like midday used to be. Amazing, and to think I was paying ~$3.50 a blade for that privilege.
That was great for about 3-days then I thought I was doing so great that I set the razor to 2. Oops, mistake, my face developed very small red marks on the skin and multiple cuts. Okay so back to 1 and then after a week I was able to shave my cheeks against the grain for an even better shave. That was going so well, that I tried shaving my neck against the grain, a huge no-no for me normally. First couple days were great, same smoothness on my neck as my face, something I have never had since I started shaving (Im 47 you do the math). Then on day 3 or 4, I developed some irritation from the collar of my shirt right at the neck line. It was about this time the Trumper samples showed up so I started using the skin food (I think I like the lime better) with good results.
But now, I have an irritation that does not want to go away. I think I will try backing off on the pressure on my neck and not shaving against the grain there for a week or so to see if that helps.
Sorry, for the long winded post but I really appreciate all the freely shared knowledge here and advice. It is great to have an outstanding shave during the day; I feel like I stand a little taller and hold my head up when I do. Isnt it amazing that a good shave can do that for you.