Newbie DE Razor user Question

[Wayne0]

After only a few shaves, I have come to the conclusion that I have soft sensitive skin. The problem is that I have a very COURSE beard. There is not a lot of thickness there, but what is there are as tough as nails. The only blade that seems to get me a close shave without weepers or cuts is the Personna. I will be ordering the aggressive razor sample from Razor Emporium this week. I can't wait to try the Feather blades!!

I want to buy a bundle from Prorasa. My problem is I can't decide which one. Should I get the White Sensitive or the Red one for tough beards?

Thank you so much for your help, in advance.

 

[Happy Jack]

I think the white Proraso is intended to not irritate your skin, rather than prevent irritation from shaving. I may be wrong about that, and no doubt someone will correct me if I am.

The red smells nicer and probably gives a better shave.

Conventional wisdom is that fewer passes with a more aggressive razor are likely to be less irritating to your skin than repeatedly scraping the same spot trying to get a close shave.

Good luck with your DE journey.

 

[Ron R]

A few suggestions would be Beard map whisker direction so you shave what is most comfortable for you, not every one can shave against the grain(ATG). 2 to 3 day growth looking in the mirror will let you know the grain direction growth. Beard mapping will help any person with what ever shaving system they use.
When shaving slight skin tension will help cut the whiskers, some folks will buff the cheeks or use their fingers to gently pull the skin tighter and also a pre-shave will hydrate or soften the whiskers for easier.
I use CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a synthetic brush to wash my whole face as a pre- shave and I enjoy this method much more then a face wash cloth because there are more whiskers whipping the dirt and face oils for my skin & hydrating my whiskers for easier slicing along with a synthetic brush because it dries faster than a wash cloth creating no mildew smell. I have been doing this method for years. ( print a beard map off if it helps you )

Have some great shaves!

 

[Wayne0]

@Happy Jack You are thinking exactly the way I am! (Uh Oh, could be trouble for you, lol). The sharpest blade (Personna) did the best overall so far. I am going to give the Astra Green another go though.

 

[Medivh]

If you want to try sharp blades, then I suggest you to try Nacet, Perma-Sharp, Feather, KAI and BIC Chrome Platinum. I assume you're talking about the Proraso soaps? Both white and red are good options, but they are average at best and at their price point ($10-$12), you can buy a Stirling soap for around $15 and not only you get a better scent, but also a much better quality soap, which performs above average.

I wish I had access to that many quality and inexpensive soaps like you guys in the US and Canada have. I wouldn't even bother trying anything else, except for Arko of course! Arko will always be the king of soaps .

 

[Eben Stone]

Do you shower before shaving? If not, you should, or consider using preshave. I use the Proraso red. For me, it works better than taking a shower before shaving.

In my experience, it makes a small but noticeable improvement in the quality of the shave.

I use a hot towel for 2 minutes, then put 1-2 almonds worth on my skin for a few minutes while I make lather, then rinse it off before lathering. I rinse it off because all my soaps are slicker than the preshave. If I didn't have super slick soaps I might consider lathering over it.

FYI: A lot of members here seem to indicate preshave doesn't make any noticeable improvement for them, so please keep that it mind, YMMV.

 

[njpaddy]

For some reason, Feathers are too sharp and unforgiving for me. Maybe it's my prep of several G&T's before shaving, but it's easier to just use a more forgiving blade.

Showering beforehand may work for some, but for me it's always been a quick face wash. Been shaving since the 1960s with injectors, carts and DE's, but for whatever reason, I never could get a decent shave after a shower. For me, it's shave before shower.

 

[RayClem]

Like you, I have a coarse beard and sensitive skin. Proraso Red was one of the first soaps I ever used when I started wet shaving about six years ago. It did not work well for me. I have spent a lot of years and a lot of money evaluating soaps looking for those that do work well. I now have a collection of over 220 soaps representing about 110 formulas. I can get a great shaving using about 1/3 of the soaps in my collection. If you are set on using a traditional soap, the two I recommend are Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac.

Proraso is suitable for many shavers, but if what you say is true about your beard and face, it is not likely to work for you. Rather than spending money on a preshave, soap and postshave splash or balm, I have found that a great soap can take the place of all three for similar cost.

 

[SCh5]

Teach yourself to shave with
cold - up to freaking cold - water.
Experience will accumulate ,
whether you try lots of different blades ( which you should ) or
stay with just a specific one.
Same goes for razors and soaps ,etc.
But no matter which blade(s) you will eventually choose ,or
if you end up with an aggressive razor and a steep curve of learning to use it ,
or this artisan “crème de la crème “ soap ...

Cold water .
From start to finish , for
everything ( prep,lathering,
shaving,razor rinsing ,face rinsing and final splash or a
30 sec “soaking” .

Trust me !
Otherwise ,just give it a go .

 

[86-foxtrot]

You just have to experiment and see what works. I have a very dense and coarse beard with sensitive skin. I have tried a lot of different razors. For me, I like a very aggressive razor with a sharp blade (Kai Japanese steel blades). I use the Ikon Tech which is very unforgiving of bad technique.

But it works for my very coarse beard and minimizes irritation. I started off my wetshaving journey years ago with a Merkur 180 long handle razor (very mild). It gave me poor shaves. Your results are likely to differ. You just have to see what works and doesn't.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Your whiskers may be tough, but they will soften a lot if you get them hydrated before shaving. It may take a couple of minutes for the water to soak in to the whiskers. Some kind of soap will help speed this up. It can be dedicated pre-shave soap, or just plain glycerin soap, or even Noxzema. Just experiment a bit

Proraso shave soaps are decent, but you can do better for the same money. I like the Red, if it is on sale around $5 that is a reasonable price. Try something like Haslinger Schafmilch would be my suggestion.

 

[GruncleIroh]

I had a similar problem.
Now I take a hot shower before the shave to soften my whiskers and use proraso red or noxzema preshave to help the blade glide.
I even managed to have a pleasant ATG once I learnt that going XTG both directions leaves even less for the last pass, hence making it easier.
Of course razor/blade combo is key but technique is what made the trick for me.

 

[JaggardJ]

There's a section under my chin that I'm sure can peel tomatoes with a two day growth!

I became a 'sharp blade in a mild razor' user. I used nacets in either a tech (English flat bottom), or later in a DS cosmetic S9 (like a game changer .84).
This allowed mostly irritation free shaving.
One thing you didn't mention: how frequently are you shaving?

 

[Invicta]

The only blade that seems to get me a close shave without weepers or cuts is the Personna. I will be ordering the aggressive razor sample from Razor Emporium this week. I can't wait to try the Feather blades!!

I want to buy a bundle from Prorasa. My problem is I can't decide which one. Should I get the White Sensitive or the Red one for tough beards?

Weepers, nicks and cuts points to a technique issue not necessarily a blade or razor problem. Good preparation and correct blade angle should give you better shaves. Have a look at this; Blade Angle | Badger & Blade & Lathering | Badger & Blade

Either Proraso soap is good if you work the lather into the stubble. At least two minutes of lathering will get that stubble prepared; go with the Proraso sensitive (white) if you feel that is an issue.

Do try different blades as they are one of the subjective variables. An aggressive razor blade will not fix poor technique but exacerbate it.
A good blend of sharpness and smoothness is what you need. Gillette Platinum, Gillette Silver Blue, Nacet, Astra SP, 7 O'Clock SharpEdge are some you should try.

 

[BigJ]

Excellent suggestions above!

I suggest you focus on:
1. Your prep. IMO the key to ‘traditional wet’ shaving is to assure your beard in really well hydrated.
2. Finding an optimal razor/blade combination. For me that means trying plenty of blades, including GSB, Nacet, Polsilver SI in addition to the ones listed already.
3. Establishing your technique, especially NO pressure and maintaining an optimal blade angle.

Stick with this and you will get the results you want!

 

[Berwick12]

I have the same issue, sensitive skin and coarse beard, and I'll 2nd @Eben Stone. Shower first if you can, if you can't, hot towel. Also what @Ron R said, not everyone can go ATG. Get both soaps, you'll eventually us them, I have used the red and like it. What is your razor? Weepers could be caused by technique and not necessarily the blade if you are new as I was last year. Use a mild razor with a sharp blade, you won't get baby but smooth but you also won't cut your face as much. Feather and nacet are super sharp. Kai is too but a fraction of an inch wider which caused irritation for me. Gain angle and technique that works for you then expand. Change ONE element at a time to figure out what works better. Blade, brush, razor, soap. Big changes don't narrow down the exact contributor or detractor.