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- #161
One of year of wet shaving under the belt and I still have horrible irritation...
- Thread starter SullyInATX
- Start date
If P&G thought there was money to be made in DE razors they would have produced a reasonable razor by now. They want everyone on the cartridges.
Pal, I remember the start of the thread and I still have to repeat the following advice. Stick to the basics. Good soap, loads of water in between passes and proper technique. I wish you the most enjoyable future shaves, I'm sure you'll eventually get there. Have you seen any improvement the past couple of months?
P.S. Lucky Tiger Bay Rum may be the answer to all our problems, I really love that stuff.
P.S. Lucky Tiger Bay Rum may be the answer to all our problems, I really love that stuff.
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- #164
Yes, I've definitely seen improvement for the majority of my face. The two problem areas on the neck I'm not sure I'll ever be able to tackle. I've only hit them ATG 3-4 times over the past 6 months or so without much bleeding irritation. Still not giving up though. The worst soap/cream I've used (although I loved the scent) was the T&H West Indian Limes shave cream. $40 a tub and I had 2. Ended up gifting them. Right now I have Proraso white in the tube (which I purchased for head shaving), PAA Gondolier (my current favorite), B&M Seville and two that I haven't used yet- Pre de Provence 63 and TobS Sandalwood. I've heard good things about the Lucky Tiger Bay Rum, just not keen on the scent. My father used to use some sort of bay rum AS and I wasn't a fan. I've been using the Proraso green as/lotion but I also have Nivea sensitive and Stirling unscented with menthol balm.
Aaah but you see Lucky Tiger Bay Rum smells like no other Bay Rum out there. It's very different and the scent goes away shortly so that you can apply cologne after you've had your coffee (I feel like a LT salesman now). As for the neck area it's still a problem for me also. Most of the times now I get away with a nice clean, irritation free shave, but if I go ATG on the neck for two days in a row I'll get redness all over. I like to rub my fingers on my neck before I shave, if it feels a tad bit uncomfortable I shave cautiously, if it feels properly healed and rested I go for a bbs.
I think that you can (and do) grow more tolerant skin, since that's how skin works, as long as you allow it to heal and recuperate properly. If you keep shaving over irritated skin it will become more and more irritable.
I can't go ATG as you. My hair is too thick for ATG. It would create a lot of irritation. My skin is more important than my shave 
. 2 WTG 1 XTG is all I need to have a decent shave that doesn't produce irritation, nicks or in-grown hair. I can also get a good close shaves with multi-blade cartridges but it would give me in-grown hair.
I have settle with a lather that is more watery to get better lubrication, no pressure and an angle base on the feedback I get from the razor (around 30 degrees): when I get feedback with certain angle I stop creating wider angle between the skin and the handle. My razor is not aggressive at all: a D89.
It is rather an enjoyable experience in the morning at this point. I can tell you that I never get burns or nicks at this point because I use AS splash.
I used to get irritation, nicks and bumps all the time until I figured out the technique and the tricks that works for me.
. 2 WTG 1 XTG is all I need to have a decent shave that doesn't produce irritation, nicks or in-grown hair. I can also get a good close shaves with multi-blade cartridges but it would give me in-grown hair.I have settle with a lather that is more watery to get better lubrication, no pressure and an angle base on the feedback I get from the razor (around 30 degrees): when I get feedback with certain angle I stop creating wider angle between the skin and the handle. My razor is not aggressive at all: a D89.
It is rather an enjoyable experience in the morning at this point. I can tell you that I never get burns or nicks at this point because I use AS splash
.I used to get irritation, nicks and bumps all the time until I figured out the technique and the tricks that works for me.
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- #167
Hey all! Hope you've been well. Been trying a few new soaps, aftershaves and brushes. The Rockwell 6C has come out of it's box and I've decided to give it an actual go. Looking to pick up another razor and would like some recommendations. Keep in mind I rarely go ATG/XTG on the problem areas of my neck so the aggressiveness/efficiency probably doesn't matter. I was looking into a Gillette Super Speed from Razor Enporium but have no idea which one to buy. I don't use EBay so this is probably one of my only options.
Hello, let me start by saying I have not read all the responses so If I repeat what someone has already said sorry. Your pre shave and post shave routine is extensive, my face would get irritated if I tried all that. Try simplifying it; shower, good lather, shave and some witch hazel to finish up. Sometimes less is better. YMMV
Also worth trying: shave without showering beforehand. That works much better for me.
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- #170
Somewhere in this thread I mentioned that I changed my pre/post shave routines. I don't shower first. I do a cold water facial cleansing, pre-shave oil, lather with some distilled water, 2-3 pass shave, cold water rinse and AS. I've really been enjoying the Proraso Green ASB/lotion and Barrister and Man Reserve classic. I'll use an alum block once a week or so just to test my shaves. Only thing I could remove to simplify it even more is the preshave oil but I find that it makes a noticeable difference in my shave considering I'm not fully hydrating it in the shower beforehand.
Just read all the way through this and hoped you wouldn't mind me adding my 2p's worth
When I enquired about pre shave oil on here the response was very much luke warm so I didn't bother in the end. What I did do was something I read elsewhere. When in the shower I rub in an extra squirt of my hair shampoo (no conditioner) on my face and leave it there, rinsing off at end of shower. Beard hair feels so much softer before I even get to lathering up face.
The article I read claimed that shampoo actually damages the outer layer of the hair and thus allows a greater volume of water to be absobed into it (conditioner does the opposite). Dunno if this is true or pseudo science BS but it definitely helped me out.
One other observation I made, which might be a "well durr" thing for those more experienced, is to not start shaving at the edge of beard growth - only leads to tugging. By starting a little way back on hairless skin, where possible, the razor gets a little bit of momentum going for when it hits the spikey stuff and cuts more easily
A final snippet comes from a dermatologist friend who was aghast and dismayed at the discovery I was using a facial scrub to exfoliate every day before shaving. Once or twice a week was their advice or even drop it altogether and just let the brush do it
When I enquired about pre shave oil on here the response was very much luke warm so I didn't bother in the end. What I did do was something I read elsewhere. When in the shower I rub in an extra squirt of my hair shampoo (no conditioner) on my face and leave it there, rinsing off at end of shower. Beard hair feels so much softer before I even get to lathering up face.
The article I read claimed that shampoo actually damages the outer layer of the hair and thus allows a greater volume of water to be absobed into it (conditioner does the opposite). Dunno if this is true or pseudo science BS but it definitely helped me out.
One other observation I made, which might be a "well durr" thing for those more experienced, is to not start shaving at the edge of beard growth - only leads to tugging. By starting a little way back on hairless skin, where possible, the razor gets a little bit of momentum going for when it hits the spikey stuff and cuts more easily
A final snippet comes from a dermatologist friend who was aghast and dismayed at the discovery I was using a facial scrub to exfoliate every day before shaving. Once or twice a week was their advice or even drop it altogether and just let the brush do it
Oh, and re: alum block. Do you apply it and leave it or rinse off?
I really like using alum but if I don't rinse it off it causes significant irritation
I really like using alum but if I don't rinse it off it causes significant irritation
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- #173
My shaves are much less irritation prone now that I don't fully hydrate my facial hair in the shower beforehand. I find I get better shaves with hair that isn't fully softened. I also start my strokes a little before the hair growth as it does make a difference in the smoothness of the pass to me. I was using my exfoliator every other day and finally I cut it out (for the most part) all together. I have combination oily/dry skin. I really now only use it when I see visible signs of dry skin. As far as the alum block goes, when I use it (which is rarely, although when I shave my dome I use it every time) I apply it, let it sit for 15-30 seconds and then rinse it off, dry then put on my AS or balm.
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- #174
Anyway, about a new razor. Kind of want to buy the AS-D2 again and give it more than one shave before returning it. Wouldn't mind trying a slant (37c?). Would like to try a vintage but I don't use eBay. I found razoremporium.com and they have a wide selection of refinished vintage Gillettes but I don't know what to try. There are so many options.
You could try the BST here.
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- #176
I still wouldn't know what to try! There are so many vintage razors that get great reviews.
You'll never learn to use any razor in only one shave...
Thats one reason why so many people have stated in this thread to pick one set of tools, use them and learn them, changing only one thing at a time.
You're really chasing your tail around.
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- #178
I haven't used anything besides the 34c for a couple months now. I used the AS-D2 once and 6C once. That's why I feel I can start trying some different razors. Technique is down finally.
- Thread starter
- #179
Just had a great shave with the Rockwell 6C/#3 baseplate, a feather blade, Semogue OC Badger, Reef Point Soaps Earl Grey and Ginger and Barrister and Mann Reserve Classic AS. 2 small weepers on my lower neck but I haven't shaved with a feather in a very long time and the Rockwell only twice. I guess my technique all around just needed a bit of improving. Now on to the hunt for a few new razors. Suggestions?
Apologies if this has been discussed, I haven't read the entire thread. I see you're using the B&M Reserve soap, this is on my shelf awaiting it's turn. Might I suggest Mitchell's Wool Fat?
I'm conducting an experiment at the moment to discern whether Lanolin is the factor which has most reduced irritation in my shave and so far indications are that this is a big factor. In the next week I'll be experimenting with B&M Reserve also, so maybe I can give you a more direct correlation then, but the Fat is quite an inexpensive experiment, so why not?
It seems that a few days of use produces a progressively better result, something to do with the protective effects of Lanolin being cumulative I expect.
I'm conducting an experiment at the moment to discern whether Lanolin is the factor which has most reduced irritation in my shave and so far indications are that this is a big factor. In the next week I'll be experimenting with B&M Reserve also, so maybe I can give you a more direct correlation then, but the Fat is quite an inexpensive experiment, so why not?
It seems that a few days of use produces a progressively better result, something to do with the protective effects of Lanolin being cumulative I expect.
