Ouch, My Face!

[futurman]

Hello all! I have been using my straight razor for the last 8 days. I shaved the first 5 times just my cheeks, and the last few times I ventured onto my neck and lip. I am not going to mess with the chin for a while! My problem is, is that my face really burns after I apply the aftershave, and hurts for some time after. Basically a bad case of razor burn. I keep the spine of the razor pretty close to my skin so as not to have too steep of an angle. I got the razor as shave ready and it seems to cut hairs pretty well, just pretty tough to get it through the thicker hair like my sideburns. I use Musgo Real with the lanolin, but I have also used other soaps and creams with lanolin and have never had this issue. Any ideas? I am in Iraq, so my options are limited, but I can buy a hone set I guess and get some sandpaper from work if need be. Other than that, I have enjoyed using the razor very much and it is the highlight of my day. A real treat to relax to each evening after a long day!

Edit: I have been using an electric for the last three months, would this just be my face getting used to a blade again?

 

[ouch]

That's what.....

 

[rabidpotatochip]

That's what.....

... Ouch said?

 

[SavantStrike]

Hello all! I have been using my straight razor for the last 8 days. I shaved the first 5 times just my cheeks, and the last few times I ventured onto my neck and lip. I am not going to mess with the chin for a while! My problem is, is that my face really burns after I apply the aftershave, and hurts for some time after. Basically a bad case of razor burn. I keep the spine of the razor pretty close to my skin so as not to have too steep of an angle. I got the razor as shave ready and it seems to cut hairs pretty well, just pretty tough to get it through the thicker hair like my sideburns. I use Musgo Real with the lanolin, but I have also used other soaps and creams with lanolin and have never had this issue. Any ideas? I am in Iraq, so my options are limited, but I can buy a hone set I guess and get some sandpaper from work if need be. Other than that, I have enjoyed using the razor very much and it is the highlight of my day. A real treat to relax to each evening after a long day!

Edit: I have been using an electric for the last three months, would this just be my face getting used to a blade again?

An electric

Well what is your prep like? Maybe we could offer some pointers there.

As for the razor, it sounds like if it isn't completely shave ready, it's pretty darn close (but my bet is that it's perfectly shave ready). Believe me, even the sharpest razor feels dull when you're just starting out (and I'm not that far along either so I know the feeling ). The best thing you can do right now is probably stick with it, as the more your technique improves and your face adjusts, the easier it will get and the more comfortable will be.
You might want to also want to try some .50 micron chromium oxide. It's cheap, and light, so as long as you can get mail you should be able to get it without any problems. Chrisl sells it in little packets that you can mix with light oil and apply to a strop or to a piece of wood. A few passes on it might get your razor a bit sharper,too many though will cause problems.

 

[Laser]

Make sure you're using really light pressure.

 

[RocketMan]

I have a hard time with most after shaves. Certainly the ones with alcohol bug me a lot and burn like h*ll on my skin. Other products do as well - even the Truefitt balms don't sit well. Perhaps you should avoid the after shave. Just rinse with hot then cold water and leave it au natural! You can try it for a couple of days, may help a lot. May not.

 

[futurman]

That was my line, not yours Ouch!!! I used an electric for convenience, I didn't want to bring my nice DE's out here. I got tired of the buzzer so I jumped into straight. I soak my face with a hot washcloth for two minutes and then use the cream for lather. I shave right after my shower, too. I have a filly strop with the cro on the back, so Ill try that maybe. I think I will just keep on with it and see what happens.

 

[netsurfr]

Some strokes on the CrO may help bring your razor back if it is close. Make sure you use very light pressure as others have stated. This is a beard reduction process not a one pass beard elimination game. I also have a hard time with aftershaves. I only use an aftershave balm.

 

[SavantStrike]

That was my line, not yours Ouch!!! I used an electric for convenience, I didn't want to bring my nice DE's out here. I got tired of the buzzer so I jumped into straight. I soak my face with a hot washcloth for two minutes and then use the cream for lather. I shave right after my shower, too. I have a filly strop with the cro on the back, so Ill try that maybe. I think I will just keep on with it and see what happens.

It sounds like you've got the prep covered. I think what you need most is time at this point. Some say you could do the towel before the shower but that would make things take longer for you, and frankly I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make. I think what you've experiencing now is just the newness factor with a straight, but it's a good sign, it means in time you'll get better results!

 

[futurman]

The DE learning curve was much shorter! I am just going to stick with it and every couple of weeks, take a minute or two to reflect on my progress and see how things are coming along. Thank you everyone!

 

[Antique Hoosier]

The DE learning curve was much shorter! I am just going to stick with it and every couple of weeks, take a minute or two to reflect on my progress and see how things are coming along. Thank you everyone!

It is worth it. Good job so far!

 

[futurman]

After a couple more shaves, I have noticed that the burning is going away more and more. I chalk this one up to learning curve!

 

[SavantStrike]

After a couple more shaves, I have noticed that the burning is going away more and more. I chalk this one up to learning curve!

It sounds like you're right on track then!

You'll probably still want that chromium oxide or some diamond paste though FTR. I found after about 10-12 shaves I needed to hit some paste to get things moving again and then things were awesome again.

 

[CraigJ]

Light touch. Don't go BBS on your first pass. Just try to make it smoother than it was. Play with the angle a bit also, you will find what works for you.

 

[olafurson]

I think my face hurt like that the first 20 times I straight razor shaved...

 

[futurman]

Things are going well with the shaves! I started stropping more before shaving, around 75 strokes. Seems to be working well, and im barely getting irritation now. Thanks everyone!

 

[tg16]

The letter arrived and she was excited about it. It had a stamp that said Marine Post Office. Thanks.

 

[futurman]

Sounds good! Thank you again for everything.