Rough shave last night

[onadraw]

I've been getting good shaves the last couple weeks. I'm new to DE Wet shaves but I thought I had it kinda figured out. I've been using a Merkur Progress, SuperSpeed, or Ball end Tech with Proraso cream and tried a few different blades.

Last night, I tried Trumpers Violet cream for the first time. Everything else, last night was stuff I have used with success. Tech with Astra SS blade.

Anyway, No cuts or bleeding. I was really trying to practice using NO pressure and was focused on No pressure.

I got severe razor burn. Now, I know in an earlier post, I said I kinda liked the burn but I didn't like this burn.

I didn't feel the burn as I was shaving but when I splashed on Witch Hazel, I saw stars and the burn did not go away after Nivea balm. 24 hours later, my face still hurts if I rub my hand on it. I'm not going to shave tonight to let it rest.

I made what I thought was good lather but in retrospect, I wonder If I used too much water and maybe it was too thin. Just a thought.

From you experienced guys, what do you think I did to cause this razor burn.

 

[Luc]

I'm thinking that you might be allergic to the shaving cream or you might need more work on your prep (if we discard the lather).

 

[onadraw]

I'm thinking that you might be allergic to the shaving cream or you might need more work on your prep (if we discard the lather).

Possible. I am not prone to allergic reactions normally and wouldn't say that I have sensitive skin. Still I don't know what happened so this could be it.

Yesterday it was Hot shower, Proraso shave cream for a preshave after the shower. Then, Trumpers Violet. 1 pass WTG, 1 pass XTG and then a bit of touch up. It was a very close shave all over but TONS of burn.

 

[DE Shaver]

Can you describe the consistency of the lather? Is it thick or thin? Does is feel like you're dragging your razor through? Does it feel wet? I bet your lather is off and that's throwing off your shave.

 

[bran]

I would be suspect of the cream if that was the only difference. I assume your angle and pressure was proper? I too had a rough shave earlier this past week. The guys on B&B are great at encouraging us newer DE shavers through.

 

[onadraw]

Can you describe the consistency of the lather? Is it thick or thin? Does is feel like you're dragging your razor through? Does it feel wet? I bet your lather is off and that's throwing off your shave.

Being relatively inexperienced, I'm not sure of a accurate description. In retrospect, I was thinking I used too much water as I was mixing in the bowl. At that point it was somewhat thinner/wetter than what I had been making with Proraso. As I applied it to my face it built up well so I thought it was good.

 

[Luc]

Being relatively inexperienced, I'm not sure of a accurate description. In retrospect, I was thinking I used too much water as I was mixing in the bowl. At that point it was somewhat thinner/wetter than what I had been making with Proraso. As I applied it to my face it built up well so I thought it was good.

Can you post a picture?

 

[onadraw]

Can you post a picture?

Sorry, don't have the means to post a pic right now.

 

[Luc]

Sorry, don't have the means to post a pic right now.

If you look at the tutorials, is it similar? http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers

 

[onadraw]

It looked somewhat wetter than this in the bowl but the lather built up a bit when I applied it to my face. Overall, the lather was a little bit thinner on my face than the final pic from the tutorial.

 

[Luc]

Mmm, without pictures, it can be a bit difficult to find but it sounds like you didn't use enough water. GFT usually produce a lot of lather.

How much product did you use?

 

[salisburyyates]

This sounds like what I went through with KMF Lavender shave cream. Throughout the shave there wasn't really a noticeable discomfort, but afterward my neck was red in a way that could only have been an allergic reaction.

 

[onadraw]

Mmm, without pictures, it can be a bit difficult to find but it sounds like you didn't use enough water. GFT usually produce a lot of lather.

How much product did you use?

I used about the same amount as I do when I use Proraso. Like if you squeezed out a line of Proraso about 1 inch.

 

[Luc]

I used about the same amount as I do when I use Proraso. Like if you squeezed out a line of Proraso about 1 inch.

I had a similar problem with Cella. Try to use a bit more product next time.

 

[troy1979]

try one pass for a few weeks...........it takes time, be careful. don't worry about a BBS shave.

 

[BCatl]

I've got somewhat senstive skin, but a rather heavy beard. After shaving all week and applying AS splashes, I can also get some skin irritation, though not quite as bad as what you described.

I've found that Shave Secret works great as a post shave healing "balm". It does not work so great on me as a shaving oil however. So I use it as a balm. It's got clove oil in it which is an antiseptic and mild anesthetic. So I would advise you not use witch hazel after Trumpers Violet in particular since that seemed to be the trigger for you. Rinse face well, and then follow the directions on the Shave Secret bottle pretty much like you were going to shave with it, and see how it works. You would expect it to leave your skin oily looking, but it does not.

My 2 cents.

 

[closer]

I would be inclined to think that the reason is NOT the lather. If its slightly off, you should still be able to get at least an acceptable shave. Is it possible that you move the razor sideways, thus inducing micro-cuts? Otherwise, I would suspect an allergic reaction.

 

[onadraw]

Thanks for your thoughts, guys.

I've decided that I think it must have been a reaction from the combination of things applied to my face. I don't think it was razor burn because there was No part of my shaven face that was not hurting. I also don't blame any one product. I know that Trumpers is a top quality product.

It will be awhile before I use the Trumpers again but when I do, I will not use Proraso for pre-shave and I won't follow it with witch hazel. We will see how that goes.

For now, I'll use Proraso and practice technique.