Sensitive Skin Chronicles: A Wet Shave Journey.

[JHP]

I've used a number of electric shavers and cartridge razors over the years. Most recently I started using an electric to knock down the stubble and a Mach 3 in the shower with Dove body soap to finish my shave and make it halfway presentable for the day. I had ditched shaving cream in a can years before. I couldn't detect any difference between using the goop or not using it, so out it went. Shaving was never enjoyable, but always the least of 2 evils. Missing a day and having to shave 2 days of growth was always more uncomfortable for me.


This summer there was an article in the Wall Street Journal reviewing razors "In Search of a Perfect Shave". I never even considered that a straight was within my mortal abilities (I no longer think that), but the following sentence stuck in the back of my mind, "Multi-blade Cartridge Razors: The shave generally won't be as close as with a double-edge safety razor but better than one with a disposable razor."


Two weeks later I was standing in the supermarket buying another set of cartridges. I couldn't make myself spend $36 for 12 blades. The next day I was reading a blog review of the cartridges from Dollar Shave Club. Several readers had left comments that nothing beats a DE. I went straight to Amazon and searched for a Double Edge Safety Razor. There were good reviews of the Merkur 34C, but there were great reviews of the Edwin Jagger DE89. In the comments there were recommendations to get a sample pack of blades. I ordered both. I justified my purchase with thinking that it will save me money . . . but I think if I'm honest, it was more about conquering something that required some skill and ability.


While my razor was in transit I started searching for how to use it. I didn't find a lot. A few youtube videos, but everyone was using old-school brushes. My razor arrived, and thinking that I might need a mirror to keep my blade angle correct, I decided to shave at the sink instead of in the shower. I was still using Dove soap, and I continued that for a couple weeks. I still didn't know anything about passes, WTG, ATG, XTG. I just did what I had been doing with my cartridge, only there were a lot more nicks and blood.


I decided that shaving cream must be needed with a DE. Back to google. I stumbled upon a forum called Badger and Blade? I remember thinking, "I understand the blade, but why a badger?". I started reading about brushless shaving creams because making lather from soap sounded like such a bother. Things were getting desperate with the Dove Soap. My face needed some help. Nicks every day. I started reading more. After a few days of searching and reading the threads on B&B I order the following from BullGoose -


An Edwin Jagger Best Badger Brush
RazorRock Classic Cream Soap
RazorRock Artisan Boston Tea Party
Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap


The shipment was due to arrive Monday by USPS. I had a meeting late Monday afternoon. I decided to skip my shave in the morning so I could use my new soap. The mail is always here by noon. I arrived home at 2pm. No mail. I stalled for a few minutes. Finally it arrived. I dug in, grabbed the RazorRock Classic, rubbed my fingers on it, and rubbed that on my face. I figured, it's gotta be just as good as Dove, and I didn't have time to figure out the brush thing.


I shaved, walked out the door, and looked in the rearview mirror as I backed out of the driveway. My face was cherry read and burning up.


That night I made some practice lather with the Boston Tea Party. It seemed pretty good. The next morning - October 16th, 2012 - my wet shaving adventure began. Over the next few weeks I started devouring B&B. My cheeks were getting more and more raw.


Finally it was time to stop lurking. I registered for B&B October 7th so I could view some of the pictures. Things were getting desperate. I made my first post on November 19th titled "Sore/Itchy/Stiff Cheeks for my first month."


http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...hy-Stiff-Cheeks-for-my-first-month?highlight=


Since then, it's been a 3 steps forward and 2 steps back process. I've learned a lot and there's no going back, but I still have a lot to learn. I've decided it might be helpful to others if I chronicle my experience. I might not log every shave, but I intend to give regular updates on the things I've learned. Over the next couple weeks I'll fill in some of the blanks between my start in October until today.

Josh

 

[chado006]

Keep it up Josh, stay calm, lots of practice and enjoy the process!

 

[JHP]

Thanks regularfella. I'm trying out a few new brushes right now. I just got a VB 2-band. I think you have one on the way too.

I have a Semogue 830 and 620 in the post right now. We'll see how those pan out.

 

[cpcohen1945]

Is it possible that your face is allergic to the soap you're using? The test:

. . . One day, just lather, but don't shave.

If your face gets red, you know it's _not_ your shaving technique that's the problem.

Otherwise, just the standard advice:

. . . Use _no pressure_ on the razor.

The DE89 will shave OK with a sharp blade, and just the weight of the head. If you just think about squeegeeing the lather off your face, the beard will come with it.

I suspect that, with very light pressure, the edge of the blade rides over a thin lubricating layer of lather, and never actually touches the skin. That's what you want to aim for.

It does get better . . .

http://straightrazorplace.com/shaving-safety-razors/60802-am-i-missing-something-de-shaving.html

. Charles

PS -- getting good lather out of MWF can be difficult. Put a little water on the puck, a few minutes before you start making lather. If you google "mantic59 fat" you might find a Youtube video with other tricks.

 

[JHP]

Last Friday morning I was working really hard to make sure I had perfect blade angle and light pressure. The result? Great shave, but the worst razor burn I've had in weeks. I was completely stumped. I thought proper angle and light pressure are suppose to prevent razor burn. That evening I spent some time reading on the B&B and I think I've found the problem. I wanted to
maintain proper angle and pressure so badly that each time I got a little off, I backed up and did it again. Bad idea. In retrospect, between my 3 passes (WTG, XTG,XTG) and the million or so re-dos, I think I shaved each spot on my face 15 times. Most of them without shaving cream. This seems like an obvious mistake, but at the time I was focused on other issues. Can you rub your head and pat your tummy?

Lesson learned: Only shave a spot once on each pass, and only when covered with lather.

 

[JHP]

Is it possible that your face is allergic to the soap you're using? The test:

. . . One day, just lather, but don't shave.

If your face gets red, you know it's _not_ your shaving technique that's the problem.

Thanks Charles.

You ask a very good question. The answer is, for right now, I'm not sure. A few weeks ago I was concluding that I was allergic. I have done what you've described, and had mixed results. Even the mildest Cetaphyl moisturizer can sting my face at times, and I have successfully used that moisturizer for years.

I think my face is just really scraped up, but beginning to recover. The Mystic Waters Sensitive Skin formula soap is working great right now, so I'm just going with that while I work out my technique. Once things calm down I'm going to go back and do some experimenting with other soaps.

I intend to write about my experience with soaps sometime soon. It's been very interesting!

Thanks for your feedback!

Josh

 

[Deuce_AGR]

Josh,

A silly question, but one that maybe should be asked. Have you had a chance to take 3 or 4 days to let your face heal and properly map out your beard growth?

I found that in my case WTG wasn't truly N-S, and XTG wasn't truly E-W. By taking a few days off between shaves, I've been able to see exactly how my beard grows in different areas of my face, and adjust my strokes accordingly. Thanks be to Jnyboer for bringing this to my attention.

I've only been at the DE shaving game since the end of August myself, but paying attention to the grain of my beard has improved my shaves a thousand fold.

 

[celestino]

Josh, wow, what a journey. Why don't you get a simple artisan soap like Mike's or Mystic Water unscented as these will tend to cause less to no irritation and get yourself the best thing for burn/irritation, unrefined shea butter. You will not find anything better for your skin! Good luck.

 

[HUF]

Last Friday morning I was working really hard to make sure I had perfect blade angle and light pressure. The result? Great shave, but the worst razor burn I've had in weeks. I was completely stumped. I thought proper angle and light pressure are suppose to prevent razor burn. That evening I spent some time reading on the B&B and I think I've found the problem. I wanted to
maintain proper angle and pressure so badly that each time I got a little off, I backed up and did it again. Bad idea. In retrospect, between my 3 passes (WTG, XTG,XTG) and the million or so re-dos, I think I shaved each spot on my face 15 times. Most of them without shaving cream. This seems like an obvious mistake, but at the time I was focused on other issues. Can you rub your head and pat your tummy?

Lesson learned: Only shave a spot once on each pass, and only when covered with lather.

Try this when you have to go again over a creamless spot: wet that spot with cream or just water off the top of the cap of your razor. Usually rinsing the razor wets the cap enough to transfer that water to your cheek. Touching your cheek or the brush with top of the razor will have even a better result.

Another advice. I never shaved everyday. I usually shave once in every three-four days. Any off-schedule shave will result in razor burn and blood. I can tell right away if the shave is going to be comfortable by rubbing my face with my hand. If the sensation is unpleasant, I will wait for another day or half a day. So, figure out the best interval between shaves that works for you and stick to it.

 

[Nick Danger]

Josh:

I've got really sensitive skin too, and I ran into problems with razor burn and redness when I was starting out. I also started with an EJ DE89, and later moved on to a 34c (which I liked slightly better) and a vintage adjustable Slim, which was really great because it let me experiment with different settings until I find the one that felt right. Here are a few things I learned about my own sensitive skin:

1) Most scented creams didn't work for me. Unscented was best. Since the cream might be on your face for 20-30 minutes as you slowly work on your technique, the essential oils might be irritating your face.

2) Cold water shaving was a huge improvement for me. The hot towels, warm water rinses and warm lather made my face puffy and more prone to irritation.

3) Trying different blades helped. The Derby blades that came with my EJ DE89 were not kind to my face, and neither were some of the other brands (I'm looking at you, Red Personnas) that came with the first sampler I ordered. For me, Astra SP blades were great while I was learning. It might take a month or so before you find the right blade for you.

4) Switching to a better brush also helped a lot. I had a cheap pure badger brush that was too rough and did too much exfoliating of my skin. My face is much, much happier now that I've switched to a nice, soft silvertip badger brush.

Please keep us posted on your progress, and try not to get frustrated. I also felt like I was wasn't making a lot of progress at first. Now, I'm getting amazing shaves almost every time (and having way more fun that I ever did when shaving with a cartridge system.)

Nick

 

[JHP]

Josh, A silly question, but one that maybe should be asked. Have you had a chance to take 3 or 4 days to let your face heal and properly map out your beard growth?

Hi Deuce. Not a silly question. Thanks for the suggestion, and it's funny you should ask, because I finally got around to mapping my beard this past Saturday evening. The results are about 50/50. 50% of my beard grows north/south, and 50% grows in a contrary direction. I have 2 spots, and they cause me the most irritation, below the ends of my mouth, sort of in the transition area between my cheek and chin where my beard grows in what seems to be a swirl! They are about the size of a quarter and there are hairs growing in all directions. I haven't found a good way to shave these spots yet. Even if I get a completely comfortable shave (I have had a few!), these 2 spots are still a little irritated.

Try this when you have to go again over a creamless spot: wet that spot with cream or just water off the top of the cap of your razor. Usually rinsing the razor wets the cap enough to transfer that water to your cheek. Touching your cheek or the brush with top of the razor will have even a better result.

Thanks HUF. I'm learning that water is my friend!

Another advice. I never shaved everyday. I usually shave once in every three-four days. Any off-schedule shave will result in razor burn and blood. I can tell right away if the shave is going to be comfortable by rubbing my face with my hand. If the sensation is unpleasant, I will wait for another day or half a day. So, figure out the best interval between shaves that works for you and stick to it.

This just doesn't work for me . . . the 5 o'clock shadow look may work for some guys, but it isn't my thing. Recently, I've been shaving just WTG follow by 1 or 2 XTG passes with no ATG in order to allow my skin to recover a bit. Even with this, I have a pretty significant shadow going by evening. I've noticed that when doing this, my first WTG pass the next morning is much more difficult since there is more growth. On the days that I've had really close shaves, the first WTG pass the next morning is so much easier since there isn't as much stubble.

1) Most scented creams didn't work for me. Unscented was best. Since the cream might be on your face for 20-30 minutes as you slowly work on your technique, the essential oils might be irritating your face.


2) Cold water shaving was a huge improvement for me. The hot towels, warm water rinses and warm lather made my face puffy and more prone to irritation.


3) Trying different blades helped. The Derby blades that came with my EJ DE89 were not kind to my face, and neither were some of the other brands (I'm looking at you, Red Personnas) that came with the first sampler I ordered. For me, Astra SP blades were great while I was learning. It might take a month or so before you find the right blade for you.


4) Switching to a better brush also helped a lot. I had a cheap pure badger brush that was too rough and did too much exfoliating of my skin. My face is much, much happier now that I've switched to a nice, soft silvertip badger brush.
Nick

Nick. Thanks!
1. Yes. Me too. I've been using the Mystic Waters Sensative Skin Formula. It is unscented. Have you tired it? It's been GREAT for me.


2. Me too. I've been cold water shaving for a month or so now for the same reasons you mention. That has helped tremendously. Recently, I have experimented with some medium-warm towels, follow by a cold rinse in order to try to get a little more beard softening. Not excessive mind you, but 15-20 seconds of warm water. The verdict is still out.


3. Good. Thanks. I have some Astra SPs. I'll give them a shot starting tomorrow morning.


4. Do you face or bowl lather? Have you found one to help more than another? I've been bowl lathering in order to avoid additional irritation to my face from face lathering. I'd be curious what you have found to work best. I'm in the process of evaluating a few brushes right now. I'm currently using a 2-band silvertip. It's very soft.

 

[JHP]

Josh, wow, what a journey. Why don't you get a simple artisan soap like Mike's or Mystic Water unscented as these will tend to cause less to no irritation and get yourself the best thing for burn/irritation, unrefined shea butter. You will not find anything better for your skin! Good luck.

Hi Celestino,

Yes. Thank you. I have been using Mystic Waters for a few weeks now. Great stuff. Michelle and I have had a number of emails too. Great customer support. Her Sensitive Skin formula has been wonderful. Great lather too. I have some samples of Mike's on the way for comparison.

I have seen you post about unrefined shea butter on some other threads, so Saturday morning I stopped at my local natural food store to see if they had any. They sell it in bulk. I was surprised, because it's sorta . . . grainy and clumpy. If you look at it from a distance it kinda looks like light brown sugar or something. Not crystals, but clumpy and dry. I was expecting creamy butter! Anyway, I was reading online and found that it's melting point is only 85 degrees or something like that. I squeezed a pinch in my hand for a few seconds and it melted enough that I could spread it. Is that what you do?

Do you use this in the morning? I'm not sure I'd want to smell like that all day long! I put it on last night before bed. My wife wasn't too fond of the scent!

 

[JHP]

Razor:EJ 89DL
Soap: Mystic Waters Sensitive Skin
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue. Shave #1.


I mentioned yesterday that I completed my beard mapping Saturday evening. The primary discovery is that the beard in the middle of my cheeks down to my chin grows at an angle going from the tip of my nose down at sort of a 45 degree angle toward the bottom of my ear. My sideburn beard grows N-S. I've tried adjusting my passes to account for this for the last 3 days. I'm not detecting a lot of change yet in the shave, but we'll see what happens.


I received a shipment of a few things last night including a test box of Gillette Silver Blue blades. What experience have others had with these blades? They seemed very good. Sharper than many blades I've tried, but more smooth. What has your experience been with the Silver Blues?

 

[BExRAYx91]

I would try maybe shaving every other day. I know that when i shave everyday i get very bad irritation, and a lot of razor burn. Just my 0.02.

edit: i should've read the whole post my option is now out.

 

[JHP]

Razor:EJ 89DL
Soap: Mystic Waters Sensitive Skin
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue. Shave #3

Medium razor burn after today's shave. It's been worse, but just a bit of a bummer. A applied a little shea butter. We'll see if that helps. Before you get all over me for my next comment, hear me out! A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a link from the Stickies in the Newbie forum titled "By Popular Demand-The Four Pass shave". I was skeptically, but the comments from guys who had tried it seemed good. My first attempt yielded a phenomenal shave, albeit with a minor amount of razor burn. For subsequent attempts I have more or less eliminated the 4th pass, or used it as a small ATG touchup rather than a full pass. Therefore I've really been doing a WTG, XTG, XTG with ATG touchup. Those first 3 passes have done an good job at beard reduction, with one exception. I'm concluding that for my beard, slow methodical beard reduction is important.

So what happened this morning? I think that poor technique plagues my shaves. Blade angle and pressure have steadily improved over the last several months. The issue is with the hallows of my cheeks. After my WTG, XTG, XTG passes this morning my skin was still in good shape but the stubble in the hallow of my cheek was not acceptable (it's that way almost every shave). Therefore I attempted a ATG pass in that area. It improved the stubble, but didn't eliminate it. I think that's when the razor burn came too. I've found that if I just do the WTG, XTG, XTG passes, I have no irritation or razor burn at all.

I'm trying to divide my face into facets in order to maintain proper blade angle on each "facet" of my face, but perhaps I need some gentle skin stretching/flattening - more than bending my lips toward the opposite side of my face allows. I think if I can get my cheeks flatter (or maybe firmer is the issue) on my first passes, then I'll be much better off. I've seen a lot of posts on a number of threads cautioning against stretching due to ingrowns, but I generally don't get ingrowns. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!

Josh

 

[JHP]

Razor:EJ 89DL
Soap: Mystic Waters Sensitive Skin
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue. Shave #1

This morning was a 3 pass shave - WTG, XTG, XTG. Bit of a breakthrough I think. I'll need to see if the results are repeatable to confirm. Very comfortable shave, no razor burn, and it's a CCS - not quite a DFS. The only real change in today's shave was the inclusion of gentle stretching/flattening. The biggest improvement was in the hallows of my cheeks. I was actually able to reduce my beard with each pass, where in the past, there was still visible stubble under my cheek bone even after 3 passes.

I'm excited. If I can get a CCS with no razor burn from just 3 non-ATG passes, then I can continue working on my technique with blade angle, pressure, and stretching.

Fingers crossed that I can have similar results tomorrow!

 

[Attila]

Great to hear you had progress Josh! It always happens that way, you'll have certain eureka moments that push your experience to better levels. It's just trial and error sometimes to discover what works for you. Thanks for keeping us appraised of your progress. As to the Shea butter scent. I know Celestino has told me before that you can buy Unrefined Shea Butter with no scent. Hopefully you can find some online if your nearest retailer doesn't sell it that way.

 

[lowcountry_sc]

Good news on the progress...I've been blessed to only have sensitive skin below my adam's apple, and it's crazy how a little mistake can make such a big difference on that area of my neck, while I can get away with murder everywhere else (touching up with no cream, multiple passes of the same area the first pass, etc. Keep at it, and keep us posted.

God bless,

Fred

 

[JHP]

I know Celestino has told me before that you can buy Unrefined Shea Butter with no scent. Hopefully you can find some online if your nearest retailer doesn't sell it that way.

That is good news. I'll have to look for it.

Good news on the progress...I've been blessed to only have sensitive skin below my adam's apple, and it's crazy how a little mistake can make such a big difference on that area of my neck, while I can get away with murder everywhere else (touching up with no cream, multiple passes of the same area the first pass, etc. Keep at it, and keep us posted.

God bless,

Fred

Thanks for the support!

 

[JHP]

Razor:EJ 89DL
Soap: Mystic Waters Sensitive Skin
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue. Shave #2

Day 3. Same 3 pass shave with stretching again. CCS bordering on Socially Acceptable. Skin feels great, but still some stubble. I can live with it for now. I'll continue to work on my technique. I've read repeatedly that stretching can cause ingrowns. If that starts to happen, how long after the shave will it take for me to notice the ingrowns?

I'm still trying to sort out my sensitive skin issue and it's relationship with soap. As I mentioned on the first post, I started this endeavor with 3 soaps. The RazorRock Classic lit me up the first time I used it, so I switched to the Tea Party. I used that daily for a couple weeks. While reading this lather tutorial I found that Jim was using Honeybee and was very pleased. from the reviews it sounded great and it was inexpensive. I ordered 3! When it arrived, I switched from the Tea Party to the Rosemary Mint Honeybee. I noticed a very mild stinging, but I figured maybe it was part of the "cool mint" thing. I continued to use the Rosemary Mint for a couple weeks. Gradually my face started to get more and more stiff, itchy, and sore. I was getting desperate so I made my first post on B&B asking for help. I received a lot of great suggestions, most of them about technique such as pressure and blade angle. The same day, I received 3 samples from Mystic Waters. The next morning I made 3 changes - cold water shave, very light pressure, and Mystic Waters Lilies of the Valley. Changing 3 variables wasn't very scientific, but I was desperate! I continued with this setup for 9 days until the MW sample was used up. My face was feeling much better. When the Lillies of The Valley was gone I went back to the Tea Party. No go. Burning! That night I did a practice lather with the Honeybee Sandlewood. Burning, and I didn't even shave - just lathered in the bowl and used the lather to wash my face. Even my forehead was red. At this point I began to conclude that I must have a reaction to some scents. I ordered a puck of Mystic Waters Lilies of the Valley and the Sensitive Skin Formula. That night I did a practice lather with MWF and then washed my face with it again. Burning!

I've continued to use the MW Sensitive Skin soap since it arrived on December 1st. It's been great. It has completely eliminated 1 variable in this equation. Since I know I can get very comfortable shaves with this soap, and since I'm using the same razor each day, the only variables are the blade and my technique. I'll continue with this until the Sensitive Skin Formula is gone.

In the meantime I'm still puzzled about the soaps. Once I can get a week or so of shaves with no razor burn of any kind, I'm going to go back to the Tea Party and the Honeybee Rosemary Mint and just lather them without a shave. See what happens. Perhaps my skin is reacting to the scents, or maybe my poor technique irritated my skin so severely that any and all scents would cause a problem. Time will tell. For the time being, the Mystic Waters is working for me!