Shave smoothness doesn't indicate post-shave irritation?

[Frankthetank]

I would like to bring up a topic I haven't seen discussed on here. Anyone else find that the smoothness of your shave (I.E. how smoothly and comfortably your razor glides across your face) doesn't always accurately dictate your post shave feel/irritation level?

I find that some razors, although incredibly smooth during the shave (DE89), leave my face more irritated and less comfortable during the day than other razors with a perceivably rougher shave, such as straight razors. Not that my straight razor shaves are particularly rough, but they don't have the smoothness of a DE blade. But I get pretty much zero irritation on my face after I shave with a traditional straight or Feather AC, even though the actual shave itself feels rougher. But with some very smooth DE's, the shave itself feels great, but my face feels more irritated for a longer period of time post-shave.

Anyone else experience this?

 

[tiernan22]

Oh, God. Don't tell me I need to start picking up straights. I've already spent enough as is!

 

[mblakele]

Yes. For me, irritation usually means I removed too much skin. Depending on the razor and blade, shaving can feel perfectly smooth while it does that kind of damage.

Another possibility is that the smoother feel is also leaving you with more trapped hairs, leading to irritation as they grow back out of the skin. Depending on your skin and hair that might be fixed with a shallower blade angle, or you might simply need to shave less closely.

 

[ktang]

I think the "smoother" shave means the sharper blade is slicing through the beard easier, and irritating the skin. A "rougher" shave means the whiskers are able to protect the skin from a slightly duller blade.

 

[Frankthetank]

These replies definitely make sense, I'm glad I'm not crazy. Makes sense that a sharp blade which would cut hair easily would also remove skin very easily. It's often an odd feeling with a straight, thinking "uh oh, this shave is going to leave my skin wrecked", then walking away with zero post shave irritation.

 

[Frankthetank]

Oh, God. Don't tell me I need to start picking up straights. I've already spent enough as is!

Haha. But I think this also applies to different razors within the DE realm! For example, between my Futur and my EJ-DE89, if you were to ask me during the shave which one would result in more irritation (based on the perceived smoothness), I would say that the Futur, as it feels rougher (although its still a very very smooth razor). But I just shaved with my Futur today, and besides a little bit of irritation on the bottom of my neck (one of my problem areas), I'm irritation free. Much better result than my DE89.

I've never used the R41, but this makes me understand how some guys can have a preference for a razor like this, with more blade-on-face feel and aggression, and walk away with LESS irritation. Very excited for my incoming Cobra Classic!

I guess it just goes to show that no matter what issues a newbie might THINK he has (sensitive skin, coarse beard, heavy beard, can't use aggressive/mild razors, etc etc), the ultimate test of how well a razor performs for them is the shave, and more importantly the post-shave result.

 

[Ron Scott]

A smooth shave, say BBS, is usually just that for me, with no irritation. If I ditz on technique or try to squeeze another shave out of a done blade or shave with typically decent technique but with a razor people around here call "mild" I can get irritation.

But bottom line, I do not find that a smooth shave leads to irritation.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

For me, smooth shave equals little or no irritation. Sometimes when I rush I just know I'm not getting it quite right, and sure enough I'll have less than a BBS finish and suffer irritation for an hour or so.

 

[Shave_Rat]

I have a similar experience. The straight shaves feel rougher on the skin, but my post shave irritation with them is non-existent, which is the opposite of DE shaves when I used to use the DE's.

 

[Frankthetank]

A smooth shave, say BBS, is usually just that for me, with no irritation. If I ditz on technique or try to squeeze another shave out of a done blade or shave with typically decent technique but with a razor people around here call "mild" I can get irritation.

But bottom line, I do not find that a smooth shave leads to irritation.

We're not saying that a smooth shave = irritation, just that having a smooth shave doesn't guarantee an irritation free post-shave. You can still have a very smooth shave that leads to no irritation.

 

[Shave_Rat]

We're not saying that a smooth shave = irritation, just that having a smooth shave doesn't guarantee an irritation free post-shave. You can still have a very smooth shave that leads to no irritation.

Also, the reverse can be true. A shave where the blade feels "rough" can result in an irritation free shave in the end as well.

 

[Frankthetank]

Also, the reverse can be true. A shave where the blade feels "rough" can result in an irritation free shave in the end as well.

Definitely! I experienced this when switching to straight razors as well. I was quite surprised.