shaving rut...

[tripper]

i havent been able to get a good shave the last month or so. I think im going to have to stop for a couple weeks and let my face heal. Afterwards im going to have to go back to shaving 3 times a week.

it's frustrating. my face has never been able to withstand daily shaving, even though i only do 2 WTG passes.

 

[c0ry]

I don't think you need to stop for a couple weeks--four or five days should give your face enough time to get back to normal.

Do you think it might be a lather issue? Maybe your brand of blade isn't agreeing with your face?

 

[BladeRunner001]

I don't think you need to stop for a couple weeks--four or five days should give your face enough time to get back to normal.

Do you think it might be a lather issue? Maybe your brand of blade isn't agreeing with your face?

+1. I agree. Two weeks may be too much. Few days should suffice

Can you tell us exactly what you do for prepping your beard (pre-shave) and for how long. I think your "less than acceptable" shaves are probably a direct result of this. Once you get this under control, there should not be an issue

Other questions:
1) Are you confident about your technique, mainly with pressure and angle of blade?

2) Is your blade sharp (HHT test, etc...). Do you get any pulling/tugging?

 

[tripper]

every blade i've used tugs. ive used feather, blue bird, merkurs, and something else. i don't have that thick of a beard so i don't know why.

bluebirds gave me perfect comfortable shaves for a while, not sure what happened.

i have to apply pressure because the blade tugs and would just bounce around otherwise.

the problem is shaving just makes me skin problems worse and aggravates it.

i think my technique is slipping or something. my hair growth direction is from the nose outward in every direction. So it can be very hard for me to follow the grain and maintain a good angle or even shave on facets.

im about to throw in the towel and just be bearded.

 

[tripper]

if every blade i use tugs, this could be a technique problem. is there a standard answer for blade tugging?

 

[Triple Beam]

Have you tried different razors? I dropped some pretty good coin in the beginning on a variety of old (and new) razors and played with each one. Some worked great for me, some not so much.
Maybe it isn't really a blade problem, maybe it is a razor problem.

 

[c0ry]

I was once in the same boat as you, unable to get a good DE shave and constantly getting cuts and irritation.

It came down to blade choice, though. I ordered a blade sampler pack from westcoastshaving.com and found that Crystals, aka Irsaeli Personnas, were able to slice through my rather coarse facial hair with no dragging. I now get 5-6 comfortable shaves with one of these blades before it starts to drag or tug.

 

[Luc]

every blade i've used tugs. ive used feather, blue bird, merkurs, and something else. i don't have that thick of a beard so i don't know why.

bluebirds gave me perfect comfortable shaves for a while, not sure what happened.

i have to apply pressure because the blade tugs and would just bounce around otherwise.

the problem is shaving just makes me skin problems worse and aggravates it.

i think my technique is slipping or something. my hair growth direction is from the nose outward in every direction. So it can be very hard for me to follow the grain and maintain a good angle or even shave on facets.

im about to throw in the towel and just be bearded.

if every blade i use tugs, this could be a technique problem. is there a standard answer for blade tugging?

If all those blades tug, it could be a technique problem. I'm suspecting that your lather isn't lubricating enough.

Normally, Feather shouldn't tug at all, the weight of the razor is enough to shave. If you apply pressure, you will cut yourself, have irritation and maybe worse, ingrown hair.

How do you do your prep?

I would recommend re-visiting the tutorials for the lather to make sure that you have a lubricating enough lather.

You could try more blades but one of those (even the mystery one) should work. If blue bird was the best, go back to that one.

Also, as suggested above, you might need a different razor, maybe a milder razor such as Gillette Tech.

 

[BladeRunner001]

If all those blades tug, it could be a technique problem. I'm suspecting that your lather isn't lubricating enough.

Normally, Feather shouldn't tug at all, the weight of the razor is enough to shave. If you apply pressure, you will cut yourself, have irritation and maybe worse, ingrown hair.

How do you do your prep?

I would recommend re-visiting the tutorials for the lather to make sure that you have a lubricating enough lather.

You could try more blades but one of those (even the mystery one) should work. If blue bird was the best, go back to that one.

Also, as suggested above, you might need a different razor, maybe a milder razor such as Gillette Tech.

I completely agree with Luc (and others) here.

Also, forgive me, I assumed you were using str8 razors (hence my HHT comment), but you are using DE.

Don;t throw in the towel...As others have eluded to here, it's most probably a technique issue...if so, that is easy to solve.

What I suggest is:

1) Tell us your beard prep regimen (how you make lather, how you apply it to beard, how long, etc...)...every detail would help us help you

2) Get a sampler pack (sounds like you tried a few already, but I am not sure of you have tried most)...feathers could be a bit too aggressive, IMO. They are not for the faint of heart...They're extremely sharp blade and unforgiving. They like blood

3) What kind of razors did you try (I know you mentioned Merkur, but what kind?)...again, more detail...more help.

When I started, I got me one of these, which are great to learn an dshave with...fairly easy, good weight so you don't end up applying pressure. It took my skin ~3 weeks to toughen up and get used to DE shaving. Several months into DE shaving and getting my technique perfected, I got me one of these. The slant is a very aggressive razor, but once you get your technique down with a regular HD, it is a good complementing razor for your routine (not now though).

4) Regroup and start again...I would say, study the Wiki section carefully about techniques, etc...Look at Mantic59's YouTube videos. They are a great resource. Don't rush into things without having a good idea.

5) Give your skin a break between shaves...especially now. Take 3-4 days off from even looking at anything that resembles shaving or razors.

6) DON'T GIVE UP. We all at some point or another, have had frustrating shaves.

To stress, Your prep is incredibly important...especially when starting out. Bad prep=bad shave

 

[Luc]

Forgot to add, lathering tutorials: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers

 

[Drubbing]

if every blade i use tugs, this could be a technique problem. is there a standard answer for blade tugging?

Lather, lather, lather, lather, lather, lather. Bad lather = bad shave. Poor lather makes people apply pressure to force the issue, and just carve the skin up.

If I don't load up my brush well enough, my 2nd pass will have weak thin lather and the blade will skip and tug. Every time. It very rarely happens now, as I'm used to my soaps and cream and know how much is enough. I usually err on the side of too much product, then add water until it gets where I want it.

 

[tripper]

i think it's the lather. i've never been quite satisfied with what i think it should be. i watched the lather video on Mama Bears and realized ive been skimping a bit on building lather.

I may have to keep a can of foam around for days when i don't have time to whip up lather, it's probably a better alternative to skimping on building good lather

im still going to take some time off and let my face heal up a little.

thanks for the suggestions guys.

 

[Drubbing]

I may have to keep a can of foam around for days when i don't have time to whip up lather, it's probably a better alternative to skimping on building good lather

foam is no better than poor lather IMO; quicker, but not the way to a decent shave. It doesn't take any more than a couple of minutes to make lather - if you face lather.

That way, you can get a feel for the right consistency. I always found bowl lathering too time consuming and inconsistent anyway.

 

[12halfshell]

I would review the Mantic59 videos on YouTube again, his advice on technique is very good (don't bear down, let the weight of the razor do the work, find the proper angle of the blade on your skin, think of each pass as a reduction of your beard, etc.). Good luck, when things do improve you'll feel like a new man.

 

[DE Shaver]

If you've able to get good shaves before, it's simply a matter of focus and concentration. However, you need to break the cycle so for a little while, just strive to get reduce the beard and not worry about close shaves. When you feel you're ready, then strive for something more.

 

[jgkeegan]

If you've able to get good shaves before, it's simply a matter of focus and concentration. However, you need to break the cycle so for a little while, just strive to get reduce the beard and not worry about close shaves. When you feel you're ready, then strive for something more.

I think that is a terrific piece of advice.

Small steps.

 

[miamimoe]

You have gotten a lot of great advice above, so I won't chime in with more. I would add that you should consider getting a bottle of pure aloe gel and putting some on in the evenings. This will help your face heal, and the lack of coloring or other chemicals should prevent irritation.

 

[Rumbaldi]

You know I think we have all been there. I haven't considered giving up but I have had to give my face a one or two day break. I tried a new razor last night and I had a bad shave with it. Everybody seems to say that the Feather Portable is a gentle shaver but I managed to cut up my face pretty badly with it last night. I had been using a long comb NEW and Derby or Astra blades and getting very nice results. I know that I need to give it more of a chance but I don't think I want use that razor with a Derby blade again.
I'm not going to try and add to the excellent advice you have already received here except to say relax and try to enjoy the process.