skeptical about not getting ingrown hairs with straight razor

[dempseyjosh]

OK,... So I've never had a straight razor shave, but every time I shave with my mach 3 instead of my electric razor I get crazy razor bumps and ingrown hairs for a week or so. I don't get nearly as much problems with my electric razor, but sometimes I just want a closer shave.

So after I get the razor bumps I get frustrated and look online for things to help prevent them and the reason it's happening. I end up coming up with don't go across the grain and that too close of shave results in ingrown hairs. I find it impossible to not go across the grain, as it's almost as if I have a cowlick on my chin, and the hairs go every direction. Not to mention that going ONLY with the grain with one pass won't even get as close as my electric razor.

So once I read this same info on many different pages, the next thing I find is about people talking about using straight razors and getting both a super close shave, AND no razor bumps. How is this so if the reason I'm getting razor bumps and ingrown hairs is because of the shave being too close.

I am getting married in April and plan on going for a straight razor shave the morning of, so i'll find out if it's everything it's hyped up to be. And if so i'll be getting the supplies to do it on my own, but until then I just wanted to see what everyone has to say.

 

[Doc226]

http://wet-shavers.com/the-hysteresis-effect/

When ever you pull the hair and cut it it will retract a bit.

Think about it, as the first blade of a multi blade cart dulls, it tends to pull on the hair instead of cutting it-the next blade then cuts it and it retracts below the skin.

This keeps happening over and over, also the now dull leading blade irritates the skin. Multiblade cart+bad shaves, ingrown hairs and burn.

A DE blade can accomplish the same thing as a straight razor, a close shave with minimal irritation and razor bumps------after you learn to use them.

A DE/straight achieves a close shave by using multiple multiple directional passes.

 

[Haggises]

Don't know nuttin about straights and ingrowns.
What I would suggest is trying out the straight shaving barber long before your wedding day.
It would be a particularly bad day to find out thet either he is an awful shaver or youe face doesn't agree with it. Wouldnt want your cheeks and neck to be out-glowing rhe blushing bride!

 

[Gamma]

This

What I would suggest is trying out the straight shaving barber long before your wedding day.

 

[dempseyjosh]

I can't try the particular straight shaving barber beforehand, we're getting hitched in Las Vegas. I guess I could see if there's anything around town, at a reasonable price. Cause I know it wasn't cheap in vegas... but I was looking for something non stressful to pass the time that morning. But i've never had any problems on my cheeks, and not really much on my neck, It's all on my chin.

 

[AllenG]

Ixnay on the barber straight shave. I've had about a dozen barber straight shaves and only two were any good; both from old men who grew up straight shaving.

 

[Go West Young Man]

It's all about technique, regardless of what razor you use. A straight isn't in and of itself any better than any other razor.

The key here is proper prep, better products and doing multipass shaves at different angles. It's not terribly complicated,but there is a learning curve that's a couple months long at least.

 

[wquiles]

I had the same problem: in-grown hairs, but I had the problem even with electric razors. My solution? Switched to a DE 5-6 months ago. No more in-grown hairs.

I personally feel that going to a straight is too big of a jump. I feel it is best to learn with a DE, as a DE razor is a more forgiving platform to learn the preparation, lathering, learning to shave with the grain (which varies throughout your face), and will then provide a great foundation to then move to a straight razor. I am now transitioning to a str8 razor (a folding Feather SS), and I am grateful I had the solid DE foundation to help me on this transition to using a str8 razor.

To start I recommend a DE razor, and although many recommend the EJ89 and the Merkur HD, I feel a good adjustable will prove far more versatile in the end. Something like a vintage Slim, or a new Merkur Progress are excellent razors for the new DE user. True, many don't recommend an adjustable to start with since you will be too tempted to start at the middle/more aggressive settings (a macho thing - trying to prove you can do it), but I tend to be more optimistic in that folks will learn to keep the razor at a mild level while they learn to shave. I feel that in the end you will have a more versatile platform to eventually move to more aggressive settings to achieve closer shaves.

Unlike a non-adjustable, which is always just mild, or middle, or aggressive, an adjustable razor also offers a very unique/great advantage (again, my opinion) - you can vary the aggressiveness of the razor while you are shaving: You can start with a more aggressive level in the first pass, and decrease the aggressiveness in the next two passes - you then get a great, close shave, without razor burn. I started with an EJ89, but soon got the Slim, and then the Progress. For me, it was wasted money to get the non-adjustables, so I now recommend to skip them and go straight to an adjustable.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[global_dev]

no ingrowns so far with over 200+ pretty damn close straight shaves that look great! i had a similar experience with multiblade cartridges

Don't know nuttin about straights and ingrowns.
What I would suggest is trying out the straight shaving barber long before your wedding day.
It would be a particularly bad day to find out thet either he is an awful shaver or youe face doesn't agree with it. Wouldnt want your cheeks and neck to be out-glowing rhe blushing bride!

This

I would never allow someone else to shave me with out going a handful of times prior to make sure they can do it. no less than 7 times and i'd still feel nervous about it.

 

[Haggises]

Oh and welcome to B&B!
Congrats on the getting hitched part too.

 

[Seraphim]

99% of the stories of "professional straight shaves" on Badger and Blade are bad experiences. Really.

The art of straight shaving has been lost.

 

[macdude357]

Everyone is different. I, myself get lots of in-grown hairs with an electric. It makes my neck all red and bumpy. As for a professional straight shave, I tried one at AOS and enjoyed the experience but the closeness of the shave was disappointing to say the least. Right now I'm still using carts; I waiting arrival of my first DE.

 

[tomjr]

never had a pro straight shave, never will. i do my own and will until i can no longer do so, then DE the rest of the way.

 

[Thomas Martin]

Everyone is different. I, myself get lots of in-grown hairs with an electric. It makes my neck all red and bumpy. As for a professional straight shave, I tried one at AOS and enjoyed the experience but the closeness of the shave was disappointing to say the least. Right now I'm still using carts; I waiting arrival of my first DE.

Second that. When you look at a hair cut by an electric razor under a microscope the end will be completely fringed. No wonder it will grow in. Not so with a straight.

 

[biggee3005]

Electric chartige both give me horrific ingrown hairs and a face like a rash to boot. De is far better than them for me and I thoughtni was at the peak of comfortable shaves till I moved to straights since then had 90% less than when I was on de so thats my experiance . But everyone is different

 

[Gamma]

And this too

I would never allow someone else to shave me with out going a handful of times prior to make sure they can do it. no less than 7 times and i'd still feel nervous about it.

 

[Fish Slayer]

I picture the hair end cut with a multi blade razor to be something like a hypodermic needle. Sharp on one side and if the pull and cut thing is correct the hair will be below the surface of the skin. That scenario would be ripe for ingrowns. With DE or straight shaving, we almost always think in terms of beard reduction, taking 2 or 3 passes from different directions to get a smooth shave. I envision this to leave the hair with a series of chamfers. Much less prone to sticking in the skin and creating an ingrown hair.

This is totally what I envision and I have no proof, but it works for me.

Full disclosure, I have not had ingrown hair problems with any system, multiblade, DE or straight. So far straight razors have provided the most comfortable shave with the least irritation, although the potential for disaster is greater ; )

 

[PDB]

I used to get a lot of ingrown hairs, but they all but went away when I switched to DE then straight. I had lots of problems with multiple blades and hated them so bad I switched to electric. It was better that a cart, but I still had a lot of problems with ingrown. Thank goodness I decided to look and see if I could get blades for my Shick injector online. I could and they lead me to this and other forums. I don't remember the last time I had an ingrown. If you don't go to straights, at least consider a single edge tool like a DE, injector, or SE. If you hang around here much, you will probably end up with at least one of each.

 

[ThePatrician]

The reason for the ingrowns and itchy red bumps is the hysteresis effect, or as Gillette and Braun proudly call it, "the lift-and-cut system". For some reason, they think it's good when the razor lifts the hair, another blade cuts it, and then the hair drops down below the skin line. Str8s and safety razors simply cut. The secret to a BBS shave is multiple passes in multiple directions, each pass reducing the whisker more and more rather than taking it all off in one pass, which results in irritation and razor burn. Multi-blade carts result in the hysteresis effect when they get the tiniest bit dull. If you haven't yet, look at the RazorPit to keep your carts clean and shaving well. I used it before I switched from a cart to a safety razor, and can attest that it really does work.

If the straight-razor shave the morning of your wedding turns out to be total drawers, what then? You're boned, right?

My advice would be to start using the proper tools now: a quality brush, maybe a pre-shave treatment, and either soap or cream. Learn and start to use them now, so maybe your face will be smooth and irritation-free for your wedding. Then after the big event, look into either straight or safety shaving. If you started RIGHT NOW THIS INSTANT, there MIGHT be enough time for you to crest the learning curve and possibly have a healed and adjusted face for the wedding, but whether you want to chance it is up to you.

That most important part of a shave is the pre-shave prep: a hot shower, a clean face, and letting a quality glycerin-based soap sit on your face to soften your beard and nourish your skin. Believe it or not, Irish Spring is a surprisingly good glycerin-based soap.

 

[life2short1971]

I havent read all the posts but a straight razor honed on a coticule that is known to be a smooth finishing stone like La Grosse Blanche,La Grise, or similar should not leave you any ingrowns at all. That is the solution for people with ingrown hairs. I recommend trying asap so you can have more than one shave to test your skin and also practice.