Skin Irritation When Switching it Up

[58Reissue]

So I primarily shave with a straight. Lately it’s my Ralf Aust 7/8 Spanish Point. Fantastic razor!

but sometimes I use an electric Notelco. I know it’s anathema to most of you but I travel often and when I do I take the electric with me. With a straight I get great skin. No blemishes, no dry skin or anything. I use anything else and I get razor burn, inflammation, blemishes, ingrown hairs, etc.

I can’t be the only one?

 

[rbscebu]

I think that it is not an uncommon occurrence. I suffer the same from all non-SR's. I do not use electrics.

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

Is this with other types of razors such as a DE? From personal experience way back in the day with electric, I had to press so hard to get a clean shave that it was cutting the hair well below the skin line causing ingrowns.

While I can't verify this, I have also read (and saw images online) saying that electrics aren't sharp enough to cut the hair cleanly and they really fray they hair as they cut leaving a mangled edge. This edge isn't the pointy/sharply cut edge as DEs/SEs/SRs and have a hard time breaking the skin barrier when growing causing ingrowns. The microsope pictures were persuasive but I can't verify.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Years ago I used to use cartridges and electrics and had lots of issues with irritation and breakouts with both, although in retrospect I think with cartridges a lot of it was the shave gels I was using. With electrics I remember there being a break in period, so to speak. It took a couple weeks for my skin to get used to it but then it improved. I also tried several different brands and really only liked one of them (no, I don't remember what it was).

I wonder if just using the electric once in a while is contributing to the problem? I've shaved with a cartridge a couple times recently with no irritation. Although nowadays I use a cartridge more like a straight: no pressure and I stretch the skin. And I'm more aware of the direction my whiskers grow in.

 

[Herrenberg]

So I primarily shave with a straight. Lately it’s my Ralf Aust 7/8 Spanish Point. Fantastic razor!

but sometimes I use an electric Notelco. I know it’s anathema to most of you but I travel often and when I do I take the electric with me. With a straight I get great skin. No blemishes, no dry skin or anything. I use anything else and I get razor burn, inflammation, blemishes, ingrown hairs, etc.

I can’t be the only one?

The universe is sending you a message. I think I hear it saying "put together a straight razor travel kit."

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

The only time in my life when I used an electric razor was when I was doing my training during national service in the army. You wouldn't associate Africa with sub-zero temperatures, but winter mornings on the High-veld (about 6000 feet altitude) can be frosty. It was sheer luxury to lie in bed shaving, warm for a few more minutes, instead of braving the ice-glazed floors of the shower block. Shaving in the evenings was not an option, because the corporal, suspicious by nature, with a keen eye for detail, will scrape his ID card ATG up your cheeks, an if it made any noise at all, you would pay dearly for your scruffy appearance on his parade ground.

These days when I travel and I don't want to take my straights along, I will pack a shavette or a DE.

 

[Eastcoast30]

@Herrenberg, "put together a straight razor travel kit." That is a great idea. I will be traveling in the near future and plan on taking my Harry's razor and a travel can of Harry's lather. This makes for a small package and fits in my dopp kit. I would really like to take one of my straights. But the strop and scuttle make for a lot more volume to pack. And I travel light with just a carry on or briefcase. No way they would let me board an aircraft with a straight. So it's good old Harry's for the trips.

 

[Herrenberg]

@Herrenberg, "put together a straight razor travel kit." That is a great idea. I will be traveling in the near future and plan on taking my Harry's razor and a travel can of Harry's lather. This makes for a small package and fits in my dopp kit. I would really like to take one of my straights. But the strop and scuttle make for a lot more volume to pack. And I travel light with just a carry on or briefcase. No way they would let me board an aircraft with a straight. So it's good old Harry's for the trips.

Yeah, if you're not checking a bag, all bets are off. My travel kit looked like this:

One small kamisori, wrapped in a handkerchief, in a paulonia wood box (very lightweight), held closed with rubber bands
One 0.1 micron pasted balsa strop in EdgePro form factor (1"x6", mounted on an aluminum blank)
One small leather strop
A small brush
Cremo

So no bowls or scuttles, and everything but the razor box and the strop fit in my dopp kit. I didn't like Cremo, so I'll try something else next time that doesn't need a bowl, Proraso or a stick.

 

[steveclarkus]

So I primarily shave with a straight. Lately it’s my Ralf Aust 7/8 Spanish Point. Fantastic razor!

but sometimes I use an electric Notelco. I know it’s anathema to most of you but I travel often and when I do I take the electric with me. With a straight I get great skin. No blemishes, no dry skin or anything. I use anything else and I get razor burn, inflammation, blemishes, ingrown hairs, etc.

I can’t be the only one?

You’re one of many actually. That is the main reason I use straight razors - no irritation.

 

[Tomo]

The universe is sending you a message. I think I hear it saying "put together a straight razor travel kit."

The universe sent me the same message. I always use a straight at home but tend to pack a DE for travel. I’m currently much more practiced with the SR and the shave quality attests to that. DE is always a compromise in terms of comfort, closeness and enjoyment for me.

So I’ve decided to sell up all my remaining DE equipment and build a compact SR travel kit. I currently have a stainless steel Friodur 72 and a roll up kangaroo travel strop on the way. I’m planning to deck out the below Tupperware with some foam dividers. The whole thing should be quite sturdy and fairly compact. The stone should only be needed on trips longer than a few weeks but there will be a slot for it just in case.

 

[Straight up]

@Tomo, get a tube of Lea shave soap. The plastic tube it comes in is very protective and is has 4 breather holes in the lid. It as if it was made for travel.

 

[Green manalishi]

I think the lack of irritation is one of the best reasons to shave with a straight…
I cringe thinking back to my first cheap electric…A Christmas gift..It was like sanding the stubble off my face..I’ve got pretty insensitive skin…but still The blades got dull and would pull….

 

[Brutus]

The universe is sending you a message. I think I hear it saying "put together a straight razor travel kit."

The universe may not have considered that some people travel by air with carry-on baggage only…


B.

 

[Gamma]

Always got irritation with an electric until I started using electric 'pre-shave' stuff. Williams 'Lectric Shave actually.
I used to get irritation from a Mach 3 but after learning lather skills that ended. Some DE blades are irritating, others are much better. I generally use a straight, but I will change things up now and again just to keep it real. Don't have any electrics around here though. If it's a carry-on-only airport scenario, I'd just toss a disposo Mach 3 in the kit and be done with it.

 

[global_dev]

Do you clean or change the blade portion often enough?