I'm new to this group and thought I'd say a few words about why I now use a DE razor (and not an electric, twin blade, triple blade, etc.). I'm grateful for what I've learned over the last few months as a reader of this forum and I believe the case for this "old technology" is very compelling.
I've had issues with acne, ingrown hairs, dry/sensitive skin, contact eczema and other wonderful skin conditions since I began shaving at 17. Every year, I had no choice but grow a beard to make it through brutal Ohio winters without having my face and neck skinned by some unforgiving implement. When returning to shaving in the spring, I'd only been able to shave five days a week without trouble, and then only with a prescribed topical steroid to contain inflamation. After trying every commercial cream and gel, shaving oil, every brand of electric razor, and all the expensive designer blades and novelty razors served up by Gillette, the problems persisted until I spent an evening on the internet trying to find a way to avoid another ghastly, itchy beard in 2005/2006. Some relief came when I was turned onto a shaving brush and shaving soap, finally setting on Classic Shaving's store brand soap after sampling a number of options. This product, along with my Sensor and Mach 3, took me to mid-January until I again began to look like a bowl of raw hamburger. I returned to the web and eventually bumped into an article by a dermatologist explaining the evils of modern cartridge razor blades. I excitedly ordered a Merkur Progress, bought some Personna blades, and proceeded to cut myself to ribbons every day for a week. Out of frustration, I logged back on and finally located this forum. Reading the posts here has been a tremendous help in unraveling the mysteries of shaving with one of these slightly anachronistic instruments. Things improved greatly, and I was not only able to shave through the winter, but also, for the first time, seven days a week.
One morning in the middle of this little adventure, I was running behind getting ready for work and decided, in the interest of time, to forgo the somewhat dangerous Progress in favor of my old idiot-proof Sensor. I figured this wouldn't hurt for one day. I got an excellent shave in record time (lol). I figured the skills I'd learned from using a DE had somehow made the Sensor a favorable alternative. By the fourth day of this digression, my neck had again turned an uninviting puffy dark purple with little red bumps. After laying off a day, I returned to the Progress and made a full recovery. I'm still shaving every day and love the feeling of being clean shaven and smooth-skinned.
Thanks to everyone here for the wonderful posts. I can now re-focus my efforts on getting that elusive perfect shave.
Ken
I've had issues with acne, ingrown hairs, dry/sensitive skin, contact eczema and other wonderful skin conditions since I began shaving at 17. Every year, I had no choice but grow a beard to make it through brutal Ohio winters without having my face and neck skinned by some unforgiving implement. When returning to shaving in the spring, I'd only been able to shave five days a week without trouble, and then only with a prescribed topical steroid to contain inflamation. After trying every commercial cream and gel, shaving oil, every brand of electric razor, and all the expensive designer blades and novelty razors served up by Gillette, the problems persisted until I spent an evening on the internet trying to find a way to avoid another ghastly, itchy beard in 2005/2006. Some relief came when I was turned onto a shaving brush and shaving soap, finally setting on Classic Shaving's store brand soap after sampling a number of options. This product, along with my Sensor and Mach 3, took me to mid-January until I again began to look like a bowl of raw hamburger. I returned to the web and eventually bumped into an article by a dermatologist explaining the evils of modern cartridge razor blades. I excitedly ordered a Merkur Progress, bought some Personna blades, and proceeded to cut myself to ribbons every day for a week. Out of frustration, I logged back on and finally located this forum. Reading the posts here has been a tremendous help in unraveling the mysteries of shaving with one of these slightly anachronistic instruments. Things improved greatly, and I was not only able to shave through the winter, but also, for the first time, seven days a week.
One morning in the middle of this little adventure, I was running behind getting ready for work and decided, in the interest of time, to forgo the somewhat dangerous Progress in favor of my old idiot-proof Sensor. I figured this wouldn't hurt for one day. I got an excellent shave in record time (lol). I figured the skills I'd learned from using a DE had somehow made the Sensor a favorable alternative. By the fourth day of this digression, my neck had again turned an uninviting puffy dark purple with little red bumps. After laying off a day, I returned to the Progress and made a full recovery. I'm still shaving every day and love the feeling of being clean shaven and smooth-skinned.
Thanks to everyone here for the wonderful posts. I can now re-focus my efforts on getting that elusive perfect shave.
Ken
