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The road to the perfect shave for a very sensitive skin : An ongoing odyssey

Hi !

I’ve been a lurker here since a few years, and now ready to create a account and write my first post :)

Like many here, I started my journey from cartridge razor & cheap shaving foam bottle, to the incommensurable pleasure of the art of DE razor and high quality shaving soaps.

A few words about myself : In my thirties, a light beard with a very sensitive skin

I always had a dry skin, prompt to react vividly to warm and cold weather.
Until a few years ago, I dreaded to shave for the discomfort it would bring me.
Working in big corps (and disliking having a beard), I’ve always seen shaving as a necessary evil.
Until one day, I decided enough was enough. Thus starting :
The road to the perfect shave for a very sensitive skin : An ongoing odyssey

I start a few years ago with a Edwin Jagger badger (89p16 ?) with its steel shaving bowl.
I use it with my usual shaving foam & cartridge razor.
Even though it’s not good at all, this starts my fall in the rabbit hole :)
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Then, I step up my game with a plastic feather razor (I gave it to a friend so no pictures, but it’s the one with a butterfly opening), a Parker silvertip badger 22mm knot and my first and only shaving cream : The TOBS Jermyn Street
That is a big and welcome change !
It takes me quite some time getting use to my first experience with a DE razor combines with a real cream & badger.
IMG_1706.jpeg


My skin is so irritated after my shaves, that I start to look into aftershave cream & balm
It’s funny to see that the cheapest (Nivea) was the ones I enjoy the most (if I abstract the fragrance)
The shaves start to get better, but quickly the cheap feeling of the plastic razor bumping easily on my skin because of it’s light weight push me start to really invest in the hobby.
IMG_1710.jpeg


Welcome two pieces of art that I was still using daily a few days ago : The feather WS-D2S and the Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Shaving Scuttle
The step up is huge and I really think I reached my goal, this is why I’ve used the Feather for the past 2-3 years.
In hindsight, I can humbly say that I never mastered this razor, not even close.
I read hundreds of forum posts and watched as much Youtube video to understand the specifics of this razor, especially regarding the shallow Vs steep angle but nop.


The shaves are getting more enjoyable, but something is lacking.
My skin is still getting tight and red.
I venture quickly into the preshave oils without getting results.


Here’s come my lurking time into this forum : Thank you, you helped make progress a lot faster !
My first hard soap is Mitchell’s Wool Fat.
I really enjoy it, especially during those hard winter days of Canada.
I then look for the best smelling hard soap, and buy the Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversarry, the Nuavua Blue, the Martin de Candre Fougere and all the other samples of MDC (Nature, Original, Rose, Vétyver and Agrumes).
That time is heartbreaking, because I found out that vegan soap (without tallow) are causing me a great deal of irritation and drying excessively my skin.
I have to put them in the lowest closet, even though that I really want to love them.


Being (or trying to) logical, I tell myself that I need :
  • Tallow soaps
  • Unscented (fragrance might be the reason for the suffering)
  • Without Coconut acid (This might be the ingredient causing the dryness)
  • A smoother brush
Welcome Zingari Man Sego Unscented with its balm, Declaration Grooming Unscented and Wholly Kaw Bare Siero.
And for good measure, a Simpsons Chubby 2 Synthetic.
I love the Simpsons right away, the smoothness of the fibre are so enjoyable ! I never used the Parker ever again.


I start to use Cerave product : Excellent ones


Here we come to this week where I am waiting impatiently 3 nice orders :
  • Ariana & Evans The club Chasing The Dragon K2
  • Ariana & Evans Skin Food
  • Ariana & Evans Post-Shave Serum
  • Simpsons M7 Synthetic with a travel tube
  • Timeless TI 0.68 SB SC Matte TRH6

First shave, the shock : The best shave I ever had !
The K2 is great, probably the best soap I ever tried, even though it was a little too dry.
The M7 is great, even though I think I still prefer the CH2 Synth
The biggest gap is the Timeless.
I shaved 5-6 since and it’s probably 30% better than with my Feather.
I’m not yet at the BBS level, but I can now start to understand the true meaning of the acronym.

Here we are tonight, where we continue together my road to the perfect shave for a very sensitive skin : An ongoing odyssey :)

Next steps :
  • Continue to tame the Timeless (I start to try ATG for the 3rd pass, I couldn’t stomach it before)
  • Slow down on the soaps, brush, and other cosmetics
  • Ask your help for my next razor

Since the gap was so important between my last 2 razor, I’m a little bit addicted to try something else to continue the comparison.
From my readings, I’ve in mind those 3 razors :
  • Wolfman TI (if not SS) WR2 0.95 SB WRH2 90mm Hollow
  • Blackland Tradere
  • Henson TI22

Questions :
  • Should I consider other razors ?
  • Somebody would consider selling me one of those razors ?
  • Should I consider the Wolfman WR2 1.05 or 1.15 ?
  • Anything else ?

I’ll finish by thanking this community once again !

A.
 
Last edited:
Hum, I have an error message when I try to add more images :
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Could it be because the pictures are too heavy/big ?
 

ylekot

On the lookout for a purse
I have a Henson AL13 Mild that gives me a nice shave with no irritation whatsoever! The Ti version is well beyond my means so I have no input on that one
 
I have a Henson AL13 Mild that gives me a nice shave with no irritation whatsoever! The Ti version is well beyond my means so I have no input on that one

Hey @ylekot, thank you for your input !
How would you compare it to other razors you tried ?

I've read all the 47 pages of the excellent thread World’s Mildest (New) Razor? of @Kennyg2019.
This is why I chose the Timeless 0.68 instead of the Henson (couldn't order the TI too)
 

ylekot

On the lookout for a purse
I have always had issues with whole face irritation after a shave. Started out electric, that was horrible. Switched to Bic Metal and Barbasol and could get a decent shave without feeling like I was burned all day long but still not great. Gillette sent me a Fusion?(free in the mail), it was better than the Bic but not by much. Got a Gillette Tech and Arko shave stick and a Simpson Wee Scot, face lather and it was pretty good, only irritated for an hour or so and not as many bumps. Got this Henson and now I can get a decent shave with damn near no irritation whatsoever, even with plain old Barbasol in a can and no prep.

Others have far more experience than I do and have a much wider pool of comparison so their opinion should be weighted accordingly.

P.S. It was this forum that sent me in the right direction and I am grateful for that!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Hum, I have an error message when I try to add more images :
Oops! We ran into some problems.
A server error occurred. Please try again later.


Could it be because the pictures are too heavy/big ?
No. It is a current recurring problem with B&B that is being worked on.
 
I have always had issues with whole face irritation after a shave. Started out electric, that was horrible. Switched to Bic Metal and Barbasol and could get a decent shave without feeling like I was burned all day long but still not great. Gillette sent me a Fusion?(free in the mail), it was better than the Bic but not by much. Got a Gillette Tech and Arko shave stick and a Simpson Wee Scot, face lather and it was pretty good, only irritated for an hour or so and not as many bumps. Got this Henson and now I can get a decent shave with damn near no irritation whatsoever, even with plain old Barbasol in a can and no prep.

Others have far more experience than I do and have a much wider pool of comparison so their opinion should be weighted accordingly.

P.S. It was this forum that sent me in the right direction and I am grateful for that!

So we have a similar story :)
Happy to know that you found your nirvana !

P.S : I forgot to add that I can too use my vegan soap now, I'm very happy
 

ylekot

On the lookout for a purse
So we have a similar story :)
Happy to know that you found your nirvana !
Yeah my search is complete. I get a decent shave and the better half likes how I smell. I am not going to change a thing!
Good luck in your search!
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Now this is what I call an introductory post. Welcome to the forum from Australia and thanks for the detail.
 
I started my journey from cartridge razor & cheap shaving foam bottle, to the incommensurable pleasure of the art of DE razor and high quality shaving soaps.
Nice! To save money, right? Right?

Saponificio Varesino 70th Anniversarry, the Nuavua Blue, the Martin de Candre Fougere and all the other samples of MDC
  • Wolfman TI (if not SS) WR2 0.95 SB WRH2 90mm Hollow
  • Blackland Tradere
  • Henson TI22
Never mind! 😂

Welcome to B&B!
 
I have also experienced irritation from some (not all) vegan soaps. Have you tried anything from Stirling? They have lanolin like MWF as well as Shea Butter, which my face seems to like a lot.

As far as other razors, I would take a look at the Razorock Lupo either in the 72 or 95. Both very efficient and very comfortable. And less than $100 for a made in Canada SS razor.

Nivea balm is great! I mostly prefer alcohol based splashes, but if I have a rough shave, or brush burn, or a soap that irritates my skin, it’s what I use.
 
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