Greetings fellow shaving enthusiasts!
I experience considerable skin sensitivity, which I suspect arose from prescription medication. After trying a rotary electric shaver and Gillette Mach3 cartridge razor, I took up double-edge shaving at the end of 2014. While I have taken in advice from various sources, I experience considerable irritation and cuts - sometimes to the extent that the irritation lasts for hours after, and the cuts remain for a day or so afterward. Below is my routine:
1. I keep my skin chemical-free; the only products I use are milk as a cleanser, and aloe-vera gel straight from the plant as an after-shave. Nothing else.
2. Prior to shaving, I wash my face with aforementioned milk, then soak a folded hand towel in hot water and hold it to my face for 45-60 seconds. I then wet my face with warm water.
3. Using a stick of Palmolive shaving soap and a brush, I work the soap in to a lather on my face, ensuring I keep it hydrated.
4. I use a Merkur 23C razor with Wilkinson Sword blades (currently the ones that come in the black case, but I may be using the white-cased ones in the future). The first pass I do with the grain, ensuring I stretch the skin as much as possible and only shave in straight lines.
5. After this pass, considerable stubble remains. I re-wet my face, apply another layer of soap, and shave against the grain (this is where the trouble occurs).
6. After taking a shower (I must to wash off the blood), I apply cold water to my face, then massage in aloe-vera gel, straight from a cut leaf.
Would anyone be able to offer suggestions on where I'm going wrong? Does anyone else use a similar setup and find they have no trouble?
Kind regards,
John
I experience considerable skin sensitivity, which I suspect arose from prescription medication. After trying a rotary electric shaver and Gillette Mach3 cartridge razor, I took up double-edge shaving at the end of 2014. While I have taken in advice from various sources, I experience considerable irritation and cuts - sometimes to the extent that the irritation lasts for hours after, and the cuts remain for a day or so afterward. Below is my routine:
1. I keep my skin chemical-free; the only products I use are milk as a cleanser, and aloe-vera gel straight from the plant as an after-shave. Nothing else.
2. Prior to shaving, I wash my face with aforementioned milk, then soak a folded hand towel in hot water and hold it to my face for 45-60 seconds. I then wet my face with warm water.
3. Using a stick of Palmolive shaving soap and a brush, I work the soap in to a lather on my face, ensuring I keep it hydrated.
4. I use a Merkur 23C razor with Wilkinson Sword blades (currently the ones that come in the black case, but I may be using the white-cased ones in the future). The first pass I do with the grain, ensuring I stretch the skin as much as possible and only shave in straight lines.
5. After this pass, considerable stubble remains. I re-wet my face, apply another layer of soap, and shave against the grain (this is where the trouble occurs).
6. After taking a shower (I must to wash off the blood), I apply cold water to my face, then massage in aloe-vera gel, straight from a cut leaf.
Would anyone be able to offer suggestions on where I'm going wrong? Does anyone else use a similar setup and find they have no trouble?
Kind regards,
John