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Two Years In, Could Use Feedback

Hello! I definitely remember having an account here, but for some reason none of my emails turned up an account. Welp!

I am two years into DE shaving. Here is my setup and process:

Razor: Feather Popular
Blades: Persona X Series
Soap: Arko
Brush: Cheap Omega Boar

Process:
1. Shower
2. Drop razor into sink, fill with warm/hot water.
3. Hold brush into filling sink.
4. Apply soap.
5. Lather
6. Shave with two passes: with the grain, then against (across for the upper lip, combo of across/another with the grain for the chin).
7. Rinse warm.
8. Rinse cold.
9. Dry off.
10. Apply Thayer's Witch Hazel.

It seems to be a universal constant that the advice is to never use pressure with the razor. My issue is that my beard is incredibly coarse. After a day of growth, you could use my face as a belt sander. I usually let my beard grow for two days before shaving again. Due to the coarseness of my beard, I really do have to apply some force to the razor. If I don't, once I get to my upper lip and chin, the blade will just sit on the hair and won't move. Of course, the Popular seems to be a very light weight razor. Also, with the Persona blades, I get one reasonably comfortable shave. The second shave is not very pleasant, but I just can't bring myself to discard a blade after just one shave.

When I started, I was trying to do this with Barbasol, 3 passes, and no aftershave. I was in agony ALL THE TIME as a result. My comfort and shave quality has improved, but I do still get too much burn and irritation. I want to improve things, but there are a couple hangups that I have: shaving is a chore, not a hobby for me. I hate shaving. And yet, I really would prefer to keep DE shaving because it's far more cost effective, and I definitely don't like how cartridges feel when shaving. They also tend to tear my neck up.

I don't want to add any extra gear to my routine (I'm looking at you, bowls and mugs). Obviously I should be trying to never apply pressure. Should I investigate a heavier razor? I'm told the Feather Popular is mild, should I opt for a more aggressive razor, especially since I want to be done in two passes? Are there any products you think I should try that would help alleviate my symptoms? Any changes in technique or process?
 
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I'd suggest something like the Fatip Open Comb Slant razor combined with Gillette Nacet blades. The Popular is nice to start with, but it is very lightweight & mild.

It's important to have good lather so you can get a close shave without irritation. It doesn't have to be expensive, just good. Arko is OK, but I'd suggest something like Haslinger Schafmilch which is kinder to the skin. Let your brush soak for five minutes or so while you are in the shower. Apply the soap and take some time to work it in and build a lather on the face. That will help soften your whiskers which will help a lot in your shave.

Those are some specific suggestions, but just my personal opinion.
 
Thanks for the advice! I probably soak my brush for 20-30 seconds now, so I will definitely soak it longer next time.

Regarding blade suggestions, Gillette products are not for me. Also, a few other blades that gave me poor results: Derby, Rapira, Persona Blue, all Dorco blades, Parker, 7AM. Persona X gave me the first no-bleed shave (which is actually still a rarity for me to achieve), so I bought 200 of those.

Oh and I should mention that I have very sensitive skin on top of all this.
 
I'm not really familiar with the Persona X blades. If they work for you, they'll probably be fine in other razors. I suggested the Nacet because it is one of the sharper blades out there, and you will need that if you want to get a close shave in two passes. Remember, sharp tools are the best.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@notmyrealname, in all seriousness I suggest that you take up straight razor shaving. That will solve both your tough beard and sensitive skin problems. It's not as difficult or as dangerous as many think.

If you want to know more, pop on over to the straight razor section of B&B.
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
If you feel the need to apply pressure, a heavier razor might help. Perhaps a Karve Brass razor...open comb. As far as blades, that's very personal. But it sounds like your face appreciates something sharper. Feather blades are one of the sharpest on the market. A lot of people like Bic Chrome Platinum blades...they're also rated very sharp although I've never had any luck with them at all. You've indicated that Gillette blades don't work for you...but...as recommended above Gillette Nacet are, also, a sharp blade. Also, Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum might be an option. They're made in India.
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Gillette products are not for me.
Is this just because you don’t like Gillette products (understandable) or because you’ve used Gillette blades and weren’t happy with them? The reason I ask is a lot of the “sharp and smooth” blade choices are manufactured by Gillette.
 
Welcome to B&B.

You may want to contact an active Moderator who may be able to restore your old account.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Gillette makes a lot of blades. You can hate 4 of them and still find one you love.

It sure sounds like you have an imbalance between beard/razor/blade/frequency. Needing to add pressure means you're using the wrong equipment. Since the blade is the cheapest I'd recommend starting with Feather blades. Don't add pressure using the Feathers or you'll be asking to see a little blood. Feathers are great blades, but they are unkind to poor technique.

A more aggressive razor would probably help, but that's real money. You might even consider a one pass shave WTG as a replacement to your skip day. Two days of heavy growth is probably going to require a different razor.
 
I don't mind picking up another razor that will work better for me. There are plenty of ~$30 options at Shave Nation that have the butterfly design (strongly prefer that over any other head). I'm hesitant to try Feather blades again. My very first try at DE shaving was with the Feather blade that came with my razor. Pain for days, lots of blood.

My aversion to Gillette is purely personal. I have no experience with their blades.

And regarding shaving daily, that would be too much for my skin to handle. Shaving every other day is already fairly painful, which is why I generally like to skip two days. By then my skin can handle a shave okay. Of course, this could easily be due to a combination of the wrong equipment for my situation, and less than perfect technique.
 
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My aversion to Gillette is purely personal.
FWIW, I feel the same way. You can be assured that it is totally possible to have outstanding shaves without using any Gillette products whatsoever.
 
Equipment is important and so is process and technique. Soak your brush and razor while your taking a shower. While showering wash your face first and let the soap sit on cheeks, chin, upper lip and neck for the duration of your shower to soften the hair as much as possible. Also, try adding a pass and go: with the grain, across the grain and then against the grain. Remember the goal is whisker reduction through process and technique.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
"Cheap Omega Boar" sounds like the absolutely wonderful 10005 to me. Love mine. I have a little plastic cup, about a 1/2 cup volume. I fill it 3/4 of the way with hot water, and soak the brush for about 10 minutes. Boars take a little longer, but repay that time in full when you get to the lather stage. I keep the cup with the water next to the sink while shaving. That's what I use for the water that loads the brush and builds the lather.

(Mostly I habitually fill the cup and put the brush to soak as soon as I realize I'm heading toward a shave. Then I do other tasks for a while. "Ten minutes" really means "let it soak a little longer than you have.")

Probably there will be a large rattling of jaws around the world hitting the floor because I am not suggesting you look at slants. :) OH, I am, but not for a while yet. Take a long look at RazoRock's offerings. Also give some thought to the new Era line from Blackland. RR is a proven quantity in the market; Blackland is breaking into a new market demographic. Both are excellent razor makers.

I don't own any TTO razors, preferring two and three piece designs.

RR's Lupo and GameChanger seem highly regarded. Look around here for reviews and comments. I have a BBS-OC and it gives very nice shaves on hard hair for me.

Investigate a blade sampler. I find the Astra SP pretty much hits all my buttons. Cheap, easy to find, lasts me six head shaves or two weeks of shaving. I really should branch out but darnit I like what I'm using.

O.H.
 
Welcome the Forum again,

I would suggest trying a heavier Razor, Parkers 99R is a good choice, it is under 30$, use a Pre-Shave.

I would say my beard type is similar to yours, it is coarse and like a sanding paper on the second day and I found out I have to use a Pre-Shave and somewhat a heavier Razor at the Beginning of my DE shaving, I can use plenty of Razors now and get a very good shave but I have to use a Pre-Shave (my go to is Proraso).

For the Blades try a sampler Pack, after shaving with lots of blades I found out that I get the best resuls with Platinum coated blades.

The best advice I got was to use no pressure at all and that's hard to do at the start because you might feel you are not shaving any hair at all but try to resist the thought and just glide the Razor gently on your face.

Best of luck.
 

Eben Stone

Staff member
A lot of great advice given already.

Normally I would suggest you only change one thing at a time, so that when you do find the one thing that helps, you know immediately which thing is responsible for your new success. I still thing this is great advice. However, if you've been at this for two years I think its safe to try whatever new combination of things you want. Its probably reasonable to defer a scientific approach until you find some combination that makes a noticeable improvement.

If you're applying pressure, its because the razor you're using is allowing you to get away with it unpunished. In my experience, this means you need a significantly more aggressive razor. Something with more blade feel. Just be prepared to learn a hard lesson very quickly. You'll learn more in the first two seconds using an R41 than you have in the past two years. I can fully understand how an aggressive razor may not be for everyone. I survived, and I wholeheartedly blame my easy success on a very early transition to aggressive razors.

If you're not willing to try a more aggressive razor, then a significantly sharper blade seems like the next logical thing to try. I'm not familiar with the Feather popular razor, but if its a mild razor you should probably be using Feather blades. They are expensive an have terrible longevity. So what. At least try them, for process of elimination. I'm sure your technique has improved enough since you started so you can disregard your prior ancient history with them.

If you have sensitive skin, shaving less often may or may not be helping you. As @musicman1951 already mentioned, it may be easier on your skin if you shave more often but use less passes per shave. You should consider a daily one pass shave.

No shave bowl? You're face lathering using Arko? What's the consistency of your lather like? If you're unwilling to get a shave bowl then the consistency of your later better be awesome. Have you tried other soaps/creams?

Try cold water. At least a few shaves, for process of elimination, so see if it helps you. I personally prefer warm/hot water, and my level of irritation on a scale of 1-10 is maybe 1, using cold water is 0. It's worth trying.

Try alum after your shave, as a way to measure the quality of your shave. The goal being zero feedback. In my experience, if it burns at all that means I'm doing something wrong. I've been using alum after every shave for about one and a half years now and I still find it useful.
 
Well, I shaved today, and I let the brush soak in a cup while showering. It made a LARGE difference. Lather was much better. Did not bleed today, which was nice. Just for kicks threw a Rapira blade in there. Will switch back to the Persona next time.

Shave is still not as close as I would like, though. I'm definitely open to trying a more aggressive razor. From what I'm gathering about them, they may be a good fit.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Well, I shaved today, and I let the brush soak in a cup while showering. It made a LARGE difference. Lather was much better. Did not bleed today, which was nice. Just for kicks threw a Rapira blade in there. Will switch back to the Persona next time.

Shave is still not as close as I would like, though. I'm definitely open to trying a more aggressive razor. From what I'm gathering about them, they may be a good fit.

Good to hear! I may be in the minority, but I can tend to obsess over my shave. By which I mean, if it ain't dead-on perfect then I'm gonna think about that all day long in those moments when I'm not thinking more important thoughts like "should I have that second doughnut?"

Consequently I often only eat one doughnut, and I think up all kinds of goofy stuff to try on the next shave. I think I've got the basics pretty well covered, or at least it works for me and I'm mostly happy. It's those odd things like noticing where the hair goes in some random direction and deciding to try going that way ATG.

Or there's one place right on the back of my head where no amount of aggressive skin stretching will net me a smooth shave. I can stretch until my ears are on the front of my face to no avail. But one day I was looking up at something and happened to take off my hat and rub the back of my recently shaven head. Hmmm. Loose skin has prickles; smooth skin does not. I tried tipping my head back and shaving gently over that area. Be darned! It worked. Probably I'm the only guy here who'd admit to that. :)

The moral of the story is: keep trying things. Know when to bail out if it gets too weird. Some days I haul out my Bail-Out Razor, the ATT S2, and do a little reset before things get too far off the rails.

O.H.
 
Well, I shaved today, and I let the brush soak in a cup while showering. It made a LARGE difference. Lather was much better. Did not bleed today, which was nice. Just for kicks threw a Rapira blade in there. Will switch back to the Persona next time.

Shave is still not as close as I would like, though. I'm definitely open to trying a more aggressive razor. From what I'm gathering about them, they may be a good fit.
I wouldn't chase a close shave just yet. I would make small changes and watch for irritation or bleeding, as that seems to be your major hump on the road. A more efficient razor is a good idea, as others have suggested. Have you tried bowl lathering? It might ease the stress on your skin. Also, you might look into a balm to add to you post shave process. I don't know how old you are but my personal experience is that as I got closer to 50, I needed a balm or cream after my witch hazel splash.

Hope you find a recipe that works for you.
 
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