Sorry for such a long post. But this may help others with a tough beard and/or sensitive skin. Please note YMMV. This is what works for me. However I still have many more experiments to do. The rabbit hole demands it!;] I am 52 years old. I have been wet shaving for about a year. Just got into straights. There are so many things that can mess up your skin. Even if your technique is good. I have a tough beard with sensitive skin. But at least my beard grows straight down. I shave every other day. I am a cold water shaver. But I take a warm shower first. This is a list of products that I am using at the moment.
1. Wash face with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap.
2. Straight Jojoba Oil as a pre shave.
3. TOBS Sandalwood Shave Cream. I also like MWF, Lather And Wood Sandalwood, and Proraso Red Cream.
4.Aqua Velva Ice Blue
5.Walmart brand witch hazel.
6. Lather And Wood Sandalwood After Shave Balm, or Duke Cannon Ice Cold Balm.
7. Pea sized amount of Corn Huskers Lotion mixed with 3 drops of Jojoba oil just before bed.
8. Meiji adjustable razor or Merkur 42001.
9. Wilkinson Sword blades. [the German ones]
Now I will comment about products and technique. I try to follow others advice about changing only one thing at a time for several shaves. But this requires great discipline because of the rabbit hole. And to think that there was a time when I used to think that these guys on this forum are just nuts! Why do you need so many different products? You only need one type of razor, blades, soap, after shave,etc. Ha! What a fool I was! I have now seen the light or maybe darkness of the rabbithole. Anyhow.
1. My face does not like sodium lauryl sulfates or certain heavy scents or other chemicals. I try to use a face soap that is more natural with a minimum of ingredients. Also, I don't exfoliate right before I shave. I do it the night before with shower shamy that I bought at Publix. [kind of like a luffa, but it comes as a long somewhat rough cloth that is easier to wash your back with. I only exfoliate on the nights before I shave. The rest of my showers I gently wash my face with my hands. I buy Dr. Bronner's soap at Walmart. They have different kinds. But I like the way the peppermint feels. Very cooling, but does not burn my skin like Noxzema does.
2. I have tried to use soaps without a pre shave product. But my skin is just to girly. Use whatever pre shave works for you. But if you use a oil; you will save lots of money by making your own. That way you will have much more money to buy other stuff! Yes. I know, that damn rabbithole again! Anyhow I like straight Jojoba oil. For more info; see my post on it.
A big game changer for me is cold water shaving. There are many post on this forum about it. However, I do take a warm shower first. My water does not get that hot anyhow. And since I live in Florida, my water does not get ice cold. I was very doubtful at first. But my skin is not as red as it used to be.
3. Use a good soap! I like soaps that have glycerin and/or tallow. Sheabutter is good also. Scents in most soaps don't bother me as much as a product that is left on my skin. But some can't stand scents at all. So try unscented soaps. Or soaps with very little. MWF is really good. But some are sensitive to the lanoline in it.
4. I like to use a alcohol based splashed. Always followed by a balm. I have tried a Alum block. But my skin does not like it at all. However they are not that expensive to try. I use mine as a deodorant. You will here all kinds of hate about alcohol splashes. But I like Aqua Velva Ice Blue because the menthol really cools my skin. I keep mine in the fridge! It also has glycerin in it. And it is not loaded with a whole lot of stuff in it. The scent fades quickly.
5. You can use witch hazel instead of alcohol splashes. Some brands are alcohol free. But mine only has 14% alcohol anyhow. I use it after the aftershave splash has dried on my face. I just splash it on. I leave it wet because the Lather and Wood Balm is much easier to spread on my face.
6. Balms are great for sensitive skin. I like Lather And Wood because of the natural ingredients in it. Lots of good stuff in it like aloe,shea butter,coconut oil,glycerine etc. They have unscented as well. But the sandalwood is very mild and fades very quickly. Duke Cannon works well for me. But it is strong in menthol which can bother some. It has a strong minty smell that goes away in a few minutes.
8. I like a mild razor. A adjustable is great because you can control the aggressiveness of the shave. My merkur 42001 was given to me by a friend. The Meiji adjustable is what I mostly use now.
9. I used to like Feathers. They cut through my steel beard like butter. ….But they are somewhat harsh for me. I right now I am using Wilkinson Swords. They are sharp enough for me, so much smoother than the Feathers! I have a few more to try. Try A Blade.Com Lets you order as few as you want.
7. Brain fade! I use aftershavebalm at night followed by a small amount of Corn Husker's Lotion mixed in my palm with 3 drops of Jojoba Oil before bed. The Lotion is high in glycerin and helps spread the oil. Even though I have somewhat acne prone skin; Jojoba Oil does not cause me to break out. Anyhow, I hope this may be of help to others. Please feel free to ask me any question. This is not meant to be a list of all the great products out there. This is only what I am using at this time. As always YMMV. Feel free to experiment. That is half the fun! Have a great day and have a great shave!
1. Wash face with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap.
2. Straight Jojoba Oil as a pre shave.
3. TOBS Sandalwood Shave Cream. I also like MWF, Lather And Wood Sandalwood, and Proraso Red Cream.
4.Aqua Velva Ice Blue
5.Walmart brand witch hazel.
6. Lather And Wood Sandalwood After Shave Balm, or Duke Cannon Ice Cold Balm.
7. Pea sized amount of Corn Huskers Lotion mixed with 3 drops of Jojoba oil just before bed.
8. Meiji adjustable razor or Merkur 42001.
9. Wilkinson Sword blades. [the German ones]
Now I will comment about products and technique. I try to follow others advice about changing only one thing at a time for several shaves. But this requires great discipline because of the rabbit hole. And to think that there was a time when I used to think that these guys on this forum are just nuts! Why do you need so many different products? You only need one type of razor, blades, soap, after shave,etc. Ha! What a fool I was! I have now seen the light or maybe darkness of the rabbithole. Anyhow.
1. My face does not like sodium lauryl sulfates or certain heavy scents or other chemicals. I try to use a face soap that is more natural with a minimum of ingredients. Also, I don't exfoliate right before I shave. I do it the night before with shower shamy that I bought at Publix. [kind of like a luffa, but it comes as a long somewhat rough cloth that is easier to wash your back with. I only exfoliate on the nights before I shave. The rest of my showers I gently wash my face with my hands. I buy Dr. Bronner's soap at Walmart. They have different kinds. But I like the way the peppermint feels. Very cooling, but does not burn my skin like Noxzema does.
2. I have tried to use soaps without a pre shave product. But my skin is just to girly. Use whatever pre shave works for you. But if you use a oil; you will save lots of money by making your own. That way you will have much more money to buy other stuff! Yes. I know, that damn rabbithole again! Anyhow I like straight Jojoba oil. For more info; see my post on it.
A big game changer for me is cold water shaving. There are many post on this forum about it. However, I do take a warm shower first. My water does not get that hot anyhow. And since I live in Florida, my water does not get ice cold. I was very doubtful at first. But my skin is not as red as it used to be.
3. Use a good soap! I like soaps that have glycerin and/or tallow. Sheabutter is good also. Scents in most soaps don't bother me as much as a product that is left on my skin. But some can't stand scents at all. So try unscented soaps. Or soaps with very little. MWF is really good. But some are sensitive to the lanoline in it.
4. I like to use a alcohol based splashed. Always followed by a balm. I have tried a Alum block. But my skin does not like it at all. However they are not that expensive to try. I use mine as a deodorant. You will here all kinds of hate about alcohol splashes. But I like Aqua Velva Ice Blue because the menthol really cools my skin. I keep mine in the fridge! It also has glycerin in it. And it is not loaded with a whole lot of stuff in it. The scent fades quickly.
5. You can use witch hazel instead of alcohol splashes. Some brands are alcohol free. But mine only has 14% alcohol anyhow. I use it after the aftershave splash has dried on my face. I just splash it on. I leave it wet because the Lather and Wood Balm is much easier to spread on my face.
6. Balms are great for sensitive skin. I like Lather And Wood because of the natural ingredients in it. Lots of good stuff in it like aloe,shea butter,coconut oil,glycerine etc. They have unscented as well. But the sandalwood is very mild and fades very quickly. Duke Cannon works well for me. But it is strong in menthol which can bother some. It has a strong minty smell that goes away in a few minutes.
8. I like a mild razor. A adjustable is great because you can control the aggressiveness of the shave. My merkur 42001 was given to me by a friend. The Meiji adjustable is what I mostly use now.
9. I used to like Feathers. They cut through my steel beard like butter. ….But they are somewhat harsh for me. I right now I am using Wilkinson Swords. They are sharp enough for me, so much smoother than the Feathers! I have a few more to try. Try A Blade.Com Lets you order as few as you want.
7. Brain fade! I use aftershavebalm at night followed by a small amount of Corn Husker's Lotion mixed in my palm with 3 drops of Jojoba Oil before bed. The Lotion is high in glycerin and helps spread the oil. Even though I have somewhat acne prone skin; Jojoba Oil does not cause me to break out. Anyhow, I hope this may be of help to others. Please feel free to ask me any question. This is not meant to be a list of all the great products out there. This is only what I am using at this time. As always YMMV. Feel free to experiment. That is half the fun! Have a great day and have a great shave!
So That is how you guys are posting those funny emojis! I just now figured it out. I am not tech smart at all.
