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Worst pre Wet Shaving experience

Sorry if this has been done before,

Can any of you recall, prior to wet shaving, what your most horrific shaving experience was? To this day I can remember mine.

I was on a business trip to Hartford, Connecticut in November 2000. In Hawaii we have two seasons, wet and dry, so your blood gets a little thinner and the cold really starts to suck(actually I lived in Michigan and New York when I was a kid, I'm just a big wuss after 17 years here).

Well, I was at the Hartford Hilton and noticed my beard was getting scruffy. So I went for my Mach3 (again, pre wet shaving days) and wouldn't you know it, I forgot to pack my toiletries. I tried to live with not shaving but after the fourth day I couldn't take it any more so I called the front desk. They sent up a ketchup packet of something resembling shaving cream and a white disposable single blade razor thing :eek: It was either itch and look like Chubaka or attempt to shave with these things. So I shaved, or what passed as me trying to shave. Well I don't exactly know what happened, but the next thing I knew, it looked like someone had cut my throat from my right ear down to my adams apple. I had some how irritated my neck to point of shave bumps and then shaved off the shave bumps leaving a trail of blood on my neck. I had never seen this much blood coming from my neck, I grabbed a cold towel and held to my neck until the bleeding stopped. Upon closed inspection I could see that the poor little razor bumps had all been scalped by that evil thing pretending to be a razor. Moral of the story, don't forget your toiletries, if you forget your toiletries, don't be too cheap to spend a couple of bucks for a decent Bic Metal or even a Mach3 in a pinch.

Again, sorry if you have all shared you stories before, I couldn't find them. I'm really curious about the experieces of the shave gurus in this forum.

Saludos
Rod
 
Mine was partially my fault, though it would have been easier with a DE. Alot easier with a straight.

I had let my beard grow out for several months and after getting sick of people saying I looked like an Amish, I decided to get rid of it. I didn't really have a good way of trimming it so there I was standing in the shower trying to shave a beard that had grown to about 1-2" (I would guess now) with a Mach3 blade that was impossibly clogged after the first swipe due to the amount of hair. Took me probably a good half hour to shave it off. Pain in the neck, somewhat literally. As I recall, my neck didn't take to kindly to clogged Mach3 plus the number of passes required to get a decent looking shave out of it.
 
Well, I've got a few but one that stands out:

Soon after I graduated college and went to work, I was doing the daily shave which I never really did in school. I was frustrated that I couldn't ever get a 'good' shave... I could always feel stubble. Well one day I ended up with some Zirh shave cream and decided that I was going to get a smooth face. I proceeded to make two passes with my Mach III - the 2nd being against the grain. Needless to say, I had never been in so much pain in all of my life. No nicks or cuts, but razor burn everywhere: neck, cheeks, jaw, etc... it was so embarrassing going to work because it looked like I was developing the worse case of acne ever as I started to get ingrown hairs everywhere... it was probably five days before I could even attempt to shave again.

Not sure why, but it took me another 6 years to discover the DE and wet-shaving.
 
fuerein said:
Mine was partially my fault, though it would have been easier with a DE. Alot easier with a straight.

I had let my beard grow out for several months and after getting sick of people saying I looked like an Amish, I decided to get rid of it. I didn't really have a good way of trimming it so there I was standing in the shower trying to shave a beard that had grown to about 1-2" (I would guess now) with a Mach3 blade that was impossibly clogged after the first swipe due to the amount of hair. Took me probably a good half hour to shave it off. Pain in the neck, somewhat literally. As I recall, my neck didn't take to kindly to clogged Mach3 plus the number of passes required to get a decent looking shave out of it.

OUCH! I can only imagine the amount of tugging and pulling that went on!
 
Navy bootcamp. After growing up in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, I left home in early January for Great Lakes Naval Recruit Center, located about 30 miles north of Chicago, Ill. While the temperature was in the 70s in Arizona, in my third week of bootcamp the wind chill was 85 degrees F below zero. I was NOT a happy camper.

To shave, we had disposable Bics and mildly lukewarm water. Since we only had a few minutes to be in uniform, lather was a rarity reserved for Sundays.

Our last dress inspection was going to be the toughest of the two months. If so much as a shade of a whisker was detected, you could be held in bootcamp a few extra weeks. So, some of us more enterprising recruits snuck in our dull Bics, hid off in an unheated storage room and scraped our whiskers into oblivion as we watched our breath in the freezing space.

Ahhh, good times.
 
This is only slightly on topic and not even a real experience but given the topic I had to bring it up. Anyone remember the poor schmuck shaving during the landing on the movie "Airplane"? Now that was was blade rash.
 
Mine was this past Holy Thursday.

I generally used an electric (a Panasonic). The problem with it is that I couldn't get a close shave without a couple of days of growth. Being Holy Week of course I shaved the day before. So I give it a go and not only am I not get a close shave, but my face is on fire and I’m getting nicks all over the place.

Ok. So now I have three options: 1) try to force the electric even more; 2) take out a blade (Mach 3); 3) go to a service observing Christ’s crucifixion with a completely uneven shave, looking like I just woke up (only with razor burn).

So I go for the Mach 3. Horrible choice. Not only does the razor burn get tremendously worse, but the Mach 3 completely opens up one of the nicks on my upper lip. It took about 5 minutes for the bleeding to stop.
 
Not to sound irreverent or any thing but you could have chosen choice three and when asked why you looked so bad, you could say you were trying to get into the "spirit" of the observation. :wink: Not that I can overly suggest that. I know too many people who would take offense.
 
The worst 'shave' I ever had was after being fed up with the cartridge razors and canned goop that I decided to use "Magic Shave Powder" (unscented).

After reading the directions and procuring a butter knife( hey, this is going to b ez-just a butter knife; great![more like famous last words]), I mixed the powder and water together and applied it to my face.

According to the directions, you are supposed to leave it on for no longer than five minutes(tough beard), 3-5 minutes (normal beard), and 1-3 minutes for a light beard.

after a minute and a half, i was reaching for the butter knife due to the intense pain on my face and neck area- it felt like I had turned into the human torch-but only on my face and neck. :mad:

To my horror, as I scraped off the vile mixture, I could see strips of my skin coming off at the same time :eek: Trust me, this was MC Hammer type burn ( can't touch this)- razor burn would have been soothing! :crying:

By the time I had finished, my face and neck looked like a fresh cut steak-and I am as dark as Wesley Snipes! :wink:

To add insult to injury, as my tortured skin was healing, razor bumps and ingrown hairs were having a field day since I was unable to shave for the next 3 weeks!

Plus, the look of disgust on the faces of strangers was almost more than I could bear and I was unable to rest because how can you go to sleep when your face is in constant pain?

The only good thing:)confused: ) to come out of this was that I never, ever touched "Magic Shave Powder" again- yep, Bill Gates could show up @ my door with a suitcase full of cash and a can of ' ye olde shave powder' and he would catch a royal beat down!

Moral of the story: friends don't let friends use shave powder!

Marty
 
I can't top yours Marty but I'll share anyway.

I was about 19 and saw a commercial for one of those Schick razors that "Bend" to mold to your face. Of course I ran out and got one. :blushing:

I started to shave with it but was disappointed to see that it wasn't "bending" to mold to my face. "I must be doing it wrong" thought I. HA I then proceeded to press that sucker to my face with signifigant force. I did manage to get the blasted thing to bend like in the commercial but I also ended with the worst razor burn I've ever imagined, on my entire face. :eek:

I don't know what they were trying to pull with that thing but a razor does NOT need to bend to get a good shave.
 
My worst pre-wetshaving experience happened on July 3, 1993. It was a Saturday, yes, definitely a Saturday. (Channeling Rainman...)

I was recent college graduate and was staying with my parents in my hometown for the weekend. I'd been out with friends the night before, so I woke up a bit late with nowhere to be until noon. Good thing since I was moving a bit slow that morning.

My habit was to shave before my shower. At the time, I probably used Edge gel and an Atra or similar. I completed my shave and looked in the mirror. I decided that just wasn't a good enough shave.

Never one to yield to common sense, I changed to a new blade, lathered up a second time, and shaved again. This time I really worked on those stubborn neck areas, grinding off every list wisp of beard.

I rinsed my face and Holy Crapola:eek: ... my neck was splotchy already turning fire engine red. I had given myself the worst razor burn of my life.

Now razor burn is really never a good look. It is both unattractive and also painfully uncomfortable when coupled with a heavily starched, rented tuxedo shirt.

Note to self: Mega-razor rash is not the way to get your wedding day started off on a good note.

In my effort to put out the flames, I ransacked the house and used every kind of lotion or moisturizing goop I could find.

By the wedding a few hours later, the visible redness above my collar line had calmed but that shirt collar felt like it was ripping the hide off my neck.
 
My bonehead friends thought it would be funny to keep me out until 5am the night before my wedding :tongue_sm I had to be clean shaved and in a tux at the hotel for the wedding pictures by 8am. Suffice it to say I was late for my own wedding and seriously don't remember how the heck I managed to not decapitate myself shaving that morning.
 
Sometime not too long after the Mach3 came out I was using it and some how managed to slide the thing sideways across my sideburn. I was rewarded with 3 slits in the side of my face that proceeded to bleed profusely. just lovely i tell you. Felt even better.
 
Army Boot camp, Ft. Dix NJ, COLD morning in November, practicing at the rifle range when DS goes "ok now to the gas chamber". Well, without a good seal of mask to face, means gas in your face. One of the guys had a Bic that was passed around, I was probably #6, all dry shaves. By the time it got to me, well you can imagine the dull blade!!! Try CS gas and major razor burn at the same time!!!!! I had stuff coming out of every hole in my face and my face was on fire on top of that. You see, they make you take your mask off inside the gas chamber so that you learn to recognize CS gas and its effects. OH I REMEMBER!!!! I could see the DS grining though the mask, he was having a goo ol' time watching us suffer. Ahhh the good ol' days!! A good time was had by all.

Rafael
 
Scorpio said:
Army Boot camp, Ft. Dix NJ, COLD morning in November, practicing at the rifle range when DS goes "ok now to the gas chamber". Well, without a good seal of mask to face, means gas in your face. One of the guys had a Bic that was passed around, I was probably #6, all dry shaves. By the time it got to me, well you can imagine the dull blade!!! Try CS gas and major razor burn at the same time!!!!! I had stuff coming out of every hole in my face and my face was on fire on top of that. You see, they make you take your mask off inside the gas chamber so that you learn to recognize CS gas and its effects. OH I REMEMBER!!!! I could see the DS grining though the mask, he was having a goo ol' time watching us suffer. Ahhh the good ol' days!! A good time was had by all.

Rafael

man did u take me back with that story!

I took basic @ Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri ( that's fort lost in the woods, misery to those in the know) and your experience was duplicated exactly except for the HUGE oak tree right outside of the gas chamber.

Just watching my fellow terribly shaved(and pimply faced) soldiers run out of the chamber directly into the oak tree while bleeding profusely from their pimples was enough to send me into hysteria- i laughed so hard, I was crying. :biggrin:

You can imagine the looks on the DI's faces- pure joy!

Marty
 
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