XTG and ATG are a real challenge around the jaw and of course the neck area. Most all of us hold the razor with an "underhand" grip while shaving these areas, and it requires some effort just to hold it against the skin. Albeit unconsciously, that effort is often overdone, and the result is too much pressure applied, and irritation. It takes some real conscious thought and deliberate care to overcome this. Getting yourself to slow down and pay very close attention to how the razor feels against the skin is paramount. Best of luck Cody and let us know how it's going!
Try two across the grain instead of one and one against. Do one from ear to nose and the other nose to ear. Do a good study of the growth pattern under the chin and jawline and figure up two across down there as well. I am forever surprised by Feathers popularity. They are rough as hell for me and don't last more than one shave.
What's your favorite blade? I've heard some people like Derby's and hate feathers but I'm the opposite. A derby for me is like shaving with a hand full of shrapnel.
Hi you seem to have a lot of good information already, the on,y thing I have to add is, welcome to the den
This is true I've tried many blades and the one I have the greatest luck with is feather. I found a pack of 100 for 27 bucks on the bay that's pretty cheap to me. Even if I have to buy the best safety razor blade out there I'm still saving tons over the mach 3 razors I used to buy.
You might find that in the future your shaving technique might change, or your pre shave routine, and you might find that the blades that are terrible now could the best ever. When I started I hated Feather blades, got the worst razor burn ever, w few months later I tried it again and now they are one of my favourites. It is good that you have found one blade that you do like. Has anyone told you the 30 day rule?
I do hope the routine changes for me and i really hope that i find new products that work well with my face. No I haven't not yet heard of this rule.
We discussed blades a short time ago. Joe has mentioned the 30 Day Rule. You will see why finding the blade and razor combination is important. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique. One way to develop technique is by using THE 30 DAY RULE. THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade that works for you in your selected razor. After 30 days of using only that hardware, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all.
Tried some oil today, it was perfect shave the kind you find at Walmart. I don't like the smell much but it helped a lot with holding the moisture in from the shower and thus made the shave much smoother.
Good to hear you have a good shave, was it a pretty shave oil, the type you use before you put lather on, or is it the type of shaving oil you use instead of lather?
If your facial hair is really coarse, then I would recommend using a pre-shave to add a layer of slickness. Believe it or not, but Cremo shave cream (can be bought at Walgreens, Target, etc...) works fantastic as a pre-shave! it is incredibly slick, and will help give you that extra glide. Another suggestion would be to look at single-edge alternatives- aka: Injectors, Cobra Classic, Mongoose. These utilize a thicker blade, so there is more rigidity than a DE blade. This will likely result in less blade drag for you. If you're looking at sticking with DE blades, I have had very good luck with Personna Lab Blues and Astra SPs. Or, head over to tryablade.com, and you can order singles of almost anything you'd want to try! Shipping is only $2 as well.
Yea I've tried the Astra sp and did not like it as much as the ss but the personna or Walgreen's version (studio 35) work fairly well. I'm still going to try other blades but I am so tired of cutting my face. Its like no matter what I do I always bleed under the chin and under my right jaw. I just can't keep from getting cut there.
