Shaved today with all the same stuff, but different out come. I went easy breezy on the shave. Just gliding over the hair instead of pulling skin. Went WTG, XTG, ATG. And touch ups. A little irritation, but not bad at all. Picked up some witch hazel today too. Seems to help, even though it kinda stinks. I did switch out my blade after the WTG shave. It was pulling my hair instead of cutting it. OUCH! Maybe it's the cheap blades. Maybe it's my thick beard. IDK. Tried to palm strop the first one, didn't help. How often, for a thick beard, do you think blades should be changed?
Blades should be changed when they pull and tug, just like you did. How often can change by blade brands. Sorry if I missed it before, but what brands have you tried? If you are just using locally bought blades (usually Personna's) and they aren't working for you, think about purchasing a blade sample pack.
I have a thick beard too and I change blades after every 2nd shave, blades are cheap and bulk buys so I don't really think about blade longevity. Witch Hazel is excellent. One trick is to put some in your hand with your favorite after shave and then apply , the smell should then be conquered.
Not sure of the brand. Don't see any name on the package. I bought mine at Publix grocery store. I looked at WalMart and Walgreens. Different packaging but looks like the same blade dispenser. Same blades made for all of them, but with there name on them. Generic, cheap quality. Stingraysock has sent me some samples to try. :happy0231respect:1respect
I also could not get a comfortable shave with a disposable. But since switching to a DE I find I can shave a three pass routine and get a comfortable shave with no irritation. The trick for me was "do not apply pressure". Let the razor work. I realized I was putting pressure on the razor to make up for the lousy disposable. Paul
Shaving with my Mach III I always just shaved top to bottom (WTG). You put as much pressure on the blade as you want. Going against the grain was unheard of. Way too much irritation. Of course that was before I learned how to shave. At 32 years old I thought I knew. I was wrong. Learning all over again. Apparently there's more to it than just slopping some goo on your face and scraping off the whiskers every couple of days.:happy102
Since this thread has been brought back to life I'll give an update on my progress. There's been many changes in the last 3 weeks for the better, starting with changing over from soaps to creams. Also changed to different blades and tried some different razors,so I'm not having any irritation now I still have some more blades to try but I've found two so far that are outstanding for me. EJ DE89L astra superior platinum, Lord platinum red white and blue pack Godrej and D'men creams with more to try Also tried shaving every other day working well but the juries still out n that one whether I stay with that or go back to daily.
Before i start shaving with DEs, a year ago, i was shaving only every other day and only 1 pass up-down, the end result was a lot of irritation and blood. But since i started using DE razors i can go back to my Fusion and shave with multiple pass(WTG,ATG,XTG) without any problem, and the result is pretty good without too much effort.
I used three pass shaves with a Trac II cartridge for 25 years before switching to a DE and doing the same thing. Only the order of the passes changed - from WTG, ATG, XTG with the cartridge to WTG, XTG, ATG with a DE razor. I never got irritation with the cartridge, but always got plenty of nicks. The Trac II was the only cartridge that ever worked well for me. The Gillette Atra and triple blade cartridges always gave me crummy shaves.
Sounds like you are making some great progress there! You sure have chosen some good equipment, I use the Astra blades myself and they work very well for me. Glad to read that things are going better for you - it only gets better from here!
Just got my free blade samples from Stingraysock. Tried the Merkur. Man, what a difference a blade makes. I know a lot of guys on here have said they are rough on them. But in my limited exp., compared to the junk blades I started with from the grocery store, they are excellent. Shaved multiple passes, even more than I have been. Little to no irritation afterward. I think my beard is just to thick and tough for the cheapo blades. The cheapos feel like I'm scraping my face instead of cutting my beard. My cheeks were ok but my neck line was razor burned bad. Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel. :bounce015
I've got super sensitive skin as well and have been DE shaving a while. I find the blades make all the difference in the world. I shave with a 1950's Gillette Super Speed and I've been using feathers ( platinum blades that are known to be the sharpest in the world ). I shave wtg, ear to nose, nose to ear, then XTG. 4 passes every day due to my job ( law enforcement ). I also face lather as it seems to help lift the hairs better ( after my usual hot shower ). Back to the blades though..... you HAVE to try all different blades. I can't use big Bens, rainbows, lord, etc. They kill my face and I wind up with massive amounts of ingrown hairs. I ran out of feathers 2 weeks ago ( made a mistake on thinking I had 2 more 5 packs ). I've read good things about the gillette platinum blacks so my 100 pack will be here soon thank goodness. Hope this helps you out some ! Edit Just saw this was an old thread. Sorry for reviving it lol
@pyraxiate is absolutely correct IMO you simple must try as many blades as possible. Every blade seems to effect every face differently, so the only way to know for sure if a blade works for you is to give it a fair try.
I tried my first two passes tonight (wtg & atg) with Slim; I need to work on technique, because it was a bit awkward for me, but I did notice a distinct difference. I'm assuming new brushes require a break-in period, too, because mine is really stiff. It's supposed to be badger, but for what I paid, I wonder. I could only work up a really weak lather.
I almost always nicked my adams apple until I read a tip from another wet shaver- swallow and "hold" the swallow, and your apple will flatten out or even disappear. Works great.
I recently discovered the joys of preshave cream after buying a tub of brushless shave cream at the Dollar Tree. In order not to be a damned "consumer" and throw it away because it doesn't lather, I started applying it after my second pass. It soothes the face and provides a great barrier over which I lather again and do the atg pass. Really cute down on burn and nicks. So maybe try using a preshave cream or even some coconut oil or something, it might do wonders.
