If you want to get a good soap that has good lather and slickness instead of using the canned stuff, Whole Foods sells some stuff called Kiss My Face. It's REALLY good stuff and you can pick it up locally. You can use it with a brush to make your lather or use your hands. You'll find it in the organic section of the store, it won't be with the shaving stuff.
Welcome Karo! +1 for balms. I use them all the time, even without any irritation, because they leave my skin feeling great.
I agree KMF (Kiss My Face) is great, but don't look for it as a soap. It is a cream that comes in a tube or a larger pump bottle.
Welcome aboard. I am one of the relative few here who gets excellent results from the Proglide whenever I use it. Since neck skin tends to be more sensitive than the face, my first and cheapest suggestion would be to look at the Edge, which I'm not familiar with. When I use a can, I swear by Barbasol. It's under $1.50 and available literally everywhere...lay it on thick and see if maybe it makes a difference. If it's not that, is is possible you're trying to get too many miles out of the cartridge and it pulls more noticeably on the neck? Sorry if either of these were addressed up thread, I just jumped to the reply. Again...welcome. You'll be fine.
Lots of great advice here. I would add, if it hadn't been mentioned yet, that you may find it helpful to make sure you're face is nice and warm preshave and cool postshave. I usually warm up a towel with hot water and apply it to my face before shaving. This opens up the pores and makes the shave more comfortable. Then, I'll cool the same towel down with cold water and lay it against my face when I finish. This closes the pores and helps prevent razor burn and infection. Plus, it feels great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There are those who would adamantly argue against needing a warm preshave for a good shave @Robyflexx And one can't argue with success. You must try both hot water and cold water shaves, then decide what works for you and what you enjoy. And pores do not have any connecting muscle, thus cannot open or close.
Welcome @Jaro Thoroen ! Hey, I think your story is familiar to a lot of us who found ourselves "wet shaving." I used to hate shaving but I'm also a bit of a recycling nut. One day, I decided to investigate shaving options that were more recycle-friendly. I bought my first double edge safety razor and discovered that it was immeasurably more comfortable and satisfying too! The skin on my face has never been healthier! So this is a forum for people who are huge fans of double edge razors, so it should be no surprise we are all going to recommend that you try double edge razors and blades; coupled with a decent shaving brush and soap. It can all seem overwhelming at first. I tried to go slow: first got a safety razor, but tried to stick with easy-to-buy blades and cream from a spray-can. Discovered that going a little out of my way to get blades I really liked was not that big a deal and added a lot. Then, I happened upon a shaving brush for $2 in a drug store, so I gave that a try. Discovered that the shaving brush and soap are a huge improvement over the airy stuff from a spray-can. So I wasted a lot of time trying to be slow! I guess the lesson is, proceed carefully but only as carefully as makes sense. What nobody told me, and the reason I tried to go slow, was because the gear can seem expensive and intimidating - especially if you don't know what to buy. But we live in wonderful times and there is a lot of great gear out there at very fair prices! I am not affiliated with Razorock or Italian Barber, so I hope my post is not removed; but if you go to the "italian barber" website you can get an amazing kit for not a lot of cash: (1) You can get a Razorock Teck II metal razor for less than $10. Many people have strong opinions on what your first razor should be, but it sounds like you don't shave a lot so I'm recommending something super-gentle until you are ready for something that requires a more careful hand. (2) You can get a Razorock Plissoft brush for < $15. You will be shocked how soft this brush feels. Even though the cost is low, it's the favorite brush of very many people. (3) Look in the daily deals section for a good Razorock brand soap: there always seems to be one on sale for <$10. <$4/oz is usually a fair price, as a general rule. More than that, and it has to be something special. (4) Last, you will need a sample pack of blades. Blades may not seem like they could be all that different, but they are. You will need to find something that works for your face (and razor). Once you do, you can usually buy in bulk from ebay or from other shaving supply stores. Many people swear by Russian brands, and they are well-priced, so maybe get a sample pack with a number of Russian brands in it? <$15/100 blades in bulk is reasonable. A blade should last you 4-6 shaves, but this depends on your skin, beard, razor and technique. How to use all this gear? There are tons of videos on youtube, so just search them out. I do recommend that you watch videos, not just on how to use the razor and brush; but also on how to maintain your gear. If your gear gets gunked up, it just won't work properly. If you don't like the cut of the "italian barber" website for any reason, I can also recommend "Maggard's razors." Both these are well-known vendors with great reputations. You will discover quickly that what works for someone else doesn't work for you necessarily -- perhaps your experience with the Gillette Fusion razor has already given you that! But I am confident that a traditional shaving approach will give you better results. I read somewhere than 80% of the men who try this approach decide to stick with it. Once you get started, then we can talk pre-shave oils and aftershaves! Best wishes to you!
Welcome to The Shave Den. Lots of good advice so far. Are you trying to get all the whiskers gone in one pass? I do 2-3 passes to get a clean shave, and focus on using just enough pressure to wipe the lather away. If your razor is share, the whiskers will come with it. Be sure you splash some water on your face and re-lather before you go to your next pass. I typically use a straight, but this method works for DE and cartridges as well. Check out the 30 day thread in this section. A bunch of people there will help as much as they can, and provide a little entertainment as well.
I've been looking for you good sir. I've been using a cold towel post-shave, and it's great. I thank you very much for this tip that has now become part of my shave.
