Hi all, I'm new to the forum and I would like to say thanks to all of you. I have been reading these forum posts for the last 4 months educating myself on DE shaving so I could have a decent starting point. I've been shaving with an Edwin Jagger 89 for the past two months. I have tried so many blades and am still trying blades. The only blade I can find that works for me is a feather. My hair is so course all the other blades Ive tried pull and rips my face up. I keep a close watch on how much pressure is applied because that can make it so much worse. I'm also using the red proraso. Has anybody found any other blades that work well with course hair? With feathers I might get a weeper or two per shave which go away with a little cold water. Its the only blade I can shave against the grain under my chin and jaw line without ripping my face up. All the other blades just try and rip my chin off and leave lots of bloody cuts under my jaw. Any advice would be much appreciated too.
First, welcome to the Den. You may not went to hear this, but some folks just can't go ATG. Do you have problems going WTG or XTG?
if I go wtg or xtg everything is fine but when i go atg under the chin or the jaw line It eats me up but not so much with the feather blades. I really would like to go atg because I just really want that baby smooth super close shave.
This is very true sir, I noticed if I try and go over a spot repeatedly without reapplying shaving cream I get burned.
Hey Cody Welcome to TSD! Please sign up for the Newbie Give-Away HERE don't chase the baby, the baby will come to you. Again, welcome to the den. Kerry
That baby smooth super close shave may not be possible without some irritation no matter what combination you use. You may need to settle in on the close, comfortable shave. Also, you may want to give injectors a try. The Schick M adjustable may be the ticket for you.
Thanks for the welcoming, Are there any other blades or DE razors you guys recommend. The only 2 I have tried so far are the Edwin Jagger and the One Touch Max. The One touch didnt really do anything to my face, I think I shaved like 8 times and I still had stubble everywhere.
Join the daily SOTD thread, you'll find all kinds of good info. HERE is the current, HERE is the SOTD that starts tomorrow.
thanks for the info, I just looked at proraso's website and I didnt realize it was so thought out. Ill try some of their preshave products and see where it goes from there. I just ordered 100 feather blades because I am so exhausted on trying new blades, for now I am just going to stick with what has worked best so far and slowly try to perfect it by making small minor changes and adding a preshave. Ill venture out to other blades and razors when I have alittle more experience under my belt
Trying some different shave and preshave products may provide the variable you need to improve. Blades are in my opinion the most YMMV thing of the variables. I do not know whether you have seen this: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/de-blade-challenge-ii.28223/ Now remember this is my face and a Gillette Slim razor. This will give you some idea of variation of blades with all other things being as equal as possible. I hope this helps.
wow thats a lot of into. Ill have to sit down and pick some blades from your list that rank towards the top and give them a try. Thanks
to TSD "cody" The EJ89 is a good first razor, although I did need to change handles on mine to get the most out of it, just stick with it and work on your technique. Be patient it can take a while to get everything working correctly for your face/beard. If you'd like to try a different razor, I'd recommend giving a SE a try. Gem1912, ER1924, ER Streamline or a milder PushButton, G-Bar or FeatherWeight. I've found the Gem SS blades worked best for me. As to DE blades a large sample pack is really a must, in general the more different blades to can try the better. Some blades I've used with success are PolSilver Super Iridium, Vikings Sword, Astra SP and the Gillette 7 O'clock blades. The Yellow pack and Green pack are my favorite. As for technique I'd concentrated on an irritation/nick free shave over a close one. Closeness will come with time and practice. Good Luck
Welcome Cody!! Generally, the more heavy and thick a beard, the more attention one has to pay to preparation before the shave. You might consider the following: Always wash your face before you shave. If you shower immediately before shaving, washing with face soap or moisturizing soap is best. Hand soaps and even some bath soaps can irritate the face. Remember to rinse all the soap from your face. Leaving any soap to dry on your face is an invitation to irritation. Water temperature is very important if you are experiencing irritation during your shave. While some really like and promote the use of HOT water, (above 100 deg. F) it is not a good idea for those of us who have irritation issues whilst shaving. Applying hot water to the skin promotes blood flow nearer the surface and increases sensitivity. Cool water does just the opposite. It decreases blood flow near the surface, and de-sensitizes. If you run water over your face in the shower, the cooler the better. If you use a cloth to wash your face, use it gently. Likewise when using a towel to dry. Pat gently, don't scrub. Be kind to your face. Shaving an already thick and tough beard is made tougher if you aren't allowing your shave soap to do its job. It needs time and it needs to be thoroughly worked into your bristles to work properly. Especially for the first pass, applying lather and working it into your beard should take at least 1 minute. We all get in a hurry sometimes and shortcut this part of the preparation, and we shouldn't. Shaving with little or no pressure on the razor is required. It sounds like you've got that lesson learned already. Shaving with short strokes (about 1-2 in.) and at a slow pace is best. You can ruin an otherwise good shave by going at it like you are late for the races. Slow and steady wins this race. If you find you don't have the time to shave a reasonable pace, then it's best to wait until later. An after shave treatment is also very important. A balm, or witch hazel is usually best. Some of us get along ok with an after shave splash with a bit of alcohol included, but the latter would not be my my first choice. Hang in there, it just gets better from here!
Welcome . Feathers in my opinion are the best . I'll use others but if I could choose only one it would be a feather. I have coarse hair as well.
Thanks bristle me, the hot water makes sense. I get dry skin easily from showers being to hot. Also I have tried one sample pack and so far the only blades that I like other than the feathers are the Astra Superior Stainless(i did not like the sp at all it pulls bad), Gillette Silver Blue, and Iridiums. These blades seem to be fairly smooth on WTG and XTG but ATG they did not perform well. The Iridiums also cut me alittle on the XTG pass around the jaw line. But over all these blades have provided a smooth shave, nothing like the feather though. When I shave with the feather there is just no comparison.
