Well, I've been cold water shaving and it's been pretty fantastic. I tried making my own pre-shave oil with olive oil and castor oil and that hasn't had any real effect yet, but still in the prototype stages. I think just better prep with the whole steam cloth thing has helped me out the most. I did a shave on sunday with the RR Jaws w/ Dorco 301, and 4 days of hair(as much as I could stand), and it was relatively bloodless and irritation less and I could go back to whatever I was doing right after shaving. I really felt good after that shave. It was also with Stirling soap and no Pre-shave.
I'm the same. ATG can only happen on rare occasion on certain parts of my face when I have plenty of time.
I'm intrigued by the use of "oils" before blathering. I did see a starter package in store from The Art of Shaving that has oil. But also read where TAOS was recently bought by a large company, and now products aren't as good. Anyone hear this ?
I have to shave every day for my office job. Here's something I began doing several weeks ago that noticeably reduced daily irritation: applying an aftershave balm before going to bed. I wash my face first, let dry and then apply the balm. I think it adds some extra healing power. I also use a balm post-shave in the morning.
I agree that cold water can help a great deal with irritation. Warm water shaving kept bumps and general irritation coming for me. Cold water feels so good. Do only one or two passes WTG. Skip ATG all together. My neck can take all directions and multiple passes, but not my cheeks and chin. Don't use a lot of different skin products. Keep it simple. The witch hazel or a mild aftershave with glycerin and witch hazel should be okay. Shave every other day for a while, unless you can give it rest for a week and see if the bumps go away and then start the every other day shave.
This is one of the most informative threads I've read so far. Thank you all for the advice and recommendations
