Hello! Swedish newbie in need of a bit of a help here!

Welcome bro!

 

to TSD @BladeBushido

I hope you enjoy it here and I'm sure together we can work out your problems.
All of your starting problems are very normal and all the answers for correcting them are proper.
Angle, pressure, soap/soap mix, what blade to use, it can ALL be somewhat overwhelming at first. It was for most of us. But hang in there. Remember the best equipment and technique to use is whatever works best for you. However it is up to you to FIND the correct combination of technique and equipment for your face and beard. Which, depending on how you look at it, is both a joy and a PIA in the beginning. That said once you find the correct combination you'll be is shaving nirvana.
Time, technique, practice and patience will get you to the BEST shaves of your life.

 

Every time I check back into this thread I'm blown away by the welcome!

I'll perform my second safety razor shave tonight, and I'll be sure to report in how it went!

 

Welcome to TSD, fellow Scandinavian! Until you have the right technique, lather and blades in place, you might want some extra protection when shaving. A small dab of cream, lotion or oil rubbed into the skin before shaving, could save you some of the irritation. Wash your face first, apply the lubricant and let it soak in for a minute before applying the lather.
Making sure that your face and neck is clean before and after shaving will help you avoid small infection in the already sore skin. When I have had a rough shave, I prefer using an alum stone and a good aftershave balm afterwards.
Several sites in the EU sell blade sampler pack, including connaughtshaving.com and giftsandcare.com.

 

Almost an hour of shaving later, and I look and feel like a mess! I now understand that this kind of shaving is good practice for your concentration, and I feel mentally drained after being focused for so long on a sunday evening!

Basically, I feel almost as stubbly as when I started, but with the added benefit of a faceful of razor rash, nicks and general irritation. I can still feel the sting of the alum stone.

I fiddled around a lot with the angle of attack, as well as using cold water as recommended. I kept feeling as if the blade wasn't doing any cutting. I tried to find an angle where the blade just had contact (where I could just feel and hear the scratchy sound of metal against beard) and then let the weight of the razor handle the rest.

But the results I experienced were either that the hairs were barely touched and required several more passes of the blade. I then tried to adjust the angle some more to get some actual shaving done, but that merely resulted in tugging. Rather than risk even worse razor rash, I just abandoned several spots where I felt that I had already put in too much time. Avoiding the sunk cost fallacy and getting out while you're still ahead, sort of thing.

In short, the problem that I feel that I have is that either no shaving is getting done, or I'm just irritating my skin. I've only a scant few smooth spots after tonight's shave: even going against the grain barely got anything done more than more irritation.

Shaving the throat/neck area is probably the trickiest part, though. I got my most uneven/unfinished shave there, but strangely, also the most smooth spots. Would one be expelled from this community for mixing safety razor and cartridge shaving? Double edge razor for the face and cartridge for the throat? But then, I've been using cartridges until now, and pretty much all of my ingrown hairs have been either on my throat, or on the jawline/the awkward area between throat and face.

For further information: when I shave with a cartridge razor, I shave just once a week. My beard does manage to get some decent progress in that time, but over the years I've noticed that if I try to shave more often than about once a week, it's razor rash-central. With a new cartridge and sticking to a weekly shave, I can almost completely avoid razor rash. Is this applicable to safety razors as well? Would it be viable to shave only once a week?

Thanks again for all the advice!

EDIT: Oh, and the missus is none too pleased about my face after my attempts at safety razor shaving! She says she's almost getting as rashy as I am from contact with my face!

 

Welcome to TSD!

 

Find your angle and get a blade sampler those Merkur blades are notoriously bad.

 

Welcome to TSD! Some great advice has already been mentioned, but my first thoughts are the problem is either technique or gear. Blade sampler and a couple soaps with a good reputation could help find what works best for you. It may just take time to get angle and technique down. Don't give up it does get better.

 

Remember the idea of this site to help everyone enjoy a satisfactory, comfortable, irritation free shave. The methods, equipment and technique you use are completely up to your choice and should be whatever works BEST for you. We would never drum you out, because of equipment choice or combinations.

 

Hi and welcome to TSD . I'd love to visit Scandinavia sometime. Enjoy your stay here-a place where learning is FUN.

 

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys!

I'm currently awaiting a blade sampler and some other materials to try out. I suspect that the Merkur blades are simply not up to the task that is my beard.

I experimented with shaving a part of my arm and a leg and met great success: those areas haven't been that smooth since I was a small child! However, my body hair is a lot softer than my beard.

 

Hi, welcome to the forum. Taking an hour to shave is overkill and I wonder if you're just over thinking it. Here's my offering of advice.

To start with, perhaps you might only shave with the grain. It will make things much easier and over three passes you will still get a really good shave. It will take away a lot of the soreness. It's taken me a year and a completely different shaving technique to be able to go against the grain. I've only just got it right!

Start your shave with the razor horizontal, lower the handle until the blade touches your skin. You're ready to go. Don't overthink it, but try to keep that arm/hand position, if you go a bit off - don't worry about it.

Use shorter strokes than you would with a cartridge razor. It helps keep that angle but avoid going over and over on the same spot. I lather my face and when the lather has been removed from my face, by the razor, I stop and lather up for another pass.

If you get really sore, perhaps you might try one pass with a de safety razor and then finish with you usual razor. I would advise sticking with it. I would never go back to a cartridge razor now. It will get better. I hope this might help you. Cheers.

 

Welcome aboard. You've gotten some good advice here. Different blades will probably help. To explain, there is no objective "best blade" for everyone. People respond differently to each brand. Some folks also say that different brands can perform differently on each razor. This is why we are not telling you to just buy Brand _____. Only your own face can tell you what is best.
Using some kind of pre-shave treatment can be helpful to many people too. If you want to try a pre-shave oil, they are very easy to make. Click the link below for some instructions;
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/how-to-make-your-own-pre-shave-oil.31132/

 

I've now completed my third safety razor shave, and it's time for an update.

As I described earlier, I ordered some new materials, like a blade sampler. I also got some Proraso Pre Shave Oil that I rubbed into my face before showering. I changed my Merkur Super Platinum for a Wilkinson Sword blade, and it was a world of difference.

Now, I'm still new to this type of shaving, but this blade worked a lot better than the previous one. I've got minimal razor rash and just a few minor nicks and cuts. My shave isn't completely baby smooth all over, but it's better than before.

However, I will try some other blades of equal sharpness (Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge and Astra Superior Platinum) or sharper (Feather) as my chin proved to be a bit much for this blade. My beard is at its densest on my chin, and the Wilkinson Sword blade struggled a bit there.

Getting the throat smooth is tricky: it's difficult to find or create smooth planes to shave along.

I finished up with a cold water rinse and an aftershave balm, rather than the splash I used before.

Feeling pretty good now, like I'm on the right track.

Thanks for all the advice and help, folks!

 

Good job!

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

 

Welcome to the Shave den. There's lots of good advice here I hope it helps.
You are not supposed to use any pressure, but you do need enough pressure to keep the razor in constant contact with the skin.
Good luck with future shaves and welcome to The Shave Den.

 

have a great time!!!

 

Welcome to TSD, lots of sound advice above. Like most here I don't get on with Merkur blades, one shave mostly, two shaves maximum and bin the blade. I'm sure your experience will improve with the likes of Astra SP blades.

Keep at it, don't get discouraged, the technique will click in time.

Regards,
Chris

 

Welcome to The Shave Den, @BladeBushido. How are the shaves now?

 

Welcome to the Den, lots of good advice here.