i have now had my fourth shave with my straight razor. i did everything i could to lesson razor burn. i got a hot shower, washed fach with a pre wash (nivea) used a differnt cream (palmolive) give my razor a bloody good stropping and still razor burn. my misses burst in on me shaving complaining ive been hogging the bathroom for an hour!!!!! wow time does fly when your having fun! anyway i think ive found my razor burn problem and i think its quite simple. IM GOING OVER THE SAME SPOTS PLAIN AND SIMPLE! it doesnt hurt at the time im shaving so i keep chasing that baby smooth feel on my face, but its coming at a high price - RAZOR BURN! i cant seem to get a good close shave after one or 2 passes. ive still got a lot of learning to do.
Glad to know it's going......................................well? Make sure your blade is sharp. Try one pass with the straight, then finish with a safety razor if time is a problem. Many of us have done that and sometimes still do. To borrow anothers line- "Enjoy your shave" (RMS)
When a new shaver goes for BBS, he often presses too hard. Stretch the skin, use a very light touch and let the razor do all the work. All you need to do is bring it to just touching your skin and guide it, but don't press.
this is my intention, but it doesnt quite seem to turn out like that i find myself having to do multiple passes to get the skin smooth. i have been studying which way my hair grows and evrything aswell.. hopefully time is a healer.
We're in the same boat...just newbie stuff. I guess we'll either figure it out or go back to the disposables.
Don't worry. It's really not as easy as it sounds. Practise really does make perfect. Four shaves are not that many. As, Bronco quoted, "Enjoy your shave."
I had the same thought as Steve. Make sure your blade is as sharp as it can be. Because while you do have to apply a little more pressure than a DE razor, and skin stretching is important, I know the times I have had the most razor burn was when I was using a less-than-optimally sharp blade.
What ever you do, don't go back. With practice you will improve. It may be a slow rate of improvement so you may not notice you are getting better until one morning you realize you can do it. After only four shaves you should be prepared to have some bad days. My first couple of attempts I looked like I had shaved with a broken beer bottle. Hang in there, it will get better.
It took awhile before my face adjusted to using a straight. Could also be your stropping technique, I had that problem for awhile also. Just stick with it!
Hey I still haven't recieved my razor yet, I do have my American Made 3 wide strop, but no razor. I'm sure I'll be going through what your going through now. I actually cant wait to be in your shoes. I know whenever and it still does happen with my DE I'll get some nics or razor burn, because of pressing to hard to get a bbs in only 2 passes. I don't know if your beard is like mine, but if I wait til let's say 11 or 12pm to shave rather then the normaly 7 or 8 am shave, then my beard is extremly coarse and a little ingrown and that's when I get those little nicks or a little razor burn. I used to think it was the creams or soaps or my technique, but rather my technique stays the same, but I can't get a good bbs if I wait too long to shave, unless ofcourse I wait til a full day's growth ( or in my case a mini beard) Hope this info helps, maybe your beard reacts the way mine does. cheers D
The burn goes away with time, after 10 daily shaves in a row I was able to do 5 passes with less irritation than from the first pass the first time. I think it has to do with you learning how your face responds to shaving, your face learning a new way to do things and getting accustomed to the exfoilating properties of the razor. Don't give up, if you feel really torn up you can skip shaving for one day to give your face time to heal. Also, don't shave more than once per day, and try to shave every day to minimize the time it takes for your face to learn.
