I am new to the den, and I have to say, I love all of the information on wet shaving I have found here. I started with a DE about 10 days ago. I have gotten some great shaves, and I am glad I switched to the DE! The past few days, I have been getting some itchiness, but it doesn't set in until 12-15 hours after I shave. Today, I am also noticing some razor bumps. Is this poor technique? Too much pressure? Does it just take a bit for the face to adjust to this new shaving method? It just seems odd that I didn't have these issues after my first few shaves. Here is my gear: AOS pre-shave oil AOS shave cream (applied with badger brush) AOS aftershave Merkur 34C Gillette Platinum blades (also tried Wilkinson Sword, but didn't find them as comfortable) I have been doing 3 passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) though today I just did WTG and XTG because of the irritation. Also, today I switched to a Red Personna blade to try to lessen irritation (didn't help.) If anyone can lend some advice, I would appreciate it!
Hi and welcome! It will probably take a bit longer to sort out that bit of irritation your getting which is probably related at least some extent, to pressure and technique. You should give the set up at least a full month before making any changes and then only change one thing at a time..that way you can keep better track of all the variables. Irritation especially on the neck can occur quite easily and can be quite a task to completely eliminate..so hang in there and I'm sure things are only gonna get better as you gain more experience...
Probably pressure combined with blades. A sampler pack is the best bet to go with, some people can only shave with 1-2 brands of blades out of them all (comfortably). Welcome to the Shave Den!
Hello and welcome It could be many things. You are still very new to DE shaving, so it is possible that your angle is just needs some work. As others have mentioned, blades play a major role, as that is the what is on your skin. Other factors to consider could be a reaction to the shave cream and/or the pre-shave oil. Although I love the scents of the AoS products I have found that for my skin I get minor irritation that feels like an allergic reaction a few hours after the shave. The consistency of your lather plays a major role because if it is not slick enough or provides enough cushion, you can develop razor burn. Take time with your shave, build a good lather, use short, light stokes, and work on your technique . It will all come to you with time and practice. Good luck and keep us posted on how it is going.
It's probably your technique. It took me a little while to figure out that no pressure meant NO PRESSURE! Also, there are only a couple of blades that work for my face... like Justin mentioned earlier. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time with practice. My advice is take your time and don't try to take everything on the first pass. Cartridges have gotten most of us institutionalized to push down in order to use them effectively because there is no weight to them. But on that note, welcome dude you couldn't have found a better group of people to associate yourself with.
You gotten some good advice here. My personal take-- is it is probably a combination of factors. The irritation has gradually crept up on you and gotten worse lately. The nice thing about the AOS sampler/starter pack is that it's unscented, so we can pretty much rule out allergies. I've taken some excerpts from your post, and I'll go over each one. That kind of itchiness is caused by hairs trying to grow through skin. Ingrown hairs, more or less. No. I think you have probably been using good technique, but your face cannot handle three passes daily. Possibly, but I really doubt it. Yes, it does. Wet shaving removes more dead skin cells than an electric or a multi-bladed cartridge does. If you have been using a body wash scrubber or loofah pad on your face while you shower you are probably over exfoliating. Beyond this, it takes at least a month for your skin to adjust to this new routine. For some people it can take up to six months, but one month is the average. Doctor's orders: cut back to two passes daily, and let your face take a break from shaving one day each week. Continue this Rx until all irritation has been gone for two consecutive days. (Feel free to ignore this.) Shaving ATG might also be at the root of your problem. You may want to switch to a diagonal stroke (halfway between ATG and XTG) rather than the south to north ATG pass. Some people can't handle ATG at all. I'm one of them. I do three WTG passes daily. I can (after years of wetshaving) now do one ATG pass a week, with only minor irritation. I tend to save this for important events (photographs, parties and dates).
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I am thinking less passes would be my best course until things stabilize and I get my technique perfected. I have a sampler of blades I can try, but I may stick with the Gillette Platinums for a bit since they felt pretty good initially. One of the hardest things right now is for me to discipline myself to not over- do it (pretty addictive hobby!)
So, I thought I should post a quick update to my earlier posts. PLANofMAN, you had it exactly right! I took yesterday off to let my face get back to normal, then I shaved this morning. I did switch out blades, and tried the Astra stainless steel, which were smooth and comfy. Most importantly, I only took 2 passes (WTG, XTG) and I have been feeling good all day long. Thanks again to all of you TSD members dispensing great advice to us noobs.
Hi! PLANofMAN is right on. It took me over a month for my skin to adjust to this new method, during which I've had irritation, cuts and razor bumps. I seriously considered going back to Mach 3 while keeping the brush and cream aspect of wet shaving, but decided to continue. Anyways, with a couple no-shave-days per week, it gets better faster without much improvement on the technique side. I still have neck irritation problems (8 months in) every now and then but a few things that helped me were avoiding ATG, cold-water shaving (read other threads about it), and days off (I know it's hard) until it gets better. When it's healed up nicely, I can do a smooth 3-pass and hopefully get a BBS without any redness or nicks. But if I mess it up on Monday, then I have irritation all week until I have a chance to take a break and start fresh, the following week that is! One thing to note is that contrarily to multiblade carts, DE razors won't cut the hair below the skin level, so DON'T TRY TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A MACH 3 BBS because you'll just use pressure ATG and the results are bad! I usually have the 5 o'clock shadow all day even though my face is still smooth. I think blade choice is a big variable that you can change everyday since you get the immediate feedback of how smooth or rough it is for you. For example, I tried a Derby on a Monday and didn't need more than that before I realized it tore my face up pretty badly. Now I like a sharp blade because NO PRESSURE at all is needed to do the work. Because you're just starting, I would try to avoid going down the route of changing your gear and products unless you know you're allergic to something. Those items are just finesse points you can worry about later. You should still be able to get a decent shave with a little practice and focusing on the basics. But try not overdoing it and take days off when required!
Do a cold water splash following your shave, dry, splash some witch hazel on and see if that doesn't take care of the irritation issue.
I have had good success limiting myself to just two passes. Also, the Astra blades have been awesome. The other day, I decided to go with a Bic blade to see how it would feel. I slept in (aka my 20-month old woke up before me) so I really ended up rushing the prep phase. Sure enough, major irritation that night and a pretty crappy shave. This morning, I stuck with the Bic blade and took my time on the prep. I still ended up with a crappy shave, and now I have very slight irritation. The lesson learned? Bic blades don't work so well for me...but especially so without a good prep. Tomorrow I will go back to the Astras for another week of shaves.
