New Young DE shaver in need of some help

Hello all!

I decided to make the switch to DE shaving and so far, I'm loving it! I got a Merkur 38c (thick like the HD, but long barber pole handle) along with a badger hair brush about a month ago and have used that exclusively to shave since. I tried a blade sample pack, and feathers were the only blade I could get to have little to no tugging. My issue is that the 38c is a bit heavy and seems too long for my hands. I have been looking at the 34c and 33c (and their open/slant variants) as alternatives, and would appreciate some help narrowing it down.

I am a 21 year old guy and I would describe my face having moderately sensitive skin (especially the neck), average beard thickness but leaning towards a coarser beard texture. My beard direction is fairly well behaved on the top part of my face, but my lower neck is sort of a free for all and the hair tends to lay more flat than stick up. My neck and adams apple are problem areas for me.

Also, should slant and open comb razors be out of the question?

Thanks for all your help and glad to be part of the community!

 

welcome to TSD!

I haven't used Merkur razors, but the general rule I live by is, "if it interests you, then try it out."

Don't fear open combs or slants. Depending on the razor, you might want to be very cautious with your first few shaves, but they're nothing to be scared of or avoid.

Have you tried our superspeeds or other vintage razors? They might be a good fit if you're okay with vintage razors.

 

Welcome, nice to have you. We're around the same age (I'm 22.)

 

Welcome. Try a slant if you want they seem to have a reputation for mass bloodletting not so. The one thing that holds true with any razor use little to no pressure let the blade do the work. It should not be your goal to remove all your hair in one pass. Having sensitive skin you don't want to go over and over the same area. With practice and patience you will get the hang of it. Keep the blades from your sample pack because 6 months from now as your technique improves you may find that blades you could not use work great.

 

Since you are new to the Double Edge world, here is the advice I received when I started with a DE and so I freely give it to new users. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique. It is called THE 30 DAY RULE.

THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you. Now since you have found the blade before venturing off, give yourself a chance to build your technique (much like a new golfer does not constantly change clubs while learning).

This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all.

This really does work.


Oh and one more thing ...


Welcome to the Den.

We know you'll fit right in.

So grab yourself a comfy chair,

and give our threads a spin!




Burma Shave

 

Welcome to TSD! I wish I had started when I was your age. I seem to have all the same problems you mentioned and it takes some experimenting to find what works for you. I don't have a 38 but I do have a 39c (same handle with slant head) and it works well for me.

I think if you stick with the 38 for a while, you'll get to know it and won't have any trouble getting a great irritation free shave with it. I know how the urge to try other razors gets me too sometimes though. A slant is interesting and worth trying but I can get just as good a shave with a normal headed razor. The open comb might be useful if you go a long time between shaves but if you shave daily or even a couple times a week, I don't think it's going to make much of a difference. All that said, if you feel like trying something new, go for it.

If you're looking for something lighter and smaller but not necessarily more aggressive, you probably can't go wrong with an Edwin Jagger DE89 or Muhle R89. They have the same shave head. I've been using my R89 the past couple days with a Feather and they're a great combo.

 

Welcome to TSD
I used to have a 38C as well, and found the weight good but not quite liking the long handle of it. I never went with the 34C instead jumped to the 37C which is the Slant HD; and always loved that razor even though I ended up selling her It's good to practice with razors however finding one you are comfortable holding properly is another big key. For weight there's also the DE89 option which are a little cheaper than the Muhle equivalent.

 

Welcome to TSD. I am fairly new to the site as well, and as you can see it's easy to get plenty of good quality help when you need it. If your looking for a razor with a shorter handle, I use an Edwin Jagger Barley, and I love it. I've ready a bit about the slant head razors, but I'm still so new I've decided to wait to try one. I've seen them referred to as Satan's Razor. I've been doing this for two months, and I'm still honing my technique. The biggest thing that has helped for me is reminding myself to apply no pressure when making a pass. Also if you have sensitive skin as I do, give Cremo Shave Cream a try. Granted it's brushless, so you kind of miss out there, but it's very easy on the skin, moisturizing, and makes you face super slick. It's around $4 at Wal-Mart.

 

Welcome to TSD. Open comb razors are definitely not out of the question as they are not more aggressive then closed come razors. They may look more aggressive, but each razor is different.aSome open comb razors are more aggressive then closed combs razors and some closed comb are more aggressive then other OC razors. Take your time and get used to shaving with your razor you are using now and once you have your technique down then start your journey into finding the perfect razor for you.

 

to TSD.........I hope you enjoy it here....

Your beard sounds pretty much normal to me so I wouldn't worry about that...Just use a good preshave routine,watch your angle and use correct preasure...Technique,Time,Practice and Patience are the keys to a good shave I.M.O.....As to the type of razor you use thats entirely up to you..Fortunately/Unfortunately you never know how any given razor will work for you until you try it..Which for those of us with "Full Blown RAD" is not a problem.. Don't be afraid of trying a Slant if you want to, it's not going to turn your face into a bloody mess..I have a 34C and it shaves nice for me, but I preferred my EJ89 shave head with a heavy "BullDog"(short and heavy) type of handle, I'm now using a Weber DLC with the "BullDog handle" and enjoying it VERY much!! So I'm afraid safety razors much like razor blades, soaps/creams,brushes and AfterShaves are very much a "YMMV" kind of thing and you can only know how any of them work for you is to try them...Of course this ability to customize your shave it what make "traditional" shaving sooooo nice!!

 

Hi! Welcome to the Den.
Be sure to sign up for the August Newbie Give-Away.

Lots of great advice so far. Keep us posted on how things are going for ya!

 

Wow! Thank you everyone for the excellent advice! I have decided to continue using the 38c for a bit longer and hold out on getting a new razor.

Ok, so I shaved again this morning and all went well until I get to my mid/lower neck. I usually get 1-2 tiny nicks which end up turning into bumps that sometimes get re-nicked. Should I stop shaving all together for a while until my neck has cleared up?

Here is what happened :/



I've tried shaving straight down, I've tried diagonally down away from the adams apple and I've also tried side to side away from the adams apple (hair grows diagonally or all over the place) and no luck. Not sure what I'm doing wrong..

 

Yeah, I'd give it a day or two of rest.
Instead of straight down and side to side, try diagonally. Just a thought. And make sure to keep an eye on how much pressure you're using. Remember, it's about beard reduction - a little bit with each pass, not trying to take it all off in one fell swoop.

 

Sorry, just edited post 30 seconds ago to include that I've tried diagonal

 

Witch hazel is a good weapon against irritation. It works amazingly for me and it might work for you too.

 

First, WELCOME to the Den! I also suggest giving your face a day or two to heal. I don't think your razor is the problem. I believe it's a combination of poor technique, improper blade and not enough post shave prep. The reason I say it's not your razor is because I use 11 different razors, each one have a different aggressiveness. I can get a nice shave with each one but first I had to find which blade worked best with each. Keep experimenting. You'll get there.

 

It looks like ingrown hairs. To stop them only shave with the grain. Don't worry about not getting close- wait for them to go away first. Maybe then you can try across the grain and see if they reoccur later. Like previous posters have said- use no pressure. That is what is causing the nicks. Try to use only the weight of the razor. Something that helped cure me of that nasty habit I got from cartridge razors was Pinaud Clubman (any alcohol based after shave will do). The burn was negative reinforcement for me causing nicks and razor burn. Also it is an astringent which helps close the nicks. It looks like you have scabs even.

Also you should stop using Feathers. Even experienced people usually say they reserve those for once in a while rather than daily use. I have sensitive skin (the skin of a 13 year old boy) and tough hair (the hair of a Wirehair Fox Terrier). I personally use Crystal's AKA Israeli Personnas there is some tugging but it is a compromise I have to make for their smoothness. Derby's also do the trick for me but I find they are a little more rough.

 

Ok, I will take a break for 3-5 days and try again with a new Shark blade from the pack I have. Taking all the advice I can get. After all, a major reason for me to switch to DE shaving was to finally get my neck cleared up.

 

I would concur if you can, give your neck a little rest...When you start back pay extra attention to your preshave routine(do you shave after your shower?), technique and preasure..You also might want to try some skin streching under your neck and using shorter strokes....Also I would consider using a different blade..While sharp I always found Feather blades harsh on my face...The Sharks aren't a bad alternative...A couple of blades that I use with great success are Viking Sword,PolSilver Super Iridium and Astra SP...

 

I have that same issue if I shave too close around my adam's apple. I'll get ingrowns that will take weeks to go away. I just got around to trying Feathers and have about 3 shaves on one now. So far, I'm finding them wonderfully smooth and I like the sharpness since they cut rather than tug on my whiskers. That's a real problem on my neck since the skin is a little thinner. If a blade catches on a whisker and pulls the skin up, I'll get a nick that takes a while to heal. Good sharp blades make that less of a problem for me.