I am in the military and have to shave every day. I switched to a safety razor to save money ($20-30/month.) I have a Merkur 34c HD and it eats up my neck. Every time I shave with it, I cut the heck out of my neck and get worse razor burn than I ever did with my Gillette Fusion. I'm using the Art of Shaving pre-shave oil, shave cream, and after shave. Am I using the wrong safety razor or products? Should I switch to a slant or adjustable? Would I be better off with a straight razor? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
First, thanks for serving! B) Welcome to the Den!! Third, what blades are you using? If they are the Merkur blades that came with the razor, not too many folks like 'em. Best to get a sample pack. As for the razor, I consistently get the best shaves from my HD than any other of my razors (31 DEs and 11 SEs). What's your shaving routine? Single pass? Multiple passes? How many? Do you know your beard growth pattern? Do you lather between each pass? Too much pressure? Some folks just can't go against the grain on the neck - is that when you get the burn?
Thanks for responding swarden43. I bought a sample pack of razors with everything: Merkur, Feather, Dorco, Bic, Gillette, etc. Some are better than others but none really stand out to me. I shave after I shower and apply oil then cream. First pass is South, re-lather, second pass is North, re-lather, then the third and final pass I shave from near my ear towards my adams apple...thats where the problem is. When I shave against the grain I get cuts and razor burn. I do not typically get this with my Gillette Fusion...at least not to the same degree. If I don't shave against the grain, it just doesn't look or feel good. FYI I have skin as soft as a newborn and hair as thick and coarse as a Viking Mastodon. I prefer DE shaving, and enjoy the ritual of it all. I know there is something in the process that I can alter to improve the result.
welcome to the den! you've come to the right place!! the 34c hd is a nice (starter) razor. stick with it; no need to go with a slant or adj at this time. software sounds fine, too. as swarden43 mentioned, try a blade sampler (tryablade.com top 10 sampler) - find a blade that works reasonably well for you and get a few more of that blade - for the next 30 days, use the exact same setup as you ... ... concentrate on your technique first and foremost - NO PRESSURE (other than the weight of the razor) - read some other threads for correct angle (was a BIG deal for me) - transition from cartridge to DE using with the grain (WTG) only and maybe two or even one pass ... - if you can, let yourself heal (no shave) over the weekend just think ... you've had your worst DE safety shave; they'll only get better from here !!
Are you using shaving soap and a brush, or cream from a can? I find that a good lather with soap and brush to be much slicker and more protective than canned foam.
For your neck, instead of the second pass North and the third pass across, try the second pass and third pass as the two parts of an X. Second pass bottom left to upper right, third pass bottom right to upper left. And please, call me Steve. What branch? I'm retired AF, avionics tech.
Good advice, bet that'll work. Google prep, light touch, accross the direction of growth two ways (not against). C how that works for you.
Oh, man! This is truly sage advice from @gmaugie007. It took me a good month to get my technique to the point where I didn't have some sort of irritation after my morning shave. Did @gmaugie007 mention PRESSURE? Yeah? You don't want any of that. Did we mention angle? Think of a sushi chef slicing radishes into paper thin strips. There is a great post here on "riding the cap." That is good practice anyway. If I don't get a decent shave from a blade then I toss it and I don't finish that shave or I do just one pass with a new blade. I can live with a little stubble (I guess you could always use a new blade for personnel inspections). I never shave against the grain if I even suspect, in the slightest, that some thing (hardware or software) in my equipment is going to leave me in pain. Aloe and Vitamin E are my friends. I think your razor is a good one. Though, you might think about getting an adjustable to personalize your shave. There are lots available, including vintage Gillette. They are all pretty good and with most you don't have to spend all of your BHA (housing allowance). The effects of blades are very personal. What works for me may not work for you. I am partial to Gillette Silver Blue and Feather. But, others here don't find that is true for them. As far as The Art of Shaving, IMHO, there are lots of great products that are not as expensive (Google search for artisan shaving products). Don't get me wrong, I love to browse in their stores, but as a man mentioned to the sales clerk in the last one that I was in, " judging by these prices, you guys are sure proud of yourselves." You are trying to save money, after all. And, remember the 3 words that will keep you from being a bloody, acid-etched mess when you are done: Technique, Technique, Technique
There is some great advice in here, so i don't want to reiterate, but I will tell you something that helped me a lot. Isolating the problem. I changed as little as possible so there wouldn't be too many variables, and therefore, i discovered my issue. By doing everything the same and changing a single item at a time...I was able to find and solve the problem. I recommend doing the same. Whether it is the razor, soap, technique...or whatever.
Welcome to TSD! And, thank you for your service! It was mentioned a bit, but really watch your angle and pressure. I have found the DE razors work best with a very shallow angle, as someone mentioned above "ride the cap". I heard a lot about a 30 degree angle when I was starting, but a more shallow angle works better, IMHO. Come and join us on the 30 Day Rule/Focus Thread here. We focus on helping each other out with technique and all are welcome.
I feel your pain. Just be a little patient. It will come. Don't over think it. Slow your shave down. When you shave against the grain, make sure there is no pressure. The razor should feel like your skimming , loosen your grip and remember that the angle is a little different going up from the neck to the chin. If it continues try shaving from left to right and right to left on the neck .
There's some great advice here. I think your angle may be too steep. This means you're scraping the blade across your skin. It sounds like its working, but it is very inefficient. I put the top of the razor on my face then slowly tilt it down until the blade touches my skin. Then I try to maintain that angle by locking my wrist and using my arm muscles to move the razor. SSteep is on the right...
Welcome, and thank you for your service. Everything @gmaugie007 said. You've recieved some great advice. If you are using short strokes on your neck, you may try lenghthening your strokes--think set razor near bottom of lather and pull smoothly all the way up and off your chin. I use short strokes on chin and moustache area, but I find these strokes are not ideal for me on my neck and cheek areas. I think the short strokes are highly effective on those tricky areas, but they are not good for large and sensitive spots. It is too easy to place the blade in an area that you have removed/thinned the lather when using short strokes over a large or sensitive area. In such instances, you may not cut yourself, but when I was learning, short strokes in these areas resulted in irritation. My advice is to relax and lengthen your stroke (and touch). This comes more naturally with confidence. Hang in there, and hope this helps.
I skimmed thru everyone's advice, but didn't see "skin stretching." When shaving with a straight razor having the skin taunt is important. It also helps with a DE. By either making shaving faces, or actually pulling the skin to flatten it out can make problem areas shave with less irritation. If you have an alum block, rinse lather off your fingers of your free hand. This makes your fingers extra grippy to assist sliding the skin left or right to assist in getting those areas on the neck.
This is SO right!! ^^^ Not being able to go against the grain on one's neck is a super common problem. My other recommendation would be to (when shaving for duty) just "knock it down" (WTG) so it looks acceptable. Work into a routine/method/pattern that is comfortable. Thank you for serving!
I can only shave with the grain (downwards), when I shave my neck. I've tried with many razors and blades, and it shreds me every time, if I try any other direction. The picture Herm put up, was super helpful for me. Good luck with it all.
to TSD "JackW" Thank you for your service... I hope you enjoy it here. The Merkur 34C HD is known for being on the mildside, although more than capable of BBS, so I would concentrate on blade choice(sample pack/packs) and technique. You may want to consider a "Vintage Gillette Fat Handle Tech", as they also give a nice mild shave, even milder than the 34C HD IMO. I own and have used both. I'd say stay away from Slants, the R41 or Straights for now all can be potentially vicious . Many people have trouble with shaving under the neck, sometimes you just have to accept that. Good luck on your journey and let us know if we can help any further.
