Coarse beard

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by Omelmad, May 1, 2014.

  1. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    Hi guys

    What do you recommend for someone that has coarse beard when prepping for a shave? I shower before I shave, clean face with facial wash and sometimes scrub using some kind of product.

    I apply pre-shave oil to face before loading brush with soap and razor with blade, so the oils get absorbed by the skin a bit and has time to soften up the beard a little bit.

    Is there something you can recommend to soften up the beard more because when I come to my chin (where the beard is coarser than my facial hair on the other parts of the face) I get into trouble =P
     
    crackstar likes this.
  2. Dapper-in-a-can-man

    Dapper-in-a-can-man and Dad-on-hand

  3. fram773

    fram773 Well-Known Member

    • Load the brush more heavily. More soap=more beard softening. Some soaps are more beard softening than others.
    • PSO. You're doing this not much more you can do.
    • Take a shower or a wet towel to your face. You're doing this not much more you can do.
    • Use a more aggressive razor. The one razor I can get away with shaving away a 3-4 day growth is the Ever Ready 1924. It is as you have guessed my most aggressive razor. Lesser (more mild) razors give me lots of tugging with that amount of hair growth. You might also do better with a more rigid blade, as was the case for me. If you haven't given SEs/injectors a try yet, I highly recommend you do.
     
    crackstar likes this.
  4. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    I only have 1 razor. The muhle r89.

    I wanna start with adjusting the software. Like the first part, more soap.

    This can of course also be due to poor technique and not having found my go2 blade yet =P but Im working on those 2 parts.

    I wanna know if there is something that softens up the stubble a bit more.

    I might also put more pre shave oil =P
     
  5. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    Is that a brand of razor? =P or just any OC
     
  6. CyanideMetal

    CyanideMetal Wild and crazy guy

    On your chin, are you taking short WTG strokes with the razor and rinsing the blade often?
     
    Bristle Me and BigMark like this.
  7. BigMark

    BigMark Tests razors by shaving Wookies

    This is key. Short strokes are critical here. I have a coarse beard but can use a Tech and my preferred blade is Red Personna. I use an exfoliating facial cleanser when in the shower then splash some cold water on my face right before I shave. As always though YMMV. I do however recommend cooler water as if you suffer form Razor Burn this will help. Cyanide knows what I am talking about.
     
  8. Dapper-in-a-can-man

    Dapper-in-a-can-man and Dad-on-hand

    Any :p I love my tp-26.
     
  9. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    I endes up doing something similar to short strokes and reaplying shaving cream often. I was doing alot of beard reduction, and dont want to get razorburn or bumps =P
     
  10. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    I tried also good at it from different angles. Ended up with babysmooth chin claft =P ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399011172.825198.jpg
     
  11. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    Im not ready to purchase a new razor yet
     
    Dapper-in-a-can-man likes this.
  12. david of central florida

    david of central florida Rhubarb Rubber

    i think your razor is fine. your prep sounds good. sharp blades and no preasure are gonna get you where you want to go. try using your other hand to manipulate the skin, push over to flatten out dimpled areas. i think your right to stick with the razor you have. blades can makes a difference i would let that, and technique, be the variables you change til it comes together. good luck let us know how it goes. david
     
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  13. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Try a longer prep. Since you shower first, that takes care of some of it but if your whiskers are still a little tough after that, you might need a bit more prep time. I know that's the case for me.

    Here's what I do.

    Lather up like I'm going to shave and walk away for 5-10 minutes (don't let the lather dry out too much). Wet your hands and rub them on your face to get it good and wet again. Lather up a 2nd time and then take a swipe with the razor. If the whiskers aren't wiping off your face easily, put a little more lather on the spot you shaved and walk away for 5-10 more minutes. After that, you should probably find the whiskers on your chin are cutting much easier. You'll get a feel for how long you need to let the lather work after a while. For me, it's about 10-15 minutes most of the time. It may be more time than you're able to commit but it makes my shaves so much better that if I don't have the time, I just don't shave that day now.

    Edit: One thing I've found is that pre-shave oil seems to be incompatible with this method unless you do it after the whisker softening time.
     
  14. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    Thank you. Im new to DE and I wanna get the variables right. Im going through a blade sampler, the astras did a better job on the chin than the sharks but the stubble was stubborn. I just kept at it, reduction-reduction-reduction until it was all gone.
     
  15. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    Hmm.. I think I'm gonna try that. But first I think I read somewhere that someone puts hair conditioner on the beard while showering, I think Im gonna try that first.

    When you say lather up, are you referring to face lathering or does it work to lather in a bowl and then apply?? On my last shave I cheated, I'm supposed to use proraso red throughout my blade sampling, but I used tabac because I just got it =P its nice, but I'm gonna stick to proraso because its easier to lather it plus I need to track the blades performances, and switching soaps disturbs the process =P
     
  16. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    Conditioner works for me too but the key seems to be giving whatever you use enough time to do the job. If you find your whiskers are still tough, try letting the conditioner/lather/whatever you use work longer and see if it makes a difference.

    You can face or bowl lather, makes no difference really. Just watch the time and see if 10 minutes of beard softening is better than 5 or if 15 is better than 10. Different products may require small adjustments. Proraso cream works well but I still need 10-15 minutes of letting it sit in my beard to get it good and soft. You may need more or less time.
     
    Omelmad likes this.
  17. Hanzo

    Hanzo Well-Known Member

    I have a coarse beard.

    Never found that shave oil really worked, I think its for lubrication, razor slide , I don't think it softens the beard.

    For me the R89 is way too mild a razor for a coarse beard . The R 41 makes a difference and the head can cost as little as $20.

    Hot towels work.

    Proraso Preshave cream was called a miracle by Italian shavers year ago and using it I can see why. Take a large amount and slather on the beard area , let it sit for 2-3 minutes. The amount you use and time to let it work properly are critical . Lather over the Proraso and shave.This is the only product I've used that actually feels as though it softens the beard.
     
  18. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    You have been really helpful, Thank you! Im gonna use all the different stuff next time I shave =D.. Conditioner in the shower, pre shave oil after shower while I prep the razor and lather, apply the lather on my face and wait 5-10 minutes. Re-apply lather and shave, if that doesn't work I might just throw my razor out the window hahahaha

    I just ordered 2 bottles of corn huskers lotion.......... hmm from USA soooo, we'll see if it ever arrives =P if it doesn't I will be about 17$ short =P I was a video with a guy (big john) he uses it as a pre shave. Im curious =) who knows, it just might be my "miracle" product
     
  19. Omelmad

    Omelmad My printer email address is..........

    Im not ready to buy a new razor, I wanna trying and learning with my muhle r89 first =)

    And adjust my pre shave routine and try different blades =). I still have 12 more blades to try =P hahaha
     
  20. feeltheburn

    feeltheburn Well-Known Member

    One thing I'd be careful about. If you use pre-shave oil, I believe it will keep water from soaking into your whiskers. If you really want to use the oil, I'd let the conditioner or lather sit first then rinse and apply the oil just before you're ready to shave.
     

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