I am new to wet shaving so far with not good results. You may have read my posts on other forums here about it. Basically I have a Gillette New Long Comb from Bob's Razor Works. Way too aggressive for my sensitive skin. Someone is sending me a Fat Handle Tech to try. I am not sure exactly what it looks like, but I did google it and saw many different ones. Now if this one works good for me, does anybody know of a comparable brand new razor I could get? I don't want to give up but I am over a month in with a bloody neck every time. So far I tried Derby blades. The best combo with the least bleeding so far was Waldbaums brand blades (not sure who makes them) and an old DE comb razor my grandfather used to use many years ago. The head was good, handle was very small and light weight, I prefer heavier weight. Any suggestions on a comparable razor would be great. Thanks Joe
Lord L6 if you are wanting to keep it thrifty or the EJ 89L. If you are bleeding a lot it sounds like technique which you should be able to work through. NO PRESSURE. It took me a while to figure that out but as soon as I did, I started getting wonderful shaves and do to this day. Keep asking questions dude, there is a whole buncha knowledge here and I think you did a really wise thing in asking on here in the first place. We'll try to help you as best we can.
I tried no pressure. It's mostly my neck. Believe it or not, I often got irritation and sometimes bleeding with a mach 3 turbo cartriage razor. Now, I get no irritation with it because I think all the wet shaves and bleeding toughened up my skin, but obviously I never get a close shave with it. I'm waiting for the tech to come in the mail to give it a try. Thanks for the reply, I'm not buying anything till I try out the tech, but gonna go look up those two razors now and read about them.
As Bob said the EJ would be good (I have a Muhle R106...same head). I don't know about the EJ, but the Muhle R106 has plenty of weight to it. Also I can't stress technique enough. once you get that down you may actually find the more aggresive razors better for your skin. My skin is super sensitive (to soaps, etc) and once I got my technique down I have found using more aggressive razors with sharper blades (Feather) gives me a better shave with less chance of irritation then using a milder razor and a good all-round blade. Don't get me wrong, the mild razors I think are good to learn on. What blades do you have? Did you get a sampler? I haven't seen your other posts, but are you taking it slow? I didn't go ATG until like a month after I started, just to get the pressure issue out of the way! Just on a side note, I started and stopped a few times, trying to learn to use the DE...but once I was determined to learn and work with the bleeding, it got better pretty quick. Keep the questions up and good luck!
As a newbie, I did go ATG a few times. At first I was going to fast till I realized then slowed down. Exactly what I have been doing was what I watched on a few youtube videos. First up, then down, then side to side. Too much for a newbie?
Yeah. I get way too much irritation if I do more than two passes. I do one North to South and another South to North. Just starting out, I would do a Ear to Nose pass instead of the South to North. The shaves my suffer a little until your technique improves, but once you have that down add the South to North pass back in. The NEW is too much for me. For DE razors, I really enjoy the Old Type on a Bull Mastiff handle.
NEWs tend to be a very aggressive razor for many people. The tech is milder. A fat handled tech may look like this one. Although the ones that are on Mr-Razor site are usually prime examples. If it is one like this you may have a better chance at working on technique.
Reversing your stroke and going ATG requires some consistency to the angle that is comfy for you. Perhaps you have inadvertently lost your angle on the ATG pass and are digging in a bit?
Oh, great! That looks nice, much less aggressive. The new that I have, pictured below, the blade sticks out A LOT! I don't have a blade in it in this picture, but you can imagine how far it would stick out on this bad boy. Maybe I should just use this for mowing the lawn instead!
Since I am new to all of this, I did have a few other questions (probably the first of many lol). When people say north to south and so on, how does that work exactly on the neck. My neck is my biggest concern, seems to be for most, so if I am not doing the south to north on my neck, what is the best way to start out on my neck? I should mention (probably doesn't matter) that I do have a goatee that I shave around but not much on my neck, face only. It's neat and short, not long or anything.
First of all, I'll mention to you that my neck is the most sensitive for me. One wrong move and it's bad irritation and ingrowns like crazy (even with DE/SE razors). I can only do 2 passes, N to S and then a S to N (if I go accross, it's pain for about a week). When shave I do a north to south to start out with. I also tend to pull the skin the most on my neck to try to make sure the razor is always shaving on a flat surface (if that makes sense). I also tend to do many smaller strokes than on my face. After I finish that pass, I dothe south to north pass. While I do this I make sure it is lathered REALLY well then take it slow. But I only started this once I was comfortable with going ATG on my face. I would recommend that if/when your wanting to do the S to n pass on your neck, try small strokes on one of the sides, under your jaw joint. For me anyway this is the least sensitive and easiest to find the right angle to shave with. if you don't want to do that, then try this tip on finding the right angle (so you can get a visual). Try a shave test on in a small area on the underside of our forearm going towards your wrist...this way you can get an idea of what angle provides a comfortable shave, and it may help you with learning your technique. Just some food for thought.
It works the same on your neck as it does on your face. Basically N to S would be going from your chin towards your Adam's apple. In other words top to bottom. I know it was mentioned that you should wait to go against the grain until your technique improves, so you need to be mindful about which way your beard grows........and that is where face mapping comes in. Once you have some growth, take a look at which direction the hairs are growing. The beard on your neck might grow S to N so if you make a N to S pass you are essentially going ATG. This might be part of the reason for your irritation and bleeding. Some people's beard grows every which way, so it's something that you should really check out.
Thanks Luke, makes sense and probably worth a try. Until I get the tech razor, I'm not DE shaving but that should be in a few days. And I always do better with long growth, so since I will be out hunting all weekend and shaved last night, I'll have plenty of growth when I come back lol.
I believe the hair on my neck grows S to N so you are right Tom, when I shave down on my neck, that is causing some of my problems! just by feeling it today after a mach 3 shave last night, it seems that my neck grows up, my cheek bone grows towards the ear and my face grows mostly down, some spots to the side. When I shave my neck up, which is not ATG, it doesn't ever seem to shave that close with a mach 3 or DE so far, but I'll play around with the advice given here and see.
Until you do some face mapping you may think you are going WTG but in fact you may be going ATG. Maybe this is a step in the right direction, then. Cool! Keep at it.
On another thread on this site, someone was explaining face mapping, and I didn't quite get it. Any input on how to do that other than rubbing my fingers on my face a day or two after shaving?
Joe, I used my wifes magnified mirror to get a real close look at the whiskers on my neck. The lower I looked the more radical the hairs grew. I take the butt of the palm of my hand when I am finished shaving and while my face is still wet and glide it around using pressure. I can easily find the spots that may need a touch up and try to remember where it was for the next shave. I think most all of us here have trouble with the neck. When I began DE shaving, I went strictly N to S and E to W. But, on my neck, I use a diagonal pattern rather than straight S to N. It helped quite a bit. Don't be afraid to try different patterns or techniques. Always remember the NO pressure advice though. I also learned that prep makes for a more comfortable shave. I used to shave in the a.m.. Now, I shave after a hot shower in the evening. Made a big difference. Another thing to remember is, beard reduction. That helps to keep from using pressure, IMO. Hope this helps. Keep on trying!
Joe, when you receive the Tech from Steve, follow this piece of advice which is what I call the 30 Day Rule. Find a razor / blade combination that will not cause issues with your face, and a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. After 30 days, change only one variable, and work for another week with that combination to continue refining your technique before changing any thing else. This dedication and disciplined approach helped me over a year ago get back to using blades over electrics.
