DE Shaving Just not for me?

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by Joe, Oct 23, 2011.

  1. Joe

    Joe Member

    Ok, so I have posted many times about my shaving problems and I have gotten some great advice and talked to alot of great people. I just don't think DE shaving is for me. First, I want to thanks Steve for the tech razor and Don for the goodfella and super speed blue tip. The reason I say DE shaving is just not for me is this....

    Normally when I have 3 days or more of growth, I get my best shaves with cartridge razor (mach 3 turbo). Smooth as can be. Tonight was my long growth shave. I did it all. Mixed my own soap using mug soap, brush and bowl. Washed my face and neck good with hot soapy water, then did the hot towel several times pre shave. Applied the soap with the brush, and shaved using my favorite Dorco 301 blades and the super speed which is supposed to be very mild. My neck is irritated, I bleed as usual all over my neck, and for the first time in my life, this shave and last, I now have ingrown hairs on my neck! People have been telling me practice, be patient, it takes time. I have now been at it for a little over three months, with the exception of one week during my wedding in July. Still, I am bleeding like crazy on my neck, irritated on my neck and face and now having ingrown hairs.
    Don't get me wrong, I would love to keep at it. I really would. But it's just getting to be too much for it to take 30 minutes for me to shave, and still bleed and not get the results I am hoping for. If someone could also explain this to me....from what was told and read many times, I should apply no pressure, let the weight of the head of the razor do the shaving and I should never go more than 2-3 passes, one pass in each direction. Keeping in mind I am already bleeding before I start applying pressure, if I don't apply pressure, I look like I didn't even shave after 3 passes. And I have a very light, soft beard too. Also, it seems to get a somewhat smooth shave, I probably go over each area 15 times at least....and I'm not kidding and the irritation and bleeding start on the first pass, so I know that is not causing it.

    I will stick with the forum, I love this site and the people here are great, but I just can't do the DE thing anymore. Since I would rather someone on here get my razors than ebay, I will wait till I am eligible to sell on here and post my razors for sale. The tech I will probably give away free to someone that could use it. If someone else has had the exact same problems as me, I would love to hear from you. And thanks to everybody for the great advice, most of it did help.

    Sorry for the long post, but I really wanted this to be my way of shaving for life, so I am upset with my decision but really have no other choice.
     
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Sorry to hear that, Joe. Before you sell it all, may I recommend you hold one razor back, along with a few blades? If you're like me, curiosity is goingto get the better of you and you're going to be wanting to give it another go. Who knows, it may work out second time 'round.
     
  3. Joe

    Joe Member

    Steve, Thanks for all of your advice so far, and generosity! I found two razors I belive to be fat handle techs, once my fathers. So if I give it another try, I might use them, but I do want to confirm what the razors are. I will be posting pictures of all of them tomorrow to see what people say they are. I am sure I will wind up keeping one, most likely the one you gave cause that gave me the best shave to date, but I really could use the money over holding on to the other razors, especially the derby blades! :) Like I said above, it does really upset me to give up, and a big part of me doesn't want to but I just feel that if I am still bleeding after three months, there's not much hope. Might be better spending my time researching where to get my cartridges cheaper :(
     
  4. Sodapopjones

    Sodapopjones Well-Known Member

    Its probably not the razors, sounds more like a lather or blade problem to me; probably lather.

    Steve what soaps were you using?
     
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  5. Williams Warrior

    Williams Warrior Well-Known Member

    It sounds like the lather needs work and you didn't find a compatible blade for your skin. Also doesn't sound like your face mapping might be an issue. I know it's frustrating but if you can get a good painless close shave with a multi blade cartridge then you can also get one from a DE as well, but it requires alot of trial and error and patience to get everything hammered out.
     
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  6. Joe

    Joe Member

    The best shave I got so far, was CVS Brand shave gel in a can, basically imitation Gillette shave gel. I tried a few blades, derbys cut me the most, astras were ok but cut more, tried a generic store brand blade from the grocery store and the Dorco 301. I just found some vintage Lido blades, wrapped up and still good, but I'm afraid to try them, love them and not be able to buy them except for a lot of money as collectibles....
     
  7. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Joe, remember that you can go to using Trac II or Atra cartridge razors (2 blades). It would be better for your skin and your pocket book than the 5 or 6 blade face and pocket book shredders . The razors and blades are readily available online and blades are available at Wal Mart, Dollar General, and other brick and mortar stores.

    A lot of us, I am one, use these razors for head shaving and even face shaving when schedules do not allow a leisurely shave.

    You may even want to go back to trying DE at a later date.

    Good luck and we hope you will stay around.
     
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  8. Sodapopjones

    Sodapopjones Well-Known Member

    He could try an Injector, I mean yeah its cheating but it works pretty much like a single blade BiC.
     
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  9. GDCarrington

    GDCarrington Burma Shave

    Yes. It is the direct ancestor to the Trac II carts as far as the handle and angle of head (which Gillette procured from looking at the Schick handle).

    I do enjoy them as well.

    Joe, there are two alternatives for you.
     
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  10. ChemErik

    ChemErik Mr. Personality

    I'd recommend trying a real cream or shave soap. VDH shave soaps work very well, are cheap, and should be available locally. For cream, either C.O. Bigalow from Bath & Body Works or The Real Shave Company available at Rite Aid would be my recommendations to start as both are inexpensive, work very well, and likely available locally.
     
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  11. byrd

    byrd Well-Known Member

    I'm sure you have been through this, but have you let your face completely heal before attacking it again? In my experience it is very difficult to get a good shave when you are shaving already irritated skin.
     
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  12. cpool222

    cpool222 Well-Known Member

    I would wonder if you're putting too much pressure when shaving with a DE, or trying to shave against the grain before a couple of with-the-grain passes.
     
  13. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    I cannot shave against the grain. I admit it. It rips my face to shreds and causes ingrown hairs. I still get the best shave of my life with my Gillette Super Speed. It sounds as if you may be doing a couple of things wrong, so first let's address the ingrown hair problem. That can be caused by several things, but based on what you have said, the most likely cause is shaving against the grain. So shave with the direction of hair growth.

    Problem two. Cuts and razor burn. Two possible causes there. One is angle of attack. With adjustable razors this can result in scalping. With a super speed, it is almost impossible to mess up (45 degree angle the whole time!) No pressure is a misnomer. With some of the heavier razors like Merkurs you can let the weight of the razor do the work, with the super speed, gentle pressure works best. (I seldom do more than two passes, both with the grain. The second is just to catch anything I missed the first time.) The second possible cause (and most likely) is poor lathering. Your lather should have the consistancy of whipped topping. If it does not look like something you would put on pumpkin pie, you are doing it wrong. mantic59's videos on YouTube are an invaluable resource. He walks you through every step. That guy is the Guru of Shaving.

    If you are shaving with cream out of a can, or brushless shaving cream that is your problem right there. Period. The water in the lather is what provides a barrier between the blade and face, the cream is there just to soften the hair, add moisturizers, and provide a somewhat slicker surface for the razor. There is a reason our art is called Wet Shaving, not Double Edge shaving.

    Bottom line, The worst shave anyone should get (using proper technique) with a DE razor should be better than the best shave with a cartridge razor. Please don't give up yet, but if you do, can I have your razors?
     
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  14. scott wein

    scott wein Well-Known Member

    A lot to decide Joe, and u r such a gentleman. Wishing you a solution that makes u happy. I am into this about as long as you and found expanding my blade and cream selections really helped. I learned even that sharp blades were better for me, I could truly do a no pressure shave.

    I agree with giving your face some time to heal. Watch videos in the mean time, study your face so you see how your hair grows, practice making lather and pseudo shave to get your angles. I did this as a little kid with my grandfather and swear I channel my past when I shave.

    Lather is crucial as is angle. Your wife sounds very patient and kind.

    Most of all, be happy
     
  15. Joe

    Joe Member

    Thanks Scott. My wife is very patient, but probably not for long lol. I shave every other day and I have watched a bunch of videos, as well as found out how my hair grows. The thing I am focusing on now is how to get a decently close shave with no pressure. Seems like no matter which razor I use or blade, and what angle I try, I need a million passes to get most spots smooth.
     
  16. scott wein

    scott wein Well-Known Member

    Wishing you luck finding what works for you Joe. I got a break, my grandfather was a wet shaver and I watched him thousands of times, shaved without a blade, etc as a kid. So I channel Poppa Sid, the King of Lather.
     
  17. fishcrow

    fishcrow Birdman of TSD

    Joe, hate to see you give it up you need to do what is best for your face and yourself. Give yourself a sabbatical from DE for 90 days. Maybe trying one more time to make sure you do not want to give it up. I wish you the best on whatever decision you make, stay with the forum too.
     
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  18. scott wein

    scott wein Well-Known Member

    Good Advice Brad. We need you Joe. I'm gonna fly you to Steve's house.
     
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  19. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    The door's open!
     
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  20. CHSeifert

    CHSeifert Active Member

    I'm a 2 months DE noob !

    I've been wetshaving for 20 years.
    I still love my Fusion cartridge shave and if I shave every 2 days they still give me the closest most comfortable smooth shaves ever, but the DE is closing in on it :)

    I started out doing only the simple areas with my DE - cheek and a touch up around lips and on throat area. And only did the first pass with my DE to start with. Difficult areas around chin, under nose, jaw and Adams apple are still done by my Fusion.

    When I have the time I now do a complete first pass with my DE and second pass with my Fusion.
    I get great shaves !

    I have very hard water in my area and sometimes my lather building is not good enough - depending also on the cream I use.

    You are probably not using the correct combo of brush, shave cream and have poor lather build.

    1. Get a good Silvertip badge brush. It's expensive but worth it in the long run. The hard water makes lather perfection difficult so I need the best brush for helping create and maintain the lather quality by holding onto the correct amount of water inside the brush.

    2. Make sure you use a shave cream, which lathers with ease and is able to maintain the lather quality throughout the entire shave.

    For instance Taylor shave creams lather with ease, but my Taylor shave creams gave me trouble holding onto to the lather quality throughout my shave, so I have dumped them both (had TOBS Jermyn Street & TOBS Avocado)
    My DR Harris ShaveCreams were both too creamy and the lather turned kind of slimy on the second pass so they are now also close to being dumped ( have the DR Harris Marlborough & DR Harris Arlington shave creams)

    I ended up with 9 ShaveCreams - 2 from Fitjar, 2 from Castle Forbes, 2 from Penhaligon, 1 from Kent and 2 from Truefitt & Hill.

    My goal is to have ShaveCreams that I know how to lather precisely and which will work best on different days and and seasons. For instance I need thicker lather for 2-3 days beard and thinner lather for 1 day beard. I can perfect the thickness of the cream by adding more or less water but the products also help me here.

    I found my 2 Penhaligon shave creams to create the best lather for when my beard is 2-3 days old. Penhaligon on the other hand don't quite moisturise my skin like for instance my Fitjar and Castle Forbes ShaveCreams do, so my Penhaligon ShaveCreams are now mainly used when I have several days old beard.
    I also don't need the same moisture in a cream when my beard is several days old.

    I found my Fitjar and Castle Forbes ShaveCreams work best for for 1-2 days beard, when I need extra moisture to my skin and the lather does not need to be crazy thick.

    Truefitt & Hill is also not my preferred for 1 day old beard - so I avoid using these as daily my ShaveCream, but use them when my beard is older/longer.

    I think you should focus more on the quality of the ShaveCream products you use and the lather buildup, before you dump DE shaving completely.

    3. As mentioned - focus on your lather building. It takes longer to perfect if you - as I - are living in an area with hard water. Have patience.

    I still get the best lather quality and shave when I use a can of Sanex Shave Gel ( have to say though that this Sanex Shave Gel is out of this world great and Gillette, Proraso and all other canned Gel and foam products are inferior compared to this Sanex product - only Clinique M shave Gel is almost as good)

    But I'm beginning to get better lather - it still turns rather slimy on my second pass, when my beard is reduced - thus irritates me quite a bit because it then falls off the razor in chunks of slimy cream parts and hits either the floor, my legs or often the top of the sink :)
     

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