Please help! My face is destroyed :(

Think of "no pressure" as trying to take off ALL the lather, leaving none, without touching the skin.
Of course you can't help but touch the skin in the process, otherwise you'll leave stubble, but that's the idea.

 

I have resisted the urge to bring this up because it is such a contentious and personal issue with some but since you (and I) are just getting started in this game I doubt either of us have strong feelings on the subject of blades.

The more I think about it the more convinced I become that you should try different blades. The Feathers are reportedly exceedingly sharp and I suspect are the major factor in your poor shaving experience. I just did my 4th and closest shave with the same Gillette Silver Blue blade I've been using since shave 1. That doesn't make me an expert but my point is that a crazy sharp blade isn't absolutely necessary to get a good shave.

I dunno. I think you should grab a 5 pack of another quality less-sharp blade and try them out.

 

I think you are correct. In many razors and for many folks very sharp blades like the Feather are fantastic blades. However, such blades can exact punishment for poor technique.

 

UPDATE TIME FOLKS!

Today was the first time I dared shave after Sunday's disastrous experience - I let my face heal since then and felt comfortable trying again today.
All I can say is what a difference. I used the same Feather blade as Sunday so I could get a direct comparison of irritation and shave quality. I slowed everything right down and paid attention, listened carefully to when the blade was cutting and used as little pressure as I could manage. I did 3 WTG passes and a tiny bit of XTG at the top of my chin, just to try and neaten things up a bit. It felt great, I have no irritation and not a single cut! This is the first time since I began shaving I have applied the after shave balm and not felt stinging and pain on my face - and it feels great. I would say the shave quality is close to what you guys would call a DFS - It looks presentable and clean, but is still a little stubbly when feeling against the grain. I'm sure as my technique evolves I will be able to achieve a full DFS and occasional BBS without any ATG. Needless to say I feel way better.

Bristle Me is also kindly sending me a few different brand blades as well so I will be able to try those and decide which is best (special thanks to him).

Feels amazing guys, thank you for all your support and advice.

 

"I love it when a plan comes together"

 

Congrats on the great results.

 

Hi George.
Good to see another Englishman.

1). Please don't give up.
I was probably at about the three week stage, when I stood in front of the mirror, neck all red and irritated. I had my old cartridge razor in one hand. Muhle r89 in the other. I was ready to ditch the muhle and go back. But I didn't. I put the plastic rubbish in the bin, picked up my phone and whined all night to the guys on here to help me. And they did. After nearly every shave I would come back to my thread and say, right, the burn has stopped but now I got a rash. Then , the rash is better, but now my skins dry.... And so on. I dare say some people rightly thought " oh dear. He's off again". But all the time someone, some the same, some different, helped me and I got better and better, and 8 months later I'm loving shaving more each day.

As for your problems. All I can ask is if the good lady likes you clean shaven. When your comfortable in your shaving, why let your beard grow for three days, then have so much to do to get smooth again. I know some people can't shave every day. But I wonder if a more frequent and delicate shave would be better than a twice a week exercise.

Keep at it. And if you want some good UK suppliers shout me.

Nice to meet you.
Jan.

 

great news, keep it up.

 

That's great. Glad it is working out better you!

 

Thanks for the kind words - It's getting better already.

The reason I shave once every three days is because my beard really doesn't grow that quick - its strange because my dad grows in 1 day what it takes 2-3 for me to grow. But duly noted, once I've mastered the technique I probably will shave more regularly. Besides, its relaxing and gives me time to think and be calm - strange but I liken it to meditation, so why not do it more regularly.

Yeah if you've got some suppliers that'd be great. So far i've just been using amazon and executive-shaving.co.uk so i'd be glad of any you know, good for price comparisons and all that.

Cheers,

George

 

That's what we're all here for! The advice, depth of knowledge, and just plain good guys, is what makes TSD special. The shaves will only get better.

 

Sounds like you are well on your way. Welcome to TSD!

 

Had another successful shave on friday.

Just gave it another go and after 3 passes I felt confident enough to try to clean up under the chin. I don't want to go full ATG yet (or even ever) as it wrecked my face last time. So I tried a 45 degree angle (between XTG and ATG) as was previously suggested. I still had the same problem. Its like the blade gets caught on the hair and requires more force to move it through the stubble. when it does cut the hair it makes the skin bleed. Does this still sound like bad angle/technique?

I'm using this thread like a bit of a shave log at the moment - if thats wrong then let me know and i'll stop, or is there some seperate area to chart my progress?

In other news, EJ DE89L on the way. I'm fed up of this rubbish £6 razor and the screw thread has started to go already. One thing I did notice is that this cheap one only supports the blade through one hole (the middle threaded hole). I noticed the EJ supports the blade through 3 holes (the main thread and two side pin type things), could part of my problem be the cheap razor is not supporting the blade enough?

 

Have you tried a blade sample pack yet? I see it has only been a week since your original post and you mention Feathers and Astra's causing the same problems. You also say you only shave every three days. So you have only shaved twice, maybe three times since. Patience and practice, my friend. Don't rush things. Get a blade sample pack and give it some time. Hang in there! We're all pulling for ya!!

 

It took me about 30 shaves or so for everything to start to "click" and my shaves to be consistent. Not fantastic but consistent. After years of using cartridge razors it just takes time for your muscle memory to develop. Give it some time.

 

Sample blades are coming, they have to travel across the pond though so will take a little longer.

Yeah im trying to be patient its a shame every time i try anything near atg it wrecks my face but hopefully one day i will find the sweet spot with regards to angle and pressure or figure out how to consistently dfs and occasionally bbs without atg. I think i have the angle sorted for wtg now though so thats progress.

 

IMHO it sounds like your angle may be too steep. I will roll the razor until I feel it sliding in the head (doing nothing) then tip it back just until I feel the blade, then I shave at that angle.

 

I suspect it may be wrong purely based on how it feels - the tugging and catching. I will do as you say next time.

 

Give it a try, can't hurt. I tip my razors any time I'm not sure of the angle. Another thing I do is, if it doesn't feel right, I slow down and lessen whatever pressure there is.

 

I also learned something today that may relate to your situation.

Since I started DE shaving I've shaved every day...until Saturday. I decided to take a day off and just shave before church on Sunday.

Well, my shaves to this point (with the exception of day 1) have been blood and rash free. However my day old stubble was really stiff and tough despite a hot shower, face wash and hot towel treatment beforehand. Well as you may have guessed by now my shave did not go off without a hitch. The passes went okay but after the last pass I stood there and watched a whole bunch of little red dots grow on my neck. I doused myself with icy cold water and the dots were gone...for about 1 second. After applying balm and styptic pencil things appeared normal. I was even able to put on my light colored shirt without getting blood on the collar.

So, the lesson seems to be that my whiskers get tough after a day of not shaving. Shaving every day works best for me and my face stays soft. Maybe after your new gear arrives you will find frequent shaves actually work best. As always, YMMV. Cheers!