Hello shavingnaughts, I'm very new to DE shaving and still going through a large sampler of blades but my problem is my face breaking out. After shave isn't helping that much. I have some sensitive skin but tough/rough facial hair. I've mainly tried creams like Proraso Green (not the smartest choice) and TBS Maca Root. I got a sample of Proraso Blue to give a try next. I'm looking into getting the Proraso White tub afterwards. Still experimenting. My question is if it's worth getting a pre-shave cream or oil to soften my facial hair? Are certain soaps over creams better for sensitive skin types? Thank you all for any recommendation, -SH
I have the same problem. Sensitive skin with super wiry and tough hair. I've found that using a coated blade with an aggressive razor helps alot. Pair that with really good shower prep with a light facial cleanse, not a scrub, and pretty good. I've also found that a softer brush helps too. I've found that pre-shave cream/oil literally does nothing for me, as it just gunks up the razor. I love Proraso White. What razor and brush did you start out with?
as I recall...it took my face about five weeks to smooth out and recover from carts...is it sensitive skin or residual bumps or ingrown hair from carts? IMHO Time itself may fix this.
Welcome to the Den. I know this might be a lot, but read it through. Please let us know what razor and blade combination along with the brush that you are using. In addition you might want to try to do a facial preparation and then take a warm shower before shaving. Some people will apply water for a minute or two and then shaving lather and allow that to stand for two minutes and rinse that off in the shower. Then proceed to shave after the shower. That could allow your beard to soften more before the shave. For a post shave, please use Witch Hazel which will help the acne (caused by shaving). You may also want to wash your face with a mild antibacterial soap in the evening (if you shave in the morning) and rinse with Witch Hazel. You should do this in the opposite time of day from the shave. Now until you find out how to get this solved, you should not move to the 30 day rule until your skin is under control and healed. Once it is healed then you might want to proceed to the 30 day rule. THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you. After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all. This really does work. Oh and one more thing ... Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
Hello and welcome to The Shave Den! I don't think you could go wrong with a pre-shave oil, a different soap or cream, etc. However, there are other variables to consider first. A number of things could be causing your break outs. Could you tell us more about your shaving routine, the products (hardware and software) you use, etc.? It helped me to stick with the same routine for a period of time and then change one thing at a time. That helped me dial-in the shaving routine that worked for me. IMHO, the 30-day rule described by Gary is one very effective approach. Best wishes, and please post some additional details if you can. With patience, more experience, and the great advice you'll get from folks here, I'm sure you will find what works best for you!
I think you may need to look at a few things. First you need to get the breakouts under control. A dermatologist may be your best bet if you are having trouble. As for your beard you might try a hot shower and washing your face in the shower. Oily hair won't absorb water as well as clean hair and water softens hair so it can be cut easier. I am a big believer in a two pass shave. One WTG and one XTG. Single swipe per pass and no going back. The first pass cuts the hair close. The second takes off the last little bit. I would not swap out blades and razors and creams until you get your skin under control and then get your blade angle perfected.
In order to properly answer your question, we need to know what you mean by "breakout"? Is it red inflamed acne that is deep or superficial whiteheads (pustules) or both? Also, do they only happen in the areas you shave or do you have it other areas like your forehead? If it is the white heads, there is a high chance it is shaving related and it is a folliculitis. The only real way is to get it better is to minimize irritation by: 1) improving technique 2) avoiding ATG 3) minimize passes - I went to two for a while. 4) minimize product on your face 5) avoid astringents 6) Cold water shave In the end, I had a combo of acne and folliculitis. I used pretty much everything (pre-shave, alum, WH, tea tree etc). The only thing that cleared it completely was seeing a dermatologist and going on benzaclin gel for 6 weeks.
Welcome to TSD! How many shaves are you trying to get out of a blade? A pre-shave oil will not hurt. Only you'll be able to tell if it works.
First off Welcome to The Shave Den. The issue might not be your skin, but your coarse hair. Think about it, if your hair is being tugged this could cause irritation. Or I may be a crackpot and have no idea what I am talking about, . Take a nice hot towel and let it soak in some hot water. Ring it out but not all the way and hold that baby on your face for a few minutes, if need be go ahead and re-soak as many times as needed. When I shaved my beard I used a Weber with a Personna Red. Now I shave my noggin and use a NEW with a Red and still gotta try the Astras in it. Anyways, my point is let the facial soften with a nice hot towel and be careful with scented products but do not give up altogether on them. Some people are allergic to certain ingredients such as Lanolin and Eucalyptus. If you suffer from Dry Skin try using a Product such as Pre De Provnece or the "Bipolar" MWF and stay away from alcohol based splashes and the like.
Hello! Welcome to the Shave Den. As you can see, this is a place full of friendly shavers willing to help. Enjoy the ride.
Thank you for the warm welcome! My shaving gear includes: a Merkur 34C saftey razor, an Omega 13109 badger brush, a small ceramic bowl I picked up locally, Osma styptic pencil, various blades from Amazon and shaving cream samples that I picked up from my local stores. I apologize. What I meant by my face breaking out; it gets red and gives me a burning sensation from the shave. No noticeable acne and haven't had any ingrown hairs yet. I use the Nivea or Proraso Sensitive After Shave to soothe the burning sensation. Both work fine, but only for an hour or so before a slight burning sensation returns. Before reading I followed this routine from watching the tutorial video of Geofatboy on YouTube. My routine starts out with a hot shower. After the shower I fill up my bowl with some hot water and let the brush soak for 2 mins. While the brush is soaking I fill the sink with a litte bit of hot water and leave the razor in the sink for a minute. I let the water drip out a bit from the brush, empty the water from the bowl, put a pea sized amount of cream on the brush and start lathering. I wash my face a few times with hot water before starting to apply the lather with my brush. I do 3 passes: WTG, XTG and ATG. Even though I have done 3 passes, I still can't get a BBS shave. Once I'm done, I splash some cold water to close the pores, pat dry my face and apply some after shave. I have only shaved four times using a DE razor. Each time with a different blade (Merkur Super Platinum, Shark Super Stainless, Lord Platinum, Derby Extra). I was thinking of trying a Feather blade with the Proraso Blue sample for my next shave in 2 days. The only creams I have tried was the Proraso Green and the TBS Maca Root I mentioned earlier. Coming from using only cartridges, I will wait and see if my face does start to smooth out as Bama mentioned. I will try to avoid ATG for the time being. Maybe it's too agressive for me at the moment. One thing I have noticed from shaving with a DE razor is that my facial hair grows back slower. Does this happen from switching from the cartridges? I will note down the hot towel method, cold water shaving and Pre De Provence for my future shaves. I will definitely do the 30 day rule once I find the right blade from the sampler. Thank you for all your input! Any other advice is greatly appreciated and happy shaving. -SH
Try and settle into one razor and blade. Then practice technique. It gets better, you are on the right track.
+1 - you just need more practice to improve your technique. No pressure, minimizing passes and avoiding ATG will still help. Try cold water through the entire process. I used to get a really red neck. Cold water shaving really helped that.
to TSD "spacehobo" Sounds to me like your giving yourself "razor burn". Lighten up on the preasure. I think bama has a good first approach that's going to happen anyway "just let time pass and see what happens". Things are going to change mostly for the better over the next several months to a year.. Pay mind to your technique, try to settle on one blade, give cool water shaving a try, concentrate on irritation free shaves over BBS, the closeness will come again with time. You may also want to consider trying "Corn Huskers Lotion" as a preshave. It's what I use, its not oily, locally available, inexpensive and works for me as well as Proraso or Jack Black. Your definitely going in the correct direction, keep up the good work!!
. Nice gear, as a generic observation. From the sound of it, you picked up a decent-sized sampler of some different blades; is that right? While I all but guarantee that each of the blades you've tried so far is someone's favorite, there are other blades that have generally more favorable reviews in the wetshaving community: Polsilver SI, Personna, Gillette 7 o'clock, and Astra all spring to mind as alternatives that may give you a more pleasant experience in conjunction with GDCarrington's 30-Day recommendation. That said, he favors Big Ben, and I'm a Bic aficionado, neither of which has a large following around here, so YMMV. Other considerations are whether you might look into an unscented shave soap/cream (Proraso White is not actually unscented) or a synthetic fiber brush, in case there's an allergy/sensitivity issue with either a scent or the badger hair.
