I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to hair type, although mine is now white for the most part and nearly invisible. I have to shave ATG if I want the stubble removed, and have come to the conclusion that must be my first pass, otherwise I eventually get some irritation.
The real clue to a good shave for me is blade angle. There is a reason vintage razors have the plating worn off the top or the doors on TTO razors, and that is because they are ridding on the user's skin all the time. Keep the razor at as narrow an angle as it will cut, and use very short (1/4" or 1/2") strokes just brushing the skin. Magically turns "dull" blades like Derby or Dorco into very comfortable ones that give very close shaves. Just brush the skin, it's not uncommon for me to have a thin film of lather after the razor passes over. The razor is quite sharp enough to cut the hair, trust it to do the job.
Took me a month or more to get this right, even though I've been shaving with very light pressure for decades using cartridges, but that was in the shower by touch without soap, it's different watching in the mirror.
Takes a bit longer this way, but I get lovely shaves with absolutely no irritation.
Also, I find that on my neck my washcloth drags against the grain and it feels as though I missed a large area, but when my skin is dry, it's quite smooth. Barely have stubble now after shaving at 7 am this morning in that spot. I got a lot of irritation shaving my neck repeatedly to remove phantom stubble....
Blades do make a difference, but for me, with my current style of very light, short strokes, the major difference is that I can feel and hear the "dull" blades more. Not exactly pulling, but more friction or drag. Actually easier to tell when I'm getting the stubble removed with those blades compared to say a Polsilver. I don't think they will last as long, but they certainly are not unpleasant to use.
See if you can find out what the razor you are using is plated with, too -- nickel allergy is well documented, and a nickel plated razor will give you quite a bit of irritation if you are allergic to nickel. I don't know of any allergies to chrome plating.
At any rate, I'm glad you found a blade and razor that works for you.
Peter
The real clue to a good shave for me is blade angle. There is a reason vintage razors have the plating worn off the top or the doors on TTO razors, and that is because they are ridding on the user's skin all the time. Keep the razor at as narrow an angle as it will cut, and use very short (1/4" or 1/2") strokes just brushing the skin. Magically turns "dull" blades like Derby or Dorco into very comfortable ones that give very close shaves. Just brush the skin, it's not uncommon for me to have a thin film of lather after the razor passes over. The razor is quite sharp enough to cut the hair, trust it to do the job.
Took me a month or more to get this right, even though I've been shaving with very light pressure for decades using cartridges, but that was in the shower by touch without soap, it's different watching in the mirror.
Takes a bit longer this way, but I get lovely shaves with absolutely no irritation.
Also, I find that on my neck my washcloth drags against the grain and it feels as though I missed a large area, but when my skin is dry, it's quite smooth. Barely have stubble now after shaving at 7 am this morning in that spot. I got a lot of irritation shaving my neck repeatedly to remove phantom stubble....
Blades do make a difference, but for me, with my current style of very light, short strokes, the major difference is that I can feel and hear the "dull" blades more. Not exactly pulling, but more friction or drag. Actually easier to tell when I'm getting the stubble removed with those blades compared to say a Polsilver. I don't think they will last as long, but they certainly are not unpleasant to use.
See if you can find out what the razor you are using is plated with, too -- nickel allergy is well documented, and a nickel plated razor will give you quite a bit of irritation if you are allergic to nickel. I don't know of any allergies to chrome plating.
At any rate, I'm glad you found a blade and razor that works for you.
Peter
