Irritation when shaving every 1-2 days

[AusShaver]

Anyone have any tips/experience on shaving 1-2 day growth? I seem to have much more irritation when shaving the very short stubble as compared with a longer 3-4 day growth. Everything feels like it’s pulling and irritated even with multiple blades and a cushioned lather that I always use.

I have a thick, but not overly bulky beard growth, with course whiskers.

Any help/recommendations/ideas that would help stop the irritation when having to shave every second day would be great!

 

[samhain666]

I shave every 2-3 days, mostly 2 days, with previous razor I always got iritation if I shaved more ofthen han 3 days. What worked for me was getting Rockwell 6S and acet blades

 

[Seelector]

Make sure that you’re using truly light pressure. I would usually shave every other day and I think I could get away with a little extra pressure because my face had time to heal.

I recently have been shaving every day, and focussing on light pressure has helped them be almost irritation free. Nothing worse than a bit of redness in the usual trouble spots.

 

[Invicta]

Try your R89 with one shim and then two shims to give you an indication of increasing blade gap. Each shim increases the blade gap by ~ 0.1mm so you should notice an increase in aggressiveness. There are other factors especially blade exposure but a more aggressive razor is not a panacea for curing irritation.
This may not cure your irritation as technique is also a factor which you should keep working on. Have a look at the Wiki here; ShaveWiki | Badger & Blade and this; Blade Angle | Badger & Blade .

 

[Andris83]

Anyone have any tips/experience on shaving 1-2 day growth? I seem to have much more irritation when shaving the very short stubble as compared with a longer 3-4 day growth. Everything feels like it’s pulling and irritated even with multiple blades and a cushioned lather that I always use.

I have a thick, but not overly bulky beard growth, with course whiskers.

Any help/recommendations/ideas that would help stop the irritation when having to shave every second day would be great!

not sure how you prep, but try a hot shower before shaving. I cannot shave without it. I shave every 2 days, 1 day would be too much for the same reasons. The other day I skipped shower (actually I did shower after training and drove home), it was a bloodbath.

 

[Huszarpenge]

For motivation: you can shave daily if you have the proper technique. Try with 2 passes (or 1, if even that's a lot).

 

[Dave himself]

I have a hot shower then everything else I use cold water it really helped with irritation. 2 pass shave WTG and ATG don't ask me how it works it just did for me. You could give that a go and see if it helps good luck hope you find something.

 

[macintoshBR]

What’s your razor and blade of choice?

This year is the first time in 15 years that I can shave daily. This is what I do
- sharp blade like the Gillette Platinum
- low exposure and high blade rigidity razor (Gillette Tech, Henson, any Gillette TTO, Feather AS-D2)
- 1 pass only!At most do some touch ups in your resistance areas

 

[AusShaver]

What’s your razor and blade of choice?

This year is the first time in 15 years that I can shave daily. This is what I do
- sharp blade like the Gillette Platinum
- low exposure and high blade rigidity razor (Gillette Tech, Henson, any Gillette TTO, Feather AS-D2)
- 1 pass only!At most do some touch ups in your resistance areas

Am using an R89 with a derby premium at the moment, the derby blades seem to go nice and smoothly with the razor.

Its just a bit confusing to me that with the longer, thicker growth I get no irritation and little cuts on a 3 pass shave as opposed to every second day shave.

 

[musicman1951]

Am using an R89 with a derby premium at the moment, the derby blades seem to go nice and smoothly with the razor.

Its just a bit confusing to me that with the longer, thicker growth I get no irritation and little cuts on a 3 pass shave as opposed to every second day shave.

That is a bit of a mystery. The first thing that comes to mind, unfortunately, is that you might want to work on razor angle or possibility of too much pressure. "Little cuts . . ." is a red flag for me. You should definitely not be experiencing blood with any frequency.

It's also possible you need a sharper blade or a more aggressive razor. It's possible that the razor is too mild for your beard and you're compensating with added pressure.

But the fact that you have fewer problems by waiting more days is a bit of a quandary. I would try a sharper blade and less pressure because blades are cheap and less pressure is free.

You might even want to try a daily one pass shave WTG for a few days. Most shavers don't run into problems with the WTG pass.

Keep us informed of your experimentation.

 

[Andris83]

Am using an R89 with a derby premium at the moment, the derby blades seem to go nice and smoothly with the razor.

Its just a bit confusing to me that with the longer, thicker growth I get no irritation and little cuts on a 3 pass shave as opposed to every second day shave.

Edit:
In my R89 days I tried the Derby Extra and almost could not finish the shave. Pulling and tugging, and a weird feeling of irritation (different from razor burn). Haven't tried the premiums, but I think they aren't that sharp either.
With your beard type, a mild razor with a not sharp blade will probably not work. Try something sharper, i.e. GSB or Feather. You don't need to be afraid of the feather, the R89 is so mild, you won't mess up your face

 

[BigJ]

I shave daily, so take this with a grain of salt (at least)!

IMO, technique trumps most anything else in traditional wet shaving. Key issues are:
#1. Maintaining an optimal razor angle, and
#2. NO (or very minimal) pressure.

Stick with this and you will get the results you want!

 

[Wogus]

Am using an R89 with a derby premium at the moment, the derby blades seem to go nice and smoothly with the razor.

Its just a bit confusing to me that with the longer, thicker growth I get no irritation and little cuts on a 3 pass shave as opposed to every second day shave.

I too would suggest trying a sharper blade. Maybe a Gillette Nacet or the Astra Superior Stainless.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

I've been running into this issue. I believe the cause is a dull blade mostly. First shave was solid minus a weeper caused by me not being careful when I knocked a mole. Second shave no weeper, but I got moostash area knicks during ATG pass.

Then on the 3rd shave, I knocked myself in the moostash area on just a XTG pass, and added additional mayhem in the ATG pass. I'm using a Feather AS-D2 razor using first blade from pack that came with razor

Yes I do have course wiry hair too. I'm new to DE shaving, so it's all a learning experience. But it's becoming apparent, that Feather blades don't last long. When I did research into this, I pulled up lots of posts from others with my sane hair type, having the same issue.

We get 2 to 3 shaves, then the blade is done. There is a post on this board from a guy who was using one of those fancy and expensive microscope deals where he looked at the blades I'm extreme magnification.

In his testing, both with a new blade and after a use or several, he saw obvious imperfections in the blade makeup, such as coatings, and edge retention. I think Feather blades share something in common with mower blades.

As a mechanic, I know all too well, if I sharpen a mower blade to be razor sharp, it will cut your lawn perfect first time. But then the edges will be rounded off and full after the first cut, and will do a terrible job on the next cut.

This is why when we sharpen a mower blade, we only touch up the edges a bit, we don't aim for razor sharp, it's all about edge retention. I have to change my Feather blade before my next shave.

My last shave I gave myself multiple bloody red DOTS in the moostash area, and in area of face cheeks that meet towards the neck line. I've heard some other brands last longer in the Feather AS-D2, but are not as sharp from the beginning.

Either way, all of this is worth investigating on a deeper level. But from what I'm finding, even as the beginner I am, I'm proving that guy right who looked at the Feather blades with his fancy microscope.

 

[DEgeezer]

I shave daily, so take this with a grain of salt (at least)!

IMO, technique trumps most anything else in traditional wet shaving. Key issues are:
#1. Maintaining an optimal razor angle, and
#2. NO (or very minimal) pressure.

Stick with this and you will get the results you want!

I have to second this advice. I think most razors are capable of delivering a comfortable shave, using proper technique.
It's been said many times, but worth repeating; 'the goal of each pass should be beard reduction, not beard elimination'.
For me, going slow, and treading lightly wins the day.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

There are many mentions of using very light pressure which I strongly recommend. I thought I was using light pressure with my DE razors until I acquired a Feather Artist Club DX and spent a month working on my technique. For me, light pressure is trying to shave the lather from your face almost without touching your skin; it almost feels too light. Good luck.

 

[Torsten]

I use the Proraso preshave creme the green one.It works great for me with all kinds of shaving cremes.Also i like the green aftrshave from proraso it is good for my skin.Try it i hope it works for you.Best greetings from Germany.

 

[hairless wonder]

Unless there's some reason you have to shave every day, there's no shame in being a non-daily shaver. Heck, we even have a group in this forum!

Brotherhood of Non-Daily Shavers (BONDS)

I know we all enjoy shaving as a hobby, but how many of us are not daily shavers? 🙋🏻‍♂️ This group is for everyone (not just men, despite the "brotherhood" in the name) who shaves less frequently than daily for whatever reason. In my case, as my screen name suggests, I am follicly challenged...

www.badgerandblade.com

Also, there's no rule mandating three passes with every shave. If you can get a good shave with one or two passes (with or without touchup passes), there's no reason to add an extra pass or two. If anything, fewer passes may help you to reduce shaving irritation. A more efficient razor and/or a sharper blade may help you get a closer shave with fewer passes.

Finally, you don't have to chase the BBS. If you get a DFS or a CCS, that's fine, too! Heck, even a SAS can be just right.

 

[steveclarkus]

I have found straight razors to be the most irritation free.

 

[Ron R]

I shave every day and just stick to my Pre shave procedure that matured over the years and seems to help.
Gillette claims to wash your face to defoliate the skin of oils and dirt and this helps hydrate the whiskers for easier slicing of the blade.
Sharp blade is required if having trouble with tugging with also good hand technique.
Cold water rinse after each pass calms the skin.

This is my routine for Pre shave and if it helps great, been using this procedure for close to 3 years daily.
Pre shave : (Dedicated Cashmere synthetic)Brush wash whole face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser with a dollop of clear Aloe Vera on the cleaned beard area.
CeraVe hand bar soap is less Alkaline than other soaps & a little easy on the eyes for my reasons to use it. A squeezed damp dedicated brush & load of 5-10 seconds makes a lot of cleaning lather on a wet face and this bar lasts approx 7-8months just using a brush.(unbelievable soap life using this soft brush and is a very enjoyable prep. IMO)
Prep : Cold water rinse after each pass of 2 + pickups. WTG + ATG + pickups.

Have some great shaves!