My Journey towards a BBS dream: W/Photos. (Warning, not for the faint-hearted)

[damooshki]

Today is the first I've seen of this thread. All I can say is, HOLY COW, WHAT A TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT!! I'm sincerely happy for you. Your face looks much healthier now than a couple months back.

 

[wolfmanxiii]

I read about this somewhere and watched a youtube video with a girl demonstrating how to use it. Can't remember what the potential consequences were, but apparently you are supposed to use it sparingly.

I know it makes your skin sensitive to sunlight so it's good to get a good moisturizer with sunblock in it (it is good to get a moisturizer in general though because when you wash your face you strip the oils and if you do not moisturize your face it may try to over-compensate and get very oily). I found a good one made by Aveno. Can't remember the exact name of it, but I'll post it later. It is an unscented sensitive-skin face moisturizer with SPF+30 UVA/UVB protection and sells for nearly half as much as many similar products. I think it picked it up for around $17 at CVS (you should be able to find it in about any local drug store near the make up area or wherever they keep all the face washes and similar women folk things).

 

[Pottertons]

I know it makes your skin sensitive to sunlight so it's good to get a good moisturizer with sunblock in it (it is good to get a moisturizer in general though because when you wash your face you strip the oils and if you do not moisturize your face it may try to over-compensate and get very oily). I found a good one made by Aveno. Can't remember the exact name of it, but I'll post it later. It is an unscented sensitive-skin face moisturizer with SPF+30 UVA/UVB protection and sells for nearly half as much as many similar products. I think it picked it up for around $17 at CVS (you should be able to find it in about any local drug store near the make up area or wherever they keep all the face washes and similar women folk things).

Would a toner help at all? I have some Thayers that I use in a spray bottle and keep it in the fridge. Such a soothing feeling when you spray that mist on your face during a hot summers day.

 

[wolfmanxiii]

Thayer's is good stuff and definitely helps. I like your idea of refrigerating it...I think that would be quite nice in summer. Anybody here know if menthol crystals will melt in witch hazel? I think that would be nice for us menthol addicts.

Either way though I suggest getting a balm or moisturizer of some sort especially one for sensitive skin and if it doesn't irritate your skin one with sunblock in it. I would put on Thayer's after shaving, let it dry, then put on some moisturizer or balm. You can also use it on your non-shaving days, but make sure you wash your face (with a gentle cleanser of course) on those days too because it is important that you are keeping your skin clean to prevent infection. Moisturizer will keep your skin from compensating for the oils being stripped and getting oily as well as keep your skin soft and lubricated and in turn possibly help to prevent ingrown hairs.

I prefer St. Ives Naturally Clear cleanser for washing the face. This comes in two different kinds; Green Tea and Olive...not sure what the difference is I've only used the Green Tea. As for AS balm I prefer L'Oreal Men's Expert Comfort Max balm with SPF 15 sunscreen and for my non-shaving days I wash my face and follow up with Aveeno Active Naturals Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 UVA/UVB sunscreen especially on a day that I use a masque. Sounds girly, but hey it helps me tremendously to do a masque once or twice a week...I'll admit though that my girlfriend is the one who started me on that one.

My dad's family is of Italian descent so I know the agony of dealing with that dreaded curly facial/body hair that likes to become ingrown, however my problem is nothing compared to where you started. Sorry for the long post.

 

[Pottertons]

LOL, I was going to say, you'd put my misses to shame.

In saying that though, it has been recommended that a weekly facial does help when it comes to keeping the skin healthy and the ingrowns away. A guy I know does this and his face is BBS.

 

[wolfmanxiii]

Haha, well where did you think I got half that information? The girlfriend was using witch hazel to wash her face well before I ever started using it for AS.

 

[Sir Ronald]

wow, that's an incredible improvement!!! congratulations, and enjoy the future shaves.

 

[lionhartzero]

1st of all, sorry if the photo is too big. I used photobucket and I don't see an option to reduce the size.

With that said, on with the saga......


Well, about a week or two ago I was cutting my hair and realized that I had my Weishi and Merkur Razors just sitting there in their cases. I thought, you know what, let's have another go.

I have been using the Weishi with Astra blades and most importantly i've been using the K.I.S.S method and taking into account that Y.M.M.V.

> Insert blade into razor, put Body Shop shaving cream container into a simple plastic bowl and then submerge all into hot water in the sink
> Hot shower
> conditioner on the facial hair
> Leave face wet when getting out
> Start lathering up, by this point the cream is softened a bit so it makes lathering easier for me.

Then I go ahead with my shave.

Keeping in mind the acronyms mentioned above, I decided to just focus on technique. Little pressure and short strokes WTG.
After the first attempt the shave was patchy. I had to use the Andis electric trimmer to finish it up. I also found that the actual shaving was not too effective being that my hair had grown quite a bit so there was a slight bit of resistance.

Second time around a couple days later, I tried shaving again but with much less hair on my face. I figured that it would be better to remain consistant while the hair is still low, thus hopefully eliminating the opportunity for the hairs to curl in.

In terms of tools used, I'm currently going through my sampler pack that I ordered from Fendrihan last year. The Astra blades are great but I never actually realized until I ran out and used a Dorco. Horrible shaving experience with the dorco's. It could be my techniqued, but I don't find that they slice the hair as effectively and swiftly as the Astra's did. As for the Razor, i'm sticking with the Weishi for now as I remember someone stating that it was a less aggressive style and good for beginners.

I must say though, I have been getting more and more comfortable with wetshaving this time around and the main thing that i've noticed is...........

......NO NICKS. Not even one.

I thought for sure i was going to see a nice pink mixture of the cream and blood again; but nothing. Brilliant. After about a week and a half, I even tried a light XTG pass. Wow, the results were much better as you may notice in the photo when comparing to the ones in the older posts.

I do 2 or 3 passes at the moment mainly because i'm trying my best not to apply too much pressure.
1st WTG
2nd WTG
3rd Light XTG in areas that require more attention. Mainly the outer mouth area just going into the cheaks. My grain runs vertically whilst just about everywhere else is Horizontal or Diagonal. For some reason though, it's as if a WTG pass will not even catch a hair in this particular area. I did try an ATG pass (light one) just to see if i could even catch the hairs because they lay so parralel to the skin. Even then there was friction almost sandpaper like. Dam them hairs are tough. LOL. However, one thing I haven't done since starting up again is to taut the skin a little. (does that make sense?) I've just been shaving whilst in a natural state.

All in all, the bumps are going down quite effectively and although I still have an eternity to go, I must say that i am happy with the results so far. I'm shaving about every other day because I find that when I leave it for more than a few days, this is when the hairs begin to do their nasty work.

It's a brief return, but if it wasn't for the support on here, I probably never would have tried again so thanks to all who have followed my journey and sorry for the greatly delayed follow up.

AWESOME! I'm trying to begin shaving as well and you mentioned everything about your shaving technique except what you do post shave. Do you put any post-shave items on your face, or just a warm splash and then a cold rinse of water? Once again...excellent results!

 

[lionhartzero]

by the way, I use Geo F. Trumpers shaving cream. What's the verdict on that specific brand?

 

[Pottertons]

I use Nivea post shave balm. It wasn't sought out for mind you, it's just happens to be what I have on hand.

 

[Boba Fett]

I use Nivea post shave balm. It wasn't sought out for mind you, it's just happens to be what I have on hand.

I like Nivea, especially the aftershave balms and lotions. Cheap, available, and moisturizing. If it works, stick with it.

Congrats on your journey! It has been more than a year, but the improvement is immense!

 

[pauls51]

Congrats on the results and sticking with it... What a massive difference it has made... You gotta be happy with that!

Nivea is a great bang for buck after shave balm and if it works for you then keep on using it!

 

[WilliamIam]

Congrats! Wow that's amazing how much that's improved.

I used to only shave every 2-3 days max because of bad razor burn, but they resolved themselves within 3-5 days. Now I'm shaving with a straight and it's awesome.

Anyway, I've used feathers and they are definitely sharp, but I've moved on to Wilkinsons. They're sharp, but not as brutal as the feathers. I picked up a 10-pack in wal-mart for 1.94 the other day.

Glad you've seen so much improvement. Reading your comments about your face needing to be scratched a couple hours after shaving brings back memories of my shaves from a couple years ago.

Happy Shaves

 

[DaveNJ74]

Yeah, no kidding. I knew nothing about DE's then and still don't. But at least I know now that there was absolutely no need to spend that much on a razor.

Any how, here's my latest pics after last nights shave.
Prep invlove the very basics really, K.I.S.S.

-Washed face with Nivea sensitive skin face wash for Men
- Let my bowl and brush sit in hot water for a few minutes
- Body Shop Macca Root cream lather,
- Then hot towelled my face for a few minutes whilst the bowl w/lather sat in hot water.
- Immediately applied lather once the towel was removed
- Did a mild 2 pass WTG shave with a bic single blade. Still a bit nervous when it comes to getting the DE out again, even though I have a Weishi now.

The Camera really puts a clear perspective on the issue. I personally don't even see this much when in the mirror. These digital lenses don't miss an iota.

Plus, although the shave is not up to par at the moment, the best part of this shave was that it was done close to 24hrs ago now; and even after going to work last night in my cold climate conditions, i haven't had the need, urge or even the thought of having a good scratch cross my mind. That alone to me is massive progress.
Can't remember the last time I did a shave that wasn't followed by a good scratching session within the next few hours or even minutes.

Just came across this thread, congrats on the great results. I havnt read all the posts, only the first few and were the menthol shaving creams the issue?
I originally started out using C.O Bigellow's " Proraso " and I broke out like crazy and my skin was burning.
I have great results with T&H 1805 and their pre-shave oil. I also use a Trac 2 from time to time and its not bad at all. I think thats the closest thing you will get to a BBS shave with a cart. I also have had great results using a facial wash by L'Oreal, the 360 for sensitive skin. It is unscented and cleans well.
Keep up the good work.

 

[Kentos]

Dude, I am just floored by the effectiveness of your shaving methods. In a nutshell, what would attribute to your success? Prep? Product? Technique? Razor? Blade? I am just really curious to know as your results are almost unbelievable.

 

[htownmmm]

this thread shows why I as a black male could not shave right until I found this site. My ingrowns made Potterton's look like BBSness!

this is sadly a journey many of my brothers will not learn about(turn on your TV and watch sports interviews-I just know those faces are crying!)


marty

 

[Javi2]

Potterton, congrats on the facial 'turnaround'.

Fear of a similar battle with ingrowns in the main reason I have spent the last decade and a half with clippers and electric wet-shavers. "Black men aren't meant to use razors" or "you should only use clippers, unless you want ingrowns" are all I've ever heard.

Your story is quite motivating to me, thanks for taking the time to share.

 

[rickcharles606]

Congrats on the improvement....it only get's better

 

[Luc]

Potterton, congrats on the facial 'turnaround'.

Fear of a similar battle with ingrowns in the main reason I have spent the last decade and a half with clippers and electric wet-shavers. "Black men aren't meant to use razors" or "you should only use clippers, unless you want ingrowns" are all I've ever heard.

Your story is quite motivating to me, thanks for taking the time to share.

Welcome to B&B!

 

[cernel_joson]

This was an epic thread. And definitely a must read for anyone who has trouble with ingrown hairs, especially black men. Whenever I saw Sabathia pitch I would cringe and wonder if DE shaving would do him any good. But when a black friend of mine said he got ingrowns after a barber straight shave, I thought that was the final word. It sounds like maybe the prep work wasn't good enough in his case.

I'm thinking that the EJ DE89/Muhle R89/Feather AS paired with a Feather might be an excellent combo for black shavers.