Newbie Razor Burn -- sort of

[blindmouse]

First of all, hi there! This is my first post.

Hoping someone can help me out. I made the switch to a DE razor about three weeks ago, and in the past couple weeks, have developed a very slight blotchy redness on my cheeks. It sticks around for about an hour, gets better, but doesn't fully go away. It doesn't seem like razor burn because it doesn't really hurt. My skin has been sort of sensitive in the past with cartridges, but not that bad, and when I find the right mix of products everything is great.

Right now I'm using a Merkur HD 34C, Astra SP blades, and Real Shaving Company Moisturizing Shave cream. I have a cheap brush I got at a drug store years ago. I've been using the cream and brush for years of cartridge shaving. On occasion I use Cromwell and Cruthers shave oil as well. My post shave is Neutrogena Razor Defense after shave lotion. I've been doing 2 passes, 1 WTG, and 1 XTG.

I've tried Derby blades, which seemed to make the irritation worse as they seemed to scratch up my face, and Feathers, which were okay.

Lately I've been paying a lot of attention to blade angle and putting virtually no pressure on the razor, but still the redness. Any ideas?

[Chief Brody]

Hi blindmouse, the only thing if it were me would be to change blades around if you have enough sample packs to do this. I'm still a noob at this as well I've only been de shaving for about a month now and have gone through about 4 different blade packs to find the one right for me which is an Astra superior platinum,it's just a thought.

[Oblique Human]

Welcome to B&B!

If it doesn't burn or itch, then it could just be a result of the shave.. I mean skin being too sensitive to stand even a light handed pass. Perhaps consult your dermatologist.

[Sargon]

It almost sounds like you are sensitive to something in the cream. You might want to check the ingredients and see i that ts the case, or just try a different cream/soap.

[ChiefBroom]

ade the switch to a DE razor about three weeks ago, and in the past couple weeks, have developed a very slight blotchy redness on my cheeks.

I started with Derbys last November and quickly switched to Feathers. I don't know if it's the same thing you're experiencing, but I sometimes get slightly blotchy redness, which I'm pretty sure is just from harvesting too much skin (aka defoliation). I've recently tried Astras and, yesterday for the first time, a Personna Lab. I do think sharpness is very important both to developing good technique and avoiding irritation. And I still don't understand why the sharpest blade is not also the smoothest blade. But while I don't believe Astras or Personna Labs are as sharp as Feathers, they're definitely seem smoother. The patches of redness I was regularly getting from Feathers are substantially reduced with the Astras and PLs. I'm sure mileage varies.

Quality of prep also makes a huge difference, as others have noted.

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[Straight Rasier User]

Welcome to B&B.

Red Patches ... 1) Try a different soap or cream, 2) Get a sampler blade pack, 3) Make sure your preparation is good (but you are only doing two passes) 4) Make sure your blade angle is correct, 5) Make sure your Shaving Form is correct. (What the heck is that? ... Map Your Face, Short Strokes, Shave the facets of your face (Map Your Face Diagram), Keep wrist straight and use the whole arm, and check the way you are holding the razor and make sure the head of it is not moving or dipping.

Good Luck

[dpmtherrien]

I've found Derby's to be just a so so blade, not really bad, but then not all that great.

[ChiefBroom]

This may be bad advice, but you might ask a Mod whether you could/should have this thread moved to another forum (e.g., General Shaving), if that's possible. When I first came into B&B, I wasn't sure where to post questions. I thought maybe since I was a newb I should stay here for a while even when other forums seemed otherwise more fitting. But I'm not sure how closely most follow this forum other than to drop in and say "Welcome Aboard" occasionally, which is kinda what I do. Point is, a lot of people here probably have helpful advice to offer, however, you might not get it from some of them here. I'll be interested to see what responses follow. I hope this doesn't twist any tails.

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[FtVinnie]

There is one factor I do not see mentioned in the replies. That is that you may be burning your face with too-hot water during prep. My face will not stand for that, and maybe yours is the same. Try using prep water slightly cooler. And welcome to the group.

[merkur59]

Lately I've been paying a lot of attention to blade angle and putting virtually no pressure on the razor, but still the redness. Any ideas?

Assuming you are not allergic to the cream or that it is caused overbrushing with the cheap brush:

I used to get some burn/irritation using Merkur HD. With experience, it became only an occasional problem.
Then I switched to the aggressive R41 for a while. When I came back to the HD, the burn/irritation problem with the HD had disappeared.
Reason: R41 taught me what pressure was all about - all the while I had been using pressure with the HD believing that it was 'minimal'. Even more so if one has just switched from cart...

[Whilliam]

FWIW, I add olive oil to my uberlather, less as a lubricant than as a moisturizer and protectant. It seems to work well for me.

As a finale, I use Thayer's Rose & Aloe Witch Hazel, followed by an alcohol AS (Clubman, for example).

Again, all works well . . . but that may just be for me. Worth a try, though, no?

Fret not. You will find a regimen that does work for you. Best of luck.

[RaiserLiebe]

+1 Ft Vinnie (... burning the face with too hot water)
I too got a red, not-raised or bumpy rash on one cheek that took a great while to resolve.
My face was cooked BEET red with the scalding water I used at first. I was ready to bail out!
Warm is definitely kinder. Also, taking the time to close pores with cold water, then alum stick (let dry then wash off), then Proraso pre/post cream (love that cool menthol), then air dry. When pores fully closed, AB/AS can be applied with very minimal sting.
This routine solved 99% of my irritation problems. I picked this up from http://shavenation.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=19&zenid=837829081759a9b9db67747e8d96295b Take a look and see what you think.

[blindmouse]

Thanks for all of your responses. I decided to try a different shave cream yesterday and picked up some green tube Proraso. Used it this morning, and it didn't really change much I don't think (aside from feeling awesome.) Is it possible with the Merkur 34c to shave too shallow of a blade angle? I've been shaving nearly with the top cap touching for the past couple days and it seems to have gotten a bit worse.

[blindmouse]

Also -- for everyone more experienced, how long has it taken you to get all the DE wrinkles hammered out?

[shuasdad]

Also -- for everyone more experienced, how long has it taken you to get all the DE wrinkles hammered out?

Welcome to B&B!

I've been at this since Nov. 2011, and I won't say I have all the wrinkles out, but the last couple of months have improved significantly. The key advice I've seen is focus on technique, pressure and blade angle. One of my big helps was to cotton ball test my direction of beard growth.

[blindmouse]

Bit of an update. Bought some Proraso in the green tube, as well as some of the sensitive skin anti-irritation cream. Used both for a week with a couple of feather blades. Irritation went down quite a bit but still wasn't perfect. Then today I went back to the Real Shaving Co. cream and irritation was pretty bad. Process of elimination/addition continues!

[Shave A Buck]

Hello and welcome to the board.

[blindmouse]

Originally posted this in the wrong spot --so here it is again.

So a month in, and really sticking to the same blade/razor/creams, I'm still getting slight irritation on my cheeks, in a spot just under my cheek bones. The only time it's went away was for a few days when I used gargantuan amounts of product (TOBS Avocado -- love the stuff!). The lather was big, billowy, and creamy. But I was mowing down my tub of TOBS like crazy. So I think I've narrowed the irritation down to a prep issue perhaps.

I do have some Persona Labs coming, as well as some Gillette 7o'clocks. We'll see how they do.

[GencoOliveOilCompany]

Probably too many passes, blindmouse. Limit yourself to 2 passes with the grain until to get the hang of it. It'll happen naturally.

[blindmouse]

I've been doing 1 wtg, and 1 xtg. I will try going down to 2 wtg for a while.

[shep12]

I had a similar problem......found out that my redness was caused by using an alum bar which was setting off a mild case of rosacea which I didn't know I had. Different products can cause rosacea flare ups. Could that be causing the redness?

[blindmouse]

Nope -- only tried the alum bar once and that was today actually. In a few days I'm going fishing for a week and likely won't touch a razor. When I come back I'll hopefully have a clean slate to start a new round trial and error.

[Theprofessor]

Welcome aboard!