How About Another Case Study?

Austin, as for balm -- I have DR Harris AS Milk. Trumpers Rose Skin Food irritates my face badly. I also have various moisturizing creams: Nivea, Nancy Boy, Cetaphil. I'm probably ordering CAR AS Balm today, but it will take a little while to get here...

Tom

Scotto: As to the angle of the razor, I've been careful to put the head of the razor perpendicular against my face, then I tilt the head of the razor until the blade just touches my skin, then pull back slightly from my face ("negative pressure") and attempt to let the weight of the razor draw it down. Or at least that's the theory. It will not move unless I pull it (I assume the beard is stopping it). At that point, the handle of the razor is about 20-30 degrees off the horizontal. I keep my elbow high, although it's still not a natural position.

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That's good.

Tom, take it slow and easy and you will get there. You are going to get lots of well-meaning advice, but be very careful not to go switching around too much or you'll never figure out what is wrong.

Stick with one beard prep for the time being; it sounds like Nancy Boy is working for you, so that is fine. Do nothing but a couple of N-S passes for a few days or a week, trying out the Progress more open. Change nothing else and see what happens. After a while of that, you can change one other variable and try again, etc. You may have to endure a period of sub-par shaves, but you will learn once and for all what is good for your face and what isn't. It can take several days for your face to adapt to a change in regimen - give it time and pay attention to what your skin is telling you.

You'll get it!

OK, Scotto. Today, changing NOTHING from my previous posts, I got the same results as yesterday. Only doing ONE PASS N/S on my cheeks and another S/N on my neck, plus a swipe from ear to chin border on each jawline. I skipped the chin altogether, choosing to deal with the razor bumps first.

After the shave, my cheeks felt baby-but smooth when I stroked down on my cheeks, and the same on my neck when I stroked up. The other direction, of course, was really coarse, especially my neck.

I used the Progress on "4" on my cheeks and on "2-1/2" on my neck.

The razor burn was still there, but moderate and manageable with the Tendskin, followed by the Harris AS Milk.

I'll keep to this routine for a while, unless someone bumps me off with a new suggestion, or I have some kind of epihany.

Tom

I believe that you understood what I was trying to communicate... That setting should give you a fighting chance with the Senior Beard (I have one too). I was a bit unsure of your determination of a "30" degree angle. But! if you start with the handle parallel to the floor with the head against you face and slowly bring the handle down till you begin to feel the blade, you should approximate that desired angle. Please allow me to linger on that point and reverbalize it (Don't you just love remote tech support?) If you imagined that there was a long axle running through the head of your razor, lengthwise, that is the axis around which we are going to rotate the handle downward after we place the razor's head flat against the top of our cheek.
As you slowly rotate it down, you will begin to feel the blade. This is the point at which you should begin moving the razor on its trip to the south.
Try not to choke up on the handle as this gives a poor moment arm for the razor's thrust against your face and leads to pulling and drag..

guenron said:

(Don't you just love remote tech support?)

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I BETTER love it!! I was a remote technical support MANAGER for software companies for 17 years. Nothing but TELEPHONE technical support. The stories I can tell ....

Yep, I appreciate the detailed descriptions of the proper angle -- I HOPE that is what I am doing each day. Hopefully my practice will make perfect...

I take it is is TRUE, then, that my face must get "used" to my new method of shaving, as several have suggested ... (I remember once taking a MONTH to get used to a rotary electric shaver -- unbelievable razor burn and hamburger each day, never got better). So far, wetshaving is MUCH easier...

Thanks!

Tom

guenron said:

Senior Beard

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Thanks for ruining my day ...

vontech said:

I BETTER love it!! I was a remote technical support MANAGER for software companies for 17 years. Nothing but TELEPHONE technical support. The stories I can tell ....

Yep, I appreciate the detailed descriptions of the proper angle -- I HOPE that is what I am doing each day. Hopefully my practice will make perfect...

I take it is is TRUE, then, that my face must get "used" to my new method of shaving, as several have suggested ... (I remember once taking a MONTH to get used to a rotary electric shaver -- unbelievable razor burn and hamburger each day, never got better). So far, wetshaving is MUCH easier...

Thanks!

Tom

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Tom,
There is some acclimation of the skin and beard to the process. You will also develop muscle memory for the correct angle. Developing that muscle memory is why it is so important to get it right and practice the correct razor holding and stroking technique till it becomes automatic. (That's when you start nicking yourself again. )

I think I'm S L O W L Y beginning to discover some facts about this process:

1. Today I carefully observed blade angle with my 2-previous shave Feather in my Progress. It STOPPED COLD when it encountered the hair on my cheek. It would not advance without stuttering. I changed to a new Feather, set the Progress to "3" as before, and proceeded smoothly. So I guess for now, I need a new Feather every two days.

2. After proceeding with the same setting on both cheeks and neck in my first pass, it took two more passes to "REDUCE" the beard to a point where it felt smooth with the grain. There was no appreciable irritation. I rinsed off and re-PSO'd and lathered between passes. So right now, I need 3 passes with a Feather .

3. At shave's end, I had VERY LITTLE irritation and only required a light "patting" of Tendskin. NICE! Still, incredible amount of stubble left in the opposite direction, though (as expected). My chin hair also is tough as nails!

4. I'm guessing that this tough beard is due to a couple of things: (1) My TWO-PASS against-the-grain M3P shave for years. My face got used to it and so did my beard, but only with 2 or 3 coats of Tendskin at the end of the shave. (2) By using a triple-blade razor both WITH and AGAINST the grain, I was shaving with a total of 6 blades, in quick succession. No wonder the DE is a struggle. Reduction is definitely the order of the day!

5. I'm on LOADS of prescription meds, including VERY strong opiates (morphine and oxycodone), and I have been for years. Since modern drug testing uses hair instead urine for drug testing, discovering drugs in hair follicles several days after drug use, perhaps the drug sediment in the hair toughens it? It sure toughens ME! I've read that certain natural supplements will soften hair, but have never tried them.

6. FUN OBSERVATION: Nancy Boy ultramarine night cream, in two night's use, has reduced my neck wrinkles by almost HALF!! Anyone with small wrinkles they don't like, try this stuff. It's expensive, but it goes a L O N G way!

Tom

Tom,

I am glad you are learning to reduce your irritation; keep at it and you'll get there!

Don't take this the wrong way, but I find it somewhat difficult to believe that your beard would require a new blade after one or two shaves. Again, I am not being combative, merely stating my personal opinion based on my experience. If that is what is working for you now, please continue, but I am betting as you explore your preparation and routine over time we'll figure out a way to get you to a more normal blade life.

I know it sounds strange ... but remember that I found I needed a new M3P blade DAILY to prevent the M3P from stuttering, too. Talk about EXPENSIVE!

I'm not exactly certain why I have not cut myself, but in years of shaving with a safety razor, the only cuts I've ever had, even nicks, were from cutting my finger when I dropped the razor and grabbed for it. Maybe I'll sustain a cut when I crank up the Progress/Feather to a much higher setting. But I've elected to hold off on that until I reduce the irritation even more and perhaps even start to get a better shave. And as Ron says, strengthen my shaving muscles.

No offense at your suggestion, at all. I'm a true newbie here and need all the suggestions I can get. As I said, however, for the time being, changing blades every couple of days seems to work for me. I truly hope that my technique, face, whatever, get better so I can begin to enjoy this new hobby a bit more ...

Tom

Greetings Tom,
Bask in the sun of success for a bit. I think I have to echo, at least in part, Scotto's observation. It is a fact that a whisker is tougher than a razor blade. It is the slicing (angle between the blade and the beard) angle that really permits the blade to shear the whishers off. I wonder if you were getting to the scraping angle (note past tense)? Continue to emphasize your prep (washing, light lather, steam, lather) for softening and pay attention to the cutting angle. If you feel comfortable with this, try increasing the blade exposure yet one more number and let us see how it effects your results and comfort.

Tom,

I would not doubt that somwhere in that bucket of pills you are taking daily that it would have some impact on your beard. In fact, I would be more worried about finding another doctor than getting a smooth shave. Anyway, sounds like you have finally found a foothold...just relax and give it time.

Randy

BTW...where in Oregon?

The pills are unfortunately necessary to combat an severe injury received while in physical therapy -- no fun at all!

I live Brookings, Oregon. 6 miles north of the California border, on the coast. 100 miles from any major city... but very ruggedly beautiful!

Tom

vontech said:

I BETTER love it!! I was a remote technical support MANAGER for software companies for 17 years. Nothing but TELEPHONE technical support. The stories I can tell ....

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A little off topic, but if you ever feel the need to unload some of those stories, I know the perfect place. It's very cathartic.

-Nick