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Bad shave this morning...

I'm going on week three of shaving with a DE razor. My weapon of choice is a Futur set to 2.5. Ashamedly, I must admit that my razor is loaded with a Merkur blade. Despite all the warnings, I decided to give them a try before launching in to my 60 blade sampler.

Symptoms of my bad shave: 10 bleeding razor bumps; Redness and irritation; Burning sensation when I put my non-burning C&E aftershave on; having to do four passes (N-S, XTG, ATG, ATG) to get any kind of acceptable shave. I'm shaving gently, slowly, using plenty of lather.

I've heard that the Merkur blades are worthless, but I've also heard that the Futur is a very aggressive blade, even on low settings. Any thoughts as to the source of this problem? I get a feeling that the razor bumps and irritation are a result of the two ATG passes, so the source of this problem is that my setup isn't cutting as well as it should.

For the record, my soap is C&E Nomad, my brush is a Pure Badger, and the blade was brand new yesterday.
 
It could be many things: preparation, blade angle, pressure. Too many variables and too little information from your post.

You may also want to lighten up your settings when going ATG or eliminating that for a few days.

I have a heavy beard and sensitive skin. What I do is to do a first pass on a lower setting and then increase the settings for the next two passes, and then lower the settings when I do the fourth pass on my neck - which is the most sensitive area.

What I do after shaving is important.

First, I soak my face in cold water splashing it and using a cold towel. I then follow it with a splash of Thayers' Rose Petal witch hazel. Almost immediately I feel relief. After a few minutes I follow it up with an after shave balm. If my skin is not that irritated I use T&H products (ultimate, Grafton, etc.) If my skin feels a little raw I then use Neutrogena Triple Defense. Later in the day or at night I apply a skin moisturizer. The one I use contains Hyaluronic Acid which holds 1,000X its weight in water and is very soothing. The product I use is expensive but lasts a very long time. However, I am sure other moisturizers would work also. You can also use the moisturizer in place of the after shave balm.
 
Unfortunately, as the previous poster has acknowledged, there are too many variables. However, if I were forced to choose one thing, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that your technique is off. Even with a "not so good" blade, good technique will off-set the limitations of your hardware. Take you time, ease the pressure some more and you should see improvement. Until the bleeders go away and your bumps dimish, do not perform any ATG passes. As a final aside, don't do any more than 3 passes as you'll increase the likelihood of irritation and cuts.
 
Sorry to hear about the bad shave. I'd say it would have to do with your technique or prep. Last night, I managed to give myself a few weepers. I had been kept late at work, rushed my prep... and paid for it.
 
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