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Worst shave so far!

I have been wet shaving for a little over a month now, and have been loving it, until today. I have been using a Merkur HD with a Derby blade with some success. I was using proraso and RS up until a few days ago when my order of EJ Sea Buckthorn came in.

I think I did everything right. The first few shaves went well. Noticed a bit of burn yesterday. After my shave this morning I have razor bumps for the first time since I started wet shaving. The bumps are only on one side of my neck but the other side feels a bit of burn too. I use RS aftershave lotion to finish off, because it provides a lot of moisturizer.

When lathering the soap I made sure to put lots of product on the brush. I then added about 4 or 5 good drops of water. I understand there is a learning curve to lathering soap but it seemed fine to me.

I'll take a day or two off shaving now. I'm not sure at this point if it's a sensitivity to the soap or I did something wrong. The bumps are only on one side of my neck.
 
i'd pay more attention to the prep on your neck. mantic made a good point in one of his videos to pay attention more to the neck when prepping and finishing your shave. i was having irritation issues in the neck and realized my prep on the neck wasn't the same as that on my face. kyle's prep is pretty good for that. it's helped a lot. whereas i used to have a bad irritation on my whole neck, i'm only getting it around my adam's apple for now (but i think it's my stubborness to have way too many passes on it). :)

i also second the blade used and trying others.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Sounds like pressure on one side... It happens sometimes when you use your dominant hand on your non-dominant side... Take it a bit slower and it should help.

Waiting a few days is a good idea.
 
I tried a Merkur blade last week and liked its sharpness but it was really unforgiving. I think I may have gotten a bad blade perhaps. I want to start using some sharper blades. I have to get through my sample pack though.

Prep is definitely something I need to work on. Right now I shower and use a moisturizing face wash. I just splash hot water on my face and neck right now, but I need to do more I guess. So I'll try sharper blades and maybe hot towels or something.
 

BigFoot

I wanna be sedated!
Staff member
I tried a Merkur blade last week and liked its sharpness but it was really unforgiving. I think I may have gotten a bad blade perhaps. I want to start using some sharper blades. I have to get through my sample pack though.

Prep is definitely something I need to work on. Right now I shower and use a moisturizing face wash. I just splash hot water on my face and neck right now, but I need to do more I guess. So I'll try sharper blades and maybe hot towels or something.

How often do you change your blade? Also on the pre-shave I have had great luck using Proraso pre\post cream. It does not smell the greatest but I do not use it as an aftershave. Reading a lot of the posts I think a lot of people prefer it as an aftershave vs a pre shave but it seems to soften my beard. I think it has definitely helped as I work on technique. :huh:
 
It's perhaps stating the obvious but when changing blades, try to use even less pressure until you get use to its shaving profile. Blade do shave differently from one another and if you change to a sharper blade than you are used to, you can generate significant irritation if you are not careful.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Being a newb myself, and trying different blades from my sampler, I have noticed That I especially have to be careful with pressure and angle with a brand new blade versus one that already has a few shaves on it. They seem to smooth out and be less aggressive and more forgiving starting with the second shave of the blade. Most of my experiences with burn in my newbness has been on brand new blades.
 
Now that I think about it, it is probably a combination of problems. I shaved for a few days with a Merkur which was significantly sharper than the Derby I used the past few days and it may have pulled my neck hair a bit. Also pre-shave wasn't very good. Plus I used a soap which I am not used to.

I got lots of product on my brush and added some water, but it doesn't feel as smooth as the creams I was using. Just have to get back on the horse in a few days!

Thanks for all the advice.
 
Sounds like pressure on one side... It happens sometimes when you use your dominant hand on your non-dominant side... Take it a bit slower and it should help.

Waiting a few days is a good idea.

I would add, 'Be aware of the feel of the razor as it goes over your skin at all times.'

Being a newb myself, and trying different blades from my sampler, I have noticed That I especially have to be careful with pressure and angle with a brand new blade versus one that already has a few shaves on it. They seem to smooth out and be less aggressive and more forgiving starting with the second shave of the blade. Most of my experiences with burn in my newbness has been on brand new blades.

+1. I had little luck with both Merkur and Derby blades, some of that could have been my fault for sure, but most of it definately wasn't. Each bloke has preference for the blade that suits their skin, but I didn't realise just how nice a DE shave could be, until I started getting into the sharper end of town. Astra blades were bliss compared to Merkur and (especially) Derby, and Treet blades are better again. My next step in my personal progression of blades is the all hallowed Feather.:ouch1:
It should also be said that I use a Straight most of the time. The DE is reasonably new to me and only intended as a backup razor, although I alternate everyday for the moment.


Mick
 
I got lots of product on my brush and added some water, but it doesn't feel as smooth as the creams I was using. Just have to get back on the horse in a few days!

Thanks for all the advice.
When you load up the brush a lot, you have to add more water, often quite a bit, depending on the soap and brush. You don't want a thick cream, that's not very lubricating.

I find my lather gets its slickest when its very moist and yoghurty.
 
I haven't been wetshaving very long... but I had a similar issue. Two things to try:

1. Sterilized my blade before each shave.
2. Be careful not to make my skin too tight (especially the neck). I saw a video where this high-pitched English guy recommended stretching your skin as tight as possible... which turned out to be a bad idea (at least for me). I just sort of tip my chin up now... no stretching... and have had zero razor burn since.

Obviously technique and lather are also important... but those two suggestions are what I can add to other's pointers.
 
Sounds like pressure on one side... It happens sometimes when you use your dominant hand on your non-dominant side... Take it a bit slower and it should help.

Waiting a few days is a good idea.

+1. Most often this as a result of angle and pressure. Often, this happens with your dominant hand on the opposite side,
 
Try the IP RED's and the Gillette 7 o'clock (YELLOW) and I think you will be very happy. They have rapidly become my favorites, getting 4 quality shaves out of each. When I tried Feathers, Iridiums and Astra's, I was not a happy camper. The Lords and Wilkinson's are not half bad, but the two on top are the best I have tried!

Regards,
D/E Bob
 
I took a few day rest and used proraso one day and I was fine. I have been using the EJ Buckthorn again for the past few days and the bumps and irritation are back. I got a wicked lather this morning with it too. I guess I'm just sensitive to that soap. Too bad because I liked the scent even though it was so faint.
 
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