Hey all, care to read my story?

**Jsm** · 10-10-2010, 02:37 AM

Hey guys, my first post on the B&B forum.

A little about me :
I'm 20, and live in Suf folk in the UK. I have quite a full beard that I often use to hide my poor skin quality. I have suffered with quite bad skin (spots etc) since I was 14. to make matters worse, I have very sensitive skin.

One of the reasons I try to go so long without shaving is that I find it irritates my skin and the whole lot gets a lot worse. Then I heard about DE shaving and how much less irritation is recieved. I hope it can help me.

My setup:
Merkur HD classic
Sample pack of blades (currently using 10 Derby Extras)
Best Badger Edwin Jagger Brush
Geo.F.Trumper coconut soap

My first:
My first use of my new DE went OK, in that I only used it to neaten my beard up, shaving from cheek to jawline, and had no irritation or flare-ups. But my lather was dreadful - It was as thin as clingfilm... Got to work on this.

My second:
My second shave was what led me to write this post as saying that it didnt go well would be an understatement. My later was better, but still weak. I left my brush soaking in a bowl of boiling water whilst I shaved and whilst a dribble of water sat on top of my soap. then put the soap on the brush and mixed in the bowl... I got a very light mixture, not at all fluffy or thick.
Secondly, this was a FULL shave, WTG only. But I must admit that I used quite a few passes to get rid of it all, so must be doing something wrong. And now my face stings, is red, cut spots and I can tell that it is going to flare up bad. Not good.
In no way am I ready to give up, but is DE shaving for me, with my skin type and condition, or should I wait until my hormones decide to let me skin sort itself out?

Regards,
Jsm

Note to admin - I just read the filtered content article - in particular this section:

*Intentional bypass of the filters in any way (spelling the filtered site name differently, veiled references to the site/vendor so it is searchable on the internet, images of the vendor's logo or products) will result in moderator action.

And would just like to add to my post that I was not trying to go against any B&B rules, first impressions are everything and I do not want any problem to be caused by my bypass of the filter. It is that the name of the county I live in and I hope you can see it that way. If not, I'm happy to edit my post.

**bindibadgi** · 10-10-2010, 02:46 AM

I think a lot of us have done worse for our first couple of shaves. Keep at it and I'm sure it will improve. Maybe some after shave moisturiser would help?

Welcome to B&B, and do let us know how you get along. Also, your response to the filter made my day. These things happen, and I'm glad you seem to have taken it lightly.

**ImaWestie** · 10-10-2010, 03:23 AM

Welcome to the Badgers' Den!

LOL, ususally it is "ESSEX" that is over-filtered - not Some Uther Freaking FOLK. The funny thing is, I'm now intrigued to go googling to work out who the filtered vendor is.

**rm71** · 10-10-2010, 03:46 AM

Welcome to the forum.

**Zephyr** · 10-10-2010, 04:00 AM

Hi, and welcome to B&B!

Most of us, if not all have experienced poor shaves in the beginning, it will take you some time to get you technics right.
I would recommend taking a look at this http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index...:Methodologies
And mantic59's videos on youtube, they have been really helpful to many of us, andcould help you to.
A good prep is important to get a good shave, without a good prep, it's gonna be a less than good shave almost no matter what you do.
And one more thing, don't soak your brush in boiling water, it will ruin it, the water should be just warm, not hot. When you put your hand/fingers in the water it should feel comfortable.

Good luck with your progression and futur shaving.

**DE Shaver** · 10-10-2010, 04:05 AM

Welcome. I've read your story. Have you consulted a dermatologist to confirm what the issue is with your skin?

**Greglam** · 10-10-2010, 04:43 AM

Greetings and welcome to B&B.

Relative to your lather I have a couple of questions that will also implicitly serve as suggestions.

A) Was your water really "boiling"? Water that is too hot will kill the lather.
B) Did you squeeze out your brush to nearly dry/just damp before you started to load and lather? Squeeze out that brush, load, then start to build lather, adding water bit by bit.
C) How much soap/cream product did you use? Don't be afraid to really load that brush. When you think you've got enough, go another ten seconds.

I hope that helps!

Cheers and Happy Shaving!
-Greg

**OkieStubble** · 10-10-2010, 07:08 AM

Welcome to B&B!

**Jim** · 10-10-2010, 07:17 AM

Welcome to B&B!

**ouch** · 10-10-2010, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by Jsm

Note to admin - I just read the filtered content article - in particular this section:

And would just like to add to my post that I was not trying to go against any B&B rules, first impressions are everything and I do not want any problem to be caused by my bypass of the filter. It is that the name of the county I live in and I hope you can see it that way. If not, I'm happy to edit my post.

Not a problem. Clearly, you're not attempting to link to the filtered site which unfortunately shares the name of the fine place in which you live.

**Jsm** · 10-10-2010, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by DE Shaver

Welcome. I've read your story. Have you consulted a dermatologist to confirm what the issue is with your skin?

I have, It is hormone based rather than a lack of cleanliness or poor diet. I have been on many different med's and antibiotics, all with no joy... I am just hoping it will clear as I get older

**DE Shaver** · 10-10-2010, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Jsm

I have, It is hormone based rather than a lack of cleanliness or poor diet. I have been on many different med's and antibiotics, all with no joy... I am just hoping it will clear as I get older

I see, I wanted to know what king of skin eruptions you were seeing before I recommend a shaving approah.

**Jsm** · 10-10-2010, 07:24 AM

I realise this post was rhetorical but will answer anyway.

Originally Posted by Greglam

Greetings and welcome to B&B.

A) Was your water really "boiling"? Water that is too hot will kill the lather.
B) Did you squeeze out your brush to nearly dry/just damp before you started to load and lather? Squeeze out that brush, load, then start to build lather, adding water bit by bit.
C) How much soap/cream product did you use? Don't be afraid to really load that brush. When you think you've got enough, go another ten seconds.

A) The boiling water was boiling, but only used to soak the brush for 10 mins. it was nolonger boiling when I started my lather attempt
B) Not overly, I swished it about till no water came out
C) The end of the brush was pretty clogged up before I put it into the bowl to try to lather it.

Many thanks, I will try your tips when I feel confident enough to retry

**Loric** · 10-10-2010, 07:51 AM

Welcome to B&B.

**demaro** · 10-10-2010, 08:30 AM

Welcome to the group!!

**mretzloff** · 10-10-2010, 08:33 AM

Welcome to Badger & Blade!

**Luc** · 10-10-2010, 01:15 PM

Welcome to B&B!

Avoid boiling water, you can kill your badger brush that way. Water needs to be warm. If you can't leave your hand in it and be comfortable, it's too hot.

For your lather, I would recommend consulting this link: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers

Try to make a few bowls of lather before your next shave.

**BlackBard** · 10-10-2010, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Luc

Welcome to B&B!

Avoid boiling water, you can kill your badger brush that way. Water needs to be warm. If you can't leave your hand in it and be comfortable, it's too hot.

Try to make a few bowls of lather before your next shave.

What he said.

And, welcome aboard. Keep at it and you will be well rewarded.