Shaving 2 days in a row

Does anybody else seem to get poor shaves after shaving 2 days in a row? Lately I have been getting a lot of irritation and not very close shaves on the 2nd day. I only shave about 3-4 times a week lately because of this.

Is it possible that my skin can't handle 2 days in a row? I've been getting really good shaves on the 1st day, but awful on the 2nd.

My beard also seems to be slow growing, if I get a really good BBS (or close) shave one day, I don't have a lot of growth by shaving time on day 2. Maybe this is factoring into my poor shaves on day 2. I need to shave, but just barely.

I found that moisturizing after shaving helps. I can go without moisturizer and my face won't feel dry, but putting a little on does make a difference for my day 2 shave.

Every face and beard growth is different. That's why different razors, blades, soaps/creams and face prep needs to be customized for the person shaving. You need to adjust your shaving for your face. If shaving two days in a row causes irritation then lay off a day to rest the face. Possibly different soap/cream or face prep may make it possible to shave every day.

In my case, I notice changes in the sensitivity, oilyness and face/beard texture at different times of the month and even dryness in the air. Possibly body rhythms and even the food we eat may cause subtle changes. It seems to me that YMMV is just part of the process when it comes to human beings.

I shave almost every day, and have done so for 40 years. I sometimes skip a day on weekends if I'm not going out. If I skip a day, I look a bit scruffy. I sometimes have dry skin problems, usually in the winter. I find that balms rather than splashes help with that. In addition, I don't try for BBS every day. I save the real close shaves for days I need to impress SWMBO.

Somehow, for whatever reason, you're tearing up your face those first two days. There's lot's of advice in the forums on how not to do this.

Dial down what you're doing a notch and see how that goes; e.g. If you're doing three or more passes, two passes is enough to get a DFS.

Steve

If I have done my regular shave routine in then morning, and have plans that evening I need another quick shave. I use my tech (quite mild) and do 1 maybe 2 WTG pass for a SAS shave. Maybe if all else fails and you want to shave everyday you could rotate in a milder razor every other day with a 1-2 WTG pass.

BurkDarkpatches said:

Somehow, for whatever reason, you're tearing up your face those first two days. There's lot's of advice in the forums on how not to do this.

Dial down what you're doing a notch and see how that goes; e.g. If you're doing three or more passes, two passes is enough to get a DFS.

Steve

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What has me slightly confused is that I don't seem to be tearing it up the first day. I've been gettting great shaves, BBS in most cases, little to no irritation on my neck. On day 2 my neck is getting a lot of irritation and even some on my face.

I used to have this same problem and would only shave every other day instead of everyday like I do now.

When I was using carts, it was fixed by getting nivea sensitive skin as balm. Since I started DE shaving it was fixed by using personna blades.

The problem is simple to figure out, you're either not healing properly after the shave or doing a lot more unvisible damage than you may think.

What do you do and what products do you use pre, during, and post shave? Knowing that may help figure out what is wrong.

I usually shave at night, so I splash warm water on my face while the sink fills up and the brush soaks. I occasionally use Proraso Pre/Post, but haven't been lately. I alternate between TOBS, Tabac Soap, Proraso, Mama Bears. Maybe it's a lathering issue since I've been alternating lately. Yesterday was a bad shave and the blade was skipping on me. I think I'll stick to the same cream for a few days and see what happens. I was just wondering if anybody else finds it too rough on their face to shave on consecutive days.

Sounds like you're shaving too fast

To me, it sounds like you are getting some irritation. Not a "raging, burning" one but a more subtle one that prevents you from havng another shave the next day. When you apply aftershave, are you feeling any burning? If so, how much. You shouldn't really be feeling too much of an aftershave sting after you shave so let that be a bell weather to you. Use a balm and see if that helps with the post shave healing.

I can't shave every day with a DE or SE razor. I get a lot of irritation if I do. I've tried everything I could as far as prep and post shave, but I still get a lot of irritation if I try. I have a thick, tough beard that grows fairly quick, so there is enough there to shave every day, however my neck won't allow it.

cnnc97 said:

I usually shave at night, so I splash warm water on my face while the sink fills up and the brush soaks. I occasionally use Proraso Pre/Post, but haven't been lately. I alternate between TOBS, Tabac Soap, Proraso, Mama Bears. Maybe it's a lathering issue since I've been alternating lately. Yesterday was a bad shave and the blade was skipping on me. I think I'll stick to the same cream for a few days and see what happens. I was just wondering if anybody else finds it too rough on their face to shave on consecutive days.

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I use to have this same problem. I trashed the canned goop and that helped alot. I now use soap and brush. And, I found that the Schick Hydro 3 razor seemed to help alot too, as it has that lube strip. Lots of folks here seem to put it down. But I'm all for whatever works for ya, use it!!

My advice, use a good AS balm. Nieva works good. I don't use it much any more. But it did the job when I needed it. You can find it at your local WallyMart store. Some Walgreen's stores also have it.

For me it's the opposite. Shaving every day is no problem, but if I skip a day, I get a lot of irritation.

DE Shaver said:

To me, it sounds like you are getting some irritation. Not a "raging, burning" one but a more subtle one that prevents you from havng another shave the next day. When you apply aftershave, are you feeling any burning? If so, how much. You shouldn't really be feeling too much of an aftershave sting after you shave so let that be a bell weather to you. Use a balm and see if that helps with the post shave healing.

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When I get the bad shave I get a fair amount of burn, even with the Witch Hazel, which is pretty low in alcohol content I believe.

I just shaved this afternoon with TOBS Lavender. Lather seemed pretty good. When I went for the ATG pass it did get a little rough on the face. End result is better than yesterday though. Pretty smooth, only a little irritation and redness.

I couldn't go ATG on my neck very well though. Stuck mostly to XTG.

I do sometimes have that problem. I tend to use a Tech and just do one or 2 WTG passes to clean up on the second day. That solves all my my problems!

Jay

I have to shave every day through the work week. Knowing I cannot afford to get tore up I make sure to take my time and really watch my form, and oh yea, TAKE MY TIME. Sometimes I catch myself pushing instead of finding the correct angle and letting the blade work for me. Pushing and speed leads to blood and/or pain. If you are going slow and letting the razor do the work and still have a problem then something is wrong with your prep or lather. How often do you change blades?

Just throwing random ideas out there to think of.

My irritation now comes from learning to use the straight. Lately it has been kicking my butt.

I don't think it's the blade, I usually only go for 3 shaves with one. Also, when I take a day or two off and use the same blade the next day I usually end up with a really good shave. I'm really starting to think it's just the fact that I'm switching creams and soaps too much and should just stick with the same one for a while.

I'm going to test that theory this week, strictly TOBS creams for a few days in a row. I think part of my problem also is that I try to get it too close even if I can tell it's starting to go bad. I need to back off a little and not try to go ATG when it's like that.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions.

I have shaved every day for 45 years, except for a very few weekend days off and some time in the hospital. Any time you are getting irritation, it is an indication that you are doing something wrong. Proper preparation and good shaving technique should ensure that you get a close comfortable shave.

That said, there is the possibility that your are not using the most suitable (for you) tools. Maybe your razor is too aggressive for your skin. Your suggestion that you stick with one cream for a while is a good one. I rotate 4 soaps and use each for a week at a time.

It has already been suggested that you are shaving too much. Not too often, but too much. You mentioned BBS shave on the first day. It is possible that this is too close for you. There is nothing wrong with a DFS as a daily goal. If you can eliminate one pass, you might gain a lot in comfort.

See my motto below for guidance and good luck.

For many years I've held to the notion that it is a good idea to let your face rest 1 or 2 days a week-not consecutively if possible, just to give it a chance to heal. When I used cartridges that meant looking scruffy late in the afternoon on those days. I would still use a moisturizer those days. After returning to DE and SE, brush and care I still let it rest but look fine all day. When I first returned to DE/SE shaving I was so enthused about trying out my new toys I shaved daily and noticed the same symptoms you are describing. Nothing egregious but slight discomfort, soreness, a little nonspecific redness which I first attributed to regaining old technique. Now I think it was the lack of rest periods. So to paraphrase John Wayne, shave 5 days a week but if you need seven, well, a man has to do what a man has to do.