New Member needing some advice

Greetins one and all. I have been shaving with a DE razor (Merkur short handle slant bar) and brush for about 2 years now. In this time I have always struggled with razor burn.

Recently (thanks to geofatboy on youtube) I have improved upon that with more attention to my technique. I still cannot fully get rid of razor burn.

I do face prep with a hot water towel (several times), and I do a lather and massage before I ever start to shave. I still get a pull feeling instead of a glide. Especially around my chin and lip. The whiskers there are like cutting steel wool most of the time. This is with hot water, good lather (currently using the Sandalwood hard soap from C&E) and a presoaked brush (Vulfix Super Badger).

Am I using too agressive of a razor? If so what do you suggest for a milder shave that will not break the bank?

Any and all advice is most appreciated!

Thanks!

Try some different blades before putting the slant away.

Finding the right combo of blade+razor for your skin is pretty important. The same blade in another razor might not be suiatble for you either, so you almost need to revalidate if you change razors.

Thanks Viper. I am currently using Merkur Super Platinums. Where would be a good place to get a blade sampler? That way I can use a varitey without having to buy a bunch of 10 packs.

Thanks!

Do you use a pre shave? If you are just massaging lather you may not be getting your beard soft enough. As said above it could also be your blade. Make sure you know which way your beard grows. Are you using 0 pressure on the razor? I am on my phone so can not link you directly to some articles that may help. Luc will probably beat me to it. If not I will help more when I get home. And a big welcome to B&B.

Raithskar said:

Thanks Viper. I am currently using Merkur Super Platinums. Where would be a good place to get a blade sampler? That way I can use a varitey without having to buy a bunch of 10 packs.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

West coast shaving. Great selection of samplers.

To QuickGlide.

I am currently not using a preshave treatment. Suggestions?

Thanks!

Welcome to B&B!

Also, make sure you are not applying any pressure at any time. Let the razor do the work!

Welcome.

Welcome to B&B !!

Raithskar said:

To QuickGlide.

I am currently not using a preshave treatment. Suggestions?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I like the Proraso pre-shave. It works well for me. Others do not. Here is a link to Pre-shave prep. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Pre-shave_prep

A link on how to pre-shave prep. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/How_to_pre-shave_prep

A link on how pre-shave oil works. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/How_Pre-shave_Oil_Works

The link to West Coast Shaving for blade samplers. http://westcoastshaving.com/?utm_source=bandb&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=sig

A link to an article I wrote who some have found helpful. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=182932

You now have your home work assignment for the night.

I kind of feel like Luc, linking to all these WIKIS.

HDStreetGlide said:

I like the Proraso pre-shave. It works well for me. Others do not. Here is a link to Pre-shave prep. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Pre-shave_prep

A link on how to pre-shave prep. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/How_to_pre-shave_prep

A link on how pre-shave oil works. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/How_Pre-shave_Oil_Works

The link to West Coast Shaving for blade samplers. http://westcoastshaving.com/?utm_source=bandb&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=sig

A link to an article I wrote who some have found helpful. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=182932

You now have your home work assignment for the night.

I kind of feel like Luc, linking to all these WIKIS.

Click to expand...

Awesome! Wiki is a great reference!

Thanks so much for all of your advice and information!

Perhaps your lather needs more water or you need to change to a slicker soap or cream.

I would suggest you pay close attention to beard reduction. Buff the lip and chin area with the blade. Use ultra short strokes on a slick lather with a light touch and be sure to go with the grain.

Also, since the hot towel prep isn't working, maybe consider lowering the temp to warm instead of hot. Using hot water can actually increase the chance of skin trauma in some skin types/areas. If your whiskers are steel-tough, the hot water isn't sufficiently softening them, but it IS making the skin more susceptible to damage from the blade.

Good luck!

Some questions: (1) How many passes are you making on your face? (2) Is your angle correct? (3) Are you sure you are not putting pressure on your razor?

Also, what you do after your shave also is important. Here is what I do. First, I wash off my face with a wash cloth dipped in warm water to get rid of all of the remaining lather. Next, I soak a wash cloth in cold water and put in on my face for about 30 seconds. Next I apply a splash of WH. I use Thayer’s Rose Petal or Lavender WH. They are alcohol free and do not sting when they go on but provide soothing relief to my skin. I then use a skin moisturizer to provide relief. There are a number of good moisturizers out there such as Nivea, Neutrogena, T&H, GFT, and others. If my face is really raw I use a moisturizer I borrow from my wife.

With all of that, I no longer have an irritation problem.

Jim,

I make 3 passes generally. n/s, ear to nose on face s/n on neck, and 3rd pass s/n on neck and cheeks nose to ear on lip and chin. after shave i splash in cold water several times, and apply an after shave lotion that my Wife ordered me from Avon.

How does the hair grow on your neck? Maybe those s/n passes aren't WTG. In my latest shave I found that my neck hairs grow east/west so I have to shave from the middle of my throat to ears in order to get a WTG shave. It was a totally different outcome on my neck after that. No to very little irritation. Then I got adventurous and tried a XTG pass on my neck. I only did one side because the irritation got much worse. So for now I'm sticking with WTG only. The key is figuring out which direction is WTG.