Help the Burn! (Razor Burn, that is...)

I've wet shaved with cartridge razors for years, but just switched to DE shaving on new Year's Day.

I use a Merkur 38C, AOS Badger brush, AOS Lavender Cream, and Real Shaving Balm afterward. I started with the Merkur blade that came with the razor. I face lather, and since I've been using a brush forever, I don't think that's the issue. I'm lathering for at least 90 seconds, usually more like two minutes

I had some razor burn yesterday, so today I switched to a new Derby blade from a sample pack that I ordered online. I thought maybe the Merkur blade was finished.

The Derby felt like I had just hit my face with a belt sander, and now I have a serious case of razor burn. Lots of pulling, and a very rough shave.

I'm waiting on a vintage 1960 SuperSpeed from eBay.

I am determined to get the hang of this. I love the DE shaving ritual, but I can't if my face feels like I just hit it with a planer.

I've been trying to focus on technique, and go WTG, then XTG. Have not been going ATG.

Should I take a day off to let my face heal?

Would the SuperSpeed be less agressive than the 38C?

I have the same trouble with Derby blades, my facial hair doubles as wire in some countrys.

Try maybe an Gillette 7'O clock sharp edge or an irridium. they both did good with me.

kcw12 said:

I have the same trouble with Derby blades, my facial hair doubles as wire in some countrys.

Try maybe an Gillette 7'O clock sharp edge or an irridium. they both did good with me.

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My sampler has some 7 O'Clocks in it. I had them in line after the Astra Platinums. I'll move them up in the rotation.

Throw the Merkur blades away and get Astras or Feathers. Well anything but the Drug store blades and Merkur you should be ok. I don't know why those blades are so fierce. There are sharper blades that are kinder.

Zarba said:

Should I take a day off to let my face heal?

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Yep. Two days, if necessary. Once you get some irritation going that doesn't have a chance to heal, your blade testing is gonna be skewed by how irritated your face already is. No point throwing different hardware at skin that is already raw.

IMO.

Zarba said:

I've wet shaved with cartridge razors for years, but just switched to DE shaving on new Year's Day.

I use a Merkur 38C, AOS Badger brush, AOS Lavender Cream, and Real Shaving Balm afterward. I started with the Merkur blade that came with the razor. I face lather, and since I've been using a brush forever, I don't think that's the issue. I'm lathering for at least 90 seconds, usually more like two minutes

I had some razor burn yesterday, so today I switched to a new Derby blade from a sample pack that I ordered online. I thought maybe the Merkur blade was finished.

The Derby felt like I had just hit my face with a belt sander, and now I have a serious case of razor burn. Lots of pulling, and a very rough shave.

I'm waiting on a vintage 1960 SuperSpeed from eBay.

I am determined to get the hang of this. I love the DE shaving ritual, but I can't if my face feels like I just hit it with a planer.

I've been trying to focus on technique, and go WTG, then XTG. Have not been going ATG.

Should I take a day off to let my face heal?

Would the SuperSpeed be less agressive than the 38C?

Click to expand...

First off Welcome Aboard!! DE shaving technique will take you a little while to get used to. That being said Derby blades work for some, but for me they are not really my cup of tea. I would hold of using the Merkur blade for sometime. I would suggest that you get a blade sampler back to try different blades and guage what will be good for you. Blades are a very personal thing which you can only determine is good for you. As for the razor burn I suspect that perhaps it could be a blade thing but I would strongly suggest that it may be a pressure applied thing. The 1960's SS is a mild and great shaver but pick either the 38C or the SS and work on your technique. Take a few days off to let your face heal. Hope this helps

Sledgehammer39 said:

First off Welcome Aboard!! DE shaving technique will take you a little while to get used to. That being said Derby blades work for some, but for me they are not really my cup of tea. I would hold of using the Merkur blade for sometime. I would suggest that you get a blade sampler back to try different blades and guage what will be good for you. Blades are a very personal thing which you can only determine is good for you. As for the razor burn I suspect that perhaps it could be a blade thing but I would strongly suggest that it may be a pressure applied thing. The 1960's SS is a mild and great shaver but pick either the 38C or the SS and work on your technique. Take a few days off to let your face heal. Hope this helps

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I just got a sampler pack yesterday. Astras, Derby's, 7 O'Clocks, Feathers (oh, my!), Treets, and a few others.

Actually, the Merkur blade worked well the first couple of shaves, but I think I got cocky and went for BBS too soon; now my face is raw and it'll take a day or two to quit BURNING

Zarba said:

I just got a sampler pack yesterday. Astras, Derby's, 7 O'Clocks, Feathers (oh, my!), Treets, and a few others.

Actually, the Merkur blade worked well the first couple of shaves, but I think I got cocky and went for BBS too soon; now my face is raw and it'll take a day or two to quit BURNING

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That is a nice sampler you got there. I myself like the Astras' SS and the 7 O'clock Greens either Russian or Indian . I don't care for the Derby's or Feathers.

I've never tried Merkur blades, but they don't get much love around here (which is one reason why I have never bothered with them), and Derby blades seem to be hit or miss fairly regularly so I don't use them anymore either. That said, I have found some inconsistency in almost all blades that I have tried, which to be fair, amounts to about only about 7-8 brands. Blades are cheap though so if I load a new blade and feel any pulling/tugging whatsoever I'll usually bin it immediately and try a different blade. If it is a pricier blade I may take the extra step to cork it and then try it again, but usually it just goes into the blade bank, never to be used again.

With a good blade at the correct angle you should pretty much have to check your razor to make sure that there is even a blade in it.

Astras have been the most consistently good blade that I have found, but there are still many brands that I have not tried.

so many possibilities for why you have razor burn.......inadequate lather, too much pressure, wrong angle, etc., etc.

I suspect it's a combination of all those things, since you just got started.

Zarba;

I started wet shaving last march and my first razor was a Super Speed I found in an antique shop. I't s a very mild and forgiving razor. I also own a 38c which is my preferred razor now. I only use my SS for travel.

I think your razor burn is coming from your blade angle. Also, as others have suggested be wary of pressure. Don't press down at all with the razor. If your blade angle is off you'll be scraping your face instead of shaving. Here's a link about how to find the right blade angle. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=130110

I use Merkur blades and when my blade angle is right I don't get the burn. I've got a very dense tough beard.

So, check and work on your blade angle. Stick with one razor until you get the hang of your technique. The SS is very forgiving of poor technique but it doesn't produce as close a shave for me as the 38c.

Keep at it and don't give up. Be consistent. Pick a razor and cream or soap and use them until you get the hang of things. Switching between the SS and the 38C will throw you off. The sweet spot for blade angle is different in each of these razors. When I get home from a trip having used my SS it always takes me a couple shaves to find the angle again on my 38C.

Friendly advice from one newb to another.

kingfisher said:

so many possibilities for why you have razor burn.......inadequate lather, too much pressure, wrong angle, etc., etc.

I suspect it's a combination of all those things, since you just got started.

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+1
Every aspect of the wetshaving process is of equal importance in achieving a good, irritation-free shave. Try not to change more than one thing at a time so you will be better able to pinpoint the problem.

have you used a DE before? One of the biggest differences a lot of us find when switching from cartridges is the amount of pressure used. A cartridge requires the user to really push down on it to get any type of shave out of it. Single blade shaving warrants almost zero pressure. You really want the weight of the razor to the do the work, and using any more pressure than that will often yield bad razor burn. Good luck!

Zarba said:

I face lather, and since I've been using a brush forever, I don't think that's the issue.

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Are you positive your lather is up to standard? Might be worthwhile to review the fundamentals again, you need a much higher quality lather with a DE than a cartridge.

Best thing for more serious razor burn is zinc oxide, the stuff used for rash and baby bottoms. That and rest.

If you have a severe case of burn you probably should wait a few days before shaving again as the existing burn can be aggravated by even a mild blade if used too soon afterwards.

Merkur blades = razor burn. If a Merkur blade comes with your razor, toss it into the bin immediately.

In reiteration of what others have said, when transitioning from a cartridge or disposable razor to a DE, the most important rule is DON'T PRESS!
Don't try any upwards passes for a week or so until you are comfortable with the downwards ones.

keep the strokes short and light.

The correct razor angle also needs to be found but this will tend to be a case of trial and error.

I had a problem with razor burns when I switched from cartridges to a DE. I now use very light strokes and good lather. I make better lather in a lathering bowl than on my face. I use a mild razor and a sharp blade, my favorite is the Feather ss, and, ideally, a Feather razor. And no more 6 or 7 passes. If I don't get it BBS in 3 or 4 passes I ain't going to get it period. Shaving is not a contest. It's a journey. And the journey should be pleasant.

Man, I just bought some Derby's & Gillette Blues. Just shaved with the Gillette now I'm not so sure about the Derb's. I keep reading how bad they are.

The 38c was the first DE I bought and I found it to be to harsh for me. I would try an EJ89 and toss the Derby blades (only blades I can't use). Astra SP, Gillette Silver Blues and Rapira's all work great for me.

Here is a thread on Burn - http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...Burn-–-What-are-the-best-products-Ideas

Might help. I found out from it that what I put on my kids @.. for diaper rash works like a charm on burn!