17 year old - need advice bad Razor Burn!

Alright so in my early teen years I was had kinda bad acne so I figured maybe it was the shaving gel I was using so I decided to pick up a safety razor from Amazon. I got the Merkur Model 180. I got Derby Extra Double Edged Razors, a Badger Brush, and a mug for my soap. The soap is this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Van-Hagen-Del...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1306202241&sr=8-1

So I've been doing this since September, and since then all my acne has gone away - coincidence? I think not!

I shave every other day, but everytime I do I always have major razor burn. It's kind of annoying.

So here is what I do:

Get out of the shower.
Warm brush and blade with warm water.
Take brush and scrub the soap to get soap into the brush.
Take brush and create foam in the mug.
Rub the foam on my face.
Shave with the grain, 30 degrees.
Rinse face off.
Apply more foam.
Shave from side to side, shaving from my ears to my mouth (if that makes sense). 30 degrees.
Rinse face off.
Apply more foam.
Shave against the grain. 30 degrees.
Rinse face off, wipe water with towel.

I am thinking perhaps it's the blades I bought? I really have no clue. Any advice appreciated, thanks!

someone is going to ask, so i might as well do it now.

what aftershave are you using?
i use nivea alcohol free.

Study Kyle's prep. Try other blades. No pressure. Very light strokes. Start with the grain.

Welcome to the group!


It sounds like you have a decent enough set of kit, and there's nothing obviously out about your description of your technique. If you haven't already, it's well worth going through the tutorials and introductory threads (on the wiki and stickied at the top of this board), and watching mantic59's vides on youtube.

A couple of suggestions might be:
1. to skip the against the grain pass or substitute a second across grain pass going in the opposite direction for the time being, if you can get decent results without it.

2. try some kind of after-shave routine; witch hazel is dirt cheap and many folks find it helps a lot with razor burn and irritation. There are also lots of aftershave balms and splashes that could be worth a go.

On the question of blades, it's a very idiosyncratic subject. Some people swear by Derbys, others don't get on with them at all; it's definitely worth trying a few different brands.

Finally, FWIW, I had much the same experience with spots when I started shaving, more years ago than I care to recall. I'd guess it's something to do with the extra cleaning or exfoliation your face gets, but really I've no idea why.

Best of luck

My guess? Blades. Derbys are really rough for many people.

Try a sharper blade, fewer passes, no ATG pass, make sure you're not applying pressure to the razor.

+1 on the above. The biggest thing is using ZERO pressure. With cartridges you have to press down, with single blade shaving it's the exact opposite. Good luck, and props for seeing the light early in the game!

Welcome to the B! Good to hear you have cleared up your acne.

it's definitely worth trying a few different brands.

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Do get a blade sampler. It will definitely raise your razor handling abilities, perhaps quicker than anything else at this point. A different blade may reduce razor burn.

no ATG pass

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Use only WTG and XTG passes right now. This will improve your skill also, while reducing razor burn.

witch hazel is dirt cheap and many folks find it helps a lot with razor burn and irritation. There are also lots of aftershave balms and splashes that could be worth a go.

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True! Get some witch hazel, and some after shave balm. Perhaps Nivea, available at many drug stores.

The biggest thing is using ZERO pressure

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Using no pressure, in combination with a more suitable blade should reduce razor burn also.

Read the sticky at the top of this forum. Lots to learn, and lots of enjoyment to be had!

Welcome! You'll be inundated with advice here. My only addition to the above is a request for clarification: you say "foam" many times in your original post.
I wonder if you're using "foam" to refer to quality lather, or if you've literally got a foamy, bubbly lather which is likely less than ideal.

If indeed you are using a frothy, bubbly lather, I'd point you to the many tutorials on lathering shave soaps in the "STICKY" post for soaps section.

If you've already got the technique down and "foam" is simply your adjective of choice... carry on

At 17 years of age, I think you are doing too many passes over your face. The young men that I have introduced to the joys of DE razors all get DFS from ONE WTG pass.
You might try your usual prep, then one WTG pass, and see if you still have razor burn.

First, welcome to B&B.

The two stumbling blocks many new shavers face is learning the correct blade angle and not putting pressure on the blade. Most new shavers have used cartridges and, as a result, have developed poor shaving habits. However, the one area that cannot be emphasized enough is NO PRESSURE on the blade. Let the weight of the razor do the work for you. To assure this I use two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with one finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. For blade angle take a look at here.

Before putting the razor to your face you should map the grain on your face so you know which way the grain of your beard grows. You can use http://www.pbjsite.com/shave/whiskarmap/ as a guide. The first pass should be with the grain, whichever direction that is, with subsequent passes across the grain. Initially, until your technique is good, against the grain passes should be avoided.

You can take some steps after your shave that would help you. Here is what I do. First, I soak a wash cloth in cold water and put in on my face for about 30 seconds. Next I apply a splash of Thayers Rose Petal or Lavender WH. Both are alcohol free and do not sting when going on but provide soothing relief to my skin. I then use a skin moisturizer or ASB to provide relief. There are a number of good products out there such as Nivea, Neutrogena, T&H, GFT, and others. Another good one that is not meant only for shaving but does an excellent job is CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion. Also, at night I put on a moisturizer – usually CeraVe – and that hastens the healing process and prepares my face for the next day’s shave. If my face is really raw I use a moisturizer I borrow from my wife.

Hope this helps.

Gray Wolf said:

At 17 years of age, I think you are doing too many passes over your face. The young men that I have introduced to the joys of DE razors all get DFS from ONE WTG pass.
You might try your usual prep, then one WTG pass, and see if you still have razor burn.

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This, too. I'm 21, and I get a great shave with one WTG, and either a second WTG, or a very slight XTG. I never got ATG, and I always look good. At least that's what the lady tells me

Thanks for the help guys.

Whenever I do a WTG Pass then a XTG Pass, I still have a TON of hair still on my chin and to the left and right of it along the jaw line.

I will just try to do another XTG Pass and then do some of those aftershave procedures you guys told me about and see how it goes, thanks a million from Minnesota! Cheers!

Lots of great advice above. Good luck, welcome, and happy shaves!

tse said:

Thanks for the help guys.

Whenever I do a WTG Pass then a XTG Pass, I still have a TON of hair still on my chin and to the left and right of it along the jaw line.

I will just try to do another XTG Pass and then do some of those aftershave procedures you guys told me about and see how it goes, thanks a million from Minnesota! Cheers!

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Sounds like your angle is off on those tricky areas, and you're overcompensating with pressure to get a close shave. The jawline and chin are the most difficult to maintain a proper angle and for many shavers it is the last skill to fall into line. I would still follow the good advise of trying some other blades and developing a skin healthy after shave routine as mentioned by many others. But work on maintaining a good angle on those areas without adding pressure. Go for comfortable as opposed to perfect and perfect will come with practice.

I'm new to de shaving aswel. 20 years of age with mild acne but just enough to annoy me. Same position as yourself from the sounds of it. Study this website. I have learned loads in the last week. Have you tried an alum block? pre shave lotion ( i ordered some geo f trumper cause gents on this site rave about it. plus you can use it as a aftershave balm aswel. Heard alcohol aftershaves can be bad for skin. also maybe look into the oil cleansing treatment. I havnt tried it but its meant to be good for problem skin. I hear your pain.
good luck shaving.
ps iv studied this forum more in two weeks then i have at my 2 year full time college course ha. Interesting stuff out there. Look around and keep asking. Helpfull people out there

jwhite said:

Sounds like your angle is off on those tricky areas, and you're overcompensating with pressure to get a close shave. The jawline and chin are the most difficult to maintain a proper angle and for many shavers it is the last skill to fall into line. I would still follow the good advise of trying some other blades and developing a skin healthy after shave routine as mentioned by many others. But work on maintaining a good angle on those areas without adding pressure. Go for comfortable as opposed to perfect and perfect will come with practice.

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+1. If you are leaving too many hairs with an XTG pass, your angle is off.

Try a lighter (more sensitive) grip on razor - you want to feel the blade cutting (which you cannot do with tight grip). Also, angle will vary and the "sensitive" feel in your fingers will help you know when it is right.

rickboone1 said:

Study Kyle's prep. Try other blades. No pressure. Very light strokes. Start with the grain.

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Blow up a balloon cover it in shave cream, and see if you can get all the lather off with the razor without popping the balloon.

NO PRESSURE Needed.

Ditch the ATG pass. You should be able to get an acceptable shave with only WTG passes. I'm a 2-pass shaver. One with the grain and one across. Usually no touch-ups but will done a couple if I feel the need. Master WTG first then toss in a XTG if you need it.

I very very very rarely do any ATG shaving. Too much risk of irritation for it to be worth it for me. My skin simply doesn't like it.

Try this as a pre shave and get some RedIP Personnal blades.