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Worst Shave Ever

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TheCheat21

So I recently received a badger brush, EJ razor, some Proraso soap, some assorted blades, and a styptic pencil. These would otherwise be the makings I thought of a great new relationship. However, I had the worst shave ever, leaving me with something which I couldn't tell if it was an allergic reaction to the styptic pencil (possible) or just due to the gravity of the irritation.

On my neck, I had nicked myself more than a few times. I wet the styptic pencil and just rolled it over the entirety of my neck, as that was roughly the affected area. It burnt a lot. Within five minutes, my neck was red and covered with what looked like hives or bug bites. I've never had irritation that looked like that, even when I've had horrific shaves with a cartridge-based razor. Does anyone know if it was the shave, the styptic, or a combination of the two? I had to go into work like that and it was embarrassing to the point that I asked for some time to go sequester myself in the bathroom until my neck stopped freaking out. Talk about embarrassing and a rough welcome into the world of DE shaving. I remain shaken yet optimistic.
 
franz

franz

Sorry to hear you carved yourself up. It sounds like you used far too much pressure on your first attempt. Have you watched some of Mantic's videos on Youtube?

You want to use a very light touch -- what feels like zero pressure -- and maintain a ~30 degree blade angle. Think in terms of beard reduction, not elimination, with each pass. It's very different to using a cartridge razor and you will have to unlearn some bad habits.
 
DaveNJ74

DaveNJ74

Check to see if your razor is assembled properly. Last week another poster had a similar situation and the razor was all assembled wrong.
 
F

ffffff4343

post a picture of how you assembled the razor

how much pressure were you using

like the above poster said

dont use any really, don't press down on your skin at all.
 
noahpictures

noahpictures

What blade did you use?
I also recommend watching Mantic59 videos on youtube and reading the stickies in the newbie section. Stick with it, shaves will get much better.
 
Giant Kiwi

Giant Kiwi

I've been at this 2 months and still get a little irritation on my neck.
Stick with it, it's REALLY rewarding when you get it right.
 
M80

M80

TheCheat21 said:
I wet the styptic pencil and just rolled it over the entirety of my neck
Click to expand...

This is your problem. It's called a pencil because you use the point of it on nicks. It is not meant to be rolled over your entire face. It is far too strong for that.
What you are looking for is Alum.
 
Eric V

Eric V

I had to go into work like that and it was embarrassing to the point that I asked for some time to go sequester myself in the bathroom until my neck stopped freaking out. Talk about embarrassing and a rough welcome into the world of DE shaving. I remain shaken yet optimistic.
Click to expand...

Yikes! ...and Ouch! Sorry you had such a rotten shave! What kind of passes did you make? Sounds like your skin really took in on the chin, so to speak. The silver lining to this is that you can only get better shaves from now on!

I think it is a reaction to both products on damaged skin. Get an alum block, and use a much lighter touch. You can check your skin reaction to the product and the styptic pencil by applying a bit to your skin, let it sit for a while, then rinse off. Any reaction should show as a red area or give some irritation. I'm thinking the nicks were pretty deep and your skin did freak out for a while. Dang!

Get some witch hazel ... this helps heal damaged skin. I use the regular variety from the drug store, with alcohol.

Let us know how your next shave goes!
 
ackvil

ackvil

Good advice, above. To sum it up: Zero pressure, correct blade angle, and proper care after you shave.

DE shaving is different from cartridge shaving in that you must be sure you are not putting any 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 another 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. And here is a good post that will help you on blade angle.

AI don't use alum but I do use WH (Thayers) which I find soothing. [FONT=&quot] After I shave I soak a wash cloth in cold water and put in on my face for about 30 seconds. This closes the pores and helps sooth my skin. 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.[/FONT]
 
California Cajun

California Cajun

TheCheat21 said:
So I recently received a badger brush, EJ razor, some Proraso soap, some assorted blades, and a styptic pencil. These would otherwise be the makings I thought of a great new relationship. However, I had the worst shave ever, leaving me with something which I couldn't tell if it was an allergic reaction to the styptic pencil (possible) or just due to the gravity of the irritation.

On my neck, I had nicked myself more than a few times. I wet the styptic pencil and just rolled it over the entirety of my neck, as that was roughly the affected area. It burnt a lot. Within five minutes, my neck was red and covered with what looked like hives or bug bites. I've never had irritation that looked like that, even when I've had horrific shaves with a cartridge-based razor. Does anyone know if it was the shave, the styptic, or a combination of the two? I had to go into work like that and it was embarrassing to the point that I asked for some time to go sequester myself in the bathroom until my neck stopped freaking out. Talk about embarrassing and a rough welcome into the world of DE shaving. I remain shaken yet optimistic.
Click to expand...

First of all, I wouldn't use the styptic pencil unless you have bleeding that needs to be stopped.

Before you start, make sure your face is prepped. Easiest way is to shave right out of the shower. Lather well so you will have a cushion.

You are putting too much pressure on the razor when you shave. You want to cut the hair, not the skin.

The EJ razor is relatively mild so you made a good choice.

Here's a diagram of the suggested directions to go in a three-pass shave: http://www.enchanteonline.com/pages/faqs/cuttingforms.pdf. Consider these strokes as a basis for starting.

Things will come together eventually and you will be glad you did.

Give yourself a pep talk and read The Zen of Shaving, which is linked in my signature. :wink2:
 
goatee

goatee

everything i was going to say,, has been said.
try some different blades, dont use any pressure, and for pete sake, leave the pencil in the medicine cabinet until you need it.
(with zero pressure you should not need it at all)
 
spoonsacola

spoonsacola

I switched from cartridge razors to a DE due to neck irritation. A DE razor won't automatically fix the problem. My first shave with a DE resulted in quite a few blood spots and increased neck irritation compared to my old Mach3. It was irritated to the point I didn't want to shave for a couple of days. So, I let it grow out and really closely inspected the directions the hair grows in on my neck. I found that under the jawline it grows N-S, middle is from the centre-out and the bottom of my neck is S-N. I made sure to only go WTG on my second shave: so that was 'down' for the top part, 'sideways' for the middle and 'up' from the bottom. Had pretty much zero irritation and a much more enjoyable shave.
In other words, can't stress enough the importance of knowing the direction of your hair growth and ensuring your first pass is only WTG.

Hope this helps,
Jarrah.
 
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