Hello. For the past year I've just been having a horrible shaving experience. Struggling with a DE (or at least the Merkur blades...) and trying all kinds of various products including:
Proraso Shaving Cream (seems ok)
Proraso aftershave balm (alright... leaves my skin red though)
Mama bears's summertime aftershave (witch hazel = bad!)
Proraso pre/post cream (alcohol = BURN)
Art of Shaving preshave, cream, and aftershave balm (kind of blah... and aftershave was like putting vaseline on my face)
Thayer's Alcohol Free toner
Creamo Cream (has alcohol... not sure about how I like it thogh maybe I use it wrong)
I'm just getting really frustrated.
About two years ago, strangely enough I was having a good time with Nivea's Sensitive skin line and my Gillette Sensor XL. For some reason things were going well.... eventually I worked in some pretty painful-for-my-skin conditions out in the sun all summer and my face has gotten really sensitive. I started to get really easy ingrown hairs and pimples.
Thats when I first tried to go with the "old school" approach because its supposed to be easier on things like ingrowns.
Anyway I've been struggling horribly and my skin reflects that. Right now I'm taking accutane (though I wouldn't say I have severe acne its been around a while and well... finally want to be rid of it and oily skin) and my skin is reflecting the troubles.
I'm just having trouble finding good products. I ordered a blade sampler pack finally because I just have had terrible luck with the Merkur blades even when I thought I was getting good shaves. And the products with Witch Hazel (like Thayers toner or Mama bear's) or even I believe the alum blocks just seem to do more harm than good for me.
Its a horrible situation, and I just really need some solid product advice.
Within the past week or so I've reverted to some Aveeno Theraputic Shaving Gel with some Nivea Sensitive Balm (leaves me sticky) or sometimes some Trumper's Skin Food (leaves me dry... though often crusty) I got recently because it seems to have ingredients I know won't upset me, and the old Sensor XL because while I still can get ingrowns around my mouth for the most part it behaves and doesn't cut badly.
Is there any product advice for someone like me? It just seems that its really difficult to get this kind of research because 99% of product reviews don't really accommodate for such sensitivity and I'm actually getting depressed from it. Even using a shaving brush in the traditional circular motion seems to irritate me.
Please help
Proraso Shaving Cream (seems ok)
Proraso aftershave balm (alright... leaves my skin red though)
Mama bears's summertime aftershave (witch hazel = bad!)
Proraso pre/post cream (alcohol = BURN)
Art of Shaving preshave, cream, and aftershave balm (kind of blah... and aftershave was like putting vaseline on my face)
Thayer's Alcohol Free toner
Creamo Cream (has alcohol... not sure about how I like it thogh maybe I use it wrong)
I'm just getting really frustrated.
About two years ago, strangely enough I was having a good time with Nivea's Sensitive skin line and my Gillette Sensor XL. For some reason things were going well.... eventually I worked in some pretty painful-for-my-skin conditions out in the sun all summer and my face has gotten really sensitive. I started to get really easy ingrown hairs and pimples.
Thats when I first tried to go with the "old school" approach because its supposed to be easier on things like ingrowns.
Anyway I've been struggling horribly and my skin reflects that. Right now I'm taking accutane (though I wouldn't say I have severe acne its been around a while and well... finally want to be rid of it and oily skin) and my skin is reflecting the troubles.
I'm just having trouble finding good products. I ordered a blade sampler pack finally because I just have had terrible luck with the Merkur blades even when I thought I was getting good shaves. And the products with Witch Hazel (like Thayers toner or Mama bear's) or even I believe the alum blocks just seem to do more harm than good for me.
Its a horrible situation, and I just really need some solid product advice.
Within the past week or so I've reverted to some Aveeno Theraputic Shaving Gel with some Nivea Sensitive Balm (leaves me sticky) or sometimes some Trumper's Skin Food (leaves me dry... though often crusty) I got recently because it seems to have ingredients I know won't upset me, and the old Sensor XL because while I still can get ingrowns around my mouth for the most part it behaves and doesn't cut badly.
Is there any product advice for someone like me? It just seems that its really difficult to get this kind of research because 99% of product reviews don't really accommodate for such sensitivity and I'm actually getting depressed from it. Even using a shaving brush in the traditional circular motion seems to irritate me.
Please help