Hi Newbie with Problems

**chris_nor_cal** · 10-22-2007, 11:13 PM

Well I went and created an account finally. Love all the info. I'll start by explaining my shaving history. My quest for changing my shave regiment of the M3 and can of foam was not due to bad results--I got a great shave--but due to me being so pissed at the unreasonable price of replacement cartridges. I would try to stretch them and end up getting painfull pulling shaves.

I first bought a 160 something dollar electric braun shaver to give it a try and found it easy but poor results on my neck where I would have to go back and finish it with my M3 so I returned it.

Several days later--near my birthday--I was walking like a good boyfriend through the mall with the lady when I saw an Art of Shaving store. This immediately piqued my interest and I went inside and started checking stuff out. I saw the straight razors and knew I wasn't up for the learning curve but then I saw something I didn't even know existed--the DE razor.

After talking to the sales kid I went home with the Merkur HD. Next, I went home and found this forum, spent countless hours on youtube watching videos and reading posts here and then came home the next week with a silvertip #3 brush, and the lavendar pre shave oil, shaving cream, aftershave balm, and a bowl from wallmart.

I'm loving the whole brush/lather thing and don't really have a problem with generating it, the problem I'm having is the quality of shave I'm getting. I'm really getting razor burn--bumps, etc. and ingrown hairs on my neck with this HD with Merkur blades. I never got this with my Mach 3. Now I know you have to be soft with the HD and try to 'let the weight of the razor' do the work, but this doesn't seem to get me anywhere. I do 1 WTG, then 1 XTG, then 1 ATG--lathering with the now cool cream in between passes.

I had the bumps/irritation all over when I first shaved with the DE, but since knowing the kind of pressure I need to use now the irritation only shows up on my neck.I even tried Kyles method--which was better my original outcome--but I still get bumps. The merkur blades feel rough to me--almost as if like they're serrated or something. Is it possible that I'm doing the right procedure but the blades suck or is it deffinately my skills?

I'm 26 and have been shaving with a mach 3 for almost 10 years and I hate paying 20 bucks for 8 razors. I refuse to do it, plus I really like the way the HD looks and feels. Someone please help

**minstrel** · 10-23-2007, 01:52 AM

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you are off to a good start. However, I tried the Merkur blade that came with my HD, and I had the same experience you did - it didn't feel like a very smooth shave. So I replaced it with another, non-Merkur, blade.

I think you ought to get the blade sampler pack, to try out different blades, since they really are quite different in terms of shave result. And work on the technique. I've been using a DE for about a year now, and still get razor burn on my neck from time to time. The neck is the trickiest part to learn to shave well. Just hang in there!

**bjrn** · 10-23-2007, 02:24 AM

Welcome to B&B!

I second the sampler pack. You will have to buy blades for your DE anyway, and you might as well get a few different brands to try out. When I started out, I got my sampler pack from West Coast Shaving (I think the one I got was the "Standard" pack).

Another thing you could try would be to instead of the AGT pass do an extra XTG (in the other direction) or chevron strokes so you're not going completely against the grain.

**camelman0075** · 10-23-2007, 04:36 AM

+1 on the whole ATG might not be the best of ideas. also the blades might not agree too much with you. Personally i find the merkur blades a bit dull

**Flaxorca** · 10-23-2007, 10:32 AM

Welcome to B&B!

+2 on the blade sampler pack and changing the ATG pass. A sticky that helped me a lot with finding the right strategy for DE shaving was this one.

**kwk285** · 10-23-2007, 10:43 AM

+ whatever on the sample pack. I used 5 of the Merkur blades on the sample pack with OK success. I then tried a Derby and noticed a big improvement.
I went back to a Merkur blade with mixed results. I am going back to a Derby in the morning. I am looking forward to trying the Crystals, Gillettes, and in a long while the Feathers.