New to me

[G Mac]

Hi everybody I just took the plunge, started DE shaving last week. I heard all the pros and cons for it against the multi blade razors. I got fairly close shaves with them but got a hell of a lot of razor burn and irritation and ingrown hairs. I just had my second shave last night and like my first it didn't go well, I didnt cut myself but my skin is probably the most sore and red it's ever been even worse than when I first ever shaved. I know it's gona take a while and it's a learning curve. I got and Edwin Jagger DE89 closed comb razor and a sample pack of blades, I used a Derby extra blade for both shaves. I have decided on Proraso ultra sensitive shave soap and ultra sensitive pre and post shave cream the ones in the white bowls and jar's I find them great feels fresh on the skin and provide a good cushion I use a cheap Boar brush as my first brush but plan to get a good soft badger shortly. I'm gona try a new blade mabey an Astra or Persona? Im convinced I'm not getting the correct angle Iv heard it's around 30 degrees, I have'nt use'd alot of pressure either, I was going so light that at first I could'nt feel the blade on my skin but when I looked in the mirror I had shaved a good sized patch. I cant get consistant even hair removal and I'm definitely scraping my skin in places. Any advice would be a grate help, I have seen all the Geo Fat Boy and Mantic95 videos and read loads of websites, hence why I joined this forum for real advice and tips. I love having a smooth shave but hate the awful sore skin the day after. This could be the shortest adventure in DE shaving ever if I cant get it right. I know everyone one this site has gone through the same it's a right of passage I guess. Sorry for the long rant.

[COHunter]

First off, welcome to B&B! Secondly, don't get discouraged and give up just yet. Sounds like you have a good setup and some good products you're using so stick with those, don't make drastic changes. Personally (along with many others) don't care for the Derby blades, for me they tend to be an unpleasant experience (tug, pull). I would recommend a blade sampler pack so you can experience different blades, but above all your prep is the most important component of a quality shave. Try to concentrate on applying very little to no pressure and take the time to map your beard and that will help determine what direction to shave in to get a good shave with minimal irritation. It will take practice and there are times I still tear myself up but when I think back and wonder why it is usually because my prep suffered or I hurried and didn't have the fundamentals in place.

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[Prof. Moriarty]

Welcome to B&B.

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[pipskicks]

First off, welcome to B&B! Secondly, don't get discouraged and give up just yet. Sounds like you have a good setup and some good products you're using so stick with those, don't make drastic changes. Personally (along with many others) don't care for the Derby blades, for me they tend to be an unpleasant experience (tug, pull). I would recommend a blade sampler pack so you can experience different blades, but above all your prep is the most important component of a quality shave. Try to concentrate on applying very little to no pressure and take the time to map your beard and that will help determine what direction to shave in to get a good shave with minimal irritation. It will take practice and there are times I still tear myself up but when I think back and wonder why it is usually because my prep suffered or I hurried and didn't have the fundamentals in place.

I agree, if it's only with Derby, I would try others and see what happens. Worth a shot at least, then stick to whatever irritates you the least and practice with that...

Test out the creams (I believe inside the elbow is the way to test for skin irritation?) but that would be the best way to just

I would also blame the blades and technique way before I thought it was the badger. While it is possible to scratch your face with the boar brush, it seems unlikely if you bowl lather and paint it on without being too rough, but some people here will tell you just how well boar brushes whip up lather...

I have the VDH set Pure Badger brush and a lot of people have spoken bad about it being scratchy, not made well etc., and I've been using it for a good while now with not one complaint. I even have a softer badger brush and I'm waiting to get my technique down a little better before I jump on it, the VDH badger works just fine for me...

[mblakele]

Welcome to B&B!

Take a look at Getting_started_wetshaving on the wiki, and watch some mantic videos at http://youtube.com/user/mantic59. Keep working on your technique and you will get there.

[celestino]

Welcome to B&B!

[mandoman]

Welcome to B&B glade you joined

[dpmtherrien]

Welcome to the group. Nice to have you here.

[warhawk]

Welcome 2 B&B. Don't give up on the DE world. You will get better with each shave.

WARHAWK

[Straight Rasier User]

Welcome to B&B.

Map Your Face. Know where the Grain is.

Make sure your beard is Prepared ... well wet from the cheeks to the neck ... 1 to 3 minutes of warm water application. So either shower before shaving or put a warm wet towell on your face.

Then, Rinse, Lather and Shave - WTG

Then, Rinse, Lather and Shave - WTG

Then, Rinse, Lather and Shave - XTG

Then, Rinse, Lather and Shave - Reverse - XTG

Do not do ATG until later.

Do not shave unless there is lather where ever you are shaving.

Blade Angles are around 30 Degrees and for some Razors it is about 20 Degrees. Listen to the Razor as it is moving over your face.

A Razor Blade can differ from one user to the next as YMMV.

Also a Blade can be Bad so use a different one from the same pack and then a different one from the same pack ... and it may come out to the fact that your face does not like that particular blade. So use a different blade.

Now ... later you may revisit that blade and see how it works for you once you get some experience from shaving.

I have several Boar Brushes and they are just fine. And they are Cheap. I have a couple of Badger Brushes and a really cheap Horse Hair Brush.

So at the moment no need to get a new brush just practice with what you got.

[Vivasanti]

Good choices so far, i have had great results with Astra SP's im still reasonably new also.

[PugslyCat]

Welcome aboard the good ship B&B! I hope you enjoy the cruise.

I'm thinking that you had a known good state the way you were shaving, let's go back to that and switch out an item at a time. If you go all in with the new shaving products at the beginning it is hard to tell where the problem lies. All we can do is guess.

I like to recommend starting by using your new brush with the same canned gel or cream and cartridge razor that you were using. The brush massages the face, works the lather between your whiskers, and lifts whiskers that may be lying parallel to the skin. In a short time you will know if the brush is causing problems due to the coarseness of the bristles or if you have allergies to the materials.

After you know the brush isn't causing any problems, start using the Proraso products with your cartridge razor instead of the canned goo. Get your lathering technique down and be on the watch for any allergic reactions.

Only after you are comfortable with that, start using the DE razor. First and foremost I would recommend concentrating on you technique. It really is a case of any pressure being too much. Initially you may want to do only WTG passes, finishing up with your cartridge razor. When you are comfortable WTG, add XTG and finally ATG after you have dealt with problems in the other directions.

There are certainly a number of people here who have had problems with Derby blades, but don't throw them out quite yet as others do fine with them. If the problem is with your technique, you might like the Derby blades fine in the future. For now, you can try another blade, even a 5-pack from the local discount store is worth a try.

[G Mac]

Thanks for the welcome and the advice everyone I'm just going to make a few little changes and see how I go. Hopefully I'l get better with a little more experience and better technique. I want to enjoy real traditional wet shaving and not detest it. I'l keep you up to date with my progress and please feel free to send any advice and tips my way as they would be gratefully accepted. Thanks again. PS I love Proraso stuff I cant wait to try the new range, I also hear good reviews of Geo F Thrumper and Taylors of Old Bond Street. Thanks again

[Artistik]

Welcome to B&B!

[demaro]

Welcome to B&B !!

[G Mac]

Thanks for the advice

[G Mac]

Thanks for the advice.

[Bad Robot]

Hello and welcome.
It was said earlier in this thread but one of the things that made the transition to DE most successful for me was beard mapping. It was something I had never considered with cart shaving and would likely have helped in that area too. Much of the WTG direction in my beard growth is not north to south, particularly below the jawline and on the neck.
Of course all of the prep and technique is important but this was one of the fundamentals that made the most difference for me.
As far as blades go the derbys do seem to cause a lot of people irritation. Astra SP seems to be a nice neutral blade for most that has a decent balance of sharpness and smoothness for most people so it is probably a good solid blade to try next. They work well for me and are the blade I tend to return to along with Russian 7 O'clocks after I try a blade I don't end up liking.