When I first started wet shaving with a DE razor, I bought a pack of Merkur blades because I heard they were a good starting point for beginners. I was using the AoS sandalwood kit, by the way.
I found the experience similar to trying to scrape the hair off my face with a clam shell (which I have not actually tried, but that's how it felt). I could actually feel the blade demolishing each hair like a bulldozer. I have a pretty tough beard, and Merkur didn't really act anything like a blade when pitted against it. Major irritation combined with that one-pass look and feel.
Seeking revenge, I turned to Feather blades and loved the result. Clean shaves for almost a week per blade with little to no irritation, multiple passes daily with no problems. This was about a year ago.
Then, a few weeks ago, I started having trouble with irritation (and perhaps dryness?) in a big way. I had not recently changed my soap, AS, technique or anything of the sort. Changing out for a new blade doesn't seem to help, and neither does prolonging use of the same blade. I seem to get irritation even if I only take one pass. I have started adding variables, trying to make things come out better, but to no avail. Here is my original setup and what has changed:
Originally:
Proraso pre-shave
Tabac soap
AoS Sandalwood AS balm
Then:
AoS pre-shave oil (Sandalwood)
Tabac
AoS Sandalwood AS balm
----
Proraso
AoS kelp shave cream
Witch Hazel
AoS Sandalwood AS balm
----
Proraso
Tabac
Witch Hazel
GFT Skin Food (Sandalwood)
This most recent combo has given me the most favorable result, with irritation disappearing within about 60-90 minutes, but that's still not great. Each day I shaved with a feather blade. Should I try a different kind of blade?
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm kind of at a loss.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read!
-Zamonium
I found the experience similar to trying to scrape the hair off my face with a clam shell (which I have not actually tried, but that's how it felt). I could actually feel the blade demolishing each hair like a bulldozer. I have a pretty tough beard, and Merkur didn't really act anything like a blade when pitted against it. Major irritation combined with that one-pass look and feel.
Seeking revenge, I turned to Feather blades and loved the result. Clean shaves for almost a week per blade with little to no irritation, multiple passes daily with no problems. This was about a year ago.
Then, a few weeks ago, I started having trouble with irritation (and perhaps dryness?) in a big way. I had not recently changed my soap, AS, technique or anything of the sort. Changing out for a new blade doesn't seem to help, and neither does prolonging use of the same blade. I seem to get irritation even if I only take one pass. I have started adding variables, trying to make things come out better, but to no avail. Here is my original setup and what has changed:
Originally:
Proraso pre-shave
Tabac soap
AoS Sandalwood AS balm
Then:
AoS pre-shave oil (Sandalwood)
Tabac
AoS Sandalwood AS balm
----
Proraso
AoS kelp shave cream
Witch Hazel
AoS Sandalwood AS balm
----
Proraso
Tabac
Witch Hazel
GFT Skin Food (Sandalwood)
This most recent combo has given me the most favorable result, with irritation disappearing within about 60-90 minutes, but that's still not great. Each day I shaved with a feather blade. Should I try a different kind of blade?
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm kind of at a loss.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read!
-Zamonium