Shaving irritation?

tvphotog · Jan 4, 2008

Being a wet shaver for years who has just switched to a brush and cream, I want to know something.

It's such pleasure now to shave, the ritual and all the scents and feel of the brush are exciting for someone who always felt it was a chore to shave...and irritating, too. And a chore at least six days a week.

But do all of you guys do a three-pass shave each day? And doesn't that irritate your face like crazy after a week?

Or does the after-shave balm relieve those issues?

Thanks.

SmoovD · Jan 4, 2008

FWIW, I normally do 3 passes with some buffing each day...even the weekends. Sometimes I will shave in the morning, sometimes at night depending on my schedule. My face has become accustomed to this regiment and I seldom have irritation.

Stauff · Jan 4, 2008

Alcohol splash before the balm. Balm only makes my facial skin tender. I often do not shave on sunday to give my skin a rest.

Shave Cat · Jan 4, 2008

tvphotog said:
But do all of you guys do a three-pass shave each day? And doesn't that irritate your face like crazy after a week?

I do three passes every day. As long as I have a good blade, make good lather, and observe proper technique, I have little to no irritation. I frequently find it tempting to touch up without using lather, but that's always led to razor burn. I've been blade shaving for about 40 years now. YMMV.

-Clarke

morajam · Jan 4, 2008

Shave Cat said:
I do three passes every day. As long as I have a good blade, make good lather, and observe proper technique, I have little to no irritation. I frequently find it tempting to touch up without using lather, but that's always led to razor burn. I've been blade shaving for about 40 years now. YMMV.

-Clarke

Same here, when i first started shaving with a DE i did encounter some irritation. I spent more time with blade angle and how good my lather was. Once i got this down the irritation stopped. I do anywhere from 3-5 passes (depending on the razor) + clean up and have no irritation.

Kyle · Jan 4, 2008

As your technique gets better and better, you'll soon find that a 3-pass, irritation free shave is quite easy to complete on as many consecutive days as you wish. Further, as your standard of smoothness rises, you may very well find yourself performing 4+ passes a day and suffering no negative consequences.

gps · Jan 4, 2008

I do 4 passes each day with some touchup buffing. I keep my blade angle under control and my lather moist throughout the shave. I finish with a splash of non-alcohol witch hazel, non-alcohol after shave balm, and a moisturizing lotion.

Rayman · Jan 4, 2008

I make four passes. I start with pre-shave oil, and also re-apply preshave oil before the final pass. I end with a splash of alcohol free witch hazel and after shave balm. Minimal irritation afterward.

barnz · Jan 5, 2008

The key thing to remember is that we reapply lather between each pass; when using a multi-blade razor such as the fusion, 5 blades (!) go across your face with EVERY pass, and only the first blade is protected by the lather (most often canned stuff=not very good), meaning that the other 4 blades are sreaming across your face without any protection. Now, if you do more than 1 pass with a multi-blade razor, that can be 10, 15 or even more blades across your face, most without ANY protection. Talke about irritation!!

A single edge (DE, straight) may take longer/more passes to remove the hairs, but at least every pass is (presumably) used with a rich lather, and you can do five passes (wtg a few times, xtg, atg, tough ups) to give you a close, COMFORTABLE shave with the same (or less) number of times a blade comes into contact with your skin as just ONE PASS with a fusion. If that seems confusing, just think; one pass with a fusion = five passes with a DE, but using a DE, and relathering in between passes, should be FAR less irritationg. Hope this helps!

Ryan

Wade253 · Jan 5, 2008

barnz said:
The key thing to remember is that we reapply lather between each pass; when using a multi-blade razor such as the fusion, 5 blades (!) go across your face with EVERY pass, and only the first blade is protected by the lather (most often canned stuff=not very good), meaning that the other 4 blades are sreaming across your face without any protection. Now, if you do more than 1 pass with a multi-blade razor, that can be 10, 15 or even more blades across your face, most without ANY protection. Talke about irritation!!

A single edge (DE, straight) may take longer/more passes to remove the hairs, but at least every pass is (presumably) used with a rich lather, and you can do five passes (wtg a few times, xtg, atg, tough ups) to give you a close, COMFORTABLE shave with the same (or less) number of times a blade comes into contact with your skin as just ONE PASS with a fusion. If that seems confusing, just think; one pass with a fusion = five passes with a DE, but using a DE, and relathering in between passes, should be FAR less irritationg. Hope this helps!

Ryan

In my experience this isn't the case. I get less pull and irritation with M3. Something about having the blades so close together or positioned so that they cut the whisker at different lengths (3 blades gradually extend closer to beard--their promo) or the spring mounts. Because you do less passes with M3 and the angle is always right, it is more efficient with less irritation for me. That being said, I think you can shave closer with DE but with more probability of irritation. There is more intrinsic value with DE. ymmv

tvphotog · Jan 5, 2008

Thanks, Ryan, for the input. However, it seems to me, and also by observation, that though the big layer of lather is removed in one stroke, plenty stays on the surface of the skin as a thin layer simply by the motion of the razor head going back and forth in short, overlapping strokes.

I don't think there's a worry that the other four blades see only the skin, I think there is still some lather coating there.

Also, the M3 has only two extra blades. I don't believe the marketing anyway and would just as soon use the Sensor double blade, but not so many companies make attractive handles for them...although I've seen them on the Shavemac custom website.

J.

tvphotog · Jan 5, 2008

And I agree with Wade. I'm not in the DE camp...yet.

Daves · Jan 5, 2008

About 6 months ago I started wetshaving. It has been, at times, difficult and the irritation caused by it considerable. However these days my technique is much improved and I can do 4 passes. My face no longer gets chewed up. You have to keep experimenting and changing creams, soaps, razors and blades. If you keep on trying I'm sure you will find the right combination. :001_smile

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