+1 Face lathering was the way forward for me. (Nickshaves is the main youtube face latherer I've found)
In need of videos of proper DE and/or lather technique
- Thread starter AlgebraicMirror
- Start date
+1 Face lathering was the way forward for me. (Nickshaves is the main youtube face latherer I've found)
I watched some of the videos and saw these guys getting this big, thick lathers. I guess it's one of those things that works for some, less for others? Dunno. I tried and tried to get that, and when I finally did, the shave quality was not as good. As someone else already posted here, I get best results from a thin, slick, thicker lather.
I hate to bring up this rabbit hole of a subject, but it is a valid point. Have you tried a variety of blades? I have been wet shaving about as long as you, and have also been having irritation problems. Up until my shave for this morning I have had lots of irritation. I started with a 7'oclock blade which was not good for me, then an Astra SP not too bad but still a bit more burn then I care for, then on to a Derby thinking milder would be better wrong again, then I did a personna red and finally got something acceptable. No real irritation to speak of. So long story short, you may need to adjust which blades you are using, and maybe even which razor you use. If you have super course hair a mild DE89 may not be aggressive enough to cleanly cut your beard. More experienced folks please correct me if I'm wrong, I am also new at this.
Sorry, was offline for a bit. As others have said cold water can help reduce irritation for some people (me included).
I stopped showering before shaving and switched to just cold tap water, no ice or anything, and it cleared up my irritation overnight. I'm still struggling a bit with blade angle issues, but no burning, nicks or itching.
Basically I kept everything else, wetting soap beforehand, lathering etc... the same, but with cold water.
One thing I have found is great is to wet your soap and brush for a few minutes (assuming you are not using creams) and then do an initial wash of my face with the water from the soap whilst lathering.
Give cold water a try. It may not work for you, but keeping my fingers crossed.
Think I'll give cold water a try. Don't really have significant irritation but who knows, it might work! Worth a shot....
Another factor on this occured to me today as I was shaving with my 4+/- month old VDH $6 Boar... The first time I used it (new brush, new razor, new blade, VDH soap and NO EXPERIENCE OR CLUES) my face looked like a bad case of road rash....my wife was about to take me to the doctor......
So this is my other 2 Cents worth... how old is your brush; how many uses; how broken in?
If it is not a synthetic and not broken in, your brush can cause a lot of irritation...
So this is my other 2 Cents worth... how old is your brush; how many uses; how broken in?
If it is not a synthetic and not broken in, your brush can cause a lot of irritation...
- Thread starter
- #27
So do you make the lather in cold water too?
Note- I used lukewarm water to rinse my razor in today between strokes, rather than warm/hot, and it really wasn't bad! That surprised me because until now I thought it had to be warm for a good shave.
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- Thread starter
- #28
It's a huge Omega 10049 boar, three weeks old, probably not fully broken in, and yes, I think it does cause irritation, especially when lathering up again after having already made a pass or two. It's irritating enough that it is the reason I won't face lather.
What is the softest, least irritating brush? Would that be a synthetic? How much does a good one cost, and how does it perform vs boar or badger? Does it have enough backbone to allow some control and not completely flop around?
I've been hoping my boar would get softer, and I think it has to some degree, but it probably contributes to the problem. What percentage of blame it gets I have no idea. But I was wondering about it even before you mentioned it, because I noticed a decent increase in irritation between the completion of my first pass and finishing relathering before the second.
Nothing beats practice, patience, and good prep. Pressure and angle are the second and third most important thing to work on, and lastly technique. When you think you have done enough prep, your likely wrong, when you think your using no pressure, you likely are still using too much. When your getting irritatation and ingrown hair, your prep and you technique are likely the cause. The lather will improve as you get more experience and thus that is why I suggest more prep. Shave after a shower in which you have washed your face at least twice and rinsed at least twice for each wash. Then use a hot towel, a towel soaked in as hot water as you can stand and then let it sit on the face for 5-10 minutes.
Give Noxzema face cleaner a try as well, it is applied and then you lather on top of it and then shave. And take your time shaving, using short quick strokes. Keep the direction consistent with your growth pattern. If your beard grows North shave in that direction on that part of your face first.
Use the same blade and razor combo until you can get a good shave from that combo. Then branch out to other blade brands. But most of all know that we have all gone through the same process in order to figure out the best for our faces as well. We have all struggled, and cut ourself, and had razor burn, and razor bumps, all of it. But we each stuck with it and powered through and now enjoy great shaves and a great hobby!
you will make it if you just keep at the basics!
Give Noxzema face cleaner a try as well, it is applied and then you lather on top of it and then shave. And take your time shaving, using short quick strokes. Keep the direction consistent with your growth pattern. If your beard grows North shave in that direction on that part of your face first.
Use the same blade and razor combo until you can get a good shave from that combo. Then branch out to other blade brands. But most of all know that we have all gone through the same process in order to figure out the best for our faces as well. We have all struggled, and cut ourself, and had razor burn, and razor bumps, all of it. But we each stuck with it and powered through and now enjoy great shaves and a great hobby!
you will make it if you just keep at the basics!
- Thread starter
- #30
I don't think I can do Noxzema. It has menthol in it right? Menthol literally makes my face feel like it is burning, no joke.
IMHO videos are misleading in terms of pressure and angles. It is very hard to see those details and some guys do not have a good techniqque.
My advise is: very very light short strokes. Light as in imagine your handle is broken and with any pressure it will fall apart. That light. Short strokes are a very good way to learn. Most videos do not show that mainly because they are somewhat more experienced shavers.
Because you need go give your skin a break to recover, my advise is to prep the way you are doing it (yes, cold water for everything works excellent) and shave with your trac (light and short strokes work with those too!). If possible skip a day maybe during the weekend. That will give your skin enough time to recover.
Hang in there! And don't imitate what you see on those videos.
oh, and make sure your soap/cream is not giving you any reactions.
My advise is: very very light short strokes. Light as in imagine your handle is broken and with any pressure it will fall apart. That light. Short strokes are a very good way to learn. Most videos do not show that mainly because they are somewhat more experienced shavers.
Because you need go give your skin a break to recover, my advise is to prep the way you are doing it (yes, cold water for everything works excellent) and shave with your trac (light and short strokes work with those too!). If possible skip a day maybe during the weekend. That will give your skin enough time to recover.
Hang in there! And don't imitate what you see on those videos.
oh, and make sure your soap/cream is not giving you any reactions.
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I had some trouble with a boar right at the start hurting the skin whilst lathering. I switched to a fairly cheap body shop synthetic brush, which was far softer on the face, with really soft tips. Also really easy just to walk into a shop and buy as it's a big chain.
Welcome to the journey.
