Give it a couple of days to heal up, throw out the Merkur blades and press on. It happens to us all once in a blue moon, especially early on. You'll recover. Best of luck!
Horrible shave. Now what?
- Thread starter Gatsby
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Give it a couple of days to heal up, throw out the Merkur blades and press on. It happens to us all once in a blue moon, especially early on. You'll recover. Best of luck!
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I can't give the B&B gang enough accolades.
Thank you all so very much for your advice and support!
@xbostonirishx: I have Thayer's Original Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera. I've been using it throughout the day and it's working wonders.
Here's the link to the Thayer's I use.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=37806
I have been using moisturizer but, as others have mentioned, I've been applying it in liberal amounts. Thus far, it's also helping.
I appreciate you guys telling me to keep my chin up, to stick with it.
I will not give up. How could I deprive myself of the Proroso cooling effect, the smell of TOBS Almond, my first time with a Feather, or the delight in holding a finely crafted Merkur safety razor?
And, as I said in a previous post, I'm going to learn as much as I can and master this ritual in order to pay it forward and help others through their own wet-shaving odyssey.
Thank you all so very much for your advice and support!
@xbostonirishx: I have Thayer's Original Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera. I've been using it throughout the day and it's working wonders.
Here's the link to the Thayer's I use.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=37806
I have been using moisturizer but, as others have mentioned, I've been applying it in liberal amounts. Thus far, it's also helping.
I appreciate you guys telling me to keep my chin up, to stick with it.
I will not give up. How could I deprive myself of the Proroso cooling effect, the smell of TOBS Almond, my first time with a Feather, or the delight in holding a finely crafted Merkur safety razor?
And, as I said in a previous post, I'm going to learn as much as I can and master this ritual in order to pay it forward and help others through their own wet-shaving odyssey.
Merkur makes good razors but terrible blades. It's like shaving with broken glass to me. I settled on Personnas which work great for me in all my razors. If you have a set-up that works well for you, don't change anything. Deep Six the Merkur blades.
I'm so sorry to hear of your pain.
I used a GEM Micromatic for the first time on Sunday and it didn't go too well. I have more learning to do.
My face was extremely sore for a few days. I tried many things. Alum block following the shave, but one must be prepared for the sting. Jason's Aloe Vera Gel.
Finally, my face stopped hurting. I don't know if it was merely the number of days or if some of my treatments helped. The night before I was able to shave pain free, I had put jojoba oil and sweet almond oil on my face. The next morning, all was well.
I don't know if this helped or if it was merely the elapsed time. It may be worth a shot.
I use Red Pack Personnas almost exclusively. For me, they are a bit sharper than Derby's and cause less irritation than Feathers. But, it's all personal preference.
I used a GEM Micromatic for the first time on Sunday and it didn't go too well. I have more learning to do.
My face was extremely sore for a few days. I tried many things. Alum block following the shave, but one must be prepared for the sting. Jason's Aloe Vera Gel.
Finally, my face stopped hurting. I don't know if it was merely the number of days or if some of my treatments helped. The night before I was able to shave pain free, I had put jojoba oil and sweet almond oil on my face. The next morning, all was well.
I don't know if this helped or if it was merely the elapsed time. It may be worth a shot.
I use Red Pack Personnas almost exclusively. For me, they are a bit sharper than Derby's and cause less irritation than Feathers. But, it's all personal preference.
Merkur blades should be summarily removed from all blade sample packs.
+1 on ditching the Merkur blades. I had one that came with my HD and the shave was rather forgetful, especially now that I'm using Personna Reds. Also, get a bottle of mentholated witch hazel (Thayer's makes one that has gotten good reviews); it'll help cool the burn. I tried Skin Bracer one time and, well, I'd dump it down the sink, but I'm afraid the EPA would fine me for dumping toxic waste (the stuff smells horrid to me).
Alove Vera for sure.That would help you.Im sorry about the shave,hope that you can get a better one on monday.
Get a west coast sample pack and just hang in there and keep at it.
I prefer red ips, derbys, and crystals- they are "middle of the road" blades; they cut well enough, but are somewhat forgiving. Chances are, the blade is only partly to blame, and your lack of expertise is what is mainly at fault.
This isn't an overnight deal; it takes practice and perseverance, just like a lot of other good things in life.
Peace
I'm going to dissent a little from others and suggest you put aside the Merkurs (for a good while) but not throw them out. Initially, I didn't like them, but when I came back to them after a year, I thought they were good. Not so much that I'd actually buy them though (they're fairly expensive).
Also, I'd wait a while before using Feathers (unless you have an adjustable razor that you can dial down). I get the closest shaves from Feathers, but I often get some irritation. I think they take more skill to tame. Derbys, on the other hand, are very good, cheap and milder. I think they're an excellent choice for the beginning of the learning curve.
Also, I'd wait a while before using Feathers (unless you have an adjustable razor that you can dial down). I get the closest shaves from Feathers, but I often get some irritation. I think they take more skill to tame. Derbys, on the other hand, are very good, cheap and milder. I think they're an excellent choice for the beginning of the learning curve.
For all of the guys who want to pitch their Merkur blades, let me know I will send you a pre-posted envelope to send them to me or a one-for-one trade for a Derby or Red-IP. They are not my favorite blade but they work ok for me. I havent had a bad shave yet, they work well in my fatboy set on 5.
The two blades I cannot use are the Merkurs (too bad they came with my razor as well as my sampler pack) and Feathers (at least for the first two days - anyone want to break 'em in for me?). That doesn't mean they suck, but for my skin and beard, they happen to be a bloodbath no matter what cream or soap I use, although Musgo Real is the safest bet for shaving cream out of all I've tried.
You may want to check out the thread on 'corking' Feathers (running them through a cork before 1st use to tame them).
