Help! New to the game, very thick and rough beard...

Hey guys!

I'm just starting out with this, I'll be honest, extremely addicting art form. Previously (and to this day still) I used a Braun 790cc (which I will say, is fantastic, and will still be kept around for my quick 5 minute shaves when I'm really on the go for college).

I'm only 20, but the reason I'm so serious about the beard is because I have a very very thick, fast growing, rough beard. I know some of you may think yours is thick...but trust me, mine will make you feel better about yourself.

To give you an idea of how thick my beard is, if you were to take a tweezer to my beard and try to pluck one hair out chances are 50/50 you'd pick 2 maybe 3 hairs with it. That's how dense it is. It's so dense, that even with my closest shaves, I will never ever ever be without 5 o'clock shadow (it also doesn't help that I have black Italian hair). It's also very coarse.

On the bright side, it has a very consistent grain!

So I've been using my DE for the last 7 days, and while I'm seeing great improvement (although the quality of shave is no where near the smooth baby's bottom in all directions shave I get from my Braun) in terms of my handling of the blade, I am also beginning to think some of the problems I'm facing are not necessarily in my form, but rather from the brutal nature of my beard.

For one thing, the general idea seems to be if you're shaving right, you shouldn't really be feeling your beard being reduced. The problem is, the only time I don't feel that is if the blade is not touching my face. When it is, I can hear it, I can feel, and very often even with the best angle and lightest pressure I can muster I can sort of feel the blade struggling with my beard.

Here's my equipment:

Merkur Long Handle DE
Merkur Blades
Omega Badger Brush
Proraso Shave Cream

Procedure:
Get up in the mornings, rub some Proraso in, take a 15 minute steamy shower...rinse before coming out...

Put warm towel on face while letting badger brush soak....and whip up lovely lather

Put lather on face and 2 WTG passes, and as of yesterday I also add XTG pass (going across the relative grain in just one direction)

The quality of shave has been consistently improving, and I'm not cutting myself, but it's not anything I'd call smooth, even feeling my face WTG.

But again as I said, I feel the blade sort of having to fight my beard... I also replace the blade after every three shaves.

And one more question, today after doing the wet-shave I also decided to do the Braun too. And gruß gott! That has to be the closest shave I've ever had. It had the normal baby-smooth Braun quality to it, but on top of that it actually started to clear up my always-green face to a lighter shade of green. Does anyone have any experience with a electric-wetshave combo? Would anyone recommend it?

Get a better blade.


That'd be my first piece of advice.

You should try something sharper. Try Astras or Gillette Yellow 7 o'clocks or a Kai or something.

Danged Merkurs drag and pull even on lighter beards.

My first thought was, "change your blade". As with all possible razor/blade/soap/technique combinations, keep in mind the gospel of 'YMMV'.

Try a Red Personna or Feather.

Mate,

Get a Feather blade in there ASAP.
Go gently but come back here afterwards and you'll have a different story to tell...

I have to say the feathers sound kinda scary, but it can't hurt (too badly ) to try!

Sounds like you are doing everything right. I agree with all of the previous posters that the Merkur blades are not helping you any. Feathers, Derbys, Israeli Personnas are all better choices, as are many others mentioned. Your best bet is to get a sampler pack from West Coast Shaving and try out different blades for yourself, since everyone seems to have different reactions to different blades (although the Merkurs are generally disliked by most).

After that, the most important things are patience and technique. You can't make a good shave happen, you have to let it happen, and that will only come with weeks of practice. Especially if you have a tough beard, you need to develop a good feel for just how the razor is cutting. once you do, a couple of ATG passes after your XTG passes will do the trick, and get you closer to the ideal, BBS shave.

Enjoy!

My best shaves are in four directions . . . WTG then XTG one way, XTG the other, ATG. . . and then a touch of blade buffing here and there. I'm not sure if I have as thick a beard as you and I really don't want to try pulling a hair out to see if I get several.

I also have a super thick beard much like you have described, and I will have to agree that feathers work very well. Just be careful when you use a fresh blade.

kingfisher said:

get a better blade.


That'd be my first piece of advice.

You should try something sharper. Try astras or gillette yellow 7 o'clocks or a kai or something.

Danged merkurs drag and pull even on lighter beards.

Click to expand...

+1

It sounds as though you are doing what you need to do. Keep in mind though that you are only 7 days in. DE and wet shaving is something you need to get used to. Prep and technique are important, and since you say you are seeing improvements, then I say keep doing what you are doing. Try some sharper blades or maybe a different lather, or even a soap, and everything should be fine. Give it some time, try a few things, and see what happens.

Tough beards seem to be a hallmark around here. Anyway, my beard is very coarse (meaning the hairs are thick), but probably not as dense as yours. I have a cleft chin and a square jawline that further complicates things. Additionally, I have light skin and my beard is black because my dad is Japanese. Here are some suggestions:

1. As everyone has said, get a sharper, smoother blade
2. Make sure to use good prep
3. Try a slick and rich cream or soap like Trumpers, TH, etc.
4. If you are not accustomed to blade shaving, perhaps you should try a cartridge razor as an intermediary between electric shaving and DE shaving, but if you are comfortable with your Merkur, don't look back!
5. Make sure you work in the lather with your fingers for a few minutes to ensure that your beard is properly softened before you even put the razor to your face.

No beard will stand up to an 8/8 wedge.

+1 on the Blade. also a heavier razor, an HD may help.

So where would you guys recommend buying the feathers?

The Internet is probably the easiest way to get Feathers. There are numerous shops such as West Coast Shaving and Lee's Razors (to name but a few) that will have (almost) everything you could be looking for.

Wow, this is hilarious, I could have written the OP basically word for word, with only some minor details on equipment different. Don't worry man, you are not alone in your beard type or your struggles. I've also been finding that non-DE shaves since I started DE shaving have been stunningly good, but don't forget that may be only a temporary effect. The more we use the Fusion/electric, the more our skin deteriorates over time.

Re: the blades, I also fall in with the Feather crowd. I'm about to make that jump and I also have Red IP's and a Slant razor on the way, and it seems that these options are the best for people with beards as thick and rough as ours. Thus far I've made attempts with Derbys and Gillette 7 O'Clock yellows, and while the Gillettes are marginally better, neither has done great work. The Merkurs are almost certainly doing you no favors.

I'm Greek Italian....I know a think or two about thick course beards...

As has been advised, get yourself a feather blade....and master your pre-shave prep to ensure that your bristles are as saturated as possible.

Stick to very short strokes as well....so important.

If you're getting BBS with a lectric,your a better man than most.Welcome to B&B.Time you had a proper shave.

Terdinus Asus said:

I have to say the feathers sound kinda scary, but it can't hurt (too badly ) to try!

Click to expand...

This is such a common misconception. Contrary to popular belief, sharper blades are safer. Sharper blades enable you to get the smoothest, pain-free shaves exactly because the blade is so sharp. Duller blades require you to put minute amounts of pressure on the blade to cut through your beard -- especially if you have a really tough beard. That pressure that you have to apply, in order to make duller blades work, is exactly what causes razor burn and nicks. Sharp blades cut through your beard with little to no effort, meaning that you can take all the pressure off and use the lightest touch imaginable. Don't fear the feather, run to it. Moreover, if your beard really is tough, grab a slant razor. A slant razor with a feather blade will mow through your beard in no time and leave you with a BBS shave with no razor burn.

Welcome to the B&B. As a relative newbie here I was also reluctant to try Feathers but found them great after a few very careful shaves.
Good luck.