- Thread starter
- #21
Yes I did in the past and I don't like them
Shaving guidance
- Thread starter Miyagisan
- Start date
Yes I did in the past and I don't like them
Aftershave balm is not aftershave.
Also, you mention using olive oil as a preshave. There are many, and conflicting, opinions of the effectiveness of preshaves. Olive oil is a very heavy oil that will clog your skin, the shave brush and the razor blade. You might want to try applying a little bloom water (presoak your shave soap) instead of olive oil.
I do not care for menthol myself, but the menthol in Proraso Blue is very slight. I've found menthol drying as well and tend to avoid products that contan it, but the Blue Proraso hasn't had that effect on me. You might also try Lea Classic Sensitive skin shaving cream as well. It also contains Menthol, but it contains lanolin and alatonin, both of which have moisturizing properties and are good for sensitive skin. I wouldn't ditch the alum block. Besides being good for nicks, cuts, abrasions, it also has disinfecting properties that will kill any bacteria on your skin that might cause infection and exacerbate your wounds further.
Someone suggested Witch Hazel, and another cold water shaves. I think those are great ideas. I don't cold water shave, but I do cold water rinse. With my face still wet, I'll use the alum block. I'll wait 30 seconds to a minute and then rinse it off. Pat dry my face and then splash on Witch Hazel. I use Thayer's unscented myself (Thayer's Facial Toner), in addition to being unscented it's alcohol free. You can use it for your whole face. Wait about a minute, then apply your splash or balm. If you use both, do splash first, wait a minute, then balm. I very rarely use splash. A lot of them contain alcohol which is definitely drying to the skin, at least in my case. I have found Nivea Sensitive Cool aftershave balm to work very well. It uses seaweed extract as opposed to menthol for the same cooling and soothing effect and you can typically get a pack of 3 from Jeff Bezos for what a bottle of some of the other aftershave balms cost.
I'm sorry if I missed it, but are you doing against the grain (ATG) shaves ? Try doing with the grain (WTG) only for a while. If your skin tolerates it fine and you don't have irritation and want to get closer shaves, maybe add an across the grain (XTG) pass. This is what I typically do. My skin is not as sensitive as it was when I was younger, but it's still somewhat sensitve. My neck in particular has never been very tolerant of against the grain passes, so I will typically do a with the grain pass with touch-ups, or WTG, and then XTG if I want a closer shave.
You state you have a nickel allergy as well. Maybe refrain from using the Rockwell razor for now. It's made from stainless steel yes? Stainless contains nickel. It may be too little to cause issues for you, but why not try to eliminate that variable and stick with your aluminum Henson for now. If all goes well using that razor for awhile, slowly reintroduce the Rockwell and see if it actually provokes a reaction, then you'll know whether or not it's safe to continue using.
Last edited:
I suspect a derm will tell you to stop shaving entirely for a while and just take the stubble down with a trimmer while you heal. But I am not a derm, so who knows? I doubt they will provide you with advice on DE shaving, but I think you need their input first to get your skin right, then you can worry about those other things as a secondary matter.
I think the smoothness of the blade has a great effect on the quality/outcome of the shave. I use both Feather and Bic, and I find the Bics to be smoother and I think that has a lot to do with the quality of the Teflon/PTFE coating they use. For myself personally, I rarely get nicks with Bics. German Wilkinson's I feel are comparatively smooth as well.
Last edited:
Don't chase BBS, mate. Best advice I was ever given and best change I ever made.
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
I wrote this in case it could be helpful during times like these:
www.badgerandblade.com
Jay's Easy Cartridge to DE Guide for Noobs
For many people, the transition from cartridges to DE wet shaving is easy. However, for others, like me, it was required a steeper learning curve. I decided to share the method that worked very well for me. I understand that this is very much a YMMV lifestyle. What worked for me may not work for...
www.badgerandblade.com
Looks painful.
- Thread starter
- #29
My Henson is the AL13 M so since it’s a medium aggressive which blade is best like Bic, Feather, Wilkinson’s, Nacet, Gillette Platinum? Or even Merkur?
I’ll try the Witch Hazel toner with Proraso blue…I believe they have a blue preshave and aftershave.
When I shave my first pass is ATG and second pass well that’s where my neck goes into oblivion
I’ll try the Witch Hazel toner with Proraso blue…I believe they have a blue preshave and aftershave.
When I shave my first pass is ATG and second pass well that’s where my neck goes into oblivion
Jay21
Collecting wife bonus parts
I know you said you didn’t want to buy any new gear, but I find the Henson to be a terrible razor. It’s a scraper, not a shaver. Get yourself a Baili 179 TTO for $6 to $13, depending on the store, for a drama and care free shave.
Can you shave your first pass WTG instead? That will cut back the length of the stubble, so ATG will be smoother as a follow-on pass.
You have the 7 O'clock Blade blades, those are sharp and fairly smooth. I'd use those if possible, in the Rockwell with a milder setting. Sharp blade and mild setting can work well.
I think this is the crux of the problem right here. I would suggest always doing WTG for the first pass. For now, I'd suggest doing WTG only until your skin heals. Once it does, WTG for first pass, then I'd suggest XTG for second pass for a few shaves. If your skin is able to handle that, then maybe try for ATG again. That said, always WTG for first pass.
You may only ever be able to handle WTG, or WTG and XTG passes. That's fine. Not all of us handle ATG passes well, myself included, and the coarser your hairs, the more difficult those ATG passes are. I gave up on ATG a long time ago. I have thick, coarse hairs, and if I do ATG, even with a mild DE razor like my Feather AS-D2, I can get razor bumps and ingrown hairs. It sounds to me like you are likely in the same boat and there's nothing wrong with that. As @WThomas0814 stated, don't chase BBS. Nobody is going to come up to you and run a credit card edge up your face to see how close you shaved. DFS is plenty good.
Last edited:
First let everything heal up. Then, I'd recommend sticking with the 6C only for a bit, using a sharper blade with a mild plate, ditching the olive oil, using cold water only and focusing on a light no-pressure WTG pass only until you're no longer getting irritation. It's not going to be as close as you'd like but getting to zero irritation is a must before trying for a closer shave. You can add in an XTG pass once you're routinely getting no irritation. If that works, you can add a pass where you rotate by degrees from XTG to ATG to get closer. For me, a pass that's halfway between XTG and ATG is the most my skin can take but it's nearly BBS
- Thread starter
- #34
So WTG instead of going downwards I’ll go from cheek to cheek
This is much of the advice above. First map your grain, nobody's grain is as simple as north to south. Then only shave with the grain until your face calms down and you have no issues.
The neck can be a little tricky because the grain changes in different areas. Everyone is a little different. Some people have "whorls" where the hair grows in a spiral direction.
One way to find your grain direction is in the shower when you have not shaved recently. If you rub your hand along the face, the WTG direction will feel the smoothest and the ATG direction will feel the most rough.
Here is one person's example:
One way to find your grain direction is in the shower when you have not shaved recently. If you rub your hand along the face, the WTG direction will feel the smoothest and the ATG direction will feel the most rough.
Here is one person's example:
- Thread starter
- #37
Weird question, you think a professional barber will able to determine and map my beard ?
Probably so, if they're skilled with straight razor shaving they've usually been trained to follow the grain. Getting a straight razor shave can be helpful.
You can probably see it in the mirror if you let your beard grow a few days. You might need two mirrors.
Make the smoothest lather you can. Try canned foam if you must. Shave WTG only. One pass. Some folks will never get BBS and shouldn’t try. A Schick injector will maintain a good angle easier than a DE and isn’t affected by pressure. Try shaving every other day.
There are plenty of possibilities, most if not all covered here in great posts. The perfect shave comes from the best marriage of razor/blade/prep/technique and your face/beard. But a bloodless shave is possible with just about any equipment if your using the correct technique.
My best guess is that the shaving angle may be slightly off. I'd experiment with the handle a little closer and then a little less close to your face. You should know immediately if either works better. Too much pressure is virtually a guarantee for irritation - stop it. If the shave isn't close enough you need to change the razor angle or get a different blade, or possibly a more aggressive razor.
Given the state of your neck I strongly recommend temporarily changing your BBS goal. I would shave WTG until your pressure is so light you worry about dropping the razor in the sink - which is my thought every shave. When You're getting consistent bloodless shaves add other directions. A couple of WTG passes should give you an acceptable shave to present to the public. If you do what you did you'll get what you got.
Good luck.
My best guess is that the shaving angle may be slightly off. I'd experiment with the handle a little closer and then a little less close to your face. You should know immediately if either works better. Too much pressure is virtually a guarantee for irritation - stop it. If the shave isn't close enough you need to change the razor angle or get a different blade, or possibly a more aggressive razor.
Given the state of your neck I strongly recommend temporarily changing your BBS goal. I would shave WTG until your pressure is so light you worry about dropping the razor in the sink - which is my thought every shave. When You're getting consistent bloodless shaves add other directions. A couple of WTG passes should give you an acceptable shave to present to the public. If you do what you did you'll get what you got.
Good luck.
Similar threads
