Confused Newbie

Like others have said:

1) Zero applied pressure with a DE razor.
Balance it and let its weight do the work. It's 10 times heavier than the plastic disposables which you pressed on your skin to get a closer shave.

2) Don't do Against The Grain for a while.
Facial hair grows in different directions, but ATG is easy to detect, the razor blade tugs and it feels rough on your skin. Just go with and across the grain for couple of weeks so your skin recovers. You can get great shaves not going ATG at all, as many ppl do to avoid irritation.
 
Hi All

Thanks once again for the great advise and very warm welcomes.
I thought i would report back on my progress since reporting my disaterous shave last Thursday.
I have been aplying some of the wifes Elemis sos cream to the neck and it has recovered quite nicely,so much so i attempted another shave thsi morning

Two passes , no pressure on the razor and i now realise my first pass is WTG which doesnot necessarily mean straight down.
Whilst its not the babies butt shave i crave, its a work in progress which i am happy with.

I have also ordered some Personna blades as these Derby's are definitely scratchy.
 
Order a sample pack of blades, or several different ones. I found my goto blade is the Astra Superior Platinum and bought 500 of them a while back for £34 . For me sharp enough and smooth


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Changed to an Edwin jagger DE89L from a Cartridge razor for the last three days and now have the worst shaving rash in my whole 52 years.
I am a little confused by it and would appreciate any advise.
Welcome to TSR. It is a good idea to try different blades till you find one you like. Also maybe you are shaving with a steep blade angle which is a common mistake when switching from a cartridge razor to a DE razor. Try a blade angle nearer to 30 degrees.
 
Well its a couple of weeks on and i am Lovin it .
I switched to the Persona blades and took the pressure back to nearly zero
and the results are i am now able to get three passes and for the first time in years
have no razor burn or soreness on my neck. The shaves are not quite as close as i was getting
with cartridges but Rome wasnt built in a day i suppose. Thanks to everyone once again.
 
@Battersea Boy - welcome and enjoy. The other members have provided wise advice.
I thought I'd share with you, as noted by @Dansco above, that some people cannot use alum blocks, and I am one of them.
No matter how good a shave I have, the application of the alum block causes me irritation. I persevered for months, thinking it was a technique thing, but the penny finally dropped. I am also sensitive to post-shave products containing alcohol.
Aloe vera post-shave, as others have mentioned, it usually a winner. What works best for me are no-alcohol post shave products like Thayers Cucumber Witch hazel (also contains aloe vera), and Myrsol Emulsion (key ingredients glycerine and lanolin).
If I've had an absolute shocker, I use a product called Thayers Topical Pain Reliever, sometimes referred to as Superhazel. It contains a bit of alcohol, but the active ingredients soon go to work and save the day - it has never failed me yet.
But, as always, every face is different, so experiment until you find what works for you.
 
Welcome to TSR @Battersea Boy Great advice from everyone so far.

You did the right thing changing the blades. Derby blades haven't got the best reputation and not the sharpest. You may have caused irritation by going over the same area a few times due to the blade not being sharp enough. You also might have done this without reapply lather which can cause irritation too.

Changing from Cartridges to DE shaving is not straight forward and counterintuitive. You have to press the cartridge razor into your face to get a good shave. With the DE razor the lighter the pressure the better results you get.

It's going to take some time to get into but try to enjoy ‘the ritual' if you can. Try to make a little more time for the shave and yourself. Sounds very ‘new age' but it's a great part of this hobby.

Get yourself on YouTube. Here's your starter for ten…..


Cheers
Rob
 
Hi All

Thanks once again for the great advise and very warm welcomes.
I thought i would report back on my progress since reporting my disaterous shave last Thursday.
I have been aplying some of the wifes Elemis sos cream to the neck and it has recovered quite nicely,so much so i attempted another shave thsi morning

Two passes , no pressure on the razor and i now realise my first pass is WTG which doesnot necessarily mean straight down.
Whilst its not the babies butt shave i crave, its a work in progress which i am happy with.


I have also ordered some Personna blades as these Derby's are definitely scratchy.
Welcome...I'm confident that changing from Derby blades will help. Personna Israeli Reds were my blades of choice, after a sample pack. Now I use Astra SP, Gillette Nacet, and Gillette Rubies. The variety is the main attraction of this type of shaving. Enjoy!!
 
Thanks for all the encouragement guys its much appreciated.
Todays shave was the best yet with a DE razor ,close as close can get, and absolutely no razor burn, redness or soreness.
This i belive a first for me and keeping in mind i am 52,its very much a game changer.
Used a sample of Barts balms he very kindly sent to me and love it i belive it helped with the overall soothing experience.

The problem is i am enjoying my shaves so much, i am fighting the urge to not shave everyday.
 
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