Shave routine help

I have a selection of blades - Feather, Astra, Personna, Derby, Wilkinson sword and Gillette Blue/Silver. I only really seem to get on with the Astra and Personna, so I might try and find some of the other variations

My face didn't like Feather or Wilkinson Sword (classic, black box). Your face is not mine, but perhaps these aren't great blades for sensitive skin. I have read enough about Derby blades not being sharp enough to cut your stubble well that I don't even want to try them. Gillette Silver Blue (GSB) seem to be well thought of, I've yet to try them.

Good advice from others about not changing out more than one thing at a time as well.
 
One final thought (as I think all my others have been covered here already), you could try showering afterwards.

Taking conventional advice about showering beforehand to open up the pores and all that, even with a single pass shave and just a warm rinse, cold rinse and witch hazel could often leave me quite painful and still susceptible to ingrowing hairs once the puffiness died down.

Total revelation ... starting just a few months ago, I've been undertaking a simple wash. Yes, like you with a charcoal soap which I not use an actual charcoal soap bar rather than the L'Oreal (which I personally find quite the contrary to many other who cite it as drying - I find my face quite fed and mushy after use), shave and rinse off in the bath shower, where I'll re-wash my face with a birch tar soap. I would think a nice patchouli soap would also be good. Once out of the bath/shower, my face gets a pat dry and some aftershave. For you, perhaps stick to a simple/natural witch hazel at that point.

Limit the number of products and stages.

My shaves are a single pass every time. Yes, BBS is nice, but after a couple of hours there'll be new stubble anyway so I'm happy to get a shave, look presentable enough for the following day and repeat each evening. I guess if I really had to look clean shaven first thing, I could switch that around to a morning shave/shower and get about my day without irritation.
 
Thanks so much for all your help and ideas guys!

My first shave after your help I think identified the main problem...... the Baume.be balm..... everything seemed ok until I applied that and my face was a bit sore and stinging..... made me wonder if my skin doesn't like essential oil??

Since the post I have altered a few things, not as much prep, just a shower or face wash, pre shave oil and lather up on the face. 2 passes WTG and XTG, warm water wash and then Thayers / Lucky tiger and moisturiser. I'm still getting a bit of 'sting' after applying my moisturiser however.
I am considering changing my shave cream to a fragrance free one as i'm starting to get a little bit of stinging when lathering up (that's a question for another post!)

Cheers!
 
Lose the ps oil, I think it compromises lather and you should be able to create a cushioning slick lather by now. Besides technique (pressure) and reaction to product (eo) when I hear stinging I think more protection so stiffen and slicken. Ok, I made that last word up but more often than not folks think their lather is ok when it isn't. Oh and don't rinse between passes, your beard should be hydrated enough and for me it just waters things down which is not helpful, leave the rinsing and clean up at the end. Warm water rinse (not cold) and Thayers WH post shave should be enough, leave it a few hours and if your skin is dry use a common moisturiser. I endorse the 1 or 2 x wtg passes, sometimes we just need to learn and understand when to stop. Would you rather be baby smooth and sore for days on end or use one less pass that nobody but nobody else would notice.
 
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I will be attempting to shave this evening with no pre-shave oil - still the same 2 passes and the Thayers, then moisturiser combo..... hopefully it'll be a good one :)

I really hope I can still use 'nice smelling' soaps / creams... think i'd be sad if I had to go fragrance free :(
 
I used to think I had fairly sensitive skin,but that was before I realised that I was putting so much pressure on the cartridges to get a shave i was ripping my face up.

Maybe try a basic, but very good, sensitive line like Proraso white. The pre can also be used as a post shave, and teh soap or cream is available for under £5.00, I have even seen at about £3.50

If you did narrow it down to one product, you could avoid that, and try some of the more artisan products one at a time, to see what works for you.

I use Thayers witch hazel, now I have some, but before that I used the basic stuff from Boots, was fine.

As the others have said, cut the steps/products down to the bare minimum first, and then build up.

Cheers, John
 
Interesting points about limiting the variables, and cutting steps down to bare minimum.

Just got back from a couple of days away. Took my shaving gear but minus the pre-shave lotion and post-shave balm. I didn't even bother shaving as the lighting in the caravan bathroom was awful, so returned home and right away went to work on 3 days' growth, with just a warm water face wash, shaving cream, cold water rinse and Aloe Vera gel instead of PSB. Even had a go with a new to me blade (Gillette 7 o'clock Green) and my face feels great. I'd convinced myself that I needed all the other stuff but perhaps it turns out that I don't. . .
 
I used to use pre shave cream and balm. However, I now use as pre shave a very thin lather and have found this to be better at soften the beard. After shaving, ì rub my face with left over lather. If it is a soap well known for a good post shave feel, it will be as good as expensive balm.
 
Morning gents,

Have continued with my re-adjusted routine with some good results. I even managed to shave on consecutive days! May seem like nothing to a lot of you guys who shave every day, but the first time I have ever done it and my face didn't feel too sore after :) Had a little area of 'pinkness' on my neck but think this was due to messing about with a different razor and cutting myself a bit. I now have confidence to try a different blade (Nacet) and have just bought some new soap from the Wickham soap Co. I've only ever used creams, but there seems to be a lot more choice? for soaps, which has sparked my interest.... I can see this may become expensive!
 
+1 on the cold water shaves. I don't understand trying to get the holy grail of BBS if you get irritation. I would rather have my neck in one piece, and if you are shaving everyday then what's the point. I don't do any prep just cold water shaving from start to finish before my shower and I get great shaves. Everyone is different, but it works for me


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