Merkur being delivered tomorrow and my ingrown hairs!

[Drubbing]

If your blade angle is off, all blades will feel like that regardless of how sharp they are. I think you're looking to blame the tools after one go. Pretty much any DE blade is sharper than your average cart IME. If your angle is off you end up scraping and pulling the hair and getting cut. Feathers will do the same, only you won't know about it til afterwards.

Looking closely at your pics, you've got scrapes and nicks all over the place, and a complete absence of stubble. That suggests to me that you've gone hard at it to get as smooth as, but your angle is way off and your pressure is way too much.

 

[Tall_Paul]

If you haven't already, watch the Mantic videos on Youtube. They're brilliant.

A very good simile that someone on here used was to imagine you're removing the lather from a balloon. That's how you need to shave.

Coming from disposables where, IIRC you have to use a fair bit of pressure, it's a radically different method of shaving. Maybe next time just do one with the grain pass and see how that feels before doing any more. Also put the razor on your arm and tilt it until you see the blade touch your skin, that's the angle you have to maintain throughout your shave.

---

Also, I'd recommend a sampler pack of blades from Connaught rather than leaping into the Feathers. They are very sharp.

To give you an idea I used my first Feather after six months of DE shaving in a Gillette Tech (which is renowned for being mild).

I started with Derbys. They aren't the best blades but they aren't utterly atrocious and will do for a few weeks while you hone your technique. You don't want to start trying out loads of different blades when you're first starting out. You want consistency in your equipment at first.

I bet most beginners problems are down to technique (as Drubbing says above) rather than equipment (I know mine were).

 

[mattprince]

Thanks for the advice , perhaps i rushed it a little so next shave i will really take my time and do the "pretend your shaving a balloon" to see if it gets better. I think the issue is my mirror is on the wall and its above my head a little and to the right and i have to lean over the bath a little to do it so perhaps im rushing a little so my legs dont ache lol

I think ill buy a proper shaving mirror and use it in the window in front of me so im more confortable.

Matt

---

Like this , although im not nearly that round lol

 

[Johnus]

You really had to do something wrong if the shave turned out this was. Blade not positioned correctly, razor head not secured properly, no lather at all.
Even when I sliced myself up the first time I used a Straight Edge I didn't look that bad.
I'd go back to the beginning. Same razor but different everything else. Only go with the grain on your cheeks first. If you start bleeding, stop because it's the razor.

 

[mattprince]

Ok..

The shaving cream , i put a blob in a small bowl , i had soaked the brush for 10 mins and then i pinched the end of the brush to get rid of the excess water and used the water that was left in the middle of the brush to make the laterh with the blob in the bowl. I mixed it around clockwise for about 20 seconds until it was foaming over the edge and i then applied it.

The blade , im almost certain i didnt apply pressure , but i may have as still used to disposables so my light touch may be a heavy touch for DE?

When i went down the face it went ok , almost nick free but it left a deep stubble under my chin so i turned the razor to the side after relathering and thats when it bled , and i mean bled , the pics are about 15 mins after , it was much worse before. I was sore as hell but has calmed down a little now.

I think i am going to really take my time next time and hold the blade just with 2 fingers so i cant grip and apply pressure.

Matt

 

[dodgy]

OMG , just had first shave with the Edwin Jagger 89 and im in agony. I used a derby blade that came with the razor. Do you think its the razor at fault or blade? Or anything else?

G]

Hi there,

Now I didn't read every post in your thread but I'm guessing this is your first DE razor shaving attempt. Heh, you gotta excuse me for laughing a bit when I saw those pics of the results. It's just that those pics were so unexpected and it was a true gut reaction. I probably wouldn't have done that if we were in the same room or doing a video chat....probably. Holy momma, you really did a number on yourself there. Looks pretty darn uncomfortable, I gotta say.

Ok, I'm not making fun of you...seriously. We all gotta start somewhere and the shaves do get lots better in a short amount of time. Whew doggies.

I can maybe suggest a few things you might have done wrong. Mighta been either the prep. the lather, or your technique. Most likely it's a combination of some of those things that messed you up. The blade won't be the problem here, even if it's not a good fit, which may or may not be the case. Of course it may be a dud blade, so you won't know for sure till you try another one. I kinda doubt that's the deal here though.

If I hadda guess, I'd say the culprit(s) was the lather's lack of cushion and slip, plus the wrong angle of attack mixed with a bit of pressure. The way you fix those things is practice. Yep, experience will take care of those problems all by itself. Heh, it may not seem possible right now, but it's true.

Takes a few weeks to figure things out......stick with your same razor/blade combo till then and see what happens.

Hope that helps,

Martin

 

[Gingerpose]

Matt, from the description of how you made the lather I suspect that it is a major culprit of the state of your coupon:icon_razz:

What brush are you using and which cream?

Finally, look at antdad's lather tuition threads in the help forum and get thee to Mantic59's video tutorials, both are great starting points.

Don't Give Up - it really happens this way to most of us at the start of DE shaving, and gets better very quickly.

 

[mattprince]

OMG , just had first shave with the Edwin Jagger 89 and im in agony. I used a derby blade that came with the razor. Do you think its the razor at fault or blade? Or anything else?

G]

Hi there,

Now I didn't read every post in your thread but I'm guessing this is your first DE razor shaving attempt. Heh, you gotta excuse me for laughing a bit when I saw those pics of the results. Holy momma, you really did a number on yourself there. Looks pretty darn uncomfortable, I gotta say.

Ok, I'm not making fun of you...seriously. We all gotta start somewhere and the shaves do get lots better in a short amount of time. Whew doggies.

I can maybe suggest a few things you might have done wrong. Mighta been either the prep. the lather, or your technique. Most likely it's a combination of some of those things that messed you up. The blade won't be the problem here, even if it's not a good fit, which may or may not be the case. Of course it may be a dud blade, so you won't know for sure till you try another one. I kinda doubt that's the deal here though.

If I hadda guess, I'd say the culprit(s) was the lather's lack of cushion and slip, plus the wrong angle of attack mixed with a bit of pressure. The way you fix those things is practice. Yep, experience will take care of those problems all by itself. Heh, it may not seem possible right now, but it's true.

Takes a few weeks to figure things out......stick with your same razor/blade combo till then and see what happens.

Hope that helps,

Martin

Im glad i made your day :icon_mrgreen::icon_lol:

I think you may be right , i think i will read up more and look at them videos on youtube to see where i went wrong!

 

[dodgy]

[Im glad i made your day :icon_mrgreen::icon_lol:

Hi matt,

I hope no offense was taken, as none was meant. Heh, believe me, I have my own horror story about when I first started using a nasty little bloodsucker of an injector and didn't know it was wrong for me. Had a permanent case of razor burn for a good ten days till I gave up on the damn thing. Your pics kinda reminded me of where things were back then as far as my experience years ago went.

If you believe in what other people are posting about their shaves and what kinda experience shaving can be, then take one month to really see what's up. This 'hobby' is pretty handy for making a dull job into a pleasant time. Once you 'get it', you'll have changed your life for the better.

Martin


Oh yeah, I should also mention you'll be surprised at the money you've saved.......

 

[man of leisure]

I would say with ought a doubt only lathering for 20 seconds is the major problem with your first shave + going against the grain. The lather would have been thin and devoid of any protection ie cushioning. As has been stated have a look at Mantics videos and Antdads lather tutorial http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=9003
It will get better with practice.

Regards,

Pete

 

[mattprince]

[Im glad i made your day :icon_mrgreen::icon_lol:

Hi matt,

I hope no offense was taken, as none was meant. Heh, believe me, I have my own horror story about when I first started using a nasty little bloodsucker of an injector and didn't know it was wrong for me. Had a permanent case of razor burn for a good ten days till I gave up on the damn thing. Your pics kinda reminded me of where things were back then as far as my experience years ago went.

If you believe in what other people are posting about their shaves and what kinda experience shaving can be, then take one month to really see what's up. This 'hobby' is pretty handy for making a dull job into a pleasant time. Once you 'get it', you'll have changed your life for the better.

Martin


Oh yeah, I should also mention you'll be surprised at the money you've saved.......

Hi,

I didnt take any offense lol , i worked in casinos for nearly 10yrs , ive got a thick skin!

I think the lather is the problem come to think about it as it did feel quite raw as i was shaving. Will perservere as it is alot cheaper and also feels better in a way , even with the burn lol

Matt

 

[Canuck]

Dry lather won't help, but it won't do that damage, so It's "against the grain" that's the culprit.

Make sure you know what direction the hair grows and only shave in that direction. Put in an "across the grain" pass when you are ready, and only when you are ready. Go for comfort for now.

 

[Drubbing]

Ok..

The shaving cream , i put a blob in a small bowl , i had soaked the brush for 10 mins and then i pinched the end of the brush to get rid of the excess water and used the water that was left in the middle of the brush to make the laterh with the blob in the bowl. I mixed it around clockwise for about 20 seconds until it was foaming over the edge and i then applied it.

Matt

Making lather, like wielding the razor takes a bit of practice. See Mantic again, videos show it better. A good lather makes a world of difference. Even the most practised of shavers will struggle and any blade will skip and tug if a lather is poor.

You don't want foam or bubbles - you want moist slippery cream. Think natural yoghurt.

 

[andyjreid]

I've just caught up with this thread. Looking at the pictures all I can say is thank the big man you never got your Futur. The only time I've ever had irritation anywhere near as close to what you've had was either right at the start of DE shaving or when I first tried a feather blade in a Futur.

By the look of your pics I'd say the issue was caused by going ATG and too much pressure. As it is said many times on here "if you think you may be applying too much pressure, you ARE applying too much pressure". Zero pressure is what you're looking for. Barbers are taught that the blade shouldn't actually touch the skin but glide over it.

From your prep description I also think your lather may need work. Foaming over the top in 20 seconds? That's either not enough cream/soap or too much water.

If I were you and my neck was still like that, I'd leave the DE for the time being and use a cartridge but continue to use soap and brush. Also I'd get my arse down the town centre and buy some palmolive soap and cream and go home and do practice lathers. At the price there is no money loss in practicing.

It took me a long time to get it "just right" but I now aim for a comfortable, irritation free shave as opposed to a bbs shave.

Watch the videos and read the starting out posts then report back.

 

[mattprince]

Hi,

Just to add , i read on google about a recipe to get rid of irritation consisting of crushed aspirin and honey. I did it last night and the irritation and bumps have almost gone!! Certainly a miracle potion for me so hopefully by the time i nget some decent stubble , i should be ready to start again!!

Matt

 

[sjedwardz]

I've been DE shaving for about two years now, so not an expert but I do have some skill!
If I go against the grain on my neck I get like that, even with cartridges so I'd recommend no longer doing it. I'm never going to get baby smooth there so no longer bother. Also would put it down to using too much pressure, I hold my razor like I'm throwing a dart which means its much harder to apply the pressure.

Nice tip about the aspirin and honey by the way.