One year into DE shaving - help!

I don't think a cartridge or a DE should do that to you.

When I say I've got irritation, it's like my skin is a bit red. Those look like open sores, and scabs.

Can't see how that can be the razor.
 
That's what I was trying to show with the pics, that after a few days of cart use, my face had cleared up quite a bit. Today it was like that blade accentuated those sores/bumps despite me trying to be as gentle as possible. A lot of that mess I think is from me going ATG too much up to the last couple of months. I don't do it anymore, my face can't take it; I get weepers, soreness, itchiness and ingrowers which is why my lower cheeks are in this state. I was just hoping that after stopping going ATG a couple of months back, all that would have cleared up by now.

As I've said, whilst I'm not blaming blades entirely, some definitely leave my face less irritated than others. It looks like Voskhod & Rapira Swedish Supersteel will be added to the list of blades I will not buy again.

Perhaps doing 2 x WTG will help me, even if it looks like I haven't shaved !
 
So, as I see it, when you use your WS Protector, your problems are minimised. Which makes it clear that it is not Folliculitis or another skin issue.

It's become clear that there is something about your DE razor(s) or your technique with them that is causing the problem. I am beginning to suspect that the angle required for you could be non-obvious, or different from the standard.

If so, any DE razor would give you the same issues. My suggestion, therefore is to go to a razor with a pivot. There are several SE razors that have one blade & a pivot, such as the Oneblade, the Focus Dynamic SE that takes half a DE blade, & lastly, the Gillette Guard.
Both the Focus & the Oneblade are fairly expensive, & so buying one of them is not a reasonable way to test if angle issues are causing your breakouts.

Gillette's Guard, though is very cheap.
Get one & try it to see if your issues are reduced by an equal amount as compared to the Protector, or more.
 
@tryemall thanks for that. I presume you mean the Gillette Guard disposables? I'm not crazy on the idea of using a razor a few times then throwing entire handles into the bin every week, seems very wasteful. But yes, I think a pivot does help, possibly because I used pivoting carts razors for so many years. I get irritation from DE with a shallow 'cap riding' angle and a slightly steeper one too.
 
@tryemall thanks for that. I presume you mean the Gillette Guard disposables? I'm not crazy on the idea of using a razor a few times then throwing entire handles into the bin every week, seems very wasteful. But yes, I think a pivot does help, possibly because I used pivoting carts razors for so many years. I get irritation from DE with a shallow 'cap riding' angle and a slightly steeper one too.

Think he is referring to this maybe? https://www.bruceonshaving.com/2010/11/11/sleeping-with-the-enemy-the-gillette-guard-razor/
 
Yes, that's the razor. It's a single bladed SE razor that looks & acts like a cartridge razor, but was specifically designed by Gillette to mimic a double open comb DE razor. The handle is not a throwaway, new carts can be fitted on it. The upper comb replaces the sticky gel strip in other cartridge razors.
It's very cheap- carts are 50 cents each at WCS. If you buy in bulk on Amazon or ebay, the cost is brought down still further to almost DE blade levels.

Read Mantic59 on it here.

https://sharpologist.com/2010/12/testing-gillette-guard.html

https://sharpologist.com/2012/05/reverse-innovation.html

And on pivoted single blade razors here

https://sharpologist.com/2018/07/single-blade-razors-pivot.html

I use a Gillette Guard on the days that I'm running late for work & have no time for a DE shave. These days, that is at least once or twice a week. I also use it when ill or have a hangover.
It usually requires the full three passes, but recently, I've been doing an ATG directly after my WTG, with no ill effects.

A quick & dirty way of getting hold of a Guard type razor for trial purposes may to buy a 'Waterless by Venus' razor at Walmart or your local pharmacist. This razor uses a Guard cartridge, but the handle is filled with a material resembling medical lubricant jelly. Ignore the lube & use your brush & cream/soap as normal. I've not tried this method, but I've heard about it. Its probably a good choice for a trial, but I'm not sure if carts can be replaced on the Waterless razor.

Gillette's Treo razor also uses the Guard cartridge, but was designed for shaving-by-caregiver, so its not easy to shave yourself with it. The angles are different.
 
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Little experiment today. After reading this article:

https://www.bruceonshaving.com/2011/03/09/escaping-from-the-dark-side-a-road-map/

I thought I'd try a hybrid shave, so did the first pass WTG with cart razor then lathered up again and did a second WTG pass with the DE89 & Rapira. Yes, even though I hated this blade on the previous shave I thought I'd try it with the DE89 this time. As I had plenty of nice lather left I did a final XTG pass. Far better results than the other day's 3-pass iKon OC effort. A couple of hours after shaving my face feels fine and looks way better than in those last pics. I walked away with some stubble left as I'm sure I'm guilty of doing a little too much touch-up at times. A bit annoying having missed bits but having a decent shave and letting my skin heal up is far more of a priority right now. Only other thing I did differently was to let the Nivea Sensitive face wash stay on my face for a couple of minutes more before showering & shaving, which probably helped.

So now I'm looking at the possibility that its the open comb that is irritating my skin. That and/or doing that second XTG pass in the other direction. May face seems to be able to take an XTG pass, but a second one in the opposite direction is pushing it and ATG is not an option. I know the author of that article says to ditch multi blade carts when you've made the transition, but I may stick at this hybrid shave for a bit.

Also niggling away at me is the urge to get a Rockwell 6C, read loads about it and its supposedly smoother & more efficient than a DE89. Add in the option to change plates and in theory (!) I may not need another razor for a very long time if I got one and like it. It will pay for itself if I move on the iKon. Not sure how much longer I can resist for. Everything I read keeps coming back to Rockwell. I now can't get 'Don't Go Back To Rockwell' out of my head (R.E.M. song Don't Go Back To Rockville) !
 
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When I don't feel up to three full passes with a DE, I sometimes use a DE for WTG, relather, & follow with a cartridge for XTG. Single pass, no multiple strokes. Works for me.


Oh, & Agent Shave UK has a black friday deal going on.
 
Don't get me wrong, get a new razor! It's fun to get new stuff. Just don't expect it to be "smoother" and therefore fix all problems.

I don't expect a new razor would fix everything overnight. But I have read multiple reviews stating that the users deem it to be smoother and more efficient than a DE89, which has piqued my interest
 
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