At risk of sounding like a pussy...

andyjreid

andyjreid

Messages
1,773
I have this problem..... and I can't work out what is going wrong.

I've been DE shaving since September/October last year and have had many superb shaves however this is where the bit that makes me sound like a pussy comes in. I only really shave about once... maybe twice.... a week.

Now this isnt because I dont need to shave more often because I do, In fact this morning when SWMBO left the house she asked me to have a shave today as my face felt more stubbly than usual. I dont have a job that demands me to be clean shaven so usually out of convenience I leave shaving about 5-6 days between shaves.

So this morning I go for my shave and I follow the exact same steps as my last few shaves (which have been excellent) and bang, just like that, tugging and nicking on my neck. If I was in a job where they demanded I be clean shaven, I don't know what I'd do. My skin just doesnt seem to be able to deal with contact from a blade more than once/twice a week. I went completely with the grain and followed the exact same pattern as I usually do when shaving.

Do I just have the skin of a wimp? Why would my shave need to be different if I shaved every day as opposed to once or twice a week.

It wasn't particularly painful just uncomfortable and not too cleanly shaven on the neck (my face is fine never had any problems shaving my face) and I not also have a bit of burn and bloodspots on my neck.

I just can't work it out.
 
Its all on SOTD pages,

Merkur HD, red personna, Vulfix 404 mix (or pure badger brushes are the only thing I change about), Speick cream.
 
Have you tried a Feather blade? I have fairly tough stubble and shave everyday but when I leave it a few days it's often easier to get a better shave as the hair absorbs more water (I guess).

I massage the shave cream in to my face after a hot shower for a minute or so. If you try this you can feel the stubble softening. Makes a world of difference.

I get tugging with almost every blade except Feathers.
 
I'll certainly try that next time. When you say massaging it in I take it you mean with fingers, and then you lather with a brush?

I have some feathers to try. Maybe I should just go with them next time.
 
strange you mention tugging, my shave was like that this morning. However, I put mine down to not enough hot water (no shower) before my shave. If you have a sharp blade with correct prep and blade angle you shouldn't have a problem. Mine you the longest I've left mine is 1 day missing a shave. I'm told by other members in a music band I'm in, my beard grows fast.

I'm surprised you seem to be have difficulty as I had you down for an accomplished shaver. Today, I put some trumpers skin food on, which reduced the tugging slightly.
 
A few things that popped into my head when reading your post:-

Prep: Make sure that your neck is getting enough water on it before you even think of getting lather on there.

Personna Blades: I can't use them, they're not sharp enough.

Lather: I went through a phase of rough-ish shaves so I made my lather wetter. It worked better. Not too wet though.

Blade angle: In my early days of wet shaving this is what caught me out. Because the neck is curved, you have to alter angle of the razor to compensate as you move around your neck.

Pressue: I don't think that this is the issue, but just keep an eye on it.

There is also the option of going backwards, i.e - going back to a cartridge or similar (Bic!!) for a while so you don't have to worry about angle. Then once you have that sorted, move back to a DE.

Ian
 
It seems to me that if I leave it a few days it does tug more, and is less comfortable.

Have you tried shaving daily or every day and a half e.g. Mon morn, Tues eve, Thu morn, Fri eve etc.

The lesser growth might be more comfortable to deal with.
 
Jeltz I had thought of that, If there was less hair to cut my skin might get used to it a bit more. Just having a "shite" day I think.

I always take into account blade angle and find I correct myself when I start to go astray. I guess the red personnas are fine when I have some growth but might need something sharper for tougher shorter hairs.
 
I also cant get Personna's to work. The fourth shave with most blades can be an issue. With your schedule Andy that blade is 15 days old, maybe corrosion has already affected the edge.
 
Myself i think i could shave the vast majority of my face with half a milk bottle and get a passable shave.. but my neck? No chance.
Ive got growth angles going all over the shop and i just never seam to be able to get the direction or angle just right on one patch at the base of my neck and it always ends up irritated.
so i dont bother trying anymore..

There is also the option of going backwards, i.e - going back to a cartridge or similar
Click to expand...

I do the above .. call it a cheat or whatever but the lack of angle concerns seams to mostly solve the problem in that particular trouble area.
Good shave with my setup of the day and then a quick finish on that 2x2 inch patch and im done..
 
Lots of good advice.

Might also be worth just pressing through the sore stage - shave every day until your skin and/or technique improves. You might be giving time for your skin / technique to "forget" and re-start the learning curve all over again.
 
Have you tried witch hazel and /or Alum ,in conjunction with your tried and tested products.
The alum is a great way of getting feedback about how rought the shave was and helping with it .
 
Thats a good point Rev.

Dont aim for BBS everyshave until you feel your face has settled into the daily routine. Good stretching technique will help with fewer passes with a sharp blade - Feather, Iridium, Gillette Super Thin.........
 
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