Back to basics!

S

simmo3801

Joined
Tuesday May 18, 2010
Location
Edinburgh
Having only been DE shaving for approx 3 weeks now I've had quite a steep learning curve! It has been fun mostly and very informative and I thank all those who have helped me out along the way wih advice on technique or products to try. In the end it's all down to personal choice as all our skin tyes and faces are different. My first few DE shaves were wonderful and I thought this was the way it would be from now on. No more razor burn. After the first few shaves, having read over this forum I began to expand my product list. I started working through a blade sample pack from Paul @ Connaught. So far I'm really liking Crystals for everyday but will reassess all the samples after I've tried each one. I bought an alum bar, Thayers witch hazel after shave and Nivea ASB. My throat was in tatters as I washed it after showering, lathered with Palmolive, attempted 3 passes, warm rinsed, aplied alum, cold rinsed, dried, applied Thayers, swore then applied ASB. I looked like a badly plucked turkey, red and bumpy. Shaving became a nightmare.

I left my face alone for 2 days then went back to the start. I showered. I didn't wash my face again with soap. I used Palmolve stick only (to be consistent). I shaved (still trying different blades) having properly mapped my face with just 2 passes. I warm then cold rinsed, dried then aplied only Nivea Sensitive ASB. No Alum or after shave. NO ALCOHOL at all.

The result is that my throat has calmed down a lot and I have a collection of products that I cannot use. I will try and reintroduce alum, but at the moment I don't particularily want to try after shave. The difference for me between using ordinary Nivea and the sensitive Nivea was almost instant so I'm concluding that alcohol and my face don't agree. Thankfully it is still fine internally!
 
There are many variables at work on your face just now. Even the use of a brush (assuming you didn't use one before) can cause a rash; many a face latherer has been left looking like a lobster after getting over eager with the brush so right now it is impossible to tell what is causing the issue. It also can take a while for your skin to fully adjust to all this scrubbing, closer shaves and different products. No need to worry though, what I suggest you do is to is really the title of your thread, go back to basics. Pick a mild blade like the Crystal or Personna and just do a 2 pass shave each day during the week with this same blade type and soap till your face is better and keep the new stuff for the weekend. Returning to the safe combination is also a way of benchmarking everything else.

My personal belief is that the quality of the lather you make is the most important aspect of the shave. Even now I still make the odd shit batch and give myself a rash so it's back to Tabac or other protective soap with a safe blade for a day or two. I found lather making the hardest bit to get consistently right, maybe you are better than I was at three weeks but this is something that will repeat again and again as you push for that little bit closer and better.

Lets be honest we all do it otherwise we would have stopped when we got that good combination. Even the most ardent person who aims for nice and irritation free during the week will push it a little at the weekend now and again, otherwise we would be happy with the shave and there would be nothing left to discuss. So everyone does get the odd irritated now and again, the key is to know what to do about it, as you learn how to recognise the warning signs for yourself then you will be able to counter it before your face ends up in tatters.

Stick in there mate but don't put up with a shredded face, I even used the cartridge when I was really pushed for time at the beginning during the week. I guess what I am saying is it will happen and continue to happen, this is perfectly normal for anyone trying to get the "best" shave they can but it does get better and easier.
 
+1 to Audiolab.

I just went through 2 weeks+ of returning to the basics myself - milder razors, various of the less-aggressive type blades; safe and more-consistent soaps/creams - careful attention to pre- & post-shave stuff; etc - trying to stay with 2 N-S pass shaves as much as my OCD allowed. I figured out that it's been over 25 years since I had been truly 'clean-shaven', and my face was not used to the contact and direct use of soaps etc. ... it needed to get used to it all slowly and patiently.

Tonight I used my 39C longslant for the first time since that 'back-tracking' to the simplest of daily shaves; slotted up with a Gillette Super Thin....
    • Very close shave, little-to-no pain & irritation.
      • mondo yay-ness dudes![/list:u][/list:u][/list:u]
 
Glad to hear it Urban! I have some super thins on order to try. I am sticking to only 2 passes for daily use but my neck stubble grows in different directions. The lower half grows towards my jaw so is easier to shave S - N here whilst my uper neck stubble grows in same direction as my face so I can shave N - S form sideburn to midway down neck. It's working just now so will decide on blade soon and stick to what works!
 
Audio's pretty much nailed that one,

Like you I have to be careful in what I rub or splash onto my face (space left for pigcat) as it doesn’t take much to cause me irritation.

For the first couple of months the only change to my daily routine was in narrowing down which blades I preferred. My razor, brush, soap and ASB stayed the same.

Take it nice and slow.
 
Yes, we've all been through it Simmo, if you find a combination that seems to work stick with it for a week or even two to see if it is repeatable. Then just change one thing at a time, be it blade, soap pre or post shave, that way you can keep track and systematically eliminate what doesn't work for you.
 
Yup I will reintroduce my post shave products one by one after things have settled down again and try and ascertain where the problem lies!
 
You sound almost exactly like me. I had a great first few shaves and was a total convert from day one, then a few weeks in things started to go wrong, so I chopped and changed products to try and find the right mix - needless to say, I didn't. There's a thread from myself in the help section which is similar to yours where I got frustrated about not getting good results and ending in irritation, even though the shaves weren't particularly close.

+1 to Audiolabs post. I ended up going right back to basics, rewatched all the videos on youtube, practised lathering¹, stuck to known good products, worked on my angles and pressure and it was like light and day. Without realising I must have slipped into bad habits or techniques, and by going right back to square one I started getting good shaves again, and since then I haven't been anywhere near as bad as I was. There was no one thing that made the difference - prep can help, but I've had days where I've done the full prep and still had a bad shave, lather is crucial but again I've had days when the lather's felt fine but I still got irritation, and post shave is a very individual thing. I now have my favoured products and I wont' change until they run out. The important thing is to get the basics right, you can chop and change products, but you have have a solid base to work from.


¹Lathering on the hand is actually very useful for practising - I was a doubter but you can rub the lather in your hand and feel the change from looking good to coating well - I don't actually lather in my hand when I shave, but it was very good to get a 'feel' for what texture of lather to aim for and now from time to time I still rub the lather between finger and thumb when I'm bowl mixing now to see what consistency it's at before painting it on my face. Since doing it this way I get far more consistent results and can judge how much water to add far better.
 
Hi Simmo,

Sorry you've hit a kinda rough patch on the learning curve, but for what it's worth I believe you've done exactly the correct thing in going back to before things went bad. Crystals are nice blades in my experience and seem to be suiting you. Maybe try after shaving half filling the sink with lukewarm water & adding a dash of vinegar before just splash rinsing the face and neck area to rinse them and then patting dry with a soft towel. (And no, you wont stink of a fish and chippie). It's part of a regime a consultant dermatologist gave me when I was in my twenties and had some skin probs exacerbated by shaving. Apparently it restores the PH balance of the skin very quickly, rather than leaving it to recover more slowly from the alkalid state conventional washing leaves it in. (If I've got the theory wrong , sorry, that's as much as I recall her telling me).

Glad you're sticking with it & hopefully things will continue to improve.

JohnnyO.
 
Thanks Mugs and Johnny. Things have been fine for a while now my skin has cleared up and it actually looks better than it did prior to DE shaving! Still taking things easy and adding products back in but without the alcohol content! All good so far.
 
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