Reply With QuoteCareful with that axe Eugene. :shock:
Hey chaps,
So, I got all excited by Glenn's great offer of a mixed sample pack of safety razor blades. I've been wanting to try 'proper' shaving for ages and this was the perfect excuse. Blades procured, I bought a 'Bluebeards Revenge' safety razor, a badger brush and some decent shaving soap and this morning I set about myself with my new equipment.
Alas, I nearly bled to death :shock:
My face and (especially) neck was just a gory mass of razor burn and bloody pimples.
I've watched some videos of folks doing it (shaving!!) on Youtube and it all went swimmingly for them. I'm heartbroken. My old razor (a Mach III) doesn't cut very close - I get a 5 oclock shadow before lunch, but it doesn't lacerate me.
So, will this get better? Is it just a case of sticking with it until I run out of blood or it all starts to work? Are there any tips for success?
Cheers, Andy (decidedly paler than usual) :)
Careful with that axe Eugene. :shock:
It's just a matter of time...
Have a look at this guy I found him helpful. I recently started using a safety razor after 20 years of electric shaving and it takes a while to adjust. I would recommend a pre-shave oil - I just rub some olive oil over my face :lol: - and shave with the grain, or at the very least not against it and it should reduce the burn. Also I found that Astra Platinum razor blades were kinder to my skin. Plus try not to press too hard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiXojYrLhVA
Good luck, Neil
Try a Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power :wink:
Once you've "planed" off the uneven surface, you will be fine! :lol:
oh thats bad im not sure why you got so messed up though?
i have only been using a DE safety razor for about a month now and i have never cut myself which bearing in mind i started with a £3 boots plastic safety razor £1 tube of palmolive shave cream and a 55p brush from wilko is nothing short of a miracle! i now have a collection of razors brushes and shaving creamsincluding blue beards revenge and i love it.
i am no expert but i would say your pressing to hard using a to aggressive razor and/or blade or shaving across the grain too soon when you first start you need to try and get a shave that is cut free and "looks acceptable" try 1 pass shaving with the growth then re-lather do 1 more pass with the growth but it will definitely not be a nice close shave when you first start and then build up to against the growth after you have mastered your technique
someone who know what they are talking about will be along soon and tell you the correct way but this is how i did it and i can now have a nice smooth close shave with no cuts
also try this some very helpful guys on here http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/forum/portal.php
good luck
Oh man. I've read the same threads on here.
I get razor burn from my Gillette Mach/Fusion/Sensor whatever if I shave more than once every three days. This has been the same for years, so I thought after reading these threads I'd buy a DE razor.
I bought a Merkur, a Edwin Jagger brush and a bowl and soap.
It was not a good shave. I got a nice lather, left is for a couple of minutes and shaved. I got off lightly in terms of nicks on the first pass, but my face was still hairy. Like the guy in the video I did another pass. Bugger me, I looked like Freddy Krueger after that. I was using a Merkur blade, so I swapped to a Derby a few days later. Same result.
A bit of internet searching told be to buy the one in the above video, so I did. I tried it with the same blades and a Feather blade.
Same result.
So, I've spent £120 quid on hacking the hell out of my face and having a worse shave. I also have been getting pimple on my cheeks. I haven't had a spot in 10 years!
I actually went back over my face with the Gilette Fusion to finish the job properly last time.
Be serious guys, have you all been taking the piss, trying to sucker guys like me? Are you all laughing behind you monitors?
I use Bic disposables and a bar of soap to lather my face with. Never cut myself......unless my missis has used the razor first on her legs, blunted it, then put it back for me to use :evil:
Can`t help but smile at some of the comments here....reminds me when I started shaving as a youth with my Dads Wilkinson Swords and safety razor :) .
Paul
:) At least I'm not alone. What blood group are you - I'll see if I can get us a job lot from the blood bank?! :shock:Originally Posted by guinea
Guys - thanks for the tips thus far. I can see that I might be pressing too hard - I guess you don't really need to press with a safety razor due to the weight of the head. Olive oil sounds like a good plan too.
I didn't realise that you need to leave the lather on your face for a few minutes before starting to shave - will try that too.
If this all doesn't work and I'm still alive, will try changing the blade for a different type.
I used a double edged razor for a few months. I never cut myself, although I shave in the shower without a mirror[1]. I gave it up because I got at least as good shave with a Gillette Blue cheapo razor.
Best wishes,
Bob
PS [1] I think that one is actually less prone to cut oneself if one shaves by feel rather than mirror reflection.
RLF
Right! are you both back from your blood transfusions? :D Sounds like your pressing too hard. Just let the weight of the razor head do the shaving, doing two passes with the 'grain' to start with, and then one pass against the grain.
I would also use shaving cream rather than soap at first because you can generally get a nice thicker consistency which will help. Go to Savers and buy some 'Erasmic'. I made the mistake of using soap at first and until your more experienced at 'lathering', stick with cream - expensive soaps are not any better (might pong nicer though).
The other thing is your skin needs to adjust over a period even though your face appears to be having one :) Stick at it and all will be alreet.
Rod
Splendid - a proper old-school pep talk - just what was needed in this case :)
I'm (almost) looking forward to my next attempt :D
Can`t help but smile at some of the comments here....reminds me when I started shaving as a youth with my Dads Wilkinson Swords and safety razor :) .
Paul[/quote]
i started off with a mac smile.
I switched to DE shaving a couple of years ago and after a shaky start kept with it and got better. Best advice I can give you've already had - hardly any pressure. Second bit of advice is work out which way your grain is on your neck. I started just shaving north south thinking I was going with the grain. In fact this was with the grain to my jaw line and against on my neck, result being red raw neck and cuts. I've since worked out that the grain on the right side of my neck is diagonally north whilst the other side swirls and is more east west. Understanding this is key. Good luck. PS, feathers are the best!
Good call! I'm sitting here feeling the stubble under my jaw/upper neck and I'm amazed to find that it 'goes' in different directions (about 90 degrees apart) on either side of my face. A bit embarrassed to first know that at 37!!
Thanks for the advice - I'm off to feel my chin some more :shock:
I was 39 when I worked that out so you are 2 years agead of me!
Rods spot on here, I ve been using a DE razor for years and have girly type sensitive skin, a gillett mach3 (etc) is a different wepon and is designed to give a good shave with no skill whatsoever, where as a DE wet shave takes skill and a learning curve to get it right. I still dont get it right on some accasions but enjoy the whole ritual of the wet shave,
One more tip is to soak the stubble with warm/hot water (hair will absorb the water, I shave after a shower), make sure the shaving cream is applied with a warm wet brush and keep dipping it under a warm/hot tap larthering your face as you go and keep adding more water over and over, the water will softern the beard for the razor to cut and the cream will protect the skin from the blade.
Hope you dont give up and that this helps.
Grow a beard :D
I haven't seen my upper lip or chin for about 15 years now, and my wife's reaction when she saw an earlier pic of me without a beard was that she'd leave me if I ever shaved it off.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Don't know which merkur youre using but the cool looking modern designed
One whose name escapes me ( futur) is IMO pretty lethal
Caused me some v bad cuts
My experience was identical to yours but for several years now
I use an old Gillette and the classic merkur safety razor and they
Both give great safe shaves much better than any of the double or triple bladed
Things once you've got handle on it
Plus a lot cheaper and better for the environment
Don't give up get another razor
And also try different blades the feather
Blades are popular but also too sharp and unsafe
IMO
Don't pick up the razor again until you've watched all these...
http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59
...and don't shave against the direction of beard growth. Two passes, one with the grain and one across it will suffice until your technique improves.
Stick with it. My first DE shaves were exactly as you've described. But once you get the knack, you'll never go back to cartridges or disposables.
Just a quick update - Ive watched the vids and taken the good advice posted up here. The most important things seem to have been:
1 - Less pressure - just the weight of the razor head
2 - Figuring out the way the grain lies on my face/neck (it goes down on one side of my neck and up on the other!)
The result has been nuch better. Maybe one or two small spot of blood this morning and a reasonable finish.
I'm trying to get a properly close finish as I'm a bit of a 'bluebeard' - will I eventually have to shave against the grain to do that?
Thanks, A
Reading this thread brings back memories from 4 years ago when I went through exactly the same trauma. After getting good shaves with a DE razor I then went onto a cut throat razor. I've been using an AC feather replaceable blade straight razor for over 2 years with great success. There's a few grades of blades, but I use the sharpest ones for coarse beards now. I do one pass over my face with the grain and that's all that's needed for a super close shave. I used to spend 20 mins shaving now I'm done in 5. One thing I don't think I've seen mentioned yet (only skim read the thread) is an allum block. Its an antiseptic block that you rub over tour face after shaving. This has always stopped any bleeding for me.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Do you mean a Styptic pencil like this?
no he means Alum block like this
http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/shav ... Alum_Block
Teatree (antiseptic) and witch hazel (astringent) from Boots is a perfect after shave splash if you have minor nicks following a wet shave.
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Tea-Tree- ... 50ml_8316/
or this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tea-Tree-and- ... 43a4494a61
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Which a Styptic pencil is made from.
Yes, but for now your goal is a comfortable shave, rather than a close one. Shaving against the grain is something you should only move on to when your with the grain and across the grain shaves are trauma free.
The alum block is a good suggestion. Quite apart from its antiseptic properties, it stings where you've applied too much pressure/got your angle wrong and so gives great feedback on how good your technique is.
I remember my first shave, using double edged blades and a holder that my dad bought me, badger hair brush and shaving soap. The whole ritual fascinated me then, some twenty five years ago and I was made up that I had taken a step into being a 'man'. Fast forward to the day I discovered twin blade safety razors and shaving oil and I realised that I did not have to factor in an hour of applying Styptic to myriad cuts, waiting before I could put on my shirt and head off to work or wherever. I have not looked back.
I really do think that the whole shaving thing has benefitted from advances in technology, albeit the four bladed crap things around now have gone a wee bit far and DE blades are best confined to museums.
I'll get me flame proof coat on then.
From what the OP has said 'I've butchered myself' if he applies alum block to his face every one on this forum will hear his screams :lol:Yes, but for now your goal is a comfortable shave, rather than a close one. Shaving against the grain is something you should only move on to when your with the grain and across the grain shaves are trauma free.
The alum block is a good suggestion. Quite apart from its antiseptic properties, it stings where you've applied too much pressure/got your angle wrong and so gives great feedback on how good your technique is.
i've just taken to giving myself a wet shave every other day. If i try to shave daily my face becomes a bloody mess too.
Andy
post me your addy by PM: I have something that'll be of use. :wink:
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I think you're both doing it wrong. Practice a bit. Don't do it when you're pressed for time, you need to fiddle around a bit.:) At least I'm not alone. What blood group are you - I'll see if I can get us a job lot from the blood bank?! :shock:
Guys - thanks for the tips thus far. I can see that I might be pressing too hard - I guess you don't really need to press with a safety razor due to the weight of the head. Olive oil sounds like a good plan too.
I didn't realise that you need to leave the lather on your face for a few minutes before starting to shave - will try that too.
If this all doesn't work and I'm still alive, will try changing the blade for a different type.
What you seem to be doing wrong is the pressure, and perhaps wrong direction. Do not press. It's been really long since I shaved with a DE, but with a straight razor I do not press at all, just drag across the skin and the razor "sucks" itself onto it as it cuts hairs. Pulling the skin tight is equally important (cuts happen very easily when you don't tighten the skin). Shave with the grain, then perhaps across the grain as well, leave shaving against the grain for later until you develop a good technique. If you're not happy with the result, finish it with whatever you were using before. If you feel burning while shaving, you're pressing too hard, back off a bit.
Also, not only leave the soap on the face for a while, also wash it before you apply the lather. Spend some time working the lather into the face, don't just paint it on. Shaving right after you had a shower is an excellent time to do it, as the hair will be softened already.
No it ain't. Alum Blocks are cut from natural sediments, while styptic pencil are synthetic and much "stronger". I have both a block and a styptic pencil, the block is adstringent but won't work in case of larger cuts, those need the pencil.Which a Styptic pencil is made from.
Correct. Styptic pencils are not the same substance; they're usually anhydrous aluminium sulphate or titanium dioxide.No it ain't. Alum Blocks are cut from natural sediments, while styptic pencil are synthetic and much "stronger". I have both a block and a styptic pencil, the block is adstringent but won't work in case of larger cuts, those need the pencil.Which a Styptic pencil is made from.
Wrong, the styptic pencil is made from alum block crystals. At least that is how it is described on that site.No it ain't. Alum Blocks are cut from natural sediments, while styptic pencil are synthetic and much "stronger". I have both a block and a styptic pencil, the block is adstringent but won't work in case of larger cuts, those need the pencil.Which a Styptic pencil is made from.
Had a nice shave in the barbers last week with the hot towels and it was great
Another thing which might help but I don't think had been mentioned is to wrinse your face with very cold water after you have finished shaving, this closes up the pores very quickly and also helps stop the bleeding slightly
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Haven't wet shaved for 12 years.....electric beard trimmer all the way - no rash, no cuts!
Hi chaps,
Just a quick update to say that things are looking up. The initial horrors of having all sorts of bleeding bumps on my face have been replaced by the odd little nick and the results, in terms of closeness, are getting better and are now better than I can do with my Mach III - which is great.
The key has seemed to be (a) less pressure (b) understanding the hair growth direction or 'grain' and (c) - for now, I use modern King of Shaves gel for the first pass and follow with soap and a brush for the second.
As someone mentioned, being in a hurry is a recipe for disaster but, if I take my time, I really enjoy it!
Cheers, Andy
Trumpers off Jermyn Street in London are also worth a visit if you continue having issues - they are very good at explaining technique (especially when specifically coupled with the directional aspects of your own beard) :-)
It's also a fantastic experience and very, very relaxing!
That's great, keep it up, it's going to get even better.
I'd like to suggest again that you invest some time in improving the moisturising/soap technique. When you get that one right you'll be having spookily smooth shaves. The important thing here is to make the lather as moist and thick as possible. Read up on charging the brush and making lather properly, and then while applying keep adding drops of water to the brush until you can't lift it off the face without pulling a cone of lather, and until the lather is just about to start running off the face (while the bubbles are still almost invisibly tiny), and its surface has a silky satin shimmer. If you manage to achieve this, I bet you'll be amazed by the results.
I really enjoy having the full barber treatment, seems to be getting increasingly scarce here in the UK to find though but the practice is still alive and well elsewhere.
Out in Egypt you pay £2/£3 for the the full treatment: shave (with a proper cut-throat), ears and nasal hair removed (not with the CT :D), head & face massage included.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I guess as the other victim in this thread I'd better share my progress too.
I'm getting better all the time, but still not good enough.
I use less pressure and that's helped. Only once out of the last 4 shaves have I drawn blood. However, it's a slow process which requires a number of passes. I've do my cheeks and neck quick enough, but my chin takes a long time.
Shaving with the grain is useless in a number of positions on my face, so I have to go side ways on the second pass. I can't go against the grain with the DE like I can with the fusion.
After I do two or three passes my skin is a little tender and the result not as good as the fusion which forces me to use that to get the perfect finish.
I quite enjoy the process so will carry on. At least I've stopped looking like Freddy Krueger.
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