The Manly Shaving Thread

TheCenturion · 28 Feb 2013 at 12:10

Hello gents. Last few times I've shaved, for a few days afterwards my face is irritable to touch/rub, especially against the grain. Using tobs cream, Edwin Jagger razor with a Wilkinson sword blade. Any ideas as to what is causing this? Thanks

Feek · 28 Feb 2013 at 12:30

You could be sensitive to the cream or you could simply be using too much pressure as you shave.

MachM · 28 Feb 2013 at 13:09

Feek said:
Postie's been with a brand new product, only launched on Saturday, I'll try it tomorrow morning.

Interesting, I didn't even know they'd launched that. I hope you report back on how you find it.

cu3ed · 28 Feb 2013 at 13:51

TheCenturion said:
Hello gents. Last few times I've shaved, for a few days afterwards my face is irritable to touch/rub, especially against the grain. Using tobs cream, Edwin Jagger razor with a Wilkinson sword blade. Any ideas as to what is causing this? Thanks

Willing to bet you are applying pressure on the handle/ blade and not realising it, treat it lik its the most dangerous thing you can put to you face in terms of pressure and see how that goes...different blade perhaps?

TheCenturion · 28 Feb 2013 at 14:29

Feek said:
You could be sensitive to the cream or you could simply be using too much pressure as you shave.

cu3ed said:
Willing to bet you are applying pressure on the handle/ blade and not realising it, treat it lik its the most dangerous thing you can put to you face in terms of pressure and see how that goes...different blade perhaps?

Thanks, I'll put less pressure on next time and see how it goes. If that doesn't help I'll try a less sharp blade.

Frozennova · 28 Feb 2013 at 15:03

It isn't necessarily because the blade is too sharp, it might not be sharp enough.

Blades are funny things and work differently for everyone, some people swear by some blades that I can't get a good shave with for love nor money

Feek · 28 Feb 2013 at 18:53

TheCenturion said:
Thanks, I'll put less pressure on next time and see how it goes. If that doesn't help I'll try a less sharp blade.

Not less pressure. No pressure, seriously. Don't apply any pressure whatsoever. It's not the sort of thing where you apply no pressure to start with and then add pressure later. You never use more pressure than the weight of the razor head.

cu3ed · 28 Feb 2013 at 21:21

Something im still learning to remind myself of, so I keep shouting it here, I could be half way through a shave and say it out loud to remind myself.

TheCenturion · 28 Feb 2013 at 21:41

Feek said:
Not less pressure. No pressure, seriously. Don't apply any pressure whatsoever. It's not the sort of thing where you apply no pressure to start with and then add pressure later. You never use more pressure than the weight of the razor head.

I remember at first I put no pressure at all. Just about every stroke left hair that hadn't come been shaved.

Begbie · 28 Feb 2013 at 23:13

TheCenturion said:
I remember at first I put no pressure at all. Just about every stroke left hair that hadn't come been shaved.

Same, I need pressure to remove hairs. Well unless I go against the grain, which I only do once a week normally.

RizZy · 1 Mar 2013 at 07:01

Remember that your not trying to do it all in one go, that's the idea of multiple passes - your reducing your stubble with every pass, not blitzing it of your face in one go.

Lighters · 1 Mar 2013 at 07:48

I would like some advice as a new shaver

I very rarely need to shave, used to be once a month but now its every other week and i wanted some advice on cheap products to use. I am lucky in the fact my hair is very thin and fairly ease to shave going against the grain but I let it grow for a month and after a shave its a little spotty and stubby after shaving

Mittens · 1 Mar 2013 at 08:42

to me that says irritation. if you only need to shave once a fortnight because your stubble is so thin and fine, maybe its the cream/gel you are using ?

I use a merkur 34c and taylors of old bond street cream.you can buy a safety razor for about £23 and a tub of cream for £7, the initial outlay might seem a lot but its worth it as you get a very comfortable shave - the razors are actually sharp so unlike EG mach 3 you don't need to hack at your stubble.

[FnG]magnolia · 1 Mar 2013 at 08:47

It's rare that I would say this but if you're only shaving once every two weeks then you're probably just as well staying with a Gillette Mach 24 Pro Turbo Whizzbang and a can of cheap foam or gel than you are investing in a DE set up.

How is your skin normally? Are you spotty regardless of whether you shave?

Swarfega · 1 Mar 2013 at 21:22

Agh. Kinda annoyed. I've been using King Of Shaves moisturiser after my shaves. The stuff worked great. I only had a 50ml pot of the stuff as it came in a gift pack some 3 years ago at Christmas. I've never used it but since switching to a DE it's been pretty amazing stuff. Instant relief, no greasy residue and what I liked most of all it was fragrance free.
It's almost all out so I turned to the web but it looks like it's no longer manufactured. Pretty damned gutted.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/king-of-shaves-spf8-facial-moisturiser-581879

This is the stuff here. I guess the deal here (3 years ago) was possibly retailers putting it on sale to get rid of the last of the stuff.

Can anyone recommend a replacement? I am yet to find something that is not fragranced.

RoboCod · 1 Mar 2013 at 23:14

"Simple" light moisturiser works for me. No perfume, no crap, simple like it says

Regy53 · 2 Mar 2013 at 00:03

could somebody put a list of whats needed for a first time shaver up at all? only its a bit daunting to most of us lol

[FnG]magnolia · 2 Mar 2013 at 06:33

1. A good double edged razor. This allows the blades to do their job.
2. A good cream or soap. This provides the barrier between your face and the very sharp razor blade.
3. A shaving mug. This is optional and I don't use one.
4. A good brush. This applies the cream or soap to your face
5. Some good blades. These do the actual cutting/reduction of the stubble. I'd argue that this is the single most important factor in how good your shave is. Blades will be discarded after between 1 and 4 shaves.
6. After shave balm. This reduces the potential redness you may experience when dragging very sharp metal across your skin. Optional but recommended for most skin types.
7. Some good moisturiser. Once the skin is 'sealed' using the balm, some shavers do recommend using a moisturiser to rehydrate the skin. This is a very personal thing and your skin will tell you whether you need it or not. Optional but recommended.

I'm sure others can spec you up some actual products. My knowledge of UK available gear is a little out of date but I imagine mankind.co.uk etc are still around.

Lighters · 2 Mar 2013 at 07:04

Thanks for the info. I have good skin. I only suffer from spots after shaving and around my nose area where the weak part of my face is

spaceman · 2 Mar 2013 at 12:33

Razor: Merkur 34c HD or Edwin Jagger 89 or Muhle 89 (these are standard mild beginner razors) or maybe a vintage gillette superspeed
Blades: You want to stick with the same type for a month or so to get your technique sorted out. i'd go with Astra SP's. once you've mastered the technique, buy a sample pack to find the blade that is best for you.
Brush: a good quality badger brush, i'd buy a simpson duke 2 in best, cheaper option is a vulfix 404 or similar
Cream: Palmolive (under £2 from most supermarkets)
Soap: Palmolive shave stick (50p or less from most supermarkets)
Aftercare: a bottle of witch hazel (£2-£3 in super market or boots) some cotton wool pads to apply it. this stuff is excellent
for any Cuts/nicks: Styptic pencil (wet the end and touch any nick/cut and it will stop bleeding)

After you've tried a variety of soaps and creams you'll notice the lather from palmolive products is up there with the best of them for a fraction of the cost.