Sensitive Skin Shaver

[Sensitive_Skin]

Hi all, I'm new to these forums and decided to check them out after watching a video by Mantic59 on Youtube.

I'm 23 years old, caucasian and I suppose fairly hairy and of Jewish decent. My beard grows quite curly and the hairs don't seem to ever come out in a homogenous direction. I've been shaving since I was about 13 or so but have had horrible cuts, scrapes and rashes for the longest time. A few years ago I went to a dermatologist and he said I have folliculitis of the beard and gave me some heavy duty cortisone cream to apply to my neck.

I should mention that despite having sufficient stubble and hair to shave after one day, I am unable to shave more than every 4 days or so, otherwise my skin breaks out into a terrible rash. The worst place for me is on my neck, especially right by my jugular.


My usual routine is to get in a hot shower, apply lots of warm water to my skin, then to use a some sensitive skin shaving cream and use a Mach Fusion Blade. Recently my friend told me that using more than a single blade razor is pretty rough on the skin, so I'm definitely going to ditch the Mach blades.


Can anyone recommend to me a good and reliable safety razor and blade that would suit my skin type?


Thank you very kindly,

[bernards66]

Welcome aboard! You can't imagine how many men have come on to SMF with pretty much the same introductory post over the years. Many of them have, sooner or later, found an answer to their shaving woes if they were willing to follow some suggestions, experiment a little, and stick with it. Fact is, you don't know whether you really have 'sensitive skin' or not. Is the skin on other parts of your body easily irritated? If the answer is, "not particularly" then it's pretty certain that what you really have is a shaving problem. With that, we can probably be of some help. One thing is pretty clear; having curly whiskers you would be especially prone to ingrown hairs or razor bumps. Your friend is right, with a beard like that it would be particularly helpful to use a single bladed razor. Try experimenting with some Bics for Sensitive Skin for a bit and see how that goes. Shave only north to south and take short strokes. If you insist on canned stuff just use the original Barbasol, but start thinking about acquiring a shave brush and more traditional lathering shave cream. Getting a good clean irritation free shave is a combination of genuine quality products that are appropriate to the individual and most of all, proper technique. Shaving well is a learned skill and unfortunately, today, most men have no opportunity to learn it.....which is why you're here.
Regards,
Gordon

[CMur12]

Welcome, Sensitive_Skin!

I have sensitive skin and I never could use a Mach 3. I did fine with the twin-blade razors (Gillette Atra and Schick Tracer) and I do even better with a single blade.

Bic Sensitive disposables should be an improvement over what you are doing now. If you want to get into double-edge shaving at some point, you will need to learn to manage the blade angle, but you should adjust to it quickly. If you do have sensitive skin, you would probably be best served by a gentle razor (that doesn't shave too close) with a sharp blade. Among the gentlest shavers are a new Weishi or a vintage Gillette Tech. A vintage Gillette Super Speed should work well, also. Good blades to start with are the Crystals, also known as Israeli Personnas.

There is a thread in the Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps forum comparing brushless creams: http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39933
These would probably be a significant improvement over aerosol foams and gels.

One of our members, Paperpundit, is especially knowledgeable in the area of whiskers like yours, so hopefully he will jump in soon.

- Murray

[gil3591]

another option is an adjustable single edge razor such as the gillette slim adjustable or the merkur progress. merkur also makes a futur which is adjustable but starts out more aggressive then a progress. with the adjustable you can start mild and go from there.

[notthesharpest]

The following is really for everybody, but for people with curly hair and constant shaving difficulties it's essential:

When shaving, settle early for "good enough". Trying too hard to get a nice clean shave is the source of a lot of problems.

[bernards66]

I think that the Bic disposibles are your best bet for now. You can pick them up anywhere, they cost very little, and you won't have to concern yourself with learning about maintaining proper blade angle and so forth. This is kind of emergency intervention to start to get your skin irritation under control and become accustomed to the feel of a single fixed blade razor. If you skin problems begin to abate some and you decide to pursue this, then it will be time to consider a more...er...substantial single bladed razor. The same goes for brushes and higher quality shave creams and soaps.
Regards,
Gordon

[Sensitive_Skin]

Thank you very kindly for all the replies. I never had a father figure in the house growing up so I was told by my mother to always shave south to north (Very unfortunate)...I think I've always shaved this way and it seems that it's the only way that the hair comes "out". I suppose I should try shaving north to south and settle for the hair to be cut "off" rather than pulled "out" of the skin.

[notthesharpest]

I suppose I should try shaving north to south and settle for the hair to be cut "off" rather than pulled "out" of the skin.

That is a perfect description of exactly what you need to do. It doesn't shave quite as close, but it causes less irritation - sometimes a lot less.

If there are areas where your hair's direction is clearly different from the rest, as often happens below the jaw line, then follow the hair's path and ignore the letter of the north-to-south instuction.

If you have swirling or confusing areas where you can't decide what direction the hair is really growing, you just take your best guess and give it a try.

[jpq5]

Welcome to the addiction. You will get some great advice here. As a fellow Heeb, I had the exact same issues as you. All I can say is keep an open mind to all everyone has to offer. Once you nail down the preparation and technique , then you can narrow down which products work best for you.
Since I struggled the same as you, this is what I use and would recommend:

Merkur 38c (barber pole)

Taylor of old bond street cream (lavender)

Gillette 7'oclock sharp edge.

[gsgo]

Welcome aboard, there will be plenty of help for you here at SMF to get you through your shaving dilemma. As already suggested, start out slowly, keep it simple to start - BiC Sensitive and a good shaving cream should suffice along with a thorough prep and an easy north to south pass followed by a thorough rinse and an after shave that will provide an astringent and disinfecting for your face.

Summary - thorough prep, slow and easy, start with simple gear, full rinse and finish.

[Sensitive_Skin]

Hi all, thanks again for the suggestions.

So, I purchased some of those bic sensitive blades and decided to try and shave with them today. This was the first time I shaved in about 5 years not in the shower, so the feeling was quite a bit different.

I showered my face for 5 minutes and then put ample warm water on my face to open the pours. I then applied Nivea Sensitive Skin Shaving Cream but I could already start feeling the cream irritating my neck as there wasn't as much moisture in the room shaving over a basen versus in the shower.

I shaved my sideburns and cheeks (downwards) for the first time in my life. I didn't really see any hair coming off but the length of the hair was shortened considerably. Ocnce I got to my neck all hell broke loose and I started bleeding like crazy all over my neck. I decided to cut my loses and stop shaving my neck altogether. It looks quite awful and I've got all these bumps and little rid spots with hair all over still in my skin.

I went for a second pass on my cheeks and sideburns, this time shaving upwards and I got a really close and fine shave without irritation.

Is it possible that my hair is just more suited to shaving upwards?



Regards

[gsgo]

It's quite possible that the hair on your neck while being curly might actually be oriented upwards ( while making a downward stroke, you may have actually gone against the grain ). Take a close look in the mirror of your entire neck, use your fingers if needed to get a feel for which way your hair may grow out, it's quite common to have differing patterns of growth on your neck which will necessitate a different stroke of attack to shave.

[paperpundit]

Remember, Mr. Sensitive, nice and slow and gentle. When I use a Bic -- in fact, I used one this morning -- there is hardly any pressure, and I try to keep the head flat. If you can feel the blade, it is probably a tad bit too aggressive...

If slickness is an issue (and it might be) a little glycerin rubbed into your skin before you shave will help.

[notthesharpest]

Hi all, thanks again for the suggestions.

So, I purchased some of those bic sensitive blades and decided to try and shave with them today. This was the first time I shaved in about 5 years not in the shower, so the feeling was quite a bit different.

I showered my face for 5 minutes and then put ample warm water on my face to open the pours. I then applied Nivea Sensitive Skin Shaving Cream but I could already start feeling the cream irritating my neck as there wasn't as much moisture in the room shaving over a basen versus in the shower.

I shaved my sideburns and cheeks (downwards) for the first time in my life. I didn't really see any hair coming off but the length of the hair was shortened considerably. Ocnce I got to my neck all hell broke loose and I started bleeding like crazy all over my neck. I decided to cut my loses and stop shaving my neck altogether. It looks quite awful and I've got all these bumps and little rid spots with hair all over still in my skin.

I went for a second pass on my cheeks and sideburns, this time shaving upwards and I got a really close and fine shave without irritation.

Is it possible that my hair is just more suited to shaving upwards?



Regards

No. But what happened on your cheeks was that you shortened the hair a lot when shaving "with the grain". Then when you went back and shaved "against the grain" it was easier than usual.

My own neck has upward-growing hair, so I shave it upward first and downward after. Shaving the neck well is the more challenging part for the majority of men.

[bernards66]

The majority of the whiskers actually growing upward on your entire neck is unlikely, although more likely on the bottom third. Most likely they are growing more sideways and somewhat irregular. Get a feel for the predominant 'grain' by running your finger tips, or the back of your hand, or a plastic credit card over the area and then direct your strokes accordingly. Remember, your neck is already pretty messed up it seems, so, let it heal up a bit before you try to shave it again. And note the advice on using the Bic posted above. Don't give up, easy does it, and we'll get there eventually. Your success with the cheek area shows you that it can be done. What you were doing before; shaving upwards with a multi-blade cartridge and curly whiskers is about the worst case scenario so it's little wonder that it was a nightmare. It will take your skin a little while to recover from that trauma.
Regards,
Gordon

[Racso_MS]

First:

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Second (and here comes the rhetoric:)

Preparation, preparation, preparation...
Technique, technique, technique...
No pressure, no pressure, no pressure...
Let the razor do the work...
Take your time and pay attention to detail...
Remember, it's not a race, it's your face...

ENJOY YOUR SHAVE...

Keep your comments, opinions, questions, and suggestions coming. We don't mind at all. Let us know how you progress or regress and you will receive a response from someone, I can almost gurantee it...

[jbc]

I have heard from many men with millions of different beard types all complain that there skin was either sensitive or super-sensitive. All have tried wet shaving and found shaving nervana. What they did not realize is that its not that their skin was sensitive or super-sensitive the culprit was that cartridge blade in their hands.

[CMur12]

I have heard from many men with millions of different beard types all complain that there skin was either sensitive or super-sensitive. All have tried wet shaving and found shaving nervana. What they did not realize is that its not that their skin was sensitive or super-sensitive the culprit was that cartridge blade in their hands.

Well, there are men with sensitive skin, and I'm one of them. It's true however that many who think they have sensitive skin actually have skin abused by incompatible shaving gear and undeveloped shaving technique.

Either way, a single blade wielded with skill and good lather will help a lot. Though I have sensitive skin, my chosen tools and shaving technique have developed around this situation, and I get close, comfortable shaves. I don't use aggressive razors and I don't face lather, for a couple of examples, because both of these cause trouble with my skin.

- Murray

[Sensitive_Skin]

Thanks once again for all of the replies, I sincerely appreciate it. I took some time with a tweezer today and plucked out a handful of ingrown hairs on my neck. It was quite unpleasant but I think will prove to be worthwhile. I've spend some time today in the washroom looking at my skin under bright lights and for the first time I've actually paid attention to which direction the hair seems to grow. For the life of me I did not know until now that my neck hair grows completely sideways, and I'd ALWAYS shaved upwards, so it's no wonder that I've been cutting myself and having bad reactions.

I think I'd like to try and get a very non abrasive shaving shaving oil/lotion or cream. Can anyone recommend something without very many chemicals or fragrances? Also, it seems that using a brush would be quite advantageous for getting an even coating? I usually glob a bunch of shaving cream on my face but certain areas get a ton while others not as much.

Thanks again.

[notthesharpest]

Different types of shaving cream are made for different methods of application. Some of them absolutely require a brush; some will only work without a brush; others will work fine either way.
What kind are you using now?

Really, it's all chemicals, you can't get away from those and you shouldn't try. The trick is just choosing chemicals that do the best job with the least harm. Minimizing fragrance is fine, especially if you have had problems with it in the past.

(An evenly spread coating of shaving cream is not really important, as long as you don't miss any spots.)

Normally with somebody trying this for the first time I would recommend a boar bristle brush because you can easily get one that's both good and cheap, but I suspect that the Jewish fellows would prefer not to use products from that type of animal. So... I have a small Omega brand shaving brush with synthetic bristles. I tried it a couple of times, and though it works OK it's not my favourite. If you wish, send me a private message with your address, and the brush is yours. Frankly, though it works fine, it's not the best brush in the world. Just as frankly, it's free - and you can get a nicer brush later if you decide to continue using one. One small catch - I'm leaving for a few days and coming back some time next week, so if you want the brush you still might not get it for a little while.