Face Care Between Shaves

JayTrek · Post by **JayTrek** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:57 pm

Gentlemen,

I need the wisdom of the distinguished university faculty on this one...

I have been doing thus DE shaving thing with great success for several years now. One issue I have always had was being able to endure or enjoy shaving on a daily basis. I typically would skip Saturdays unless it was necessary to shave.

I normally skip a day or two in between shaves...largely because shaving that infrequently is more comfortable for me. If I try to shave on consecutive days, the second or third day is not as comfortable as the the first....nor are they as effective or as close.

Perhaps it is something in my technique or preparation. But is there something that I can do to care for my face in between shaves to make shaving on consecutive days more comfortable?

marsos52 · Post by **marsos52** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 1:37 pm

hi jason,

i'm sure you are going to get alot of difference of opinions here..
this tends to be a subject with many sides (haha) to it..

many find skipping a day gives a better and closer shave than shaving daily.. i tend to find daily shaving to work best for me..skipping a day just means more work to shave,

the more often i shave the easier it is.. as for caring for my face between shaves,, i don't to anything.. at best is to wash my face when its needed..
this has nothing to do with my beard though..

i could go on and on but this should give you how i do it
marc

jww · Post by **jww** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 1:44 pm

Jason -- I shave whenever I have the fancy to -- sometimes I go a couple of days, sometimes I shave in the evenings, sometimes I go three or four days. It's whatever takes your fancy, m'lad.

On days when I go without shaving, I usually stick my face under hot running water in the shower for a couple of minutes just 'cos it feels so good. I wouldn't fuss about it -- just do what works best for you.

Racso_MS · Post by **Racso_MS** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 7:05 pm

Jason,

Most things we do are a YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) issue. Meaning that what works for me may not work for you. If you have issues after the first shave then perhaps your technique has not been refined and you just may need a little more practice. Perhaps you are using a blade that only gives you a one time good shave and the second consecutive shave is just too harsh and instead of cutting the beard grabs and pulls explaing the problems you have with your face after the first shave. Maybe you haven't found the right razor/razor blade combo and require more experimentation to find that combination of razor/razor blade/ shaving cream/soap combo that allows for a shave on consecutive days without irritation.

Relax, take your time, experiment and just ENJOY YOUR SHAVE.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 7:28 pm

Jason, when I decide to skip a day for any number of reasons, there's nothing more to do, just forget about it, and whenever the time comes for a shave, it'll be great.

Quarterstick · Post by **Quarterstick** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:37 pm

For the purposes of disclosure, I would not consider myself to be distinguished faculty. Maybe a crossing guard? Anyway, here are my two shiny pennies.

It sounds like what you are looking for is something to help your face feel better so that you can limit general discomfort and allow you to shave more frequently. When I make mistakes, like applying too much pressure, my Witchhazel post shave routine and cleaning my face regularly really helps reduce irritation and allows me to shave comfortabely the next day.

JarmoP · Post by **JarmoP** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 9:08 pm

I usually wash my whiskers with soap in the shower before the shave. It is Mantics advice and I have followed it. Skipping a day between shaves is not bad. Those days i use electric, since it is harmless to my skin.

Cap'n CutThroat · Post by **Cap'n CutThroat** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:27 pm

Allowing the face to remain "fallow" for a day here and there seems to work well for me - Monday to Friday is the daily ritual (I've learned the added enjoyment of wet shaving, but time for the pampering is far less likely) & purely for work purposes you'll understand!

But Saturday is my day off and provides the face with a chance to rest.

Sunday is the SPECIAL day, where I go all out to obtain the BBS feel (I normally succeed in this, so it's definitely worthwhile). Starting with an extra day's growth allows me to feel the whiskers much better & judge the angle of attack! (aviation term there)

Just had the Sunday treatment then, (breaking in a new OC Tradere razor added an interesting twist), but I'm now invigorated for the coming week.

$\:D/$

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:34 pm

Can't help much.

If it's cumulative damage doing it I'd look to the razor (too aggressive), the blade, or technique. In technique either lather or pressure.

Other than that I have nothing.

What a shame! I love my daily shaves and would shave twice a day if I could justify it.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sat Aug 04, 2012 8:23 pm

Brian, you can always go ahead and lather up! I've been known to do it when I want to test out the lathering properties of a brush or a soap/cream. I just don't get to the razoring part. If the wife sees me she laughs and says "are you SHAVING again!?" I laugh too and say "nope, just testing!"

ThePossum · Post by **ThePossum** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 12:03 am

Before I can comment further, I would like to know your shaving routine. Detail how you prep, make your lather, how many passes do you use, etc.

As for technique, that is pretty simple for me. Light pressure and go slow.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:29 pm

Lately, I've skipped more days shaving than I usually do. I shave when I really want to, and when I do it that way, I enjoy it. Sometimes I grab the brushless cream and knock myself out with it for one or more days. Sort of like deciding to walk to work or to the store. Others think I've lost my mind, but I'm just having fun.

mikeny278 · Post by **mikeny278** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:55 pm

I shave everyday, but:

1) I do not shave against-the-grain everyday - this allows my skin the chance for a break. Recently I have been doing against-the-grain/across-the-grain much more often, but just depends on my mood and amount of time I have before getting out of the house for work.

2) I find that I have not mastered heavier razors, and when I use them for several days in a row, my skin begins to show mild signs of irritation at the base of my neck. I have hair growing in all kinds of different directions on my neck, so perhaps the heavier handle is much harder for me to maneuver adeptly. When I switch back to my Merkur Classic, any irritation I started showing goes away.

In regard to #2, I am not sure if it is completely technique. I found my skin does not do well with Feather blades in any razor. Perhaps my skin just does not do well with heavier razors?!? I was using the same Merkur Classic head with a Weber bulldog handle when I was recently getting irritation.

falcon43 · Post by **falcon43** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:32 pm

I shave each and every day, both my face and head. I always do three passes, the last being XTG. the only thing I will do is switch to an easier blade. Feathers will get me BBS but after a few days I do feel it. I will go to something that I know is easier on my face and head for a few days. I still get a good shave but not necessarily BBS.

JayTrek · Post by **JayTrek** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:38 pm

mikeny278 wrote:I shave everyday, but:

2) I find that I have not mastered heavier razors, and when I use them for several days in a row, my skin begins to show mild signs of irritation at the base of my neck. I have hair growing in all kinds of different directions on my neck, so perhaps the heavier handle is much harder for me to maneuver adeptly. When I switch back to my Merkur Classic, any irritation I started showing goes away.

I can certainly relate to this one. I own a Merkur Futur. Great razor. But it is on the heavy side. I love how it shaves...but if I use it more often...I am finding that I need to dial it back.

On the other hand...I also own a Merkur 23c. It is much lighter and is known as a mild to medium razor in terms of aggressiveness. it is quite good as an everyday razor for me.

So these days I use the 23c more often than I use the Futur.

HBK42581 · Post by **HBK42581** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:26 am

I usually do Thayer's Lemon WH and some Vaseline facial lotion. Very nice.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:21 pm

use a milder razor. i can shave worry free with my muhle. when i see weepers developing from the futur or other razors i go back to the muhle till the skin thickens up a bit.

Rambler · Post by **Rambler** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:37 pm

I use the same routine as when I shave except without the shave. Mine is simple though. Wash face in shower, shave (unless I skip a day), then use aftershave milk. I tried adding additional steps etc years ago, but this simple method yields the best results.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:36 pm

Pretty much what Oscar said above. I've shaved daily for years and years with no problem.....once my technique was sound AND once I had a razor, blades, lather, etc. that were more or less optimal for me. Over the years a LOT of guys have come on to these forums to post about their shave problems because of their "sensitive skin". In most cases it's turned out that there was nothing problematic about their skin; they just needed to improve their technique and/or use different equipment and products. While I'm sure that there are guys who really can't shave comfortably daily I believe that they are a fairly small minority. So perhaps consider some of the factors that Oscar suggested.
Regards,
Gordon