Really coarse stubble/Sensitive skin. Still have issues.

Ash said:
I've got sensitive skin, and my personal preference is Virtus Sensitive Shave Soap - it's a luxurious soap that doesn't just smell great, it's also formulated with skin-friendly glycerin and provides a rich, creamy lather to ensure effortless razor glide. For only £10, it's worth every penny - I get mine from https://www.uniquemen.co.uk/product/virtus-sensitive-shave-soap-100ml/ . Hope this helps ;)
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Are you just trying to drive traffic towards uniquemen.co.uk?
 
Well, had a shave about 10 mins ago.

Edwin Jagger DE89 Kelvin
Brand New Vokshod Blade
Nivea Shaving Cream
Plisson Brush

Came straight out of the shower and lathered up immediately. Made a more wet lather.

First Pass.. I really had to check I had put the blade in right. Man this blade is smooth. Went fine.

Second Pass.. smooth as silk and again went fine. So good and smooth that I thought "stuff it do the 3rd ATG"

Third Pass.. went fine. No irritation. Only 1 nick which was just me rushing.

Sat here thinking how strange it is. My face doesn't feel shaven as no burn, sting or anything.

Things I know with this combination....

The DE89 I feel isn't aggressive enough as still have stubble on my neck that I couldn't get off. I can imagine this in a Futur being brilliant. Might get a 37c and try this blade in it. The blade is amazing. Easily the smoothest blade I've used, by far. The cream still felt dry at the end of the Pass despite making it shiny and wetter. I'm probably about 80% BBS which I'm happy with until I get better at it.

Matt
 
Top job!

80% BBS is more than fine, it'll grow back by tomorrow anyhow.

Stick with that combo for a while, take your time, your technique will improve (beard map & no pressure). Don't get disheartened over the odd below par shave, we all get them.

In a few weeks (if that) you'll have cracked it.
& then you can concentrate on hoarding soap, blades & brushes like the rest of us!
 
Reading back through the thread, excellent advice.

Retrospectively I was a bit keen to blame the tools early on.

Test lathering is a certainly not a waste of soap as I foolishly thought, it brought about a step change in my lather quality. I use my hand rather than a bowl (for the test)& feel the difference, in particular how much water the soap can hold before giving up (a lot more than I previously thought).
 
Thanks for the comments. Well, I've never been able to shave every day as just feel sore as hell. My face feels perfect this morning and certainly doesn't feel like I've shaved the day before. I'm going to shave again later and just got for a smooth no pressure shave. Not going to aim for BBS. Just going to see if I can. If so then i think this blade has a big part in it as it definitely feels the smoothest blade I've used.

Matt
 
Aside from the good advice already offered, I'll lob my tuppeny's worth into the mix with regard to blades. I'm an every two days shaver; I'm fair haired, so I can get away with it for that long. I'm also as fair skinned as my gorgeous, dear old Mum .... which makes it quite sensitive. Unfortunately, the hair I have comes straight from Dad: Thick and dense ...... and the same goes for my stubble. So the last thing I want to do is spend too long going over it in order to get it off, 'cos the skin under it doesn't like it one bit.

I do prefer a medium / aggressive razor .......... Medium if the blade gap / projection and overall geomoetry are such that the razor's cutting efficiency is nailed down ........ failing that, I'll go with a decent blade gap every time and go from there. Blade choice in these kind of razors, however, is crucial ...... to say nothing of subjective....... but here's what I've found if it helps any. Feather blades in an R41: Great if I have four to six days growth, rough as arseholes if I'm on my usual shave routine. So what I look for is balance in the trade off between sharp and smooth. Feathers aren't it for me, but I'm absolutely loving the Gillette 7 O'Clock Blacks right now. I can get three or four great shaves out of one of those. Permasharps are also a good alternative, though not quite as smooth; GSBs are great for a change, too.

So there's something to try ....... go for the sharpest blade, then step back down the sharpness scale until you hit that perfect blend of sharp versus smooth that works for both your stubble and your skin. That could take a while, but at least then the only thing you need to worry about is prep and technique.
 
Thanks for the reply.

The blades I have here now are..

Astra SP
Astra SS
Derby Platinum
Lord Platinum
Feather
Voskhod
Gillette Yellow
Pol Silver
Big Ben


I might stick with Vokshod for a few weeks to see if it is the blade that is causing me the problems and then try some of the others. Going to order some shaving cream today also (Bluebeards revenge, TOBS)

Matt
 
Wishbone said:
...I do prefer a medium / aggressive razor .......... Medium if the blade gap / projection and overall geomoetry are such that the razor's cutting efficiency is nailed down ....

go for the sharpest blade, then step back down the sharpness scale until you hit that perfect blend of sharp versus smooth that works for both your stubble and your skin. That could take a while, but at least then the only thing you need to worry about is prep and technique.
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Excellent advice as we share the same doctrine. ;) I would only add that chances are almost guaranteed that if a rookie chooses a Gillette/Personna blade sampler that he will hit paydirt sooner than if he starts toying with "outlier" blades, e.g., Super-Max, Lord, Treet, etc. That's not to say that these other cos. don't make some fine blades, but rather navigating that labyrinth is best done once a shaver has everything down pat and is better equipped to make objective decisions. When I loan a neophyte DE eqpmt. to try out I include an Astra SP and a Personna Israeli blade and to the last man jack they love one or the other & they then have a benchmark to work from.
 
Well, just had a 2nd shave.

Edwin Jagger DE89 Kelvin
Vokshod Blade - 2nd use
Nivea Shaving Cream
Plisson Brush

Came straight out of the shower and lathered up immediately. Made a decent wet lather.

First Pass.. Could definitely feel the blade more now. Dont know, at this point, if thats down to my skin not having a big enough time to rest or the blade isn't as smooth.

Second Pass.. Still feels a bit more raw than the first shave.

Third Pass.. Disaster. Can feel the blade massively and it feels blunt. Face cut a few times and my skin feels sore and like I've shaved with a broken bottle.

Gutted. Obviously this blade is smooth first use only for me and blunt as hell onwards.

Matt
 
Although some swear by them, personally I wouldn't shave an ex mother in law's mustache with a Voskhod blade. Try a Gillette or Personna and forget the "gulag" blades. ;)
 
If you're obsessing on blades at the moment ... go Treet Carbon.

You may (or may not) get a LOT of shaves out of them or get one or two perfect shaves. Coarse, yet sensitive. Personal experience.

... and what's this third pass? Blow me down. Three passes? Sheesh! Nail it one, man!;)
 
mattprince said:
Well, just had a 2nd shave.

Gutted. Obviously this blade is smooth first use only for me and blunt as hell onwards.

Matt
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Hi Matt,

I'm in the same situation (sensitive skin + thick hair) I use Voskhods mainly and don't bother with a 2nd shave with the same blade any more, just not worth the weepers and irritation! I usually shave Wednesday or Thursday and again at the weekend and find an extra day between shaves give my skin chance to recover.

hope this helps

A
 
mattprince said:
Hi,

Haven't been on for a while but have been shaving throughout. Mostly a mix of cartridge razor and a few de razors and still have issues with it.

I have really, really thick and coarse stubble and sensitive skin on my neck which I think boils down to the hair growing in every way on my neck. If I do 2 passes, omitting the against the grain, I have really coarse stubble left on my neck which irritates me, so I have to do the 3 passes which is causing me irritation anyway.

I was shaving with a Merkur Futur, which I sold on due to the daily blood bath. I have a westcoastshave razor that came free with a subscription that I tried and it's not bad. First two passes go well but the third is hopeless as it just won't cut my stubble despite what blade I have and I've tried feather, Astra sp in that razor too. I also have a Muhle R41 here currently which I have tried and tried to use but it just feels raw to me. Doesn't feel that sharp, which goes against every other review I've ever read, so at a loss at which razor/blade combo to buy.

Heard good things about personna med prep so would appreciate anybody with similar issues to me at how good they are?

I was thinking of buying a Merkur Futur again as think my lack of shaving skills were mostly at fault before. Have seen the Parker Variant too which looks a good razor. Any advice really appreciated at what blade/razor you think would help.

Matt
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I have sensitive skin and various blades including the famous Feather. Way above all was Gillette silver blue.Sharp but smooth, you hardly know you are shaving. I use a Edwin Jagged razor and also a a good cream .Try a pre shave lije proraso.before shaving and also after the first pass. I reckon the blade is an underrated item.
 
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