Hello all, brand new to this forum.
I am very new to DE shaving. I started out as a kid with an electric razor, then about five years ago switched to cartridges. Dorco Pace 3 was my razor of choice, and then once I couldn't get them directly from their warehouse anymore, briefly tried Harry's.
Harry's felt a bit harsh on my neck, and so I decided to finally try out DE. I picked up a Feather Popular (which came with two feather blades), and put together my own sample pack: Derby, Parker, 7am, Voskhod, Rapira, Big Ben, all three Dorco options, and the Personna options (black and blue, I think).
It's been a few weeks, and I just cannot get a shave without causing massive damage. The whole right side of my neck looks like a burn victim, with the rest of my neck slowly accumulating wounds, and after shaving I'm in pain all day. So far I've tried Derby (irritates the most, but stubbornly kept using it for the "newbie friendly" reputation), Parker (actually had one great shave, then the second tore me apart), and Dorco reds (tried it today, shave was less painful, but not very close). Oh yeah, the very first was with the Feather. Face on fire for two days straight. That was before I picked up some aftershave, never used the stuff before.
My goal is to be able to shave on consecutive days if I have to, and not tear my skin off. I have sensitive skin and very thick and coarse beard. With a cartridge, I MUST allow two days off before my next shave, or else it will cause too much damage (ideally three or four). With DE so far, I've had to shave every other day because I just can't get a close shave, and it grows back in fast.
Now here's where I'll get some eye rolls: I don't want shaving to become a hobby. I'm trying it to save money, get less irritation than a cartridge (utter failure on this point), and to avoid certain companies. I'm not interested in brushes or bowls or expensive soaps or taking 20 minutes to shave. I respect it and the tradition behind it, but it's just not for me. If I can shower in five minutes, I'd better not be shaving for any more than that. My routine is this: Shower, then shave using hand-applied Barbasol aloe mixed with some water to make it slick, using two passes (across on cheeks an
Hello all, brand new to this forum.
I am very new to DE shaving. I started out as a kid with an electric razor, then about five years ago switched to cartridges. Dorco Pace 3 was my razor of choice, and then once I couldn't get them directly from their warehouse anymore, briefly tried Harry's.
Harry's felt a bit harsh on my neck, and so I decided to finally try out DE. I picked up a Feather Popular (which came with two feather blades), and put together my own sample pack: Derby, Parker, 7am, Voskhod, Rapira, Big Ben, all three Dorco options, and the Personna options (black and blue, I think).
It's been a few weeks, and I just cannot get a shave without causing massive damage. The whole right side of my neck looks like a burn victim, with the rest of my neck slowly accumulating wounds, and after shaving I'm in pain all day. So far I've tried Derby (irritates the most, but stubbornly kept using it for the "newbie friendly" reputation), Parker (actually had one great shave, then the second tore me apart), and Dorco reds (tried it today, shave was less painful, but not very close). Oh yeah, the very first was with the Feather. Face on fire for two days straight. That was before I picked up some aftershave, never used the stuff before.
My goal is to be able to shave on consecutive days if I have to, and not tear my skin off. I have sensitive skin and very thick and coarse beard. With a cartridge, I MUST allow two days off before my next shave, or else it will cause too much damage (ideally three or four). With DE so far, I've had to shave every other day because I just can't get a close shave, and it grows back in fast.
Now here's where I'll get some eye rolls: I don't want shaving to become a hobby. I'm trying it to save money, get less irritation than a cartridge (utter failure on this point), and to avoid certain companies. I'm not interested in brushes or bowls or expensive soaps or taking 20 minutes to shave. I respect it and the tradition behind it, but it's just not for me. If I can shower in five minutes, I'd better not be shaving for any more than that. My routine is this: Shower, then shave using hand-applied Barbasol aloe mixed with some water to make it slick, using two passes (across on cheeks and neck/with in the center, then against on cheeks and neck and across in the center). Finish with Thayer's witch hazel. My thinking was that two passes should produce less irritation, but I find myself going over areas again in each pass.
Do the fine folks on this forum think that upping to three passes would help or hurt my irritation problems? Are the razors I've tried generally not good for extremely stiff beards? I'm close to giving up on this, but if there are things that I can do that conform to my goals (no brush, no bowl, as few accessories and products as possible), I would love some input. I've got a few shaves left in me before I end up going back to Norelco or something . . . .
/with in the center, then against on cheeks and neck and across in the center). Finish with Thayer's witch hazel. My thinking was that two passes should produce less irritation, but I find myself going over areas again in each pass.
Do the fine folks on this forum think that upping to three passes would help or hurt my irritation problems? Are the razors I've tried generally not good for extremely stiff beards? I'm close to giving up on this, but if there are things that I can do that conform to my goals (no brush, no bowl, as few accessories and products as possible), I would love some input. I've got a few shaves left in me before I end up going back to Norelco or something . . .
