Anyone have any tips on shaving? Razor burn is a bitch.

[ManBearPig]

Im not new to shaving, but i still suck at it lol. my neck gets terrible razor burn and i dont know why. i currently shave with a good electric razor above my neck, because my neck hair is too stiff/hard for the electric razor (ANY razor) and go over my neck just in case, and then i go over my neck/rest of my face with a regular razor and shaving cream. then i put on aftershave, but its the kind i got with my colognes.

anyways, how can i make it so i dont get terrible razor burn? any other shaving tips/advice? whats a good aftershave that has no scent (so i can put cologne on afterwards)?

thanks

 

[NiteWulf]

I have recently discovered the joys of shaving in the shower. Hot water is your friend.

And try to find an aftershave lotion rather than an alcohol-based product

 

[Nocturnal]

I use a regular Gillette shaver. I've never gotten razor burn, ever. I guess it's partly due to me not shaving every day. I shave once every two or three weeks.

 

[GregGreen]

One thing that helped me get rid of my minor razor burn was to splash hot water on my skin first and then splashing cold water on there after I was done shaving. It has something to do with opening and closing the pores iirc. Maybe it's just me, but it almost feels like it is working when you splash the cold water afterwards

 

[George P Burdell]

1. Use a pre-shave lotion before you use your electric razor. It helps reduce razor burn.
2. Use an after-shave lotion like this instead of the alcohol based ones.

Or, you could avoid all this by shaving in the shower.

 

[Toddo97]

One more vote for shaving in the shower--get yourself a fog free mirror and you're good to go. unless you drop your razor :shocked:

 

[DaWhim]

I just got razor burned, but this is because I was too lazy to shave without shaving cream. lesson learned...

I usually pluck....

 

[The Boston Dangler]

1. electric? ha no, i'm greek. i can look like Blackbeard in a 1/2 hour if i try hard.
2. good, sharp razor. i like gillette mach 3 / mach 3 turbo. 2 uses max. unfortunately, good razors cost too damn much. i hit the entire face twice and go back for any spots that need it.
3. take a tip from the ladies, and splurge on health and beauty products, not cheapo foam. i like neutrogena and nivea stuff. there are more than enough versions to suit anyone. i notice a better shave after using a face scrub, but i use ivory soap anyway so i don't bother with the scrub.
4. aftershave is just like cologne, but with less alcohol and slightly weaker. use one or the other.

 

[Pacfanweb]

There's no such thing as a "good electric razor".

Shave with the "grain" first, then come back against it. (this is with a razor, not an electric face mulcher)

You'll get the best results that way. I used to just go against the grain to start with. It would take longer to shave completely smooth, and I'd have bumps and burns.

One day I bothered to read the directions and it said to go with the grain first, then against. Works great.

Oh, and I shave in the shower, too.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I use a regular Gillette shaver. I've never gotten razor burn, ever. I guess it's partly due to me not shaving every day. I shave once every two or three weeks.

QFT

 

[NetWareHead]

Use a straight razor. That is what worked for me. I've tried numerous electric shavers/razors and they either never shaved close or they mulched my face completely and I ended up with a rash or pimples.

With a straight razor you can adjust the blade's angle for every area of yor face so on the more sensitive areas, you can use a less aggressive angle and still shave. Far better than the locked in angle of cartridge razors. If you have a beard or other kind of facial hair, the straight razor lets you get very precise and lop off individual hairs one by one. Also with cartridge razors *(mach 3, schick quattro) they put multiple blades in the cartridge so every pass over the skin is equal to shaving over it three or four times. I think this is just a gimmick and with the sharpness of the straight, one pass is all I need to make my face smooth. I dont need multiple blades to get my level of shave. With cartridge razors I needed to shave everyday. With the straight, I can now go 2 days before a 5 oclock shadow starts to set in. There is a reason why barber shops who shave use a real razor and not cartridge razors.

There is a big learning curve...you WILL cut yourself and there is the potential to seriously slice your face open. You are shaving with what literally amounts to an extremely sharp surgical scalpel so be careful. So go slow at first and when you do cut yourself, it wont be serious. I learned by starting on the easier to shave parts of my face like my cheeks and sideburns while still using a mach3 for my neck and around my mouth. Evetually you;ll feel comfortable to hit those areas with the straight.

I use a preshave gel (http://www.classicshaving.com/...item/522960/381280.htm and also found at Targert stores). Forget about your shaving gels or creams in a can...what you need is a good WATER-based shaving cream. Hot water is what opens up your pores and penetrates the hairs to soften them up and stand them up straight. I use this one (http://www.classicshaving.com/...tem/522960/198648.htm) but you need a shaving brush and a soap container to work up a good lather and apply it. There are others on the site that can be aplied without a brush too.

Classicshaving.com has a large variety of straight razors but you also need to buy a leather strop and know how to maintain the edge. If you dont want to be bothered by this then, this is an excellent substitute (http://www.classicshaving.com/...tem/522940/190343.htm). You slide out the dull blade and replace it with a fresh one. Blades are cheap, I think a 5 pack is less than 5 dollars and most beauty supply stores carry them.

 

[mrrman]

use a blade

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: DaWhim
I just got razor burned, but this is because I was too lazy to shave without shaving cream. lesson learned...

I usually pluck....

Pluck!? How the fack can you pluck all your facial hair, unless you only grow like 15 of them.

To the OP, I use a double edge safety razor (merkur futura), with a mug soap from walgreens (contains aloe and shea butter). It's a very good combination. Better than cartridge razor, imo, because it shaves closer and is easier on the skin (once you learn how to not cut yourself). Also, the blades last longer and are cheaper.

Some people claim to be able to shave against the grain, but I suppose that's because their facial hair is flacid and weak. The stubble on my face could sand down a diamond. I shave with the grain and then across it.

edit: I just use regular ol' lotion (Vaseline Intensive Care w/ 15spf, FWIW) instead of aftershave.

 

[DaWhim]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: DaWhim
I just got razor burned, but this is because I was too lazy to shave without shaving cream. lesson learned...

I usually pluck....

Pluck!? How the fack can you pluck all your facial hair, unless you only grow like 15 of them.

To the OP, I use a double edge safety razor (merkur futura), with a mug soap from walgreens (contains aloe and shea butter). It's a very good combination. Better than cartridge razor, imo, because it shaves closer and is easier on the skin (once you learn how to not cut yourself). Also, the blades last longer and are cheaper.

Some people claim to be able to shave against the grain, but I suppose that's because their facial hair is flacid and weak. The stubble on my face could sand down a diamond. I shave with the grain and then across it.

I pluck with this. I don't grow beard, it is for mustache. I shave once or twice a month. I pluck every 4-7 days depends how long they grow.

 

[drinkmorejava]

I used a mach 3 for 4 years, in between trying other random cartridge ones that I had received for free. In the last four months of using it though, I started getting razor burn, the blades would dull rather quickly, and they just wouldn't cut well. Gillette either changed the blades or my face had just changed for whatever reason; I'm 19.

About two months ago, I bought Merkur Classic (http://www.classicshaving.com/...tem/522941/284046.htm), and use a good brush with Williams Shaving Soap (99 cents at walmart). For aftershave, you'll want to avoid anything with alcohol in it, use a lotion, not a balm. I know walmart has some good Nivea stuff that's 6 or 7 dollars, but I find that the gillete lotion is okay (no alcohol but still stings a little); they have a blue gel too which is just horrid. Anyway, I find that I get a better shave than I have ever had and my face is happy afterwards.

 

[imported_hscorpio]

Maybe try magic shaving powder.

It says "The shaving powder recommended by the national Medical Association as an effective shaving method for the relief of razor bumps in black men."

I hear a lot of women actually use this stuff downstairs instead of waxing or normal shaving.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: DaWhim

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: DaWhim
I just got razor burned, but this is because I was too lazy to shave without shaving cream. lesson learned...

I usually pluck....

Pluck!? How the fack can you pluck all your facial hair, unless you only grow like 15 of them.

To the OP, I use a double edge safety razor (merkur futura), with a mug soap from walgreens (contains aloe and shea butter). It's a very good combination. Better than cartridge razor, imo, because it shaves closer and is easier on the skin (once you learn how to not cut yourself). Also, the blades last longer and are cheaper.

Some people claim to be able to shave against the grain, but I suppose that's because their facial hair is flacid and weak. The stubble on my face could sand down a diamond. I shave with the grain and then across it.

I pluck with this. I don't grow beard, it is for mustache. I shave once or twice a month. I pluck every 4-7 days depends how long they grow.

So you pluck your mustache off entirely, or you keep it nice and neat? I gather you basically don't grow much hair then if you're only shaving once or twice a month (or you're still a teen). Oh, how I do sometimes wish that were the case for me. Shaving can be such a PITA.

Then again, at least I have full coverage. I had a roomate who could grow a mean neck-beard, yet his face was baby butt smooth.

 

[ManBearPig]

good tips, thanks guys!

 

[foghorn67]

I switched to some Italian Proraso crap that is expensive, but razor burns went away.

 

[Born2bwire]

Use the razor first and then clean up with the electric. The electric causes burn on my face from pulling on the whisker and from having to go over the same spots a number of times to get all the hairs. With the razor, it takes a few passes to get all the hairs because of the contours on my neck and the direction of the grains and more than one or two passes cause burn. What I have hit on is that I shave first with a DE so that I can control the angle and exposure of the blade. I shave first against the grain (if I shave everyday the length of the beard is not too bad to shave against it on the first pass) and then shave with the grain (my face is more sensitive after the first pass so I do the toughest shave first). I miss some on those two passes which I get with the electric. Since I've already gotten a decent shave with the razor, I only do a few passes with the electric and do not cause any irritation.

That's what works for me and I can get a very good shave everyday without too much irritation which is a lot more than I could say about when I tried using the electric exclusively or a cartridge razor like the Mach 3 or Schick Quattro.

So I recommend trying to reduce the number of passes that you do. The more you try to shave the worse it's going to get.

 

[antillean]

Originally posted by: NiteWulf
I have recently discovered the joys of shaving in the shower. Hot water is your friend.

And try to find an aftershave lotion rather than an alcohol-based product

This is true. The only solution I've found is to shave after spending a while in the shower. The hot water softens your skin. This is the only way I can get a close shave too. I used double sided tape to stick mirrors to the wall of my shower. I got pissed off when I read all the replies in the "shower or sink" thread, because everyone was saying stuff like "mirrors for the win" like they had no common sense.

 

[compnovice]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I use a regular Gillette shaver. I've never gotten razor burn, ever. I guess it's partly due to me not shaving every day. I shave once every two or three weeks.

Why don't you post your pic here.... We want to have more fun like this guy

 

[boomerang]

You could try shaving immediately after getting out of the shower. It really softens up your beard.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

shaving in the hot shower helped it quite a bit.

buying gillette Fusion razor ELIMINATED it. I'm not the only one to say this.

 

[ManBearPig]

questions:

1)What product should i use pre shave? or should i not use one?
2)How can i put a mirror in my shower? lol
3)Whats the best shaving cream/gel?
4)Anything i should do right after shaving, or should i just use aftershave?
5)Whats the best scentless aftershave?