Thread: fifth shave and I have a question

Hi all. Well like my title says I shaved for a fifth time with my straight razor. So far so good. Only had a small cut last time I shaved but it wasn't bad at all.
My question is why does my face feels like its on fire right when I'm done shaving?
I make sure i take a nice hot shover before shave, work up nice lather, use badger brush and go slow. Razor feels sharp since i bough it shave ready and i stop it before every use. I go with the grain first which is fine but once i go against the grain and from side to side my face feels like its burning. I don't get razor burn next day but right after i'm done and I wash a face off with cold water. I skipped aftershave all together last time since it burned like hell. Also burning lasts about 5-10 min and its all good after.
I don't think that is normal and I'm wondering what am I doing wrong.
Thanks

Well... It Could Be Your Face Is Getting "Used" To Straight Razor Shaving. It Could Also Be You Are Using Too Much Pressure. SUPER LIGHT Touch Is VERY important. Angle Is Just As Important. Going ATG me Personally Have The Blade Almost FLAT To My Skin.

I Am Sure There Will Be More Experienced Members Giving You Advice Soon!

Good Luck!

Sounds like your problem is your angles. Probably you are doing good at keeping the spine close to your face when you do your wtg pass but as you go ATG and xtg you are increasing you angle which is causing the razor to scrap more then cutting the whiskers off.

It's a common issue for beginners as it is hard to keep the angle steady going ATG and xtg.

Just concentrate on those angles and you should see and improvement on the razor burn.

I experienced the same thing,pustolov. It sounds like razor burn caused from using too much pressure on the stroke. I also think those new to straight razors are not used to the degree of exfoliation involved. I think your skin will adjust. An alum block or witch hazel applied post shave will settle down the burn.

You don't have to go ATG you can go XTG on second pass and wait till your skin is used to it. Get some alcohol free thayers WH, it helps and maybe some balm till your face toughens up.

the first thing is would suggest is to not shave across the grain (xtg) or against the grain (atg) until you have more shaves with the grain (wtg). the rule of thumb around here is around 100 shaves. you probably have razor burn, and no amount of aftershave or pre-shave gunk will fix it. straight razor shaving is all about technique and understanding your face, and that takes time. take your time and only shave with the grain (wtg) for at least the next six months, after that try experimenting with across the grain (xtg) on small sections of your face, then against the grain (agt). your face will thank you, and you will be a lot happier

Less likely to be the problem (I think it is most likely just a technique issue as per all previous posters), but also a possibility, is that you may not have good stropping technique and the quality of the edge is the problem.


Mick

Thanks all for replies. I think the biggest problem I have is that beard on my neck grows from chin towards my ears. I just have a heck of a hard time positioning razor to go with the grain there. I have to go from bottom of my neck up towards my cheek. If i go all the way down I have a feeling like I'm scaling the fish since i go ATG first pass. Any recommendations what could i do about that?
I'm thinking into investing in DE razor and for now do my neck and ATG pass with that. Does that makes sense to you?

shave with the grain in the neck area. i have the same issue, my beard grows up at the bottom of my neck and then makes an abrupt turn and goes south just above my Adams apple. as long as i go with the grain in these areas, no problem.

You might need to practice your scything strokes for that angled neck growth...Or get used to the contortion of the arm and wrist that will be required to shave at that angle. Try using opposite hands/same hand side to find which woks best, and I strongly recommend getting proficient with both hands, but at the same time, as useful as that is, it isn't necessary if your willing to compromise on shave quality a little.


Mick