Thread: Beginner With Sensitive Skin Seeking Straight Razor Advice

Nothing beats a great shave from a straight razor! I have sensitive skin and the key for me is to just do a good prep and keep the brush, rinse water, and soap warm in between passes.

Always go light and limit yourself to three passes or less. I use a glycerin shaving soap and that seems to do a great job.

Then I use an after shave balm for sensitive and dry skin that has no alcohol in it.

That does the trick for me.

Good Luck,

Pabster

Welcome to SRP! Anytime I read a post by someone as your's I feel I need to share my life's experience with them.

I know this sounds kind of crazy but try using Doctor Tichener's antiseptic mouth wash as an after shave. I don't know if this will work for you but I can tell you it worked a miracle for me.

About 15 years ago, a friend asked me why I never grow a beard. I told him I have to use an electic razor because any other kind of razor would give me a terrible rash on my neck area and it's too hard to keep a beard trimmed with an electric. If I tried to shave a second day in a row with anything other that an electric razor, I would break out so bad on my neck and it didn't matter what after shave I tried to use. Durring the summers, I would still break out with the electric. His response was, he had the same problem and went to see a dermotologist and...yep, you guessed it, he was told to use Dr. Tichener's as after shave. I've been using it ever since without any problems, and now, I even shave with a straight razor with no problems. Just beware, it stings like the dickens for a second or two and you will most likely feel a slight sensation in your eyes from the strong peppermint vapors. Give it a few seconds though, and your face will feel like you just walked into a freezer! The only drawback for me with using it after a str8 razor shave is my sking feels kind of dry because of so close a shave for the first hour or two. After that, my skin feels normal.

If you should decide to try it, let me know if it works. I hope it works for you the way it did me.

Once you convert to wet shaving, especially with a straight razor, you'll wonder why you used an electric for all those years. Read all you can here and ask all the questions you like; I'm sure you'll find success.

PS - I have fairly sensitive skin too and SR shaving does do wonders for the skin.

Hey everybody,

I just wanted to say thanks to you guys for all the great advice. It sounds like the straight razor is the way for me - eventually. Perhaps I am being overly-cautious, but I think I am going to start off with a DE and see how that goes. If I can get the knack of wet shaving and find at least an initial setup (soap, cremes, brush, aftershave care) that works for me and provides no irritation, then I will start using a straight. For some reason I like the idea of tackling the other aspects of wet shaving (prep, lather, after care) and being comfortable and capable with them before working with a straight (then I can focus most of my attention on my technique).

Thus, while I am not jumping in to the world of straight razor shaving just yet, I'm sure going to keep reading the forums here because you guys have really helped me out.

Thanks again,

Michael

HI MJ1619,
Like you I used an electric for many years, infact upto 34ish, I'm not 38. I would normally get some kind of irritation from the electric. Anyway, I started wet shaving (well with canned foam) because I left my electric somewhere. I have it back now, but continued to use the wet shave, although only every other day. 6 months ago, I realised the canned stuff was blocking my sink pipes, and gunk would get caught in the cartridge blade. So I got a brush and proper cream. I could then shave everyday with less irritation. I then started on DE, even less to no irritation.

I'm just waiting for my Straight shaving gear to arrive, while I know I will take a few steps back, I'm quite sure it will be better in the long run.

Long story short. Even if you use a mach 3 (shoot me down in flames) or something similar and a badger brush and decent cream, you will notice the difference. Obviously on SRP, the message is to promote shaving with straights. As you have already suggested, starting with a DE is a good start. Consider this, before DE razors, everyone used straights.

Good Luck.

Originally Posted by MJ1619

Hey everybody,

I just wanted to say thanks to you guys for all the great advice. It sounds like the straight razor is the way for me - eventually. Perhaps I am being overly-cautious, but I think I am going to start off with a DE and see how that goes. If I can get the knack of wet shaving and find at least an initial setup (soap, cremes, brush, aftershave care) that works for me and provides no irritation, then I will start using a straight. For some reason I like the idea of having tackling the other aspects of wet shaving (prep, lather, after care) and being comfortable and capable with them before working with a straight (then I can focus most of my attention on my technique).

Thus, while I am not jumping in to the world of straight razor shaving just yet, I'm sure going to keep reading the forums here because you guys have really helped me out.

Thanks again,

Michael

Why not learn that way? Once you get the hang of products that work for you, you'll only need a razor and a strop to make the plunge.

Good luck, and if anything works particularly well post an update for the other sensitive fellas.

Using a straight is something you really have to want to do.

In your case since you are looking towards a shave method to minimize irritation unless you are willing to put up with the straight learning curve all the skill sets that go along with it I would depart from the usual advice to recommend a straight. I think you are wise in going to a DE first. With good pre shave prep and good wet shave products I think you will find irritation is a thing of the past. You will need to experiment with different blades to find the right one for you.

Once you are getting great shaves then you might want to look at a straight if you have a mind to.