Thread: Razor Burn... educate us!!

I feel a slight need to interject a little.. we've got the friction/burn relationship down.. and pre-shave routine is important. Though the beginner SR shaver may not be technically proficient enough to make use of the higher-end of edge smoothness I think it is important to emphasize that a really smoothed out shaving edge can unexpectedly result in a very close shave with minimal damage/burn to the skin. It can be surprising. And done more efficiently because it's with less strokes on the given area.

I think this may be why some people find themselves gravitating to ever "sharper" (smoother) shaving edges. To a point. I will say I've been a beginner with the J.B. Williams and had a thick, yet drier "lather" (think it must have collapsed) and achieved classic razor burn. It dried out because I was taking too long (using a str8) and was lazy with re-lathering/re-wetting. So of course everything matters and is ultimately a co-factor in the final results.

If the razor is dull and pulling think about what is happening in the interaction between the razor and your skin. That's contributing to burn. They are not unrelated. You have blade angle ideas, which is good. Some people think that doing that aggressive ATG necessitates a lower angle because slicing through those hairs at an angle may be pushing the blade into the skin, scooping the flesh. Interesting theory and difficult to watch (as it's microscopic level) but I have to admit I've imagined that exact same thing myself.

But, to the OP, please don't get too caught up in it all. Try stropping before the shower, leave it in a dry place. Even try closing more than the bathroom/shower door to limit that insidious humidity from entering your razor's room. Let the brush soak during your shower, you can even try whipping up a lather or loading the brush before shower/face-wash/prep time. You may not need to mess around with hair conditioners, etc.

It's nice that you're "into" it, but you may be overcomplicating things a bit. If you start shaving with an open razor I think an important point to begin with is limit your directions so you can limit the aggressiveness of your shave. Go slower, if you're really getting into the whole routine. The important part of the pre-shave prep for hydrating the columns of keratin growing out of your "face" and "everything" else is to wash the oil/fat off your hair, allowing the water (usually with the help of heat) and any other compounds (including what's in the pre-shave or shaving product) to work it's magic. Try to simplify what you're doing immediately before the shave, such as the pre-stropping and having at least an already soaked brush. Fiddle with extras later.

And be careful with friction other than the shaving edge. Specifically washing the residual lather off between passes as well as the end of the shave, the final wash. Of course these shaving soaps and creams do better for our skin if we get them off (the drying effect of residual glycerin left on the skin comes to mind) but being gentle is still important (skin on skin friction). As an aside, a beginner who falls in love with his own face, faceturbating away... may be interfering with the accuracy of appraising the after-shave skin irritation (particularly if that is extended to the 2nd or 3rd days after the shave).

I'm with wmac on the directions and mapping your face. Hugely important. If you're going for the whole pre-shave thing in the shower it's hardly asking too much for a little face-mapping (or beard-mapping). When I was a beginner I did some relatively aggressive shaving (by the direction of the beard growth) and eliminated almost all the hairs on the more difficult parts of my face (region+direction modified by difficult stretching). Not completely, but wowee-heck-jeewhiz can an open razor take care of hairs. It was a shave-ready straight from a member here, and it's edge was no doubt superior to my shaving ability (hit and miss).

My personal "thing", about a difficult region, is that some people have more acutely slanted columns of keratin jutting out of their face. The open razor (smiling or straight) is the ultimate adjustable razor. Next is fixed head safety razors (not just DEs), but the adjustment or modification of angle is meager compared to the open razor. The pivoting heads of the disposables/cartridges negate such shaving theoretics.

It is possible to shave very close, with far less (or no) irritation developing. The science of course is dependent on the skill/luck of the handler, but some of these razors I've used have amazed me not just during the shave but after.

There is also the matter of smoothness of the skin, without the red/pink of any burn, the next day for a daily shaver. Especially for a beginner, that may become a significant co-factor in the irritation situation of the shave. 48 hours after the last shave is still a lot better than 24 hours, it's just the nature of our skin. Maybe some people it's not a big deal for, but for plenty it is. I've recently shaved with a 4 day scruff and was quite impressed with the closeness of the shave, particularly over the difficult region. Just washed the oil off my face, hot/wet towel for adequate length of time, and shaved. I've shaved with the same straight until it does start to pull and tug. There are things I can't really do with an open razor after it dulls to a certain extent.

And after all that.......You also might want to consider cold water shaving as it gives a nice close shave and is quite soothing. Keep it primitive and simple and the blade will be elegant to you. Don't over think.

The relationship between "pulling" and razor burn is that if the blade is not sharp enough to easily cut hair then more pressure is required to shave the whiskers. That can cause razor burn.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Razor burn is caused by the friction of the razor against your skin causing the hair follicles to catch on fire. It's science.

That's pretty much my answer. It starts with a nice, sharp blade. Many mult-blade systems cause razor burn as you have multiple blades, often not sharp enough, rubbing an area of skin.

Take it a step further you've likely been shaving in the wrong directions. Many of us shave in multiple directions according to our hair growth. I have one spot on my neck that can still get irritation from time to time. I can't turn my straight razor good enough to shave this area so I end up going against the grain on the first pass unavoidably.