Thread: Tough Beard

Originally Posted by AxelH

No hard feelings (just slightly prickly)...

Nothing a little hydration won't fix

I believe that preparation can be overdone. I once prepped for so long, soaking my brush, relathering, getting into and out of the shower, that I was just too darn tired to shave. I got a pretty good workout though.

Were you by yourself?

Shhhhhh! Uh, yes I was.

Originally Posted by avilam

Ok, so I've read a very large number of posts where the writer complains of having a very thick/tough beard
....snip...
Can anyone give me any pointers/advice/things to try? Thanks in advance gentlemen.

In the end is is steel against whiskers.

If you only get one good shave out of a Mach 3 you may
find that stropping multiple times during a shave or using multiple
razors will help.

I call the multiple razor shave a "presidential shave". A lot
like when the pres. signs a bill into law and uses a
fist full of pens. I often strop two or three razors
and if one gets dull half way through a shave I rinse it clean
and pick up the second. I find that stropping
two or three at a time is easier than stopping
in the middle of a shave and stropping the razor
I am using.

Having said this I have noted that a first pass shave
followed by more lather and "time to strop" helps my
bristle spots shave better. A slow deliberate stropping
just long enough so my lather does not dry too much
(i.e. no specific count) then back to the brush to
refresh the lather and then shave... The first pass
seems to nick the whiskers and then the second lather soak
time helps improve the final shave pass.

EDIT: Yes it is possible to over prep. We have all
been swimming, hot-tubing or soaking in the bath and
found that the skin of our fingers begins to wrinkle like
a prune. You do not want to soak your skin this much
as it gets thick and keeps the shave from being close
also the skin gets soft and a sharp razor edge peels it off.

There are lots of tricks to balance softening whiskers just
right and not so much the skin. What works for you is
correct...

I've got bunch of them 3,4 and 5 haired monsters too. This what I do or don't do.
I don't condition, softens smaller whiskers in bunch too much and won't "stay together".
I do Hot water, and hot towel while makin lather, I then re wet face and lather.

Letting lather sit while stripping on linnin, re hot towel over lather while stripping on leather. Rinse and relather.
Amd must have a super sharp blade, so it cuts the trees better without seperating group. Hope it helps. I'll splash with cold water after warm rinse, then on to witch hazel. If I go with lotition "niviea" badly a pea sized amount.

Guess wirery whiskars ain't enough. but Nothin beats usin a str8!

Originally Posted by avilam

I have a very rare genetic abnormality. It's called Pili Multigemini. Basically it means that you have multiple hairs growing from a single hair folicle. It only effects approximately 400,000 people worldwide, so I'm not expecting anyone to be able to relate (but you never know). Couple this with the fact that I already have a very thick beard that grows extremely fast and is very course and...well, you get the picture.

When I used to shave with Mach 3's I could only use a cartidge once before it was dull and began to pull hair vs. cut it. My straight is much MUCH better but still not what I was expecting completely. I have 20-25 shaves under my belt and they have been pretty good. But I do find that I need to use more than what I would assume to be the just the gentlest of preasure to cut. I know my razor is/was sharp as I bought it from SRD and therefore had the master himself hone it. I also am VERY conscious of the angle of my razor. My pre-shave is pretty thorough; Hot shower, face wash, hot rinse, conditioner for 5 min +/-, hot rinse, pre-shave oil while stropping/making lather, another hot rinse and then lather and shave.

I can get pretty darn close to BBS but I do have some razor burn/discomfort after. And within a day to two I my chin starts to break out mostly due to the hair growing back in. I can't reshave for at least two days.

My post-shave consists of styptic (only if necessary - not very often), a cold water rinse, Thayers lemon-scented witch hazel and a Nivea face lotion. I wash my face and reapply face lotion twice a day on non-shaving days.

Whew...that's a lot of information. Sorry for babbeling. Can anyone give me any pointers/advice/things to try? Thanks in advance gentlemen.

I too have this condition, and an extremely fast growing, thick beard. Honestly? What made a difference for me was a full wedge grind razor. Half-hollows and especially full hollows just didn't cut it.

Supersco...you're the FIRST person I've ever spoken to that has this same condition. My dermatologist was even stumped when he first saw it. Glad to meet someone else that has this...and has found something that works.

I have a full hollow ground straight and have really been giving some thought to a wedge (a nice big one, 7/8 or 8/8 W&B would be awesome). I figured the extra heft of a blade that size would help cutting through the "underbrush"

Thanks for your suggestion.