83 replies to this topic

[real maverick]

I'll start off with my own tips to the perfect shave, avoiding irritation.

Some people experience problems with shaving such as rash, bumps and ingrown hairs, these can be greatly reduced with the right shaving techniques.

Preparation before the shave

Fill the sink with hot but not boiling water and dip your face in the water for about a minute, you can take breaks but try to ensure your face is submerged in the water for about a minute total. The hot water will soften the beard and make it easier for the blade to cut the hairs.

I use a regular shaving gel, I'd never use cleanser but some find it ok.

Gillette shaving gel is fine in my experience, I find that using cleanser doesn't offer enough protection for me, shaving gel allows the blade to glide over your face with minimal irritation. Dan Kerns recommendation of blade the Gillette sensor excel is an excellent blade, it causes the least irritation in my experience though some prefer a single blade while others prefer 3, I think it depends on the density of your stubble. Use a good amount of gel and massage it in to your beard for about 30 seconds.

Always shave with the grain of your beard

This is possibly the most important point so far, it's essential that you shave with the grain on both your face and neck NEVER SHAVE AGAINST THE GRAIN. Be extra gentle and only apply a very small amount of pressure to the blade, imagine you're shaving a balloon. Also NEVER pull your skin, this forces the hair further out and once the blade cuts through it, the hair will slip beneath surface level which can cause the hair to ingrow.

Take only one stroke on each part of your face, this will help minimise irritation and stripping your skin of essential moisture. Rinse the blade after every stroke.

Avoiding active spots

As you'll know shaving over an active spot can make it much worse, it's a good idea to shave around the spot and gently remove the hairs around it.

Post shave instructions

After shaving it's time to do the regimen as usual, however I find it's good practice to use either AHA or Sudocrem in addition to prevent any irritation the next day. AHA gentle exfoliates the pores and helps prevent ingrown hairs. Sudocrem works brilliantly at preventing infection and irritation, it's my number one choice after shaving.

If I wet shave then I do so at night, this allows me to use EXTRA moisturiser and sudocrem and I don't experience any irritation the following day.


How often should I shave?

I find shaving every 2-3 days is optimal for me, shaving every day is just too much and leaving it any longer than 3 days causes me too itch which irritates my skin. Experiment and find your own skins optimal shaving routine.

What if shaving still causes irritation?

If you've tried all of the above and can't manage to shave without causing irritation it might be a good idea for you to try a beard trimmer, this is without a doubt the least irritating way to shave in my experience and everybody who I've recommended it to has also reported zero irritation. I use a philishave 6 in 1 beard trimmer and it leaves no irritation at all. Note: Shaving with a beard trimmer will leave behind a slight stubble but that's ideal for me.

I'd love to hear your tips for a perfect shave without irritation.

[Mr. Big]

Awsome! We needed this. Thanks!

[edddyyy21]

hey i was just wondering do you really need to use aftershave? i shave with a blade because i hate the electric shavers, and when i dont use aftershave it seems the same as when i do...plus i have oily skin and i never use moistureizer as my skins oily and doesnt need extra oil....so is aftershave required?

[rodd]

i agree with almost everything you said maverick and thats pretty much exactly what i do as well. although i wouldnt bother with that sink business, it seems a bit messy and time consuming. i would recommend that people simply shave after they shower.. the warm water and steam softens the stubble better that way

[Hopeful lad]

I seem to find using electric on my cheeks is fine, but then I use gillete foam and razor for my neck. Am i werid?! haha

[MalevolentDemon]

The tips in this thread really helped me a lot in shaving with the least amount of irritation, but I should point out that shaving with the grain isn't exactly the same for everyone. You should take note of exactly how the hair grows on your face before you shave, because you could be shaving against the grain and not even know it...as I found out at the beginning of the year.

[Thanatos•]

yeh ever since I was young and did not know any better, I started shaving against the grain. If I try to shave with the grain now, only a bit of the piece of hair gets cut.. so I have no choice really, and I generally dislike having facial hair, so every 2 days it's a shave against the grain! :/. Is there any way to counter this?

[LMF]

I know, as a girl, I probably have no business in this topic area, but...

I have heard from a few of my guy friends about a shaving cream that rocks. It is $$ ($20 a pop) but they swear by it. One guy who usually has to shave before work and after (if he is going out that night) says he did not have to shave twice and he face was more smooth than ever before. Plus he said he did not need any type of aftershave.

Hey it might be worth a try and maybe less irritating to those with some break outs.

I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS AND HAVE NO FACTS TO BASE HOW IT DOES WITH BREAKOUTS.

But have we not all tried anything?

https://www.billyjea...etail.cfm?id=83

Plus the brand sounds cool! Who knows. If this helps even one of you I would be really happy.

[Intoxifornication]

Im gonna try these the next time I shave

[Brandy]

I wanted to add a link to a post by one of our members, Bruce Dickinson.
http://www.acne.org/...p;#entry2137270

[MG86]

Its all about trimming! Besides chicks dick a lil scruff, makes it looks like ya don't care too much. At least that's what the girls tell me!

[mr. m]

I bought Braun 9595 electrical shaver. It's "the first of it's kind". Really great I think. I used razor before and got breakouts after shaving. I don't get that many breakouts now.

[Heretohelp]

For me, I use an electric shaver and I:

a) DON'T push down
b) cut with the grain

That is all. No after shave moisturiser or anything like that.

I haven't experienced irritation using this method.

If I do experience irritation (which is very rarely), it is because I have cut against the grain or pushed down too hard in an effort to shave a stubborn hair.

Believe me, I have sensitive skin and I used to experience irritation because of shaving.

Hope this helps

[Joel]

Dan made a shaving video for everyone who voted yes--be sure to check it out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YOy8y2UzEO4

[vimes]

That video is amazing, I wish shaving was that easy for myself.

I've tried everything but i get major razor burn. i'm currently on accutane but before i was on it i still received terrible razor burn. I've tried: disposable razors, all those sensor excel/mach 3 etc. razors, double edged blade (old style) razors, and more recently an electric razor for sensitive skin. The electric razor that comes with an inbuilt shaving cream dispenser type thing has had the best results thus far. But i still get razor burn on my neck.

It doesn't seem to matter what moisturizer or after shave balm/cream/oil i use, or the type of shaving cream/oil/gel either. I could probably give you the nicest shave you've ever had (unless you have a terrible skin/facial hair combination as I do.

So i guess, the point of my post, is what else is there to try? Who used to get terrible irritation on their necks but figured out the big mystery?

I shower in warm water, hop out, and (more recently) put a lubricating shaving oil on, then a shaving cream, shaving with the grain etc. etc.

edit:

Heretohelp your advice is good, as that does really work. unfortunately even though i'm a english/french Caucasian ancestry, I get irritation around my neck from not shaving every 24 hours, and if i don't press down or go over parts I've done with an electric then i come up all patchy.

ok now i'm just ranting...

[Brandy]

#1 What kind of "cleanser" is he using?

He's using his own cleanser. The Acne.org cleanser.

[CoolGuy68]

#1 What kind of "cleanser" is he using?

He's using his own cleanser. The Acne.org cleanser.

I've tried that in the past, and needless to say, it did NOT work. It looks easy for him in the video, but it was a no-go for me!

[nomoacne]

I have very mild face acne (almost never), and moderate acne on back, shoulders, butt.

I just joined here, and I'd like some advice on how to schedule the regiment around shaving. DO I put it on before/after shaving, and before/after a shower? Currently, I shave in morning after taking a shower, and I put on a special shaving moisturizer after I'm done. However, if I'm going to apply the regiment immediately after shaving, then I guess the regiment moisturizer will take the place of the other one.

The way I see it, I have a couple of options and there are three things to consider: Shower, Shave, and the Regiment. The only really practical times I can do any of these is right before I go to sleep, or right after I wake up. The rest of the time, I'm running around at work. And if it takes too long, I can't do it in the morning.

Now, I prefer to shave in the morning, so the stubble won't grow overnight, and I like to look as good as possible during the times when I'm with people (instead of while sleeping!). So, can I take a shower at night, and put the regiment on my BODY after the shower and go to sleep. In the morning, I can shave and put the regiment on my FACE after shaving. Is this a good schedule? The only thing that worries me is the regiment conflicting somehow with shaving.


PS For any of you that have problems getting good shaves, I highly recommend a very different method of shaving using the Hydrolast system. It allows you to shave against the grain daily, and results in the best shaves ever. But it is very different than what you are probably used to. Do a google search, and call the "inventor" of the technique, his name is Charles before trying it out. He may sound weird, but he knows what he's talking about, and don't listen to advice given in forums (I know, hypocrite). I went through so much to finally find a way to shave against the grain every day without irritation.

[PrznKing]

I disagree with a few things. Like gels for one. They suck. Use a cream out of a jar, old-school style, lol. And use a badger brush with it. But anything out of a can really isn't worth it. It's just air and foam.

Also, using a Gillette Fusion, going against the grain is perfectly fine. But I know most people can't go against the grain with anything.

I find it easier to just shave everyday. Besides the fact that at jobs, it's pretty unprofessional to come with a scruff, it's easier on the acne.

I usually don't get irritated skin after I shave but I'm going to try what was posted. The AHA stuff.

[PrznKing]

I recently bought Anthony Logistics "The Perfect Shave Kit". I must say that I'm impressed with this product, but it is very costly ($$$)! They provide a glycolic facial cleanser, a pre-shave oil, a shave cream, and an aftershave balm. They recommend you use a regimen using the products in the order that I listed. You could probably save some cash following the same regimen using like products for less than half the money. For instance, you could use Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, regular old mineral oil, a (foaming) comparable shave cream in a tube, and follow up with Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for example. I'll keep everyone updated on how this works out, I cannot recommend using multi-blade razors or shaving against the grain (ATG). Sorry for hogging this thread so much, but I'm an expert on this topic of what-not-to-do, I've had very shaving problem imaginable. I just want to make sure everyone interested in this section strives to get an excellent, comfortable, pain-free shave, and hopefully I can be of assistance.

I've tried all those products except the aftershave. The facial cleanser is absolutely amazing I have to say, lol. The pre-shave oil is really good too but I don't see a point in it unless I'm shaving off a thick amount of hair. But everyday shaving, there's no need for an oil (for me atleast). And the shave cream, is that the silverly one?? I never liked it. It was too thick for me.