Anything that can go wrong will happen while I'm shaving...

I agree that the ATG pass might be too much. Do you skin stretch? I think that helps me.

So, I've had a lot of mildly irritating shaves recently, nothing too bad. Included with that had been a lot of tiny blood spots. This has been the real issue.

I believe my skin is getting irritated, and inflamed through the shave. As it raises up around the hair shaft, I'm more prone to nick myself. So, I tried cutting back, giving it time to heal. I'm now shaving to every third day. While I have only done two so far, it's been a lot better. So, I'm going to continue at this glacial pace and see how it works in the long run.

Not sure why I posted this other than perhaps to see if anyone else feels this is sound thinking. I could try less passes ... No atg passes... etc. However, I would absolutely hate the shave if I'm not close to BBS.

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IMO it is definitely sound thinking, but there may be other helpful things you can do.  Dave in KY's suggestion is one.  Here's another:  I had  a similar situation and happened to have an annual skin check scheduled at the same time.  The dermatologist looked over and felt around the affected area and said "You have sun damage there.  Do you use a sun block?"  "No" I weakly replied.  I mention this because with the weather getting warmer and the days getting longer, maybe - just possibly - a week's worth of sun block might help.  Regardless, if it were me, I would in the meanwhile continue your current three day strategy and/or Dave's suggestion.  You want to do everything you can to help your skin calm down.

Good luck!

I agree that the ATG pass might be too much. Do you skin stretch? I think that helps me.

The problem is, I literally can't get a close shave without it. Without the atg pass, I can feel stubble immediately. I do stretch the skin, using alum to get a good grip. I'm mindful of extra strokes, buffing, etc.

The irritation is mild, and I've always struggled with it. I have sensitive skin (red head, pale skin, freckles). In fact, I usually have to stop after the atg pass and wait, sometimes apply my AS balm, then come back for cleanup. This seems to give the skin / follicles time to relax. Otherwise, I cannot seem to get all of the hair. Odd, maybe, but it kinda makes sense in the idea that the follicles are agitated and swelling - they'd then envelop more of the hair (aka, less sticking out to chop off).

Maybe I'm just going crazy. Lol. However, if I'm going to spend all this money and 5 years (and counting), I might as well experiment and learn something about my face. Have a good day folks.

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Just another thought is if you can do a 2 pass with 1 being the atg and get the results you want. Just spitballing ideas......

Just another thought is if you can do a 2 pass with 1 being the atg and get the results you want. Just spitballing ideas......

I second this. I have had great results doing 2 passes, the last being ATG. Sure it doesn't last as long, but it feels good both during and after the shave.

I admire your "sticktoitiveness" and wish you the best!

Had a shave this evening... 3 days out from my last. It wasn't great, no bleeding, but I could feel the irritation. Stupid me tried to use a soap that I knew I didn't do well with - Stirling Island Man. The stuff smells so good, I hoped giving the extra day would allow me to use it. Nope, no such luck.

I think I might have to try out some unscented soaps, just to see how that does for me. Going to reach out to Jason and see if TRC plans to increase their unscented sample selection... Only 2 there so far. Otherwise, I'll go to Maggards or WCS.

To be continued...

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Hey Paul
I have found that sometimes if I wait too many days, the shave is rough. Two days is gives such a close shave. Rooting for you, brother!

Hey Paul
I have found that sometimes if I wait too many days, the shave is rough. Two days is gives such a close shave. Rooting for you, brother!

That could be the case. I probably need to try different soaps, less than longer time. I'm pondering giving low or no scent soaps another go. Also, see how soaps without certain ingredients ( like lanolin) work.

It's an ongoing experiment. A long one, lol. One that's kinda wearing on me, if I'm being honest. We'll see what I come up with.

Also think I need to reduce my collection. I just don't need 10 brushes and 20 soaps... Especially if some of the soaps cause issues. Time to reflect and refocus, I think.

Thanks for the support Eric!

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Used the Tallow based, unscented Zingari Man soap last night. First use of the first soap, so it's impossible to say much other than some observations for this particular shave:

It was as good as my best scented soap. What I noticed was absent was the tingling that most soaps provide, on reapply for the 2nd, etc passes. It rarely changes the shave (disappeared quickly. No inflammation to my knowledge. Etc.), but it was weird to not feel that. Otherwise, it was a good shave, just real close to what I get as a normal (good) shave day.

Next I'll probably go vegan. Trying to decide if I should try something with less ingredients (Canada) or more (Ethos)? I'll need to ponder it a bit. You know, because we need to be all sciency.

Happy Wednesday folks!

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Well last night I shaved with the Canada Soap Co sample. A good shave was had. It didn't feel as protective, but the shave was still good and smooth. Post shave felt as good, or even a bit better, than Zingari tallow. So, definitely a great soap.

All of this has me thinking back to shaving with my good scented soaps and surmising "it must be mostly lanolin". Im sure some other ingredients, including stronger scents, can cause an issue - but that's probably limited and case-by-case. I'm almost ready to blame lanolin and say problem is solved... Almost.

I'll probably try my PAA Cavendish tomorrow. Then back to the unscented thereafter with the PAA ck6 scentsless. It would be a very close comparison - with scent being the biggest difference... because, Science!

Happy Friday everyone!

(and a continued Thanks to Eric MaineYooper for providing me this great selection of samples to hopefully solve my problem shaves).

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