#1

Wet Shaving Beginner
Philadelphia
Ok so I have a question for you guys. How frequently do you shave with a safety or straight razor? The first time I shaved, I think I went about 4 days or so before I shaved again, and that time I moved to 3 passes from 2 the first time. Then I went about 2 days to try and keep the stubble tamed. However this time I also did a 3 pass shave and ended up with razor burn and a few bumps which give me a few nicks. Even after I used the alum with cold water, it burned my face like crazy, but did not leave my face red. The next day at work, it felt like my face was on fire, and I had a few bumps, but no redness. Is that normal?

Either way, I think I've narrowed it down to shaving every 3 or 4 days to cut down on sensitivity and razor burn.

Any similar experiences and thoughts?

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Let the shaving begin!
#2

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
It definitely depends on the individual, skin and hair conditions, hardware and software used, and technique. I shave daily (2 passes) and have no problems.

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#3

Member
Arabian peninsula
2 to 3 pass daily... Though i get a closer shave if I skip a day.. 


Totally agree with Freddy.. Depends  big time on skin, hardware, soap, post shave.. Etc

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#4
When I first started out I shaved every other day (2 passes wtg) to cut down on irritation. As my skin got more used to the blade and my technique progressed I moved to shaving daily with (2 passes 1 wtg 1 xtg). Eventually I hope to throw an atg in there but I haven't reached that point with my skin/technique/blade yet.

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#5

Member
Central Maine
You shouldn't get razor burn. If you are you're removing too many layers of skin. Razor burn is the nerve endings being exposed and it takes time for them to die back and get covered up by skin cells again. It can be dodged if you either make a better, more protective lather, use less pressure on the razor, fewer passes, or a combination of those.

BTW, I know that bad lather will cause razor burn because the only time I ever had the condition my lather was terrible. I knew it and pressed on anyway. I paid the price for 10 or 12 hours if memory serves. The lather must be protective. What should I have done instead? Either ditched the bad lather or fixed it somehow.

But to answer your question. When I first started I'd shave every day. But today I get such a close shave that I find I only need to shave every 18 hours and after 12 hours it's almost but not quite as though I just shaved. In practice that works out to be every 2 days. I also want to stress that it's technique and gear that produces this shave, it's not the number of passes. I do the same shave every day and it's only 2 1/3 passes; once WTG, once ATG, and under the chin, left side from left to rt. Maybe a bit of blade buffing on the chin itself if its required.

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Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#6

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
I haven't shaved in over 4 months. that said though, when I do shave, usually once a week or once every 2 weeks.

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Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#7

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(07-04-2015, 06:21 PM)EMTLocksmith Wrote: Ok so I have a question for you guys. How frequently do you shave with a safety or straight razor? The first time I shaved, I think I went about 4 days or so before I shaved again, and that time I moved to 3 passes from 2 the first time. Then I went about 2 days to try and keep the stubble tamed. However this time I also did a 3 pass shave and ended up with razor burn and a few bumps which give me a few nicks. Even after I used the alum with cold water, it burned my face like crazy, but did not leave my face red. The next day at work, it felt like my face was on fire, and I had a few bumps, but no redness. Is that normal?

Either way, I think I've narrowed it down to shaving every 3 or 4 days to cut down on sensitivity and razor burn.

Any similar experiences and thoughts?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

don't force the passes. if your shave is good with 2 passes, leave it at that. some folks, like myself, do 3 passes on the cheeks and only 1 on the neck.

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Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#8
Every other day for me...

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#9
I agree with Freddy above. I think it depends on the individual. I shave every day with a safety razor (slant, closed comb, SE and DE). Sometimes I lose concentration and irritate my skin but usually I don't. It's all about taking one's time, learning the growth of the hair and getting the lather right. I usually do 2 full passes (WTG/XTG) and a touch up pass.

EMTLocksmith likes this post
#10
(07-04-2015, 06:21 PM)EMTLocksmith Wrote: Ok so I have a question for you guys. How frequently do you shave with a safety or straight razor? The first time I shaved, I think I went about 4 days or so before I shaved again, and that time I moved to 3 passes from 2 the first time. Then I went about 2 days to try and keep the stubble tamed. However this time I also did a 3 pass shave and ended up with razor burn and a few bumps which give me a few nicks. Even after I used the alum with cold water, it burned my face like crazy, but did not leave my face red. The next day at work, it felt like my face was on fire, and I had a few bumps, but no redness. Is that normal?

Either way, I think I've narrowed it down to shaving every 3 or 4 days to cut down on sensitivity and razor burn.

Any similar experiences and thoughts?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

Lately I've been shaving every day because it's something I really look forward to. I've had periods where I shaved maybe twice a week, but it's been awhile. Don DeLillo wrote a novel called "Libra," where one of the characters talks about shaving to keep up morale. I agree with that. However, you should shave only when you have to or want to. Freddy's comments are spot on. I'd also recommend shaving with cold water for the next few times. Be very alert to using a sharp blade, and NO PRESSURE. Some areas of the face are more prone to razor burn than others. You'll learn what they are on your face and learn how to work with them. Also, sometimes the alum can exacerbate the matter--my dermatologist feels it's really too harsh. I use it sometimes, but if razor burn is an issue, you might be better off with a good balm, like Nivea for Sensitive Skin, which is great and inexpensive. But I do think the main thing is a good protective lather, and no pressure with a sharp blade.

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