#1
i have been wet shaving since january.. i have four cheap razors. weishi, wilkinsin sword,etc. i always get a minor cut or two. it occurs at the jawlinein the corner below the ear. i am a little handicapped and use only one hand. i don't think that's the problem. i want some suggestions for razors. maybe say 40 bucks max. i really enjoy this hobby, but this cut thing is a problem. i also take a blood thinner. anyway, suggest some mild razors or some technique suggestions, or both,please. thank you.
#2

That Bald Guy with the Big Beard
Bishop, CA
(This post was last modified: 04-11-2016, 03:06 PM by BadDad.)
Ive never used a Weishi or a Wilkinson Sword, but my understanding is that both are very mild razors. The issue may not be hardware...

During your next shave, slow way down, and really look at your angles in the mirror as you approach your trouble spots. Its possible that you have gotten so comfortable with the rest of your shave that a slight loss of focus is the culprit of your nicks.

Slow down, feel your angles, and really focus on your trouble areas. Concentrate of developing that proper muscle memory in that area. Recognize that this spot may never get as clean as the rest of your face, and just focus on using good technique in that area.

It may just be a matter of finding that one bad angle, or bad approach, and correcting it...

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-Chris~Head Shaver~
#3

Member
Austin, TX
BadDad makes some great points. I do have a Weishi that I use as a travel razor and not sure you will find another razor as mild.

As it sounds that you are nicking yourself in the same general area I would focus on technique as your blade angle may get tricky on your jawline. Also make sure you don't have any small "imperfections" on your skin back there that you may be nicking too.

Finally, what blades are you using? May want to opt for something with a bit less edge and get an assortment from TryABlade .

Best of luck and keep us posted!

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Kevin
#4

Member
Central Maine
I never used those razors, so I can't help with them. But if they're mild the angle required is small to get it to cut anything. Outside of that small angle it won't hurt you; you simply won't b cutting whiskers. That's what makes a mild razor. If you're getting cut your angle is right. There's another problem.

We need more information. If you're a noob, frankly I doubt that you know what you need. I don't write that as a put down, but you wouldn't go to the Dr. and tell him what's wrong with you would you? Or have an automobile problem and tell the mechanic how to do his job? If you give us information we can help you better. Too much info' is much better than too little, we know what to discard as irrelevant.

Are you new to all shaving or new to blade shaving? If the 2nd, how did you shave previously? I think I got from your post that you're new to blade shaving. If you used cart's or an electric you've been conditioned to using pressure on the skin. Those methods require pressure to be used, or pressure doesn't hurt and it gets used. Using ANY pressure with a blade razor is exactly what you don't want to do. Do you know how sharp that blade is? It's the sharpest edge that most people will ever encounter. It needs to be respected; after all, you're putting it right next to your skin and making a motion designed to cut. If you understand that the rest will come easily to you.

If you see the skin deforming inwards under the razor you're using too much pressure. It's ok to stretch as the razor passes over, but not be pushed inward. I know that's counter-intuitive to do that, but trust me, you'll get a better shave and the cuts will stop. You might get a weeper every now and then, but a weeper is nothing. The razor should just caress your skin like a light breeze. Lately I've also noticed that I have a very thin film of lather still on my skin after the passage of the razor and I use very aggressive razors. If I was using pressure the blade would be scraping the skin clean of lather.

The other thing that might help, but will yield a better shave even if it isn't a problem, is really great lather. If your lather is like yogurt in consistency it's as protective as it can get. I suggest an ultra lather. You can google it to find out what it is. But briefly it's a lather high in soap solids and not developed into the huge amount of lather that quantity of soap is capable of making. It is a lather that is ultra thick, dense, and protective. It's slightly more soap, not a huge amount more. But the real secret to an ultra lather is not developing the lather to the point of exploding. Couple that with no pressure and let us know how it works for you.

I have a buddy who was about to give up in frustration. I had been telling every time we discussed his shaving to use "no pressure". It didn't sink in for all those months. On the day he almost gave up he called me instead. He started out by saying in excitement, "When you say no pressure you really mean no pressure, don't you!??". Then commenced to telling me how he got the best shave of his life, how he'd almost given up, yada, yada. No pressure is what makes a safety razor work.

We can only guide but we can't do it for anyone. No pressure. :-)

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Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#5
Find a $10-15 Vintage Fat Handle Tech or two and give them a whirl.

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#6

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
All of these suggestions are excellent.  The only thing I might add, and this goes along with Brian's (ShadowsDad) post is just do one pass going with the grain (WTG) of your beard using no pressure.  No, this probably won't give you a close shave.  However,  if it has thinned those whiskers without cutting or nicking, especially in that trouble spot (which is problematic for many of us) then you are on the right track.  Perhaps make a second pass, again with the grain and with no pressure.  This should give you a decent shave to start off.  Once you get comfortable with that, you can move on to across the grain (XTG) and against the grain (ATG) passes.

Don't give up and let us know how you get on.  We are here to help. Happy2

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#7
I am unsure if anybody added this, but I usually have blade alignment issues with the "cheaper" razors. I would make sure that you load the blades so that you have even exposure on each side. I noticed this when I shave with the less exposed, end up pressing a bit harder and when I flip to use use the more exposed side, I end up nicking or seriously irritating my skin because I used the same pressure. Hope all those suggestions help. Technique, slow down, pressure and even blade loading. (A good protecting soap helps too)

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#8

Posting Freak
Canada
(04-11-2016, 04:05 PM)Bruce Wrote: Find a $10-15 Vintage Fat Handle Tech or two and give them a whirl.

+1 Also, focus on your angle. Good luck.
Celestino
Love, Laughter & Shaving  Heart
#9

Member
Detroit
I've found Gillette Super Speeds to be very mild. Almost impossible to cut yourself. The downside of some of these mild razors is that they lack efficiency, meaning its going to take you more passes to get a really close shave. I always do 2 passes with some touch up. Any more than that is usually asking for irritation so if a razor can't get the job done within that window, I'm not likely going to use it all that often. Once you get your technique down, I suspect that you will want to step up to a more aggressive razor.
- Jeff
#10
You did not mention what blades you are using, perhaps a milder and smoother blade might benefit you.

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