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I hate to shave. I have tried every cream, gel, lotion, and aftershave imaginable. I have tried every conceivable manual razor and I have even overpaid for an electric. For me, the torture of shaving doesn't stem from the amount of time it takes in the morning or the feeling like it's a hassle. It's just that every time I try to shave, no matter the product being used, I walk away needing 20 to 30 minutes before I can touch my face again.
When I started shaving back in the late 80s I realized that I am hairy by nature. Not just hairy, but the ultra thick eyebrows accompanied by a an extremely dense and dark beard made me accept the fact that in the best of cases I would be able to shave once every 48 hours. That was back in the days of the single blade shavers and YES my beard is so tough and rough that I need to change blades after a single use.
20 years into the future, it is the era of the 5-blade razors and an artillery of shaving creams, gels and balms. Still the irritation after each shave forced me to reduce my shaving habits to once every 4 days. Thank god I can come to work casually and not need to shave that often, nevertheless I am sure that there exist people like me who work in banks or other client facing jobs and this requires a daily shave. How do they do it?
So if any of you got any suggestions for providing a smoother shave and easing the cuts and irritation I would highly appreciate it. I don't care whether it is a technique, a product or a prayer. it might help.
9 comments:
I got the same problem and 12 years of shaving experience.
Would you hire me? (just kidding)
I have actually noticed, that the more blades you add to that razor, the more irritation you get!
The old fashioned two-blader suits me best so far.
as for the technique, shave after a hot shower and never before.
Well i prefer to shave before taking my shower, it helps a lot. try it.
I forgot to mention that I can ONLY shave AFTER a hot shower. That definitely helps but not enough.
I tried everything, shaving after the shower, before the shower, in the morning, at night... nothing works. The worst is when I wear a tie!
I also have a thick beard (don't know how you measure the thickness of the eyebrows, but I also use a tooth brush to comb my eyebrows!)
I felt a lot of improvement using the five blade razor (fusion to be specific) and following those simple rules: Always shave in the morning. Before shaving, I use the pre-shave wash or the pre-shave scrub (both from gillette). After shaving, use a good alcohol-free after shave (I use shisedo! yes you gotta open your wallet wide). One more very important thing to do is to use a hydrating cream before you sleep. This keeps your face hydrated and softens your skin and hair so the shaving causes less irritation in the morning. Change your blade regularly.
This whole process I just described may make you wonder, so for clarity, I just want to confirm I am male and I was talking about shaving my beard not my legs! One last thing, let your beard rest one day a week (I do that on Sunday)
I have super sensitive skin so it took me a while to figure out what works for me.
Here is what i do.
- Shave in the morning after a hot shower.
- In the shower I use a face scrub..a cheap scrub
- The Gillette products are *very* irritating. So I use Biotherm shaving cream (expensive but works) and I use Shick disposable 3 blade razors.(4 and 5 blades stuff are very irritating). I also shave sideways .. from my ears towards my nose.
With this method, I dont even need any moisturizers or aftershaves and it leaves my skin very soft and healthy looking.
Ok, Lots of 'Metrosexuals' are reading this blog it seams.
I only use Gilette products, may be it is time to change into more serious (expensive) products. I will try that. As for the blades, I still consider the 2 blade razor to be the best (the 3 blade sucks and the 5 blades barely lasts for a single shave).
I'll try it this weekend and will let you know.
Ah, in case you wonder what a Metrosexual is:
Metrosexual is a neologism of the 2000s generally applied to heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance, and/or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically attributed to gay men (but are not gay in nature).
dont shave ... i shave once a month and or when chammas is in town !!!
...or be thankful you were born in this century not 5 centuries ago when you had to shave with a blade and soap...
stop giving this much care to your skin, it would lose it's sensitivity I guess
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