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Steve's Journal: The Saga Continues....

GearNoir said:
Complacency is the enemy of consistency!

At least you know good shaves are possible!

And ugh those Giants this year...I remember a number of years ago the Giants fandom equated their support to pain, seems to be that way again!
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Good shaves are a real thing! I've seen them, I swear haha! I just need to stay focused and concentrate.

And the Phillies have been awful for most of my life! From the time I was born in '82 until their last World Series win, they had only been to the post season 3 times. Most of the seasons they didn't make it, they were in dead last. The only saving grace for me as a kid was watching Mike Schmidt play on a daily basis, and Macho Row with the '93 team. But there were a lot of dismal seasons in between there!
 
Glad you got to learn a few things Steve. I am with you Alum...yeah...not a fan. Some soaps have much better residual slickness than others...these are the ones that I find you can go back over your skin for some touch up. Others...not so much. The no pressure thing...I think you will find that we all struggle with at some time. Even guys who have been traditional wet shaving for years and years have issues with pressure every now and then. It's good that you remind us all.
 
I hope that you are able to get the irritation under control Steve. Have you tried a little Noxema pretreat under the lather. I have read where some have found that it helps. I used to pre-treat with Proraso or Noxema, but I really never saw a difference. Thankfully, I am not terribly prone to irritation either.
 
McVeyMac said:
I hope that you are able to get the irritation under control Steve. Have you tried a little Noxema pretreat under the lather. I have read where some have found that it helps. I used to pre-treat with Proraso or Noxema, but I really never saw a difference. Thankfully, I am not terribly prone to irritation either.
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No, I haven't tried any kind of pre shave oils or anything like that. I've heard more bad than good about them, so I've never bothered. Maybe I should look into it though...
 
SteveChuckFrank said:
No, I haven't tried any kind of pre shave oils or anything like that. I've heard more bad than good about them, so I've never bothered. Maybe I should look into it though...
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Proraso and Noxema are not an oil, they are water soluble. Proraso has a consistency very similar to Noxema cream, but costs a lot more. Try the Noxema first. WalMart has it, it is cheap, and if it helps, it will last a long time.
 
I got ya. The one thing I kept seeing about the pre shave oils being bad was the fact that they were oils. Apparently it can really affect the characteristics of your soap.

Is there a particular noxema product to look for? I'm not familiar with their stuff.
 
I use a pre-shave oil with no adverse problems. If you do decide to try one out make sure to use it very sparingly.
 
Even though you had a sub-par shave, I would still classify this as a good experience overall as it re-enforced a few concepts for you going forward. I'm always telling my junior analysts out here that it's not about not making mistakes, it's about making mistakes and learning from them so you don't repeat them. Don't worry, as was pointed out earlier, the pressure will happen again at some point! LOL.
 
Journal Entry #17

Pre Shave: Hot shower, shampoo'd beard

Shave: Fatip Grande/Astra SP, Kingsley pure badger, Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber

Post Shave: Cold rinse, witch hazel, Stirling Sharp Dressed Man AS


More of the same tonight. I probably should have let my neck heal for another day. I got some more irritation tonight, but not as bad as last night.

The GTB was definitely missed scent wise. It's been a while. I still think the WSP products perform just a hair better, but not by much.

2 things I wish would just finally click for me: Closeness and irritation free. Tonight I'm about a DFS above the jaw and CCS (without the comfortable lol) below the jaw line. Looking for that DFS (at least) all over. I also wish I could shave in the morning without needing a few hours before the irritation finally dies down enough to where it's not embarrassing.

I'd really hate to have to go back to using a cartridge razor, but in the last 5 months I've had maybe 2 or 3 shaves that have been really good. And more bad shaves than good. I suppose it's all part of the journey, but tonight my raw neck is not enjoying it!
I'll probably be taking tomorrow night off to heal.
 
SteveChuckFrank said:
Journal Entry #17

Pre Shave: Hot shower, shampoo'd beard

Shave: Fatip Grande/Astra SP, Kingsley pure badger, Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber

Post Shave: Cold rinse, witch hazel, Stirling Sharp Dressed Man AS


More of the same tonight. I probably should have let my neck heal for another day. I got some more irritation tonight, but not as bad as last night.

The GTB was definitely missed scent wise. It's been a while. I still think the WSP products perform just a hair better, but not by much.

2 things I wish would just finally click for me: Closeness and irritation free. Tonight I'm about a DFS above the jaw and CCS (without the comfortable lol) below the jaw line. Looking for that DFS (at least) all over. I also wish I could shave in the morning without needing a few hours before the irritation finally dies down enough to where it's not embarrassing.

I'd really hate to have to go back to using a cartridge razor, but in the last 5 months I've had maybe 2 or 3 shaves that have been really good. And more bad shaves than good. I suppose it's all part of the journey, but tonight my raw neck is not enjoying it!
I'll probably be taking tomorrow night off to heal.
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100% honesty here...

I rarely have a shave where there isn’t some bit of irritation somewhere; I usually know what caused it...me pushing things. I won’t pretend to know what your skin can’t or can’t handle or the level of the irritation occurring. It usually takes my irritation only an hour or two to calm down after lotions, balms, Alum, or whatever else I feel like throwing at it. Sometimes tender spots last all day though they aren’t visible, but there you have it. Just throwing that out there. You aren’t alone.

I do think it’s good that you aren’t pushing too hard for the BBS and becoming OK with a DFS/CCS. I still have a hard time stopping myself some days from pushing.
 
There are some of us that have never had an irritation free shave. I always have a little bit somewhere. Often it goes away after a few minutes. Sometimes it stays all day.

Perhaps you should consider becoming and every-other-day shaver? Maybe your skin is too sensitive to handle every day. Just something to think about.

Also, seriously go get some Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm. It really helps. Also get try the Noxema that Walt (McVeyMac) suggests. They are probably both available at the local Wally-Mart, Target, or Walgreens. I get my Nivea at Wally-Mart. Your skin might just need a bit of extra help to recover.

Part of wet shaving is proper skin conditioning. You need to pay attention to it before and after the shave. You are here to pamper your face as well as remove stubble.
 
Sorry if any of that sounds condescending, I didn't mean it that way.

It is possible that your current post-shave regimen may be exfoliating and drying your skin out too much, and possibly making things worse.
 
GearNoir said:
100% honesty here...

I rarely have a shave where there isn’t some bit of irritation somewhere; I usually know what caused it...me pushing things. I won’t pretend to know what your skin can’t or can’t handle or the level of the irritation occurring. It usually takes my irritation only an hour or two to calm down after lotions, balms, Alum, or whatever else I feel like throwing at it. Sometimes tender spots last all day though they aren’t visible, but there you have it. Just throwing that out there. You aren’t alone.

I do think it’s good that you aren’t pushing too hard for the BBS and becoming OK with a DFS/CCS. I still have a hard time stopping myself some days from pushing.
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Thanks Chris. I would agree that irritation that isn't caused by my bad technique, is caused by me pushing it past what my skin can handle. I do need to work on that!
 
dkeester said:
There are some of us that have never had an irritation free shave. I always have a little bit somewhere. Often it goes away after a few minutes. Sometimes it stays all day.

Perhaps you should consider becoming and every-other-day shaver? Maybe your skin is too sensitive to handle every day. Just something to think about.

Also, seriously go get some Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm. It really helps. Also get try the Noxema that Walt (McVeyMac) suggests. They are probably both available at the local Wally-Mart, Target, or Walgreens. I get my Nivea at Wally-Mart. Your skin might just need a bit of extra help to recover.

Part of wet shaving is proper skin conditioning. You need to pay attention to it before and after the shave. You are here to pamper your face as well as remove stubble.
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I wouldn't mind a little bit of irritation, but often times my neck looks like a pizza with all the reddness and bumps haha!

I've considered every other day but my beard is dark and thick. It's pretty noticeable when I skip a day. But I may have to do that for a little while as I hone my technique.

I do plan on grabbing some Noxema and trying that. I've seen the Nivea post shave balm (moisturizing, cooling, and sensitive skin) but haven't picked any up yet. I'll probably end up getting one of them tonight though.

And no Doug, it wasn't condescending at all. I appreciate everyone's advice. That's what this place is all about. Helping each other out. Maybe one day I'll figure it out and be able to help out another new guy haha! Thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming, God knows I need them hahaha!
 
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