Quote:
Originally Posted by nvictor  Hello all,
I'm concerned about a problem: my shaving powder. This shaving powder.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of those blessed children whose father has taught them how to properly shave using the blade. Moreover, my skin is sensitive to blade: I got bumps whichever way I use the blade. So, the powder above attracted me a lot.... What should I do in my case? Do you know something about this product? Thanks. |
Oh my. I would not recommend that product for any significant length of time. The key is learning to shave properly, and although your father didn't teach you, there are some excellent resources, which I'll get to in a moment. First, decide what kind of shave you want to have. An electric will be quick but not particularly close. I used a Norelco-style rotary razor for 30+ years and while it wasn't particularly close (5 o' clock shadow at 1
) it was fast and didn't irritate my skin too much. The key is a light touch and circular motions.
On the other hand a blade wetshave can give you a clean, close, comfortable shave, that's friendlier to your skin, at the cost of a little more time. The problem with "modern" wetshaving products is that they go so overboard with 27-bladed razors that vibrate like a marital aid and canned goo with a gazzilion chemicals, that a lot of people get terrible irritation.
The key to getting a close, comfortable shave is going "old school" by using a razor with as few blades as possible, traditional shaving lather, and using a shave brush. Unfortunately its harder to find these products today, but its a worth-while search. Van Der Hagen (AKA Surrey brand, same stuff) is widely available in the US at places like Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid and inexpensive (look for the "Deluxe" or "Glycerin" varieties; avoid the "Select" version if possible). Williams shave mug soap is also widely available, though not as good. If you have a Crabtree & Evelyn nearby, their shaving cream and soap is excellent. "Natural" or "Organic" stores (or their sections in large supermarkets) will often have Kiss My Face Moisture Shave or Tom's of Maine shave cream, both very good.
The real key is the shaving brush. The brush mixes the soap or cream with water for a lather and both gently lifts the beard stubble and also gets rid of the debris around the stubble. Unfortunately here too there's not much that's both good and widely available. Drug stores often have small "natural bristle" (e.g. boar hair) brushes, but they're not very good and will only last a few months. Its enough to get started with but a badger hair brush will give an order of magnitude better lather.
As for a razor, the fewer blades the better. Anything beyond a Mach3 is over-kill. I use a single-bladed, adjustable safety razor (my blades cost me under $0.20 in bulk!).
When you're shaving this way, start out with a very wet (the hottest water you're comfortable with), clean face (I use the shaving soap as a facial soap, rinse, then lather up again with my hands as if I'm going to wash again). Then spin the brush onto the soap or cream for a few seconds and start applying to your face with a gently massaging motion (essentially lathering over lather). After a couple minutes you'll have a shiny, soft lather on your face, looking a little like pie mirangue. Now take the razor and shave *gently* in the direction your beard grows (the "grain"). Rinse, relather, and repeat. Rinse, relather and shave *across* the grain (90 degrees away from the direction the beard grows). Some people can then rinse, relather, and shave against the grain...but wait a couple weeks before you try that.
Rinse thoroughly then apply a bit of non-alcohol-based aftershave balm, massaging it into the face.
Some people (like me...who'da guessed
) really get into traditional shaving and it becomes an almost zen-like experience. There's an entire sub-culture at web forums like
Shave My Face and
Badger and Blade, blogs like
Leisureguy and
Kafeneo, and even a youtube
channel. Check 'em out.