What causes irritation?

For me it's when someone just sits in the passing lane and is just too lazy to move to the right lane with a string of cars behind them......SO irritating.....

Oops,wrong irritation.....carry on.....

Sure, sure, hijack my very serious post!

Search results for the subject
https://damnfineshave.com/search.php?act...order=desc

Probably the best discussion on it that may help you

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-shaving...irritation

Yeah, I should've searched before posting. Lots of great info in both links. Thanks.

Glad you’re here my man!  Some great advise so far for sure.  Help us by explaining your routine.  How do you prep for your shave?  My experience indicates that for gents with irritation issues the preparation is most important.  What soaps are you using?  Do you find your skin very slick when you rinse?  What blades and razors do you use?  Have you spent any time “mapping” your beard growth direction or grain?  Sometimes that’ll make a big difference.  My son has issues with irritation due to his whiskers follicles “sitting up” rather than laying flat like mine.  His solution is careful prep with soap and warm water to soften the whiskers, use of very slick soaps lathered to proper hydration, a very light touch with medium aggressive razors using the sharpest blades, and eschewing any “against the grain” shaving.  Most important though has been practicing his routine.  It seems common that a fella has issues with a “spot” on his face.

Thanks. Prep: wash my face, splash warm/hot water on my face (I try to do it 10 times). I use all different kinds of soap but most often LaToja cream, Cella Bio in the tub and green Proraso cream.

Do you find your skin very slick when you rinse?

I do with La Toja stick.

Razors and blades: Mostly Razorock and Gillette vintage (Red Tip, Superspeed) razors. Merkur 34C and Muhle Twist every once in a while. Blades: Astra SP, 7 O'clock Black.

No mapping but I never go against the grain anywhere. I'm not a BBS kind of shaver. I like a close shave but my priority is not getting cuts or irritation.

I think this could be wide ranging, honestly....could be from the wrong blades, wrong type of razor, too much prep, wrong soap, wrong brush, etc., etc..

Too much pressure like Tester28  said above is a common source of irritation and too many passes is too, either as full passes or just repeated passes over the same spot in search of that perfect shave. Three passes is enough and don’t go over the same spot without reapplying lather no matter how slick it feels. I will also use the alum block in my post shave for those instances where, despite knowing better I go ahead and do all the things I just said not to do. 

As someone who has sensitive skin, it took me about five years of experimentation before I was able to achieve a super close shave with zero irritation. Even now I will occasionally get minor irritation if something is not quite right. Those with sensitive skin need to focus on several things:

1. Beard and skin preparation. Your beard needs to be clean and hydrated to make it easier to shave. I accomplish that by showering immediately before shaving.
2. You need to use a high quality soap and hydrate it properly to provide a high level of slickness, including primary slickness and residual slickness. That minimizes the friction between your razor and your skin. The lather also needs to provide a cushion of protection between your blade and your skin. Some soaps also contain ingredients to soothe, moisturize and condition your skin. If you are using the wrong shaving soap, you might not get a great shave.
3. You need the right razor combined with the right blade for your beard and skin. If your blade is not sharp enough to cleanly sever your beard or the blade feels rough on your skin, you will get irritation. Different blades tend to work best in different razors. If you have multiple razors, the same blade might not be optimal for each of them.
4. Finally, your technique  has to be excellent;  that means shaving with the correct shave angle and minimal shave pressure. Every razor has a shave angle that works best. I suggest trying to shave "off the cap" to achieve a lower blade angle to see if that helps with the irritation. Some people like shaving with a steep blade angle, but I find a shallow blade angle cuts better with less irritation.If your blade is not sharp enough, many shavers attempt to compensate by increasing the pressure. That just increases irritation.  If the blade is not cutting, replace it with a new blade. If the new blade is not cutting, try sharper blades.

I will send you a PM with more details.

Thanks Ray. Great info. The below really hits home:

the correct shave angle and minimal shave pressure

Some people like shaving with a steep blade angle

^ That's me. I ride the safety bar. I'm super cautious in irritation-prone areas and I think that may be part of the problem because the razor is so steep it doesn't cut well and I have to re-lather and shave those areas again. The first pass feels really scrapey.

I suggest trying to shave "off the cap"

I've ridden the cap too. I've always felt it shaved too close. I'll re-visit it.



Will check the PM.

Too much pressure like Tester28  said above is a common sourcing irritation and too many passes is too, either as full passes or just repeated passes over the same spoon search of that perfect shave. Three passes is enough and don’t go over the same spot without reapplying lather no matter how slick it feels. I will also use the alum block in my post shave for this instances where, despite knowing better I go ahead and do all the things I just said not to do. 

Thanks.

don’t go over the same spot without reapplying lather no matter how slick it feels.

^ I try not to, but sometimes I'm in a hurry and well, I don't.

despite knowing better I go ahead and do all the things I just said not to do.

^ Ha ha. Well, you better read your own advice before every shave.

Glad you’re here my man!  Some great advise so far for sure.  Help us by explaining your routine.  How do you prep for your shave?  My experience indicates that for gents with irritation issues the preparation is most important.  What soaps are you using?  Do you find your skin very slick when you rinse?  What blades and razors do you use?  Have you spent any time “mapping” your beard growth direction or grain?  Sometimes that’ll make a big difference.  My son has issues with irritation due to his whiskers follicles “sitting up” rather than laying flat like mine.  His solution is careful prep with soap and warm water to soften the whiskers, use of very slick soaps lathered to proper hydration, a very light touch with medium aggressive razors using the sharpest blades, and eschewing any “against the grain” shaving.  Most important though has been practicing his routine.  It seems common that a fella has issues with a “spot” on his face.

Thanks. Prep: wash my face, splash warm/hot water on my face (I try to do it 10 times). I use all different kinds of soap but most often LaToja cream, Cella Bio in the tub and green Proraso cream.

Do you find your skin very slick when you rinse?

I do with La Toja stick.

Razors and blades: Mostly Razorock and Gillette vintage (Red Tip, Superspeed) razors. Merkur 34C and Muhle Twist every once in a while. Blades: Astra SP, 7 O'clock Black.

No mapping but I never go against the grain anywhere. I'm not a BBS kind of shaver. I like a close shave but my priority is not getting cuts or irritation.

Reduce pressure by half and try rinsing the razor under cold water instead of hot water. Take cold razor to the face. You can rinse your face with warm water between lather passes but try a cold razor.

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