Shaving and Beard/Face Maintenance

$38 NIVEA FOR MEN Moisturizing Post Shave Balm 3.30 oz (Pack of 4)

nivea replenishing balm.



Before this stuff i had face herpes after every shave.

 

x2 I use the sensitive stuff.

 

Thankfully I don't have ape hair so I can shave every day with a dry razor right out of the shower and never get razor burn. With the grain first, then against it to get super close. I use the Mach3 blades (new one every 1-2 weeks depending on if the gf steals it to shave her legs). Guess I'm just lucky.

 

I've been rocking a beard of some sort or another for the past 7 years. When I was straight out of school and new to the workplace, it was frowned upon to go back and forth from beard to clean shaven where people weren't sure if you had a beard or forgot to shave for a few days. As long as it looked professional and kept-up it was ok. By that I mean keeping it tightly edged, clean shaven in the bare areas, and not too heavily stylized (chops, fu manchu etc). A rockin set of mutton chops with a 5 o'clock shadow everywhere else was out of the question. lol

 

Check out the Art of Shaving. that stuff is money! its alittle pricey but the little bottles last a long time. I got the small travel kit and it come with the badger hair brush and everything. It is by far the best stuff i have ever used. Check it out. http://www.theartofshaving.com/

 

I use a Braun series 5 electric

I get a bit of redness around my neck but its fairly gentle, and goes away pretty quick.... considering if i shave with a blade razor, i cant shave again for 4-5 days or else i will tear my neck up

It does suck when i let my stubble grow for a few days, and try to shave with the electric razor...it pulls pretty bad and pisses me off

 

There's some good info here! I always shave before the shower, I use Mach 3's and Gillette gel for shaving cream and Gillette aftershave when it gets really dry in the winter (I don't use aftershave or lotion in the summer). I tried shaving after the shower but it seems the gel shaving cream leaves a residue and causes me to break out unless I scrub really well (why I shave before the shower, it's easier). I can't shave every day, my face gets pretty raw so it's every other day for me and I rock the 5:00 shadow on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 

I'm going to give this a shot I think.

 

just use an electric? no one is going to touch your face at work so i cant see how having an extra close shave would benefit you.

 

Jesus you're ugly...

Ever consider shaving with a double edge or straight edge razor? I know a lot of people who've gone from shaving with Mac3s and Fusions and gone to Double Edges and straights with a lot less irritation.

 

I'm going to order a straight edge ant try it soon but I feel your pain I get ingrown hairs like a mug. Thankfully though I'm only in college and only have to look good on the weekends for the girls but when I do shave the best thing that I've found is Neutrogena Skin Clearing Shave Cream, you use it like a shaving cream but it doesn't lay on thick and foamy like most others I usually take a nice hot shower and let the pores open up and put this stuff on and let it sit for a minute or so then shave, in the shower. It seems to be helping the best but I still get acne and in grown hairs. Another thing I've found is if you dip your razor in rubbing alcohol or some other disinfecting liquid then that helps a lot of course washing your face with an anti-bacterial soap, ie Dial, helps also.

 

I'm 31, and unfortunately I did not figure out the following until my late twenties. I have suffered from ingrown hairs/deep cyst type acne (mild case) since I was fifteen. Everyone's face is different, but this information helped me dramatically:

-Razor shaving causes microscopic cuts in your skin, promoting the spread if infections.

-Shaving in the shower exposes these cuts to a higher dose of potentially harmful bacteria. Showers grow all kinds of microorganisms.

-Shaving in the shower opens your pores, as you mentioned, allowing for a closer shave. When your pores return to normal, there is a higher chance of irritation/ingrown hairs due to the hair being cut closer to the skin.

-All razors cut hair at an angle. The closer the shave, the higher the chance of that angle causing an ingrown hair.

-Most face washes / enhanced products (like the skin clearing shaving cream) cause more harm than good.....

Realizing that shaving was causing 90 percent of my breakouts, I adopted the following routine:

-To prevent dry skin/irritation, wash face once to twice a day with the mildest face wash I -could find. No acne "medicine."

-Only shower once a day.

-Shave with very high quality electric razors. The horizontal (foil) kind, not circular. They do not provide a super close shave (good for preventing ingrown hairs). Shaving this way does not hurt. At all.

-Use rubbing alcohol on the razor before every shave.

-Shave immediately before taking a shower.

-I use a product called MiraCell to reduce friction when I shave. It is also the first thing I put on my face when I get out of the shower. It is strange stuff....but it is moisturizing, naturally antibacterial, and has vitamin A in it. I have been using if for several years now.
Spot treat any acne/ingrown hairs with 10% benzoil peroxide.

Most importantly: I do not shave unless required for whatever I'm doing that day. If I have several days off, I'll use a beard trimmer to keep from looking homeless.

I hope this info helps someone else, it has helped me dramatically. I only wish I knew this ten years ago.

 

^All good thoughts. Thanks for posting. The alcohol on the razor might be something I adopt.

 

I used to experiment the same exact thing you described in the mustache and neck areas. It was really bad, as I would get skin irritation. Because of my lifestyle, I cannot have a mustache, other than perhaps while I am on vacation and not going to be in meeting or such.

This is what fixed it for me:

- I am now shaving in the shower. It is the last thing I do, this way the skin is hydrated.

- I am staying away from all sorts of gel type shaving creams and all the "supermcwonderful" you will not get a rash ever marketed creams. I am now just using a regular foaming type cream for sensitive skin, which just means it does not have fragrance. The Schick, Gillete and Barbasol brands all worked perfectly, and creams work, which is why barbers use them in their shops... hint hint... Make sure to let the cream be in your face for at least a minute, so it softens what you are going to shave.

- I stopped using Gillete razors. I used every single type of razor from them. 2 blades, 3 blades, 1 million blades, not powered, powered, you name it. I changed to a Schick Hydro 5 and OMG, the difference in how sharp it is is amazing. This helped a lot. Also, they are a hell of a lot cheaper.

- I turn the water hot while I am shaving and I keep cleaning the blade with the hot water, this way you are sort of sterilizing it, but most importantly, keeping it hot, which seems to make it shave easier and it is more comfortable too.

- I am now not using any after shave creams/balms as I have noticed that most of them only contributed to getting a rash, however one that always worked very well for me was the one the guys mentioned earlier. The Nivea for Sensitive skin, the white bottle. That stuff is gold. In any case, just make sure it does not have alcohol. You only want alcohol to disinfect your blades, not to put on your skin.

I shave daily or every 2 days, my rash does not exist anymore and I have pretty sensitive skin. I hope this works for you.

As a side note: Cutting with the grain is not always going to be very effective. For example, in my neck if I shave with the grain, there a lot of hairs that seem to not get cut, even if I go through them 20 times, so against the grain is needed some times. After shaving for like 10 years, my face is still soft as a baby, so I don't think there are any repercussions.

 

I had to shave on a daily basis when I was in the fire academy...me and blood became very good friends, but I had to do it because if we weren't clean shaved, we would get pushups in turn out gear and scba...or bear crawl blind folded in the middle of the desert...anyway, I found this and fuck, it's amazing...(wal mart $3-$4?) no after shave or anything...and I've also found shaving in the shower works best for me...


ps, it's more like 10 drops but it works.

 

if you're dead set against using an electric, here's a huge thread on another forum i frequent with tips on how to get the best shave.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115895021&highlight=wet+shavers

 

Not dead set against an electric, in fact, if I could find one that really worked well I'd be all over that. Problem is they are expensive and it's tough to make the leap to try one when it might suck.


And Mark, how do you use that stuff?

 

I'm going to try some of these techniques. I've been shaving since was quite young, I have very coarse, rapid growing hair. When I starting having issues with irritation I tried a few things then just gave up on shaving and started trimming and keeping a steady shadow.