Found a great shaving routine for sensitive skin

I'd hazard a guess that I have the most sensitive facial skin anyone could ever have; shaving has always been a problem when I don't have a few days growth in between. I've tried multiple shaving routines, products and razors and nothing has worked to prevent irritation entirely. I won't go into all the products and razors I've tried.

I have finally stumbled upon a solution and surprisingly it is cheaper than most of the things I've tried. I got Proraso shaving soap and The Real Shaving Co. shave oil. I use the oil and apply the shaving soap with a brush. I'm now able to shave back to back days without irritation. I use a Mach 3 and replace the blade every 3-4 shaves.

This may seem pretty silly but unless you have really sensitive skin you don't know what its like to deal with a face that feels like it's on fire for the whole day.

Just to give you an example, I got a straight razor shave from a guy in Toronto who is lauded in many magazine and newspaper reviews as the best. He said in 30 some years he's never nicked anyone... He nicked me. (I didn't have the heart to tell him, LOL).

God do I know what you mean.

For this reason I haven't gotten a clean shave in ages. I usually just trim my facial hair.

I was thinking about trying the Art of Shaving's kit and seeing how it goes.

Originally Posted by bigboy

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I was thinking about trying the Art of Shaving's kit and seeing how it goes.
I had one of those but I prefer the combination I'm using. The Art of Shaving is cream where the stuff I'm using is soap. The oil that comes with AOS I find is too thick. The combination I'm using is about 1/4 the price or less. But do make sure to get some kind of brush to apply the soap with.

Sounds great, Proraso is a lifesaver for me too. I have skin that's very sensitive to shaving and i'm giving double-edge safety razors a shot, there's an interview with John from westcoastshaving with lots of tips/recommendations on my blog at the moment - you might want to check it out!

I don't think I'm quite as bad as you, but I do indeed have sensitive skin, the one time i treated myself to a straight razor shave it looked like my face had been attacked by a rusty bladed lawnmower.

That said, what works for me (although to be fair I almost always give it a few days between) is a long, hot shower, and shave right afterwards. I use vibrating gillete razor (name slipping my mind atm) and neutrogena shave gel and it works fairly well most of the time.

Are you using Proraso sensitive or the regular stuff? I swear by the sensitive.

Do you have an ingredient list for the Real Shave oil?

I've tried a ton of different **** so far. I personally don't like AOS shaving oil either. I want to try Pacific shave oil and Gessato. I'm using Institut Karite soap mainly right now, it is really nice and lasts a lot longer because it's triple milled.

My problem is not so much irritation, but the CUTTING. Bloody neck every time regardless of the type of razor.

Originally Posted by Cognacad

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My problem is not so much irritation, but the CUTTING. Bloody neck every time regardless of the type of razor.

What razors have you tried? Maybe it's the blades...

Originally Posted by LVoer

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I'd hazard a guess that I have the most sensitive facial skin anyone could ever have; shaving has always been a problem when I don't have a few days growth in between. I've tried multiple shaving routines, products and razors and nothing has worked to prevent irritation entirely. I won't go into all the products and razors I've tried.

I have finally stumbled upon a solution and surprisingly it is cheaper than most of the things I've tried. I got Proraso shaving soap and The Real Shaving Co. shave oil. I use the oil and apply the shaving soap with a brush. I'm now able to shave back to back days without irritation. I use a Mach 3 and replace the blade every 3-4 shaves.

This may seem pretty silly but unless you have really sensitive skin you don't know what its like to deal with a face that feels like it's on fire for the whole day.

Just to give you an example, I got a straight razor shave from a guy in Toronto who is lauded in many magazine and newspaper reviews as the best. He said in 30 some years he's never nicked anyone... He nicked me. (I didn't have the heart to tell him, LOL).

Do you, or rather, have you applied anything post-shave that has not further irritated your skin ?

Originally Posted by insomb

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What razors have you tried? Maybe it's the blades...

Tried many. I think its just the bumps on my skin (acne perhaps).

I am using Derby blades right now in a Merkur HD

Originally Posted by Cognacad

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Tried many. I think its just the bumps on my skin (acne perhaps).

I am using Derby blades right now in a Merkur HD


That might be why. Derby's absolutely murder my face in a Merkur. I know a lot of people like em' but last time I shaved with one I cut myself in three different spots and I only did one pass!

Also you might try an alum block. I keep reading about how great they are for acne and an alternative for aftershave. I'm going to get one as soon as I figure out the rest of my order.

May wanna take it easy on the oil, it could gunk up your brush. Or if you must use pre-shave oil, I've found a drop or two of regular old olive oil works just as well as anything you can buy, and really is great for the skin.

Also, if you feel like your face is on fire, go to the drugstore and get you a cheap, alcohol based aftershave splash like Aqua Velva or Skinbracer. I love them both. Don't buy the American Psycho bullshit about alcohol being bad for your face. The alcohol in aftershaves act as a delivery mechanism to get that moisture in your skin.

My face feels just as good using an alcohol based splash as any kind of balm I've used.