Shaving help...

just from up to down, NEVER from down to up as it will make your skin bluish/greyish & makes beard more hard & will grown like hell in long run.
 
rockinruler said:
I love it when people start such threads. Seems a tad silly initially, but there's valuable advice you wouldn't get else-wise.
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Hopefully i can set this thread right because every answer in it so far is apalling! Not to mention its already been hijacked.

harshit143 said:
Guys i have started shaving with razor and i use mach 3 for shaving. I have noticed that if i shave in both directions means first proper in one direction and then in another, the skin gets complete soft with not even nodes of hair remaining on skin.
I just wanna know that will it effect my beard structure or create some problem on my face like acne or marks?? Is it safe to do so with the razor i am using??
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Your skin getting completely soft is a sign of a close shave. I like that feeling and aim for it most of the time.

First thing you need to understand is how the grain of your beard grows. Your first stroke is always to be in the direction of that growth. There is no std direction, each person is different so you have to find how it grows all over your face. Usually its up-down but the direction might be different in the neck area.

Now, what you did is known as WTG, with-the-grain. There are two more possibilites, XTG, across-the-grain and ATG, against-the-grain.

You mention another direction, is that ATG or XTG. The sequence you want to follow is WTG->XTG->ATG. The basic principle is beard reductionand not trying to remove everything with the fewest strokes, thats a sure recipe for trouble.

If you do this then you will have very little irritation. I use a single blade razor and do 3-4 passes for few years now. I get a much closer shave than a barber could ever give me and have had zero problems.

But that is just with one blade, you are using a mach-3 that means you are dragging 3-blades across your skin twice. Thats 6-passes that too only in two blade directions. Its a lot. I would not do this regularly because it can be hard on your skin, depends how sensitive it is. Once in a while is fine and always use a sharp blade.

With a single blade i get 3-4 different blade directions with just 3-4 passes. I can get a closer shave this way then you can with your mach-3. It will take longer but i can get a smooth shave every time with minimal irritation.

Your beard direction isn't going to change, but if you stretch your skin too much there is a chance of ingrown hairs. That can be painful but tolerable, it happens sometimes but never been bad for me.

I would stick to one pass with your mach-3, make sure you replace your blades regularly so you do not shave with a blunt blade. Shaving with a blunt blade will cause more problems than it is worth and you'll get a crap shave too. If you want to make your blades last longer, always shave after the beard is soft, like after a bath. Otherwise stick a wet warm towel on your face for three minutes before you shave.

Alternatively you can drop down to a 2-blade razor if you want to do extra passes. Will be cheaper than mach-3 and few minutes longer only.
 
L33TWiZaRd said:
Use Mach4 for daily use and when i travel use a Philips Electric Shaver:D

Thinking of upgrading to Mach5, has anyone used it? How is it compared to the Mach4 or 3 for that matter.
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Come again?

Mach 4 and mach 5 :eek:

Where do you get that from?

i thought after mach 3 , fusion came and thats it !and even fusion is a rarity in india!

Even i have to shave everyday :( Stupid college :(!

Just found this video :D

I'm Not responsible for your jeans nor the Razor :D
 
blr_p said:
Your skin getting completely soft is a sign of a close shave. I like that feeling and aim for it most of the time.

First thing you need to understand is how the grain of your beard grows. Your first stroke is always to be in the direction of that growth. There is no std direction, each person is different so you have to find how it grows all over your face. Usually its up-down but the direction might be different in the neck area.

Now, what you did is known as WTG, with-the-grain. There are two more possibilites, XTG, across-the-grain and ATG, against-the-grain.

You mention another direction, is that ATG or XTG. The sequence you want to follow is WTG->XTG->ATG. The basic principle is beard reductionand not trying to remove everything with the fewest strokes, thats a sure recipe for trouble.

If you do this then you will have very little irritation. I use a single blade razor and do 3-4 passes for few years now. I get a much closer shave than a barber could ever give me and have had zero problems.

But that is just with one blade, you are using a mach-3 that means you are dragging 3-blades across your skin twice. Thats 6-passes that too only in two blade directions. Its a lot. I would not do this regularly because it can be hard on your skin, depends how sensitive it is. Once in a while is fine and always use a sharp blade.

With a single blade i get 3-4 different blade directions with just 3-4 passes. I can get a closer shave this way then you can with your mach-3. It will take longer but i can get a smooth shave every time with minimal irritation.

Your beard direction isn't going to change, but if you stretch your skin too much there is a chance of ingrown hairs. That can be painful but tolerable, it happens sometimes but never been bad for me.

I would stick to one pass with your mach-3, make sure you replace your blades regularly so you do not shave with a blunt blade. Shaving with a blunt blade will cause more problems than it is worth and you'll get a crap shave too. If you want to make your blades last longer, always shave after the beard is soft, like after a bath. Otherwise stick a wet warm towel on your face for three minutes before you shave.

Alternatively you can drop down to a 2-blade razor if you want to do extra passes. Will be cheaper than mach-3 and few minutes longer only.
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Replace a few key words and this can be used as a guide for a far more enjoyable activity :p
 
^^ Yeah , there is!

It gives a much more smoother shave than the mach 3! I usually have to take 2 rounds on mach 3 to get the desired shave, but fusion , once is enough!

i have the fusion+ with the vibration, and it does feel nice when it vibrates :D( which has a AAA battery, One lasts for along, really long time :) )

there is a blade in the back of the razor, which is rather nifty for shaping our sideburns!

but, i am not using it nowadays, because i cant find the cartridges anywhere :( and where i do, its priced at 500 for 2 :O)

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

@ Unni, Depends upon your usage and texture of your hair ! , I normally use one mach3 for around 2-3 months! after which, i start to think of possible infections :p
 
avinashwarrier said:
Even i have to shave everyday :( Stupid college :(!
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A close shave with a sharp blade and you shave once every two days ;)

avinashwarrier said:
Just found this video :D

I'm Not responsible for your jeans nor the Razor :D
Click to expand...
I don't believe it. A blade has two edges, stropping it like he does only does one edge. Also i think this is a good way to spoil a blade. The blades i use come in wax paper wrappers which have a very simple instruction on them 'Do not wipe blade'. Thats because you will introduce microscopic imperfections to the edge in an irregular way. They're not meant to be sharpened unless you've got the right equipment which presumably would be a very fine abraisve material and then you would have to coat them with a protective material that would preserve the edge. Jeans or the palm of your hand are defnitely not appropriate substitutes for this.

A straight edge has a blade made with different metal that can be stropped on leather but not a mach-3. I think this is placebo at work. To really test it you would need to do a dbl blind test, That is another person strops one blade and not another and then hands a blade to you without you or that person knowing it was stropped. Then you make notes and see whether it made a difference, i'm betting the difference will be marginal to the point of insignficant.

If you find mach-3 blades to be too expensive then drop down to a single blade or dbl edge. Top of the range 5-pack of gillette black platinums works out to Rs.40.Thats about month's use for me. You pay double that for just one mach-3 blade, usually if you shave every day you're supposed to replace these multi-blades after a month. But most ppl push them to 2-3 months. The same blade for 2-3 months, its not a wonder you have to shave everyday because you don't notice that your shave gets progressively worse over 2 months, you were getting a crap shave without even realising it.

What do you expect guys !!

There are a cpl of points i forgot to add in my previous post. If you want a close shave ie extra passes and are using these 3-4-5 blade contraptions make sure you always use gel and not the regular foam or tube creams. The foam has lubricants that help the multi-blades glide over whereas the foam does not and isn't meant to be used with them.

Also after a shave like this its better not to use any alcohol based after-shave, a moisturiser will help the skin recover faster. Now i was a bit uneasy about this because i thought it would increase the chances of an infection but i've not got one so far over the years. There are two indian products you can use that do not have any alcohol which i think work very well and should last at least a year if not longer.

One is by biotique - wildgrass and the other by VLCC These won't leave any oily, sticky residue and dry quickly unlike the cheaper vaseline - total mositure.
 
^ I had come to this thread to ask just that! I haven't been able to find a non-alcohol based after shave anywhere.

Thanks for that info.

Now need a place to find that VLCC tube. :|
 
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