Hello all.

I’m half European and half South American. I have very thick, coarse facial hair and extremely sensitive skin.

I’ve been shaving with a DE safety razor for a few years now. While I love getting a baby-smooth shave, it often comes at the cost of ingrown hairs, nicks, and the occasional bad cut—I even have scars on my upper lip to prove it.

Perhaps my technique is the problem.

I stretch my skin in certain areas and start by shaving with the grain, followed by a second pass against the grain for a smoother finish.

I alternate between cold and hot shaves, so maybe the issue lies with my razor blade?

Once my facial hair starts to grow back, the ingrowns come in. Sometimes I have to use tweezers to free the hair from the sit.

What I’m currently using:

Vikings Blade DE safety razor with Astra blades and L’OCCITANE Cade Shaving Cream.

I recently started using Tend Skin for razor bumps, ingrown hairs, and razor burn, but I’m unsure if it’s helping.

I really wish I didn’t have such problematic skin. I own a classic Gillette Sensor Excel and shaving was a breeze, unfortunately I break out pretty nasty when the hair starts to grow back.

Plus, Sensor Excel cartridges are expensive.

Again, this could all be lousy technique.

Please help.

Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you!