I’m white(according to Hakim, I am a POC because I’m half Irish, half-Russian lol jk), pasty white. So that means when I’m in the sun, which happens quite a lot since I do manual labor outside, I burn not only quickly but harshly too. A few weeks ago I decided to suntan and used sunspray instead of lotion, the spray was so inconsistent and concentrated only in the center of the spray, so I have large swaths and splotches of sunburn. Worse things have happened but it sucks. It looks like I had a red body that someone spray painted white in a few seconds lol. So that point aside, I’ve been trying to take better care of my skin, and I figured I’d ask y’all since I trust you to not just try selling me expensive skincare products and stuff lol. I currently just use some facial wipes to prevent acne (idk if it makes a difference, I’ve never had acne besides like a few rogue pimples) and Aloe Vera just because I heard it’s good for burns and because it sounds good for skin in general. I obviously shower but I think my soap is not really skincare, just regular soap
I use a safety razor, too. I’ve had two. One had these clips over the top to hold the blade in. That didn’t last long, maybe four months. Then I couldn’t be bothered with it and just clipped my beard for years. But I switched back about three months ago. My new one screws together at the bottom and is entirely brass (painted blue); it seems much studier. I’ve used it for a few months now with no signs of wear.
It’s worth watching some videos first and it takes a couple of weeks to get used to. Wet the face first with hot water, preferably after a shower / bath. Small strokes. Let the weight and sharpness of the blade do the work. No need to add much pressure except to keep the blade on the skin. Lots of lather with a brush. I use the cheapest shaving ‘bars’. Change the blade after 3 to 5 shaves. Three passes: down; across from inside to out; then across from outside to in. Never against the grain. Rinse with cold water. Apply an alum block. Rinse off with cold water after 20+ seconds. Pat dry. Moisturise.
I use the cheapest sensitive moisturiser, but the problem with shaving rash, etc, tends to be from the shave more than the moisturiser. All these sensitive products, to my knowledge, exist to solve a problem that only exists because of the huge market in cartridge razors, which are terrible for skin.
In fact, with hot water and a brush, I can get away with making a lather with an ordinary bar of soap with no obvious adverse effects so long as I follow up with the alum block.
I cannot use cartridge blades at all, as they ruin my face. Electric razors seem to do the same, but I never tried an expensive one.