Well I never thought: 1.) This would be an ARFCOM forum (glad it is); 2.) I'd care enough about grooming to ask; 3.) I'd be 35 years old.

Question 1: I have very sensitive skin. I mean if the barber uses a no guard (a zero) or a 0.5, the skin around the front and back of my neck is red and irritated for the better part of a day -- I've pretty much given up being "clean shaven" ... if I have to, I'll use an electric razor the night before. I have pretty oily skin naturally, so I don't often use lotion on my face except in the summer when I know I'll be outside. Also, my skin tone is fairly dark for being white -- southern Germany, so some of the "olive" from the Roman's enslaving my ancestors (see what I did?). To dry to address this, I've had barbers use straight razors, used various shave cream from the "big box" stores, tried the three-blade razors, and of course the one-blade disposable ones. Afterward, I usually rinse with cold-lukewarm water and have tried alcohol-based aftershaves and Neutrogena post-shave lotions (all to no avail). Any suggestions? I should mention that I am in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region actually (civilian), so access to "high end" shaving products is rare; although, you never know what you'll find at some of the bigger stores.

Question 2: I prefer the 2-3 day stubble look, but my hair color is a very light brown, so being able to see 1-2 days of growth isn't easy. I don't really want to go down the route of coloring my facial hair ... Are there any other options?

Thanks in advance!