Really dumb question and behavior...

Blackmass said:
My advice as a relative newbie to the DE way of shaving is as follows.

1. Watch the Nick shaves videos which I will link below. There are 16 short videos, around 2 or 3 minute's each.
This will give you the basics of what you need to know. YouTube is your friend and I advise you watch as many videos as possible before you trying your next DE shave. I'll post a few more videos later.

2. You mentioned a few times, you are in a rush when shaving. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but DE shaving is not the way to go if you are in a rush.
I'd suggest the following. Have a shave on an evening and weekends. This way you have plenty of time to get used to this way of shaving.
I've only been shaving this way for 3 months and it still takes me 20-30 minutes just to shave, that's not including a shower etc.

As someone new to this way of shaving I would say DE shaving is a luxury. The luxury of time is probably the one thing which doesn't get mentioned before you start looking into it.

I see this in a positive way. We are (as you have mentioned) constantly in a rush.
After you've watched a load of videos and got your head round this way of shaving.
I would suggest you schedule a time for your shave. Get everything laid out in front of you.
Close the bathroom door, have a hot shower and clear your mind. Take your time and enjoy having this time just for you.
I know that sounds like some new age, tree hugger rubbish but it works.

DE shaving is at its very basic level is just shaving and for most people we can get by with a cartridge razor just fine.
What 99% of folk using this way of shaving love (let's face it) is pampering ourselves and buying loads of stuff.

This way of shaving is a luxury and a ritual, enjoy it.

Click to expand...
Very well put :)
 
Sometimes a new DE shaver will assemble the razor with the baseplate upside down, and then the razor won't cut. Photo showing baseplate positions.

Also, I suggest that you read this post on blades and get a blade sampler pack—5-6 different brands is ample.
Try 3-4 brands of blades (trying them in alphabetic order is as good a way as any) and then stick with the best of those for two months so you can master technique without being distracted by blade variability.

Following the two-months sticking with one brand, I suggest that you then try one blade of a new brand once a month. If the new brand is better, switch to that as your regular brand; if it's not, then stick with your old brand. Then a month later try a blade of another new brand and make the same decision. After a year, you might return to the early rejects: with improved technique, they may turn out to be good after all.

This method means that most of the time you shave with a brand that is good for you, and that you always are comparing just two brands at a time: your regular brand and the new brand you just tried. You can stop the exploration at any time. Most will at some point encounter a brand that takes their shave to a whole new level and thus lose interest in further exploration.

Since a brand (that's) best in one razor may not be best (or even good) in another, a certain degree of exploration—trying at least 3-4 brands—is recommended for any new razor. Since you now know what a really good blade feels like (from the old razor), you know what you're looking for in the new razor.

The most common problems novices encounter are:

  1. Using too much pressure against your face. Pressure should be very light, just enough to keep the razor's head in contact with your skin as you shave.
  2. Holding the razor at a bad angle: cartridge razors work best with the handle close to the face; with DE razors, the handle is held farther from the face. Move the handle away from your face until the cutting sound and feel stops; then move the handle closer until the cutting sound and feel resumes. The optimal angle is close to that: experiment judiciously while listening to the cutting sound (clearly audible in a silent bathroom).
  3. Poor prep: use true lather (made from a shaving soap or shaving cream using a shaving brush and water). Cartridge razors have a lubricating strip which helps with canned foam or gel, but DE razors don't have that.
  4. Ignoring the grain of the beard: use this interactive diagram to map the grain of your beard. By far the most popular shave pattern is the three-pass shave: with the grain (WTG), across the grain (XTG), and finally against the grain (ATG), after the stubble's been reduced. Lather before each pass and rinse after each pass. When you rinse after the first pass, you'll feel a fair amount of stubble remaining. This does not mean that you should use more pressure. DE shaving consists of progressive stubble reduction, and the next two passes will clean it up. (Avoid shaving ATG in areas in which you tend to get in-growns: for those areas, the third pass can be XTG in the opposite direction.
Muscle memory will interfere with intentions regarding angle (and pressure as well) so at first you have to pay close attention.

Hope this helps.
 
Something definitely amiss. My first shave ever was with a DE89 with one of the complimentary feather blades and it just annihilated the hair and every tiny zit head on my face leading to a BBS shave but then about 20 secs later blood everywhere. Second and third shaves were much better though but I still found the Feather bloody ferocious though very efficient and made my skin tingle like hell. I put the feathers away and bought some Voshkod blades and they have been my go to since: smooth and efficient. I would not be without my Edwin Jagger now even though I have bought a few other DE razors now.Best advice though is as Bezoar wisely told me is to practice pressure angle using your off hand and trying to shave a bit of hair from your wrist(gently) Also buy a blade sampler pack and experiment.
 
Thought I should update the advice I gave on wrist shaving.

You need to be very careful. I got a ww2 contract tech in, and tested it on my wrists as I needed to shave them for the wrist guards I wear at work. Knicked myself and I got a neat little scar that looks like I tried to off myself. or tried to cut my hand off while cutting carrots in the kitchen.
 
Sorry!

Not as gross as it sounds though. I don't really suffer from spots at all: my complexion is good but the feather was soooo sharp it clawed through the tiniest bump on the surface. This chap on youtube calls them "microbubbles." He describes the same experience with Feathers. I will revisit them at some point when my technique improves.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom