Hi all, I'm brand new to DE shaving and new to this forum. Just looking for some advice. So I had my second ever shave using a DE razor this morning and to be honest I'm struggling so looking for some hints and tips, do's and don't etc. Other than the shave cream, I bought my kit from Executive Shaving choosing items from their beginners range and my setup is....
Timor Closed Comb Safety Razor
Personna blades
Executive Shaving pre shave oil
Acqua Di Parma shave cream
For reference I have used Gillettes all my life and currently use the Fusion. For all the pluses and minuses with cartridges, I can safely say it gives an excellent very close shave with no nicks or cuts. So why am I changing? Just because it's an itch I have and I want to scratch it! Interested to see what shaving with a DE is like.
So the first problem I am having is that the shave really isn't close. I was under the impression that DE razors could give you a nice close shave but I am not getting it. Don't get me wrong, visibly I look clean shaven but running my hand over my face and I can feel roughness. My approach was 3 passes, first with the grain, second across the grain and third with the grain again. I'm not sure if you can go against the grain with a DE but I have never shaved this way with a cartridge so for now haven't done this. I had read not to apply pressure when shaving with a DE and to let the razor do the work, which is what I have done, but I wonder if I could be applying a little more pressure to get more closeness?
Second problem is that I am getting lots of nicks and cuts. I always expected DE's to be more risky when it comes to nicks and cuts but was surprised at how many I got considering I bought what I thought were fairly forgiving blades. Is this to be expected for a newbie and is it 'practise makes perfect'?
Finally it feels like sometimes the razor is passing over the skin, removing the lather but not taking any hairs with it. This could just be a perception thing but I'm thinking I'm not getting the angle of the head right. Cartridges are naturally angled in a way that you don't have to think about it but I wondering how exact you need to be with the 30 degree angle of blade to skin? Going down my face seems fine but I seem to be struggling going up my neck and across my face. Could blade angle be contributing to both the closeness and the cuts that I'm getting?
I am guessing that for now I need to persevere and over time the technique will get better but interested in any advice you can give!