Hi All,
I thought I'd start a new thread in a more appropriate forum than the welcome forum as I am not so sure on how long to continue a Welcome post before it morphs into some sort of technique/shave diary.
So, from a painful and slow start at the weekend (Sat and Sun were shaves 1 and 2 with a straight) and equipped with a head full of advice from all those who replied to my welcome post (thanks all), I tackled shave number 3 this evening.
So face nicely rested, 2 days stubble on there and I was ready. Lathered up but a little more watery than usual to aid slickness, blade met face (with a little trepidation - oh i did strop before hand). To my surprise, right cheek with right hand (I'm right handed), WTG went pretty well. Lots of stretching, keeping a close eye on the blade angle (using the 2 spine widths away trick which was a lot shallower than before) and the cheek was clear pretty easily, no nicks, no fuss and a passable result.
So the tricky jaw line. I'm no chiselled jawed uber model (am am Fatbuddha after all) so the lack of sharp edges helps (I'm guessing). More stretching and even that area went pretty well - again no cuts, no nicks not too much fuss. I'm on a roll here (So i thought). What next.....top lip and goatee area me thinks.
By now I'd taken so long the lather was drying out on my face. What I thought took a couple of minutes was probably 15 minute just on the right cheek and below the jaw line and neck. But hey, its the evening, I'm learning and there's nothing on TV so relax, no rush. Quick re-app of fresh lather and I'm away. Is it just me or is it pretty scary doing your top lip for only the 3rd time? Maybe its the shape of my nose but the blade is almost at 90 degrees to get right under my septum with a (very slow I may add) scooping motion to get it to a shallower angle for lower down the lip. :icon_eek:
Lip done, chin to go. Oh, this is where the struggles begin. It's very hard even getting the right starting angle let alone tracking a smooth line following the contours of my chin. But perseverance pays off and most of the hair's gone (Its not a great have by any means but its passable from a few feet away!).
So, for those still awake at this stage (apologies readers); the left cheek....using the left hand. This is where I really struggle. I'm certainly not ambidextrous and shave DE with one hand so this feels very alien to me. I fact I wonder why I have a left hand at all its that useless. Everything is 10 times harder, the control is just not there, even trying to get the blade to start in the right place is a struggle. Its just the mirror image of the starting position on the right side I keep reminding myself. Blade swaps from one hand to another; can I place the blade at the bottom of my sidey on the RHS - yep, easy peasy. On the left, not a chance, for some reason i keep blocking my own view - what a numpty. How can this be? I've a pretty symmetrical face, eyes are in the right place, ears are level, hands the same size, sideys the same length yet I keep obstructing my own view just trying to get the blade to the right position. I still can't work out why it was so difficult. :dodgy:
So to cut a longer story a little shorter, 40 minutes later and I was done. 40 minutes!!! And thats just WTG! With only a couple of nicks (all gone with a little bloc osma and nivea sensitive balm) and a lot less razor burn than at the weekend I'm finally done. It's not a great shave but its getting there.
I'm a long, long way away from getting a BBS shave or even one close to my DE, but in my books, if something's not worth practising, it's probably not worth doing.
I think I'll rest again for a couple of days, take it slow, no need to rush.
Thanks agian all for the advice so far; it does work!
F
P.S I have to get this lark cracked as I'm already eyeing up a couple of nice razors on the internet. SRAD - must resist, must resist.....
I thought I'd start a new thread in a more appropriate forum than the welcome forum as I am not so sure on how long to continue a Welcome post before it morphs into some sort of technique/shave diary.
So, from a painful and slow start at the weekend (Sat and Sun were shaves 1 and 2 with a straight) and equipped with a head full of advice from all those who replied to my welcome post (thanks all), I tackled shave number 3 this evening.
So face nicely rested, 2 days stubble on there and I was ready. Lathered up but a little more watery than usual to aid slickness, blade met face (with a little trepidation - oh i did strop before hand). To my surprise, right cheek with right hand (I'm right handed), WTG went pretty well. Lots of stretching, keeping a close eye on the blade angle (using the 2 spine widths away trick which was a lot shallower than before) and the cheek was clear pretty easily, no nicks, no fuss and a passable result.
So the tricky jaw line. I'm no chiselled jawed uber model (am am Fatbuddha after all) so the lack of sharp edges helps (I'm guessing). More stretching and even that area went pretty well - again no cuts, no nicks not too much fuss. I'm on a roll here (So i thought). What next.....top lip and goatee area me thinks.
By now I'd taken so long the lather was drying out on my face. What I thought took a couple of minutes was probably 15 minute just on the right cheek and below the jaw line and neck. But hey, its the evening, I'm learning and there's nothing on TV so relax, no rush. Quick re-app of fresh lather and I'm away. Is it just me or is it pretty scary doing your top lip for only the 3rd time? Maybe its the shape of my nose but the blade is almost at 90 degrees to get right under my septum with a (very slow I may add) scooping motion to get it to a shallower angle for lower down the lip. :icon_eek:
Lip done, chin to go. Oh, this is where the struggles begin. It's very hard even getting the right starting angle let alone tracking a smooth line following the contours of my chin. But perseverance pays off and most of the hair's gone (Its not a great have by any means but its passable from a few feet away!).
So, for those still awake at this stage (apologies readers); the left cheek....using the left hand. This is where I really struggle. I'm certainly not ambidextrous and shave DE with one hand so this feels very alien to me. I fact I wonder why I have a left hand at all its that useless. Everything is 10 times harder, the control is just not there, even trying to get the blade to start in the right place is a struggle. Its just the mirror image of the starting position on the right side I keep reminding myself. Blade swaps from one hand to another; can I place the blade at the bottom of my sidey on the RHS - yep, easy peasy. On the left, not a chance, for some reason i keep blocking my own view - what a numpty. How can this be? I've a pretty symmetrical face, eyes are in the right place, ears are level, hands the same size, sideys the same length yet I keep obstructing my own view just trying to get the blade to the right position. I still can't work out why it was so difficult. :dodgy:
So to cut a longer story a little shorter, 40 minutes later and I was done. 40 minutes!!! And thats just WTG! With only a couple of nicks (all gone with a little bloc osma and nivea sensitive balm) and a lot less razor burn than at the weekend I'm finally done. It's not a great shave but its getting there.
I'm a long, long way away from getting a BBS shave or even one close to my DE, but in my books, if something's not worth practising, it's probably not worth doing.
I think I'll rest again for a couple of days, take it slow, no need to rush.
Thanks agian all for the advice so far; it does work!
F
P.S I have to get this lark cracked as I'm already eyeing up a couple of nice razors on the internet. SRAD - must resist, must resist.....