So, you're new then

Absolutely - mapping the direction of growth of the various sections of your beard, if you haven't already done so, is also invaluable as it means you can be confident that your first pass is WTG (with the grain) only, rather than across the grain (XTG) or even against the grain (ATG) in some areas. Mantic59 in his Youtube videos emphasises the idea of steady beard reduction over 3 passes as opposed to trying to completely remove it in a single pass where you're scraping over areas without lather on them.
 
Thanks for the responses. I have had a look at Mantics video very informative.

I am thinking of either Proraso cream or All Natural Speick Shaving Cream. Any thoughts?

My skin is not greasy and can be dry and a little sensitive here and there.

Thanks

Ben
 

For what it's worth, my suggestion would be to pop into your local branch of Tescos and get a tube of Palmolive cream. It lathers easily, even in very hard water, and smells inoffensive (at least to most). I actually love the smell, but most regard it as pleasant enough but not particularly exciting. Alternatively, Superdrug sell Ingrams cream, which is essentially a British equivalent of Proraso minus the eucalyptus. Be aware, though, that some tubes from a faulty batch which was very thin in consistency may still be on the shelves - the answer is to remove the tube from the box and shake it next to your ear. If you can hear a sloshing sound, it's a duff tube. It lathers very well, and, like the Palmolive, it's cheap.
 
For the first few shaves I'd just go North to South for a couple of passes for a week or so, it'll mean you shave some areas across the grain but angle and lack of pressure are what you should be concentrating on. Chris is right about the benefits of beard mapping but you can introduce that a little later when you're absolutely comfortable with these first steps.

The concept of beard reduction is a little misconceived but if it stops people from hacking away trying to get the perfect shave after one pass so be it. If it were actually true then a week or even two weeks growth would take incrementally many more passes than it does and we all know in reality three passes is more than adequate for most shaves irrespective of the amount of growth.
 
I've just tried my first ever DE shave after using Mach3 and the likes for years...
A nice hot shower followed by a Gillete Slim (set to 2), Astra blade, and Palmolive cream. I got one small cut and a bit of neck rash.
I think the thing to do is very small strokes rather than the long strokes you probably do now, and let the razor do the work rather than press on it.
tbh I think the end result is a lot better than multiblades, though it will probably take a good few shaves for my skin to adjust.
 

Good points, Tony. My opinion (FWIW) on the beard reduction question is that I reckon each pass removes a rough percentage of what's there, irrespective of how much there is in terms of length (to a point). For my face, most razors seem to remove roughly

40-50% on the first pass
25-30% on the second pass
All but about 5 % of what's left on the third pass

I suspect this varies for different people, and some blades seem to me incapable of taking-off more than 30% even on the first pass.
 
I shall certainly be taking it easily and going for a comfortable rather than a close shave. Will remember to take my time and persevere.

I shall also lather and repeat as necessary.

Will keep you all informed.
 

Thanks for this 'chrisbell' at 64 I'm now getting a good shave.
Rik.
 
Good thread, please keep it coming Regards Paul
 
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