New to the board

Mish · Post by **Mish** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:20 am

Like many people I was getting frustrated with the usual poor shave. It seems I have somewhat sensitive skin and I'm constantly plagued by ingrown hairs. I have tried various scrubs, lotions, oils etc. And still the results were disappointing. I stumbled on this board by accident and after spending some time reading it dawned on me that the razors I use could be a contributing factor. My blades always get clogged up and I can only get 3 decent shaves out of a Mach III.

I decided to go for the Merkur Progress after reading a post recommending it to someone with a coarse beard and sensitive skin. Truthfully I was a little nervous but I have had my first shave with it, on setting 3 and it was a little strange. I did have a few little cuts which I dabbed with an alum block, which I assume is the correct way to use it. Not the closest shave I've had but it was okay. I used a shaving oil and a Molton Brown shaving wax. I think that next time I will use a cream and brush. The aftermath for me is usually the next day so I await tomorrow with trepidation.

Would anyone be kind enough to offer any advice or perhaps point me in the right direction?

Many thanks,

Mish

Sfox7076 · Post by **Sfox7076** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:26 am

My biggest issue as a Newbie was keeping the angle up right. If you don't you get ingrown hairs and scrapes. Also, don't try to do 4 passes your first time out. Do two. One with the grain, one across. Next week, after your face has gotten used to it a bit, try the against the grain pass. Finally, you should do the "Gillette Slide" on your with the grain pass. It is demonstrated in one of Mark's videos on You Tube, or you can find discussion of it here. But, basically, you sort of stroke down on the razor and slide it at the same time towards the front of your face. Kind of a diagonal stroke, but with the blade parallel to the floor.

Shawn

mantic · Post by **mantic** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:05 am

Shawn is talking about this video, but you should probably also watch this set of videos as well if you're not familiar with traditional prep, brush, and shave concepts. Welcome to SMF!

--Mark

Rocky_Marciano · Post by **Rocky_Marciano** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:03 am

I would recommend picking up a tweezerman brush, its a great brush, made of badger hair, i wouldn't bother buying any other brushes first, just go with this one, its 12 dollars at "whole foods" stores but its 10 even on: http://beautyrose.com/twdeshbrform.html

I would also recommend picking up palmolive shave cream (at CVS) or proraso at target's (in spa section). With those I think your headed in the right direction, as for a razor, a gillette tech or superspeed are what most people recommend, and they are very affordable.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:50 pm

All newbs starting out should have their razors turned down to the lowest setting. After developing your technique you can safely turn up the setting.

Chaps · Post by **Chaps** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:45 pm

Mish---Welcome to SMF. Follow The Leisure Guy's Blog and Mantic's videos and you can't go wrong.

Danny

Shave Monkey · Post by **Shave Monkey** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:25 pm

Welcome Mish -

Danny is right about reading LeisureGuy's excellent blog and watching Mantic's inspired videos. Those two sources alone should provide you with enough information to keep you busy for quite a while.

One suggestion I have is don't try to get every little thing perfect at first. It takes a while to get the hang of getting the lather just right. It takes a while to get the proper blade angle figured out. It takes a while to find the cream/soap that works best with your skin (in fact, once you think you've found it there is always another tempting you). So, don't rush the process - just try to focus on getter a little bit better at one thing at a time. Eventually, things will start falling into place and you will find that your shaves are better than they have ever been.

And try to enjoy the experience of course.

- Joseph

CMur12 · Post by **CMur12** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:54 pm

Hi Mish -

The shave advocated here isn't the old "one pass and you're done." Multi-bladded razors were designed to get the most out of one pass, but they often do so at the expense of razor burn and ingrown hairs.

Learn to become comfortable with the new method and equipment. Beard prep is very important, as are the application of lather and the handling of the razor.

Soon, you will be able to do multiple passes with the razor, re-lathering in between. You will shave once with the grain, once across the grain, and once against the grain. You may also do some additional touch-up. The purpose here is to reduce the beard with each pass. That is how you end up with a really close shave and greatly reduced irritation.

Mark's/Mantic's videos, referred to earlier, are very valuable resources to this process of learning.

I wish you many rewarding and enjoyable shaves

- Murray

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:48 am

I would definitely set the Progress to 1 for a while, and then advance it slowly as you gain experience. You want the lowest setting that works, not the highest you can stand. Mantic's videos are quite helpful. The keys are good prep, light pressure, correct blade angle, and progressive stubble reduction: you should feel a fair amount of stubble still on your face after the first pass.

The blade is a VERY important part of the equation. It's vital that you find the right blade for you, so by all means get LetterK's sampler packet of blades.

Read more at the link beneath my signature. And enjoy!

Mish · Post by **Mish** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:08 pm

Thank you for the replies, your advice is very much appreciated. The videos were particularly useful. Fortunately I haven't experienced any major irritation from my first shave, although I think I will set the blade down to one, and I'm actually looking forward to the next one.

Duggo · Post by **Duggo** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:47 pm

Hiya Mish,

Welcome to SMF.

Here's a neat method (Thanks AFDavis11)! that I use all the time to find the correct blade angle. It really made a big difference in my shaves.

Hold the razor head squarely against your cheek. Rock the handle down until you hear the razor start to cut the whiskers. How will you know?, Well, 1) when a razor is scraping against your face, it sounds like the movement that a zipper makes. and 2) the sound that you are looking for is much more refined than that. 3) When you have found the proper angle, the razor will want to glide down the beard area.

Also, you should be able to see the bottom of the razor head most of the time throughout the shave. So, with these audio and visual clues, that should make your job easier.

I don't run the water while I shave, so that I can hear the audio clues better. Once you've nailed the proper angle, keep your wrists locked. Consistency is the key to a comfortable shave.

You might want to have a look at this sticky http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4018

Hope this helps,

Duggo

Mish · Post by **Mish** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:44 am

Following all the helpful advise in this thread. I had my second shave yesterday and I'm very pleased with the result. I switched to a shaving cream and put the razor down to 1. Much to my surprise this was the closest shave I've had outside of a barber shop. It was an absolute pleasure and I'm actually looking forward to the next one! Thank you again to everyone who took the time to post.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:53 am

Glad to hear it, Mish!

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:24 pm

It seems to often happen that a lower setting can produce a closer shave. I suspect it's the difference in blade angle combined with the particular shaver's technique---a better match, in other words.

Enjoy, and keep up the good work.