SMF

Squire wrote:...

Redness is usually caused by applying too much pressure which is a natural instinct when trying to get the whiskers off in the stubborn spots. It's counter intuitive but using little or no pressure actually does a better job.

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I've never shaved any other way than wet shaving. With the Gillette Atra since I started shaving around 1979, until I switched to DE a couple years ago.

Pressure with the Atra is of no concern, of course.

I thought I'd try consciously halving the pressure with my DE razors these last couple of days. The result confirms what Squire advises above. Better shaves, no redness, no sensation whatsoever from applying the aftershave.

All this with a cheap blade from Hema in my Feather AS razor.

I'd expect better results with a Feather blade.

Good advice. I'd recommend any seasoned DE shaver try less pressure, consciously.

Yes, good advice indeed. I'm glad to hear that it's working well for you.

My apologies for resurrecting this thread.

Long story short, I finally got a DE razor and have begun the journey away from my Braun.
I bought a Timor DE in Gun Metal finish, Wilkinson Sword blades, tub of Bluebeards Revenge cream, badger brush and a small block of allum.

First shave seemed to go well'ish, left quite a bit of stubble, not visible, but I could feel it. Only one small cut.
Today however, bleeding like a pig, face on fire. So not happy

Not sure what the difference was today, but so disappointed. Will have to persevere with though as have money tied up in my gear now and my Braun is so so blunt.
Watched quite a few videos on here and youtube, always looks so easy.
Will try the Wilkinson blade tomorrow rather than the freebie that came with the razor. Maybe that's why it wouldn't cut smooth and was dragging?

If anyone had any pearls of wisdom for a total newbie, jeez! a newbie to shaving at 45!!! I'd appreciate the advice.

Thanks in advance.

I've got a few thoughts John.

Don't grip the razor handle too tightly. It sounds counter intuitive but hold it just hard enough to keep it steady. When you grip the razor tightly you are transferring the full muscle strength of your arm to the tip of the razor making a slight cutting error more likely. The weight of the razor alone is sufficient to do the job, all you have to do is guide it.

The burning sensation was caused from putting too much pressure on the razor. Again this is counter intuitive because disposable razors do require some pressure so using a DE is actually the opposite of our experience with light weight disposables. Just let the DE glide along and it will work. Trying to 'make' it work actually reduces it's effectiveness.

Try practice shaving without a blade in the razor as this will help give you a feel for how the tool works. Take your time, don't rush, patience is rewarded and the shaves will get much faster and cut/abrasion free with practice.

+1 what Squire wrote.

Too, lather is an essential skill. Practice it. It's what lubricates, carries away the cutoffs, and helps to protect the skin from the blade. It's ok to make lather and dump it and do it over and over. The ideal lather is dense and should resist being "crushed" between the fingers; it should have "film strength". It should also be slick. Another characteristic is that the bubbles in the lather should be almost invisible to the naked eye. They might be so small as to have an iridescent quality. The last thing I can think of that it should have is that it should be moist. When you think it's right brush some on your arm and it should last ideally for at least as long as a pass takes. If it dries into nothingness in minutes, it's too dry. If it has large bubbles it's too wet.

Assuming you get the lather right, take your good lather and begin adding water to it, a little at a time. What we're going to do is destroy the lather so that you can see what too wet looks like. Keep going with a little more water each time, then continue building the lather. There will be a point where the bubbles will begin to get larger, very soon after that the lather will collapse entirely. Big bubbles make for absolutely horrible "lather". They do nothing that lather is supposed to do.

I find it easiest to make the best lather when I overload the brush with soap, I mean I use way too much soap, then build the lather as normal. With too much soap it's easy to achieve a moist lather that's fine grained, and does everything it's supposed to do. You won't build as much lather as this amount of soap is capable of making. Instead you're using too much soap to give a very rich and dense lather.

There is only one lather condition that "more product" won't cure, and that's lather that's too dry.

We've all been where you are. We're here to help so don't be shy about asking. Even if you think it's a dumb question. It probably won't be.

Too, employ scientific method. Don't change too many things at once and jump around. But if the blade is grabbing the skin, go ahead and change it. But for now, having just a few items of gear works in your favor. Later we'll suggest more, but not right now. For now concentrate on proper technique, no pressure on the razor, proper razor angle, and great lather. Oh, and know this... it will get better.

One piece of advice I was given has helped me a lot. Consider the angle of the blade on the surface of the skin during the cutting. Sometime we have a tendency to hold the blade almost perpendicular to the skin (90 degrees), and then dragging the blade, which is almost like raking leaves, and it does result in nicks and cuts. Taking into consideration the excellent points raised by Squire above, as you hold the razor with a very light touch, try to reduce the angle so that the blade is being drawn across the whiskers (30 degrees or less) in a slicing motion, as opposed to pulling and dragging the blade across, like a rake. Another way to describe it might be to visualize the handle of the razor as if it was a broom, which keeps the angle small, rather than a rake, which makes for a larger angle. As you experiment with your technique, you will start to discern what seems to work best for you. Good luck!

Thanks guys, your input is very much appreciated. Sadly my dad died before I began shaving and I never had someone to show me how, hence using an electric all this time.

I will take on board what you've all said and let you know as I progress.

What a bunch of true gents you all are, thanks again

Lots of good advise for you above.

Be patient -- very, very patient. You will not get it all together in a week ..... many of us, took a few months to feel any confidence in our technique. One thing is for sure - just when you think you have it all figured out -- hubris sets in and you get a cut, nick or slash when and where you least expect it -- so pay attention at all times and it will eventually become second nature.

Hang in there! Success will soon follow!!

Just to update....

Tried different lather consistency yesterday and shaved very gently, had too as my face was way to sore to do other wise. Wasn't very satisfactory, left a lot of stubble and had to neaten it up with the Braun.

Think I will give it a miss today and let my face settle before trying again.

On a brighter note, the Wilkinson Sword blades didn't pull like the other one did, so at least that's a plus.

Thanks again again

Taking a day off during your learning curve is always a good thing. I still will take a day or two off from shaving most every week just to give my face a rest.

Trouble is, my beard is so dark and grows so fast. After two days it looks very untidy. So will have to try again tomorrow.

Sometimes one does have to sacrifice looks in favour of saving your face during the learning curve or after a shave riddled with the effects of hubris.

I told you to lay off that hubris stuff Wendell.

Squire wrote:I told you to lay off that hubris stuff Wendell.

Yes, I know .....

It's gotta be the biggest culprit of bad shaves, though.

I located some hubris about a year after I began blade shaving, decided to use it along with some terrible lather and decided I never wanted to use it again. It got PIFed.

Good evening gentlemen,

Just a quick update.

I had a terrible shave last Friday, so gave it a miss on Saturday and shaved electric yesterday. Decided to try again today as my face was much better and tried a Gillette 7 O'clock blade in place of the Wilkinson Sword, which I'd used twice.
Now I don't know if it was just coincidence, but the Gillette seemed way way sharper than the W/S. Even when the latter was new. The whiskers on the side of my chin are like steel and the Gillette cut through them like a knife through butter!

Result was virtually no cuts, just a couple of little ones, smooth face and very little burn. So this evening I am a happy bunny

Is it worth trying the W/S blades again to be sure this wasn't a one off, or stick with the Gillette's?

Cheers guys

ShadowsDad wrote:I located some hubris about a year after I began blade shaving, decided to use it along with some terrible lather and decided I never wanted to use it again. It got PIFed.

Yes John, the WS may be worth a visit later on but for now I would stick with what is working best.

As usual, +1 what Squire wrote.

Unless the blade is completely horrible, as in giving nightmares horrible (any Dorco), I never gave a thumbs down to any blade permanently on the basis of one shave. Dorco is the exception to that. I'd rather shave with an axe HANDLE than a Dorco.

THBS, I never found a blade that gave a terrible shave the first time that was better the next time I tried it when I was testing blades. But I absolutely have gotten a bad batch of blades outside of testing. I recently put to the side a bulk box of blades that I got from a b/s/t purchase. Absolute junk. I made the mistake of sending some to a noob; much to my regret.