A good shave.

furgy667 · Post by **furgy667** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:26 pm

Not a great one but a good one none the less. All my stuff came in today and about 2 hours ago I went under the DE knife. Ended up with 2 nicks and some razorburn on the sides of my neck but still a good shave. My neck could prove to be a challenge , but i plan on keeping at it until I get it down . I only did 2 passes and my cheeks and the middle of my neck turned out great.

Weapons of choice Taylor's and Merkur loaded with Feathers.

Any words of advice ? I am sure I probably just had the wrong angle with the blade on my neck . The hair grows kinda up toward my ear .

Gonna give it a till Christmas then I shall try this again. I never thought I would look so forward to shaving like I do know.

Thanks and have a good Christmas

Brandon

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:39 pm

Brandon, Congrats., sounds like you've made a good start, and you have chosen some fine products to start with. On the average, I would say that it takes guys around three weeks of daily DE shaves before it really starts to 'click'. A few gents seem to be 'naturals' and pick it up very quickly, some struggle for a couple of months, but three weeks seems to be about the average. Feather blades are plenty sharp, and hence, are not very 'forgiving' and the Merkurs are fairly aggressive razors, so light pressure is very important. Likewise, the blade angle to the skin. When you're making the stroke, the razor handle should be more parallel to the floor, as oppossed to perpendicular to it. Keep the stroke short, about one inch long, and gently stretch the skin behind the razor head with your free hand for each stroke. Take your time, stick to the two passes, and cut downward, and the same each time. Best of luck, and keep us informed.
Regards,
Gordon

Chaps · Post by **Chaps** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:18 pm

Thumbs up on your first DE shave! Just keep it going and you'll get the hang of it. Remember, "no pressure". Let the razor do the work. Look forward to hearing of your progress.

Danny

Kalypso · Post by **Kalypso** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:07 pm

Angle & a light touch are the keys. The razor should be so light on your face, it's like you are lifting it slightly. The angle should be so shallow that you barely feel the razor & just the very edge of the blade glides over the cream on your face.

furgy667 · Post by **furgy667** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:22 pm

I don't think shaving down on my neck is going to work . The hair on my neck grows up toward my ear. The first pass I was ok then i tried an all down pass. Thats when the problems started. I am new to the DE shave but I have been using Williams soap and a boar brush for about 2 weeks, with a mach 3 .

Should I just make 2 passes with the grain? In my case on the neck going up, for the first month or so , or should I just try going down. I realize that my shave geometry was probably off, but as stated the hair on the sides of my neck appears to grow up .

Has anyone else had this problem?

Even with the razor burn I find that I can't wait until my next shave . I can't wait until I can experience the zen of a good DE shave, and who knows maybe one day I could even get this old strait razor honed up and try her out

Thanks again guys any an all info is greatly appreciated.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:50 pm

Furgy, Well, if you're positive that the whiskers do grow upward over most of you neck, then perhaps upward strokes in that area would be called for, but such a beard growth pattern is quite rare. Often the whiskers at the very bottom of one's neck grow upward, but rarely the rest of it. Usually the grain is downward, or just as frequently, sort of sideways. However, you would know your own beard best, and if a S/N cut on your neck is 'with the grain' then, try that. Either way, the angle of the blade to the skin is crucial with a DE. If you maintain your current willingness to learn, and stick with it, you will 'get it'.
Regards,
Gordon

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 3:47 am

Brandon

When I first started shaving I found the diagrams at the bottom of the linked page to be very useful. Give it a whirl, it worked very well for me.

http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acatalog ... shave.html

Clive

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:00 am

Since you're just starting, try doing a with-the-grain pass followed by an across-the-grain pass. That will do a lot of reduction without irritation (with the usual provisos: good prep, light pressure, correct blade angle).

As was said above, the daily practice will quickly improve your technique if you're paying attention. OTOH, it took me some months before I finally figured out that I had a little patch on the corner of my right jaw that grew sideways...

Welcome, and continue to ask questions.

furgy667 · Post by **furgy667** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 8:25 pm

Wow the Razor burn was peaty bad

. Id say its a good 2nd degree burn . The funny thing is that I find myself thinking about trying to shave again ! Tonight !

Not going to though this burn needs to heal alittle. After a careful exam it appears that the hair definitely grows kinda up and back toward my ear on two patches on the sides of my neck. ( lower part right below the jaw line. )

I really feel like i just rushed things . This was a lesson to me , I will take my time on the next shave . I was just so darned exited when that box of goodies came yesterday .

Looking forward to becoming apart of this community,

Brandon

Ps any one have any tips on accelerating the healing of this burn ?

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 8:56 pm

Brandon, If it's bad, I'd suggest some cortizone with aloe cream. I've only had to resort to this a couple of times, after nasty barbershop shaves, but it's the best thing I know of, if the razor burn is really bad. Don't push it, and try to shave again too soon. Try a follow what I said above as closely and carefully as you can. And, if this continues, maybe consider a milder blade then the Feather. There are a number of very experianced shavers, including myself, who find them to be too rough on the skin.
Regards,
Gordon

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 11:59 am

Razor burn of the sort you describe usually has its cause as incorrect blade angle (scraping instead of cutting) and/or too much pressure. Be sure to use LIGHT pressure---after the first pass, you'll feel stubble when you rinse your face. That's fine. Make another pass across the grain to take care of it. But DO NOT increase pressure. Shaving is progressive stubble reduction through multiple passes.

Blade angle: the blade should be ALMOST parallel to the skin, so the edge encounters the stubble at ALMOST a right angle: cutting the whiskers, not scraping over them.

Of course, good prep helps.

furgy667 · Post by **furgy667** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 5:44 am

Ill have to make it short because i am supposed to be at work ,but my shave this morning was alot better. I took my time , and used all the recommendations you guys gave and My shave was great! Thanks guys for all the help.

Brandon

SMF

A good shave.

A good shave.

The angle of the dangle.........