Try running your "free" hand over an area that you just shaved. I do this while shaving and then do an all around check at the end of the shave. If you have any patches of stubble just re-lather and go over the spot with a light touch. Make sure you re-lather so you don't get any razor burn.
Regards,
Bill
A New Fidelity Experiment
-
Trumperman
- Bill Extraordinaire
- Posts: 2893
- Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:17 pm
- Location: Charlotte, NC
Good tip, Bill. You also might try searching for "water pass" in the archives: good technique Squire posted about in detail.
Regards,
Regards,
Regards,
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Thanks, guys.
Ah, Bill, that's a good idea. One of those that seems so obvious you wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.
Tim, I remember that thread on water passes--I used to do touchup in a water pass and will again once I'm really confident about comfort.
Good point, Squire. Anyway, I'm still better shaved than most of the jokers I see around me
Ah, Bill, that's a good idea. One of those that seems so obvious you wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.
Tim, I remember that thread on water passes--I used to do touchup in a water pass and will again once I'm really confident about comfort.
Good point, Squire. Anyway, I'm still better shaved than most of the jokers I see around me
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
I didn't read all of the replies so I'm not sure if this has been covered. Read some posts on a great prep. Not softening the hairs beforehand is my numero uno way to make my face hate me. Second, again refresh on your lathering. If my lather lacks water, the shave is so out of whack that I may as well go back to the single blade disposable dry shave. And finally, I would experiment with different blades, namely isrealli reds, sweedish gilletts and personnas. Matching a razor to a blade to a face can be a lengthy science experiment and even seem like some sort of delusional prank, but when you find a good combo, you find bliss. I have a similar face and shave every 2-3 days. My superspeed is very mild with any of these blades, but if I dare put a dorko or a feather in there, the result resembles a bloody massacre. Don't use too much pressure, if at all, when shaving with your d/e. You must be confused with all this advice, but don't give in to the hardships of finding what works for you, keep experimenting.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get ran over if you don't move." -John Wayne-
Who dosent love john wayne?
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get ran over if you don't move." -John Wayne-
Who dosent love john wayne?
I reject your reality and substatute my own.
Day 19: Technique was off, got some irritation. This was frustrating because of the previous day's success. I was rushing a bit and just not being mindful.
Day 20: Today I recovered from yesterday's mistakes and had a shave that was almost as great as Sunday's (in terms of comfort and even-ness; I'm not even thinking about closeness right now). And my skin looks excellent. Very pleased. The same patch of stubble, though better reduced, was left as on Sunday. I didn't want to futz around with touch-up, though, so I just let it be--that'll clear up in time. What I want right now is to keep repeating these comfortable and enjoyable shaves.
(Oh, note to self--the skin on the left side of my adam's apple was red for a couple minutes after the shave, so watch the angle and pressure there!)
Day 20: Today I recovered from yesterday's mistakes and had a shave that was almost as great as Sunday's (in terms of comfort and even-ness; I'm not even thinking about closeness right now). And my skin looks excellent. Very pleased. The same patch of stubble, though better reduced, was left as on Sunday. I didn't want to futz around with touch-up, though, so I just let it be--that'll clear up in time. What I want right now is to keep repeating these comfortable and enjoyable shaves.
(Oh, note to self--the skin on the left side of my adam's apple was red for a couple minutes after the shave, so watch the angle and pressure there!)
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
Day 21: Ha! Pulled off another great shave. My lather was really good today, too--just the consistency I like. Figured out how to catch that patch of stubble that's been bugging me without any touchup (has to do with opening the mouth and dropping the jaw a bit). Shave is respectably close and skin looks and feels good.
I think I'm still being a bit rough around the adam's apple, so I'll experiment with some different approaches there. Gentlemen, I may just get the hang of this.
I think I'm still being a bit rough around the adam's apple, so I'll experiment with some different approaches there. Gentlemen, I may just get the hang of this.
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
Well done, Ian. Soon you'll be dropping that jaw without thinking about it. As for the Adam's apple, this remains a trouble spot for many. Something that seems to work well for a lot of guys is to gently stretch the skin to one side or the other so that you can work on a flat surface. If you've found that doesn't work for you, what I used to do is tip my head back completely so that the neck flattens out across the front. I didn't have to stretch the skin manually and got a very comfortable shave.
I don't doubt that you'll get the hang of it. Excellent work, Ian.
Regards,
I don't doubt that you'll get the hang of it. Excellent work, Ian.
Regards,
Regards,
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Tim
Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning? - Henry David Thoreau
Thanks, Tim. I do stretch the skin there to the side, which helps, but still leaves the relevant portion of skin on a curved surface. Tilting my head back may do what I need.
Day 22: Another day where I rinse off the lather and I look evenly shaved with happy skin; I could get used to this. However, things didn't go _as_ perfectly as yesterday and my skin doesn't feel as good now, a few hours later (though it feels more or less just fine). I'm definitely having trouble on the right and left areas where chin meets jaw (below the jawline)--not trouble with irritation, but with cutting. I reduce it enough so it looks ok, but the blade tugs and feels awkward--just a difficult angle with hair growing in an awkward direction. Unfortunately, the relevant portions can't be stretched up above. I'll figure it out, no doubt.
Day 22: Another day where I rinse off the lather and I look evenly shaved with happy skin; I could get used to this. However, things didn't go _as_ perfectly as yesterday and my skin doesn't feel as good now, a few hours later (though it feels more or less just fine). I'm definitely having trouble on the right and left areas where chin meets jaw (below the jawline)--not trouble with irritation, but with cutting. I reduce it enough so it looks ok, but the blade tugs and feels awkward--just a difficult angle with hair growing in an awkward direction. Unfortunately, the relevant portions can't be stretched up above. I'll figure it out, no doubt.
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
For some reason, I didn't feel like shaving Friday morning, so I took the day off.
Day 23: Very good shave. I found a very high-tech method for cutting the spots I mentioned I was having trouble with; definitely top secret, wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands. Anyway, today's shave is quite close and comfortable. I was a little more aggressive on the bottom of my neck than I ought to be though--didn't cause problems, but it would if I kept it up every day.
I think I'm starting to get into a rhythm.
Day 23: Very good shave. I found a very high-tech method for cutting the spots I mentioned I was having trouble with; definitely top secret, wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands. Anyway, today's shave is quite close and comfortable. I was a little more aggressive on the bottom of my neck than I ought to be though--didn't cause problems, but it would if I kept it up every day.
I think I'm starting to get into a rhythm.
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
Day 24 (Sunday): Woops. I was a bit rushed and just not feeling with it and got a less than stellar shave. Acceptable, no doubt, but not great.
Day 25: I just did one pass today because I wanted my face to get a chance to relax after yesterday. Looked good. Nice to know that I can now do a one pass shave and look presentable. Technique was still a bit off today, but I can see that I'll be back on my game tomorrow.
Day 25: I just did one pass today because I wanted my face to get a chance to relax after yesterday. Looked good. Nice to know that I can now do a one pass shave and look presentable. Technique was still a bit off today, but I can see that I'll be back on my game tomorrow.
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
The official fidelity experiment is now complete, with my final shave yesterday. Here's a brief run down of the final shaves:
Day 27: Another one-pass shave. But I did too much touch-up (for no real reason) and got a bit of irritation. Still, not bad at all.
Day 28: I decided to go back to the two-pass shave and it was excellent. There was a little spot of irritation from the day before that got mad, but it settled down soon enough.
Day 29 (Friday): This was the last shave of my fidelity experiment. Two passes, very even, very comfortable.
Summary: I had two goals for this experiment, to establish a daily shaving routine and to eliminate irritation. I achieved the first and see no trouble continuing--my shave is now an integral part of my morning routine. I achieved considerable success with respect to the second goal, as well. For the past couple of weeks, my shaves have pretty consistently ranged from "comfortable enough" to "wow that feels great". When I walk into the bathroom in the morning, I expect to walk out smiling--no more, "I wonder what will happen today?"
I can now confidently say that my skin is quite quarrelsome and shaving daily with the same gear has allowed me to incrementally establish effective ways of dealing with trouble spots. There are also some awkward bits where stubble is stubborn; daily practice has allowed me to develop techniques for dealing with them. Shaving has started to feel more automatic, which suggests that I'm starting acquire the relevant muscle memory.
Room for improvement: I still occasionally mess up a bit on my neck so that it doesn't look great (though it looks OK and feels fine). Improvement here is incremental and I fully expect this to be resolved in the coming weeks. There are a few spots that don't get shaved quite as close as the rest of my face and I'd like that to change. In general, my shaves could be closer overall.
Strategy for the future: I'll continue using this same gear for the next few weeks as I prepare for my Ph.D. qualifying exams. Then to celebrate passing (or to nurse failure
) I'll try a nice triple-milled soap. Here's my short list:
Tabac
T&H Luxury
Harris Almond
Valobra
Trumper Lime
Not sure which soap it will be yet, but whichever it is I'll stick to it for at least three weeks. (I think it might be Tabac, it just calls to me for some reason.)
At that time, I may also start experimenting with a third pass for additional closeness. There are a few blades I'm interested in experimenting with and I really went to get my hands on a Tech. Blades and razor experimentation probably won't happen until late fall.
Oh, and then there're brushes to acquire
Anyway, there you have it: there's no better way to learn than fidelity.
Day 27: Another one-pass shave. But I did too much touch-up (for no real reason) and got a bit of irritation. Still, not bad at all.
Day 28: I decided to go back to the two-pass shave and it was excellent. There was a little spot of irritation from the day before that got mad, but it settled down soon enough.
Day 29 (Friday): This was the last shave of my fidelity experiment. Two passes, very even, very comfortable.
Summary: I had two goals for this experiment, to establish a daily shaving routine and to eliminate irritation. I achieved the first and see no trouble continuing--my shave is now an integral part of my morning routine. I achieved considerable success with respect to the second goal, as well. For the past couple of weeks, my shaves have pretty consistently ranged from "comfortable enough" to "wow that feels great". When I walk into the bathroom in the morning, I expect to walk out smiling--no more, "I wonder what will happen today?"
I can now confidently say that my skin is quite quarrelsome and shaving daily with the same gear has allowed me to incrementally establish effective ways of dealing with trouble spots. There are also some awkward bits where stubble is stubborn; daily practice has allowed me to develop techniques for dealing with them. Shaving has started to feel more automatic, which suggests that I'm starting acquire the relevant muscle memory.
Room for improvement: I still occasionally mess up a bit on my neck so that it doesn't look great (though it looks OK and feels fine). Improvement here is incremental and I fully expect this to be resolved in the coming weeks. There are a few spots that don't get shaved quite as close as the rest of my face and I'd like that to change. In general, my shaves could be closer overall.
Strategy for the future: I'll continue using this same gear for the next few weeks as I prepare for my Ph.D. qualifying exams. Then to celebrate passing (or to nurse failure
) I'll try a nice triple-milled soap. Here's my short list:Tabac
T&H Luxury
Harris Almond
Valobra
Trumper Lime
Not sure which soap it will be yet, but whichever it is I'll stick to it for at least three weeks. (I think it might be Tabac, it just calls to me for some reason.)
At that time, I may also start experimenting with a third pass for additional closeness. There are a few blades I'm interested in experimenting with and I really went to get my hands on a Tech. Blades and razor experimentation probably won't happen until late fall.
Oh, and then there're brushes to acquire
Anyway, there you have it: there's no better way to learn than fidelity.
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice