How long until aha?

[mreeveshp]

How long would you guess it took you before you were having comfortable shaves regularly? When I finish I use witch hazel than usually Nivea after shave balm sensitive or original depending on how the shave went, I've only been at this almost a month and I'm still nicking myself or getting razor burn especially under my lip and chin and even after the nivea balm my face feels very tight and like it sort of has a sun burn feeling to it.

I guess I get to keep practicing which I still won't complain about.

Thanks
mreeveshp

 

[SharpieB]

2-3 months. Takes a while.

 

[Mark1977]

How long would you guess it took you before you were having comfortable shaves regularly? When I finish I use witch hazel than usually Nivea after shave balm sensitive or original depending on how the shave went, I've only been at this almost a month and I'm still nicking myself or getting razor burn especially under my lip and chin and even after the nivea balm my face feels very tight and like it sort of has a sun burn feeling to it.

I guess I get to keep practicing which I still won't complain about.

Thanks
mreeveshp

It takes a while for sure. Getting nicks during the early days of wet shaving is pretty common. Your technique will eventually get better. Mapping out your face and neck to see the direction of hair growth is important. Also it takes a while to know your razor well and determine how best to use it and what blades pair well with it.
For me, I have been very comfortable with my Edwin Jagger DE89 and Merkur 34C.
But I couldn't get the Parker Variant Adjustable to work for me. But I eventually found the most suitable blade for it especially on higher settings and continued to work on my technique. Now I really love my Variant. No irritation, nicks etc. Just smooth and super close shaves every time with just 2 passes.
My 34C and DE39 are getting a much needed break. Lol.
You'll get there mate. Just continue to work at it. The fun part is the journey.

Sent from my CPH1969 using Tapatalk

 

[Atlantic59]

I would say about a month. To avoid irritation, learn to build a good, slick lather. Find the optimal shaving angle. Minimal, minimal pressure (unlike cartridge razors). You might want to skip the Against-the-grain pass for now, just do two Across-the-grain passes in different directions. The Against-the-grain pass is where most people get into trouble, especially in the neck area.

 

[mreeveshp]

I started with a VDH razor now have a merkur 34c and am only shaving every couple days but I'm still getting bumps more than anything, I know its technique and probably still trying to find the right blade, I'm using VDH soap and arko soap but so far I like the VDH soap better, I got the razors as birthday gifts and sadly due to funds it will be a long time before I can get some better soaps to try, the Nivea balm I've used since I was still using carts and I like it a lot and if my skin feels really dry I put nivea soft lotion on areas that need it

I just hate the bumps that look like acne and maybe it might be but I think its razor bumps but I'm definitely not going to give up.

Thanks
mreeveshp

 

[Mark1977]

I started with a VDH razor now have a merkur 34c and am only shaving every couple days but I'm still getting bumps more than anything, I know its technique and probably still trying to find the right blade, I'm using VDH soap and arko soap but so far I like the VDH soap better, I got the razors as birthday gifts and sadly due to funds it will be a long time before I can get some better soaps to try, the Nivea balm I've used since I was still using carts and I like it a lot and if my skin feels really dry I put nivea soft lotion on areas that need it

I just hate the bumps that look like acne and maybe it might be but I think its razor bumps but I'm definitely not going to give up.

Thanks
mreeveshp

Although I have many soaps and creams, I still use my Arko stick a lot. Some can't stand the scent. But it doesn't bother me at all. You can't knock down Arko in terms of performance. Easy to lather and it has awesome slickness.
It's easy to find the correct angle with the 34C. It's very difficult to get the angle wrong with this razor. It's possible that you're applying too much pressure. Keep practicing.
A good shower before shaving really helps a lot more than any pre shave product. It cleans and hydrates facial hair and prepares it for the shave.

Sent from my CPH1969 using Tapatalk

 

[mreeveshp]

Although I have many soaps and creams, I still use my Arko stick a lot. Some can't stand the scent. But it doesn't bother me at all. You can't knock down Arko in terms of performance. Easy to lather and it has awesome slickness.
It's easy to find the correct angle with the 34C. It's very difficult to get the angle wrong with this razor. It's possible that your applying too much pressure. Keep practicing.
A good shower before shaving really helps a lot more than any pre shave product. It cleans and hydrates facial hair and prepared it for the shave.

Sent from my CPH1969 using Tapatalk

I do like the arko and don't mind the scent and it's so easy to face lather and is slick I think I like the vdh better by a margin for the scent and i have a William's i haven't opened yet.

I'm almost positive I'm using too much pressure.

Thanks
mreeveshp

 

[Tomo]

30 shaves to reach a good standard is about right. Incremental improvement from there for a long time.

 

[Mark1977]

I do like the arko and don't mind the scent and it's so easy to face lather and is slick I think I like the vdh better by a margin for the scent and i have a William's i haven't opened yet.

I'm almost positive I'm using too much pressure.

Thanks
mreeveshp

Yeah too much pressure is usually the case. I can still remember all the nicks and razor burns I had when I started wet shaving years ago. It didn't help that I was using a cheap plastic Gillette DE razor. But I used it for years. It sucked no matter what blade I used. Shaving was more a chore back then. It has become a wonderful hobby off late. Now I can't wait for my daily shave. Haha. I just love trying out all sorts of blades. 43 types so far, and counting. Hope you've found a few good blades that work for you. Most blades work well with the 34C.

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[mreeveshp]

I'm also only going with the grain and xtg but I'm stupid sometimes and go over the same spot a few times without adding more lather, I remembered to add more lather today but I think I still used too much pressure plus going over razor bumps that were already there probably didn't help.

Thanks
mreeveshp

 

[mreeveshp]

Back when I used an electric or carts it was a chore but even though I've been getting burned I'm loving the whole ritual of it all.

Thanks
mreeveshp

 

[Mark1977]

Back when I used an electric or carts it was a chore but even though I've been getting burned I'm loving the whole ritual of it all.

Thanks
mreeveshp

Awesome! Enjoy the journey mate.

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[Invicta]

I've only been at this almost a month and I'm still nicking myself or getting razor burn especially under my lip and chin and even after the nivea balm my face feels very tight and like it sort of has a sun burn feeling to it.

Nicks and razor burn are a sure sign of poor technique. After ~15 daily shaves you should see a significant improvement and reasonably good shaves after 30 shaves. Don't chase BBS and try get the best shave out of a three pass routine. Avoid multi passes over unlathered areas and each stroke should have minimum overlap. I refer to daily shaves because some people put poor technique into play when dealing with multi day stubble growth. Perhaps keep the two pass daily routine initially which should give a reasonably close shave and build up from there.

I'm almost positive I'm using too much pressure.

Seems very likely. A good lather is also important. Also check your blade angle for effectiveness; Blade Angle | Badger & Blade

 

[AimlessWanderer]

It probably took me 6 months, but I was just a kid with no point of reference. Nobody else I knew was DE shaving, no internet forums, no YouTube, etc. I was also only shaving around twice a week.

 

[abershaver]

My advice is to consider the richer Nivea Sensitive Moisturiser rather than just the balm. I suggest this because you said your skin felt ‘sunburnt’ and I also experienced this. My issue was I needed more moisturisation post-shave.

 

[JCarr]

Consider cold water splash before and after the shave...and during the shave...use cold water to rinse off your razor. Cold water shaving helped me with irritation.

 

[samhain666]

I took me a couple of months to get to the point where I could shave every 2-3 days, preferably 3. If I did only 2 days, I was a bit sore still.

When I finally ditched EJ DE89 after 5 years and got myself a Rockwell 6S, I got STELLAR shaves. 1000% increase in comfort.

 

[Dovo1695]

If you can break the habit of going over the same area twice without relathering, you'll be way ahead of the game.

Try dropping down to a single pass shave for a few days to let the irritation completely heal. Once you've gone a week with irritation free single pass shaves, add in your xtg pass. Once you've gone a week irritation free with 2 pass, increase to 3 pass. That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[Dovo1695]

If you can break the habit of going over the same area twice without relathering, you'll be way ahead of the game.

Try dropping down to a single pass shave for a few days to let the irritation completely heal. Once you've gone a week with irritation free single pass shaves, add in your xtg pass. Once you've gone a week irritation free with 2 pass, increase to 3 pass. That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[Wogus]

I'm also only going with the grain and xtg but I'm stupid sometimes and go over the same spot a few times without adding more lather, I remembered to add more lather today but I think I still used too much pressure plus going over razor bumps that were already there probably didn't help.

I'm somewhat new to wet shaving myself but it definitely sounds like you're using too much pressure. I had a sort of epiphany when I gripped the razor low on the handle using ONLY my thumb and index finger and let the business end of the razor just sit on my face. That's how much "pressure" I use while shaving. Once I actually start shaving there's so little pressure it feels like I'm starting to lift the blade off my face, ever so slightly, and stopping just short of that.

I would also tell you shaving where you have no lather absolutely needs to stop. No lather, no shave. Use short strokes of about one or two inches and maybe go over the same area twice in rapid succession, but no more, without reapplying lather.

Shaving this way felt very counter-intuitive at first, especially the "no pressure" thing, coming from many years of using cartridge blades but once I broke my old habits the post-shave irritation stopped, the "light bulb" went on and I totally "got" wet shaving.