What Change to Your Routine Made the Biggest Difference?

[Four for Luck]

I saw a thread with similar wording that intrigued me. It was on honing SRs.
After using the same routine for many years I changed two. Yeah I asked which one.
I switched to using a Gillette New Long Comb with perennial Polsilver blade. That was great.
Then I tried a Wizamet blade ( thanks South Dakota guy!).
Now I want to try a few different blades before I commit to 250 Wizamets.
What was your aha change?

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Riding my razors very steep — and only keeping razors that can be ridden steeply.

 

[Lefonque]

Closing the door when I shave. It blocks out the noisy family.

 

[Vduboy123]

Face/Growth mapping. Figuring out the 300 different directions my face hair grows has made the biggest difference for me. I always thought I just had sensitive skin. Turns out ripping it out in the wrong direction was not the way to go on the first pass. Matt

 

[RenoRichard]

@Vduboy123 references mapping, but by checking my face with a rinse after each pass I found the most effective way to shave my face. I suppose it's mapping, without any formal mapping. Maybe it would have happened faster with an actual face map.

The other things that I learned the long way were mostly related to slowing down: giving my lather enough time to work, by waiting a bit after applying lather; rinsing between passes to feel my progress; listening to let each razor tell me its best approach angle; allowing both hands to participate; understanding what minimal pressure really means.

So, I guess the single change that had the most impact for me was just to slow it all down, taking my time in each component of the shave. I've come to enjoy each shave more, and each shave aspect has improved for me to where no matter the razor, blade, soap, or brush, the results are great daily, and outstanding more often.

 

[kingfisher]

Learning how to shave with a traditional straight was the thing that had by far the most impact on my shaves. What is learned by that process can be applied to shaving with any type of razor.

 

[Quaznoid]

Bowl lathering w bath soap. Great lather for free

 

[BigJ]

Learning that ‘no pressure’ means, ‘NO PRESSURE!’ (At least that’s what I tell myself.)

 

[JCarr]

TECHNIQUE
no pressure.
lather with every pass.
cold water rinse before, after and during shave.
Hit the areas shaved at every angle: up, down side to side and diagonal...guaranteed DFS/BBS.


HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
1) RazoRock Lupo SS SB .72
2) Mike's Natural soaps
3) Stirling Mutton Tallow soaps
4) Cremo Lathering Shave cream
5) Gillette Silver Blue DE blades
6) Sharp Titanium DE blades
7) Witch Hazel after the shave

 

[cwright]

Face lathering, no pressure=more passes with no irritation and closer shave.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Stop changing stuff and settle on one routine. One soap, one blade, one razor, one style of brush, etc.

 

[thombrogan]

A slippery, slightly-to-very runny lather lets me use a light touch. Too little water and the soap or creamy gets sticky. Too little soap or cream and the slickness stops abruptly in places.

Great lather for free

Free? Do your neighbors need to start locking up better?

 

[Ravenonrock]

Face/Growth mapping. Figuring out the 300 different directions my face hair grows has made the biggest difference for me. I always thought I just had sensitive skin. Turns out ripping it out in the wrong direction was not the way to go on the first pass. Matt

+1 below my jawline and adjusting as I go. Settled on 2 WTG passes, very close and comfortable.

 

[ojshaves]

1. Don't obsess about BBS especially when using milder razors.

2. Sometimes a 2-pass shave is all you need.

3. Prep is key. I quite frankly can't do without some sort of exfoliating scrub product as prep in the shower. I find this makes the very skin smooth and the razor slides better.

4. I found that for my head, consistent use of moisturizer during the day / between shaves, makes my skin maintain more residual slickness during the shave. While this is highly soap dependent, I found drier skin will pull in this moisture instead of letting it float on your skin during the shave. If anything, it's a worthy experiment if you are bored. LOL

 

[MAK79]

The biggest changes I made were to my pre and post shave routine which had a massive effect on my overall shave and aftershave healing.

I'm a shower after shave guy so I started washing my face with a regular old bar of Dove sensitive soap but instead of washing it completely away I just splash my face leaving behind a lot of suds. I then begin making my lather while leaving the suds on my face. This has really helped my skin. I'm thinking about trying some of that Proraso pre-shave cream to see how that goes.

Post shave, once I'm out of the shower, and after my aftershave lotion has dried, I now use a tiny drop of Nivea Sensitive Aftershave Balm as a final step before leaving the mirror. That stuff is amazing and my skin never felt so good after a shave. I think that may have been the single biggest effect on my overall shave. That Nivea Aftershave Balm is bloody amazing stuff and I honestly wouldn't want to shave without it.

 

[Phil Dumont]

Only doing ATG passes. Why bother going with the grain? Always BBS in only 2 passes like this.

 

[Tomo]

Finding the right shaving soap. It turns out that a great many of them aggravate my face. Mikes was the first one that really worked for me. The first two were a disaster. I thought it was my technique was to blame but mainly it was a sensitivity to ingredients in the soap.

 

[Keto]

A slippery, slightly-to-very runny lather lets me use a light touch. Too little water and the soap or creamy gets sticky. Too little soap or cream and the slickness stops abruptly in places.



Free? Do your neighbors need to start locking up better?

Lol, yeah that's a good teasing for him.

 

[Keto]

Only doing ATG passes. Why bother going with the grain? Always BBS in only 2 passes like this.

Ouch! I know guys do this and I attempted it, but I can't get through the shave with so much pain that my eyes are watering. Wish I could do it.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Stop changing stuff and settle on one routine. One soap, one blade, one razor, one style of brush, etc.

That way lies madness! Variety is the spice of life! But I agree when you are starting out it is good to learn how to use the kit that you have.