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Shaving without pressure?

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
We have all heard that when shaving with a SR you should use about zero pressure of the edge against your skin. I have found this to be correct. The lighter the pressure, the closer the shave.

What I can't understand is why is this so. How does having edge pressure against the skin while SR shaving decrease the closeness of the shave?

I'm only an engineer so cannot work outllogically in my mind.
 
Using the lightest, and slightest touch, is what made if possible -- i.e., without irritation -- for me to knock down the whiskers on my outer jaw where the jawbone curves. I do ATG on pass 2. The visualization when I do this is the edge clipping each whisker.

What is my explanation for why this works? The blade should ride on the skin so that it sheers the whiskers off right at the surface. If you press too hard, then the blade begins to press into the skin. The source of the irritation, as I deduce, is the skin being damaged by the scraping. Despite the irritation, why not a closer shave?

I recall an article from the Sharpologist about creating a bulge of skin ahead of the blade (one reason to stretch the skin). The bulge warps the surface and prevents the blade from having full contact, thus shearing off the whiskers in the wrong place on the hair shaft (not where the shaft meets the skin surface).
 
The problem is with applying zero pressure, especially with soft sensitive skin is that the whiskers tend to slide under the blade without being cut despite skin stretching and attention to blade angle I've concluded that the whisker roots (follicles) tend to be weaker with soft sensitive skin meaning they can be easily pushed over, by the blade, without being cut?
 
The problem is with applying zero pressure, especially with soft sensitive skin is that the whiskers tend to slide under the blade without being cut despite skin stretching and attention to blade angle I've concluded that the whisker roots (follicles) tend to be weaker with soft sensitive skin meaning they can be easily pushed over, by the blade, without being cut?

I highlighted a particular portion of the quote above because I think that some Men new to wet shaving fail to learn how to "map their beard". Meaning that they don't take the time to accurately assess what direction beard hair grows on different parts of their face and neck areas. What might be causing hairs not to be cut because they are as you put it, easily pushed over, might be a simple case of going ATG in that area as opposed to WTG.

I know when I first started shaving with a straight razor, I quickly found out that on my left side of my neck, WTG was actually going up and on the right side of my neck, WTG was actually going down and to the right at an angle. Prior to using a straight razor, I always wondered why areas were "missed". This was discussed on B&B some time ago here.

I personally find beard mapping very useful. Some may not. YMMV.
 
In my opinion it depends on the grind. A little too much pressure on a super hollow will cause some deflection where on a heavier grind it will just dig into the skin. Neither makes for a good shave.

I don't know if it's truly zero pressure though. Definitely a light touch is needed but I still like to have consistent contact with the skin.
 

lasta

Blade Biter
How do you do upward strokes without pressure?

Do you mix shaving with your morning workout?
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
We have all heard that when shaving with a SR you should use about zero pressure of the edge against your skin. I have found this to be correct. The lighter the pressure, the closer the shave.

What I can't understand is why is this so. How does having edge pressure against the skin while SR shaving decrease the closeness of the shave?

I'm only an engineer so cannot work outllogically in my mind.
That question has been playing on my mind as well and it has baffled me as well even though I’m not an engineer. My only idea is that the razor pressing on the skin in some way affects the shaving angle relative to the whisker.
 
The problem is with applying zero pressure, especially with soft sensitive skin is that the whiskers tend to slide under the blade without being cut despite skin stretching and attention to blade angle I've concluded that the whisker roots (follicles) tend to be weaker with soft sensitive skin meaning they can be easily pushed over, by the blade, without being cut?
I have soft, sensitive skin. Thinking about this, the angle of the blade is a factor too. The edge of the blade needs to "catch" on the whisker root. I can see that if the blade angle is too shallow, it'll slide over the whisker. If the blade is not sharp enough, this will also result is the blade not catching.
 
No clue but fascinating question. I wonder if there is a "wave effect" off the leading edge of the blade that affects the effective angle when there is pressure?

As to mapping I have the general sense of it and it does affect (slightly) my approach, but in the end a 12-pass shave makes the point moot. Only kidding about the 12 passes, mostly :)
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Well, sharpness is a key ingredient. I’ve never been known for being a particularly sharp person but my razors sure as hell are.
You sound like one of my favorite preachers, Steve Brown. Ain't heard from him in awhile, must be singing Baritone in Heaven, he's older than I am!

I stole this from him 25+ years ago; no idea who he stole it from: "my momma mighta raised some homely children, but she didn't raise no fools!"

Lol, I miss his teaching. Never seemed to take himself too seriously, which is always a good thing for a preacher, because, as I ALWAYS try to remind any preacher I meet: God don't take preachers too serious!
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
You sound like one of my favorite preachers, Steve Brown. Ain't heard from him in awhile, must be singing Baritone in Heaven, he's older than I am!

I stole this from him 25+ years ago; no idea who he stole it from: "my momma mighta raised some homely children, but she didn't raise no fools!"

Lol, I miss his teaching. Never seemed to take himself too seriously, which is always a good thing for a preacher, because, as I ALWAYS try to remind any preacher I meet: God don't take preachers too serious!
FT I’ll take that as a compliment - somehow or another. Never been likened to a preacher before. Knowing my mama,
I’m certain I was a virgin birth though.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
The sharper the blade the less pressure you need. I sent some balsa strops to a member who shaved primarily with coticule edges and he got weepers and burns with the stropped edges. Much of the time a shaver’s technique will match the blade and honing methods. I used to think synth edges gave me burn, but in actuality synths gave me sharper edges than I was used to and my technique didn’t allow for that.YMMV
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
The sharper the blade the less pressure you need. I sent some balsa strops to a member who shaved primarily with coticule edges and he got weepers and burns with the stropped edges. Much of the time a shaver’s technique will match the blade and honing methods. I used to think synth edges gave me burn, but in actuality synths gave me sharper edges than I was used to and my technique didn’t allow for that.YMMV
I agree that a sharper edge should be used with (even) less pressure. I have also found that the sharper the edge, the shallower the blade angle should be.

That probably explains why a high blade angle of 30° is so often mentioned in SR shaving YT videos. They are not shaving with truly shave-ready traditional straight razors.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
I agree that a sharper edge should be used with (even) less pressure. I have also found that the sharper the edge, the shallower the blade angle should be.

That probably explains why a high blade angle of 30° is so often mentioned in SR shaving YT videos. They are not shaving with truly shave-ready traditional straight razors.

My ah-ha moment was learning to shave with a Feather AC. As it dulled my technique changed to accommodate it. Then when I changed the blade the first shave was rough until I reacquainted my technique to the new blade sharpness.
 
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