What's new

Newbie help

Hi guys, I'm am brand new to wet shaving and the forum. I purchased a fatip piccolo recently. The first and second shave was amazing. Every shave after that has been a lot of irriation. I used the lightest touch and plenty of lather. Am I doing something wrong or is this razor too aggressive for daily shaves?
 
Are you using the same blade? If so what is it?

What sort of soap/cream are you using and how good are you at creating a lather?
 
I'm using wilkinson sword classic that I change every 3 shaves. As for lather I have used van der hagen luxury, williams mug, and c.o. bigelow. All 3 are slick and the razor glides over them
 
How often are you shaving?
Is it possible that you may be shaving too often for your skin and the irritation keeps building up after each subsequent shave?

Van der hagen and williams mug don't have the best reputations from what I've heard. I haven't heard of the last one.

Maybe try a soap from B&M, A&E, or Stirling?
 
@LuckyGlenn:

Firstly, welcome! You've embarked on a momentous journey.

But ... It is a journey and as such it will have it's ups and downs.

It sounds like you are off to a great start, but when you are starting your technique will be very variable, even thought you feel like it's locked in.

I'd suggest you concentrate on the pressure you are actually using (rather than what you think you are doing) and also on the blade angle. It's quite possible that you are using more pressure than you think. You may also be shaving at too steep or too shallow of an angle, both of which can lead to irritation.

Best of luck, and don't give up. You'll get to the point where they are all good shaves. Then you'll get to the place where they are all great. Give yourself some time to practice.
 
Hello. Welcome. I don't have any personal experience with this razor but found this rather extensive review:

Fatip Piccolo

One thing that stands out to me is that it may have positive blade exposure which might not be the best razor either for your skin, or for your introduction into double-edge razors. It is fairly common for irritation to be delayed and to present itself only after a few consecutive shaves for some people when using a more efficient (aggressive) razor. I haven't used this particular razor so I'm not really in a position to speak with authority on this, though. I'm not suggesting that you should give up on this razor but if you do find that you cannot get past the irritation certainly don't give up on double-edge razors. I can pretty much guarantee that there are several out there that will prove very comfortable for you if this one doesn't work out. You may also learn that you like to use this razor once in a while, but not as your daily driver, or perhaps you will find that after using a milder razor for a few months and really getting your technique dialed in that you can come back to it. My apologies for my ramblings.
 
Last edited:
Lather quality will make a big difference. I remember when I finally realized my lather was lacking. The ah-ha moment changed my shaves. The wilkinson sword blades are a pretty good blade, IMHO there are smoother blades out there. I would recommend Gillette Silver Blues and Astra SS as a couple to start with. These are in the same sharpness ballpark as the Sword but to me these were both smoother, YMMV.

Also for irritation, try shaving with cold water for a week. It works for me to clear up irritation. Although, I do find that my shaves don't feel as good for as long as when I hot shower then shave.

Keep at it and enjoy the shaves.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Sorry to hear this. If you are using no pressure you may need to try a different razor maybe more mild.
 
First, you are making progress! DE shaving is a skill set that takes awhile to acquire.

I suggest you focus on three things:
1. Lather: I prefer more water than is typically shown in photos, with a ’sheen’ to get optimal glide.
2. Razor angle: try to keep it constant.
3. Pressure: go for ‘none.’

Stick with this and you will get the results you want! :clap: :clap:
 
Ahh....for your first DE razor you bougth FaTip Piccolo....well. It would be better if you have bought FaTip Testina Gentile, but, why not....Piccolo can be a daily shaver.
There are few things to master:
Lather needs to be slick, don't pay attention on quantity, but quality. When you make lather and put it on your face, rub it with your hand to try out the slickness....if you feel like it's greasy, that's ok. If it's drying out and starts to fall in flakes...add much more water....if it's fluffy but mediocre slick you gave it too much water.

Blade...well...that's what you need to figure out by yourself. Don't listen anyone about that...try different blades. There is no universal one that fits anyones face, so don't listen. Buy a sample pack and try out. I can shave with any blade, as long as you know how...and that comes with shaving, especially daily. Also there is another thing...

...Hair. I don't have particulary strong hair so even with Derby Extra or Dorco I can shave easily and have a BBS. Try different blades.

Ride the cap with Piccolo, dont ride the bar/comb. After you are sufficiently experienced with little FaTip, you can experiment other angles, but believe me....ride the cap in the beggining.

Hold Piccolo REALLY lightly, just let it's weight pulls down the blade and mow the hair....hold it close to the head, about 1 cm on the handle from the head is a sweet spot because of the weight distribution of the razor.

Use quality soap, don't skimp on that....Tabac, Haslinger, even Arko, for example, are cheap and great quality. They make slick lather quickly and last for a long time.

Take your time, don't rush it and try to enjoy....in time you will be able to shave yourself without irritation in 10 minutes tops with three passes and DFS+. Dont's force BBS shave...at least not in the beggining and with Piccolo...that comes little bit later when you know your razor really good :D
 
Hi guys, I'm am brand new to wet shaving and the forum. I purchased a fatip piccolo recently. The first and second shave was amazing. Every shave after that has been a lot of irriation. I used the lightest touch and plenty of lather. Am I doing something wrong or is this razor too aggressive for daily shaves?
Your first and second shave were great, that's encouraging. Your goal is to be able to do that consistently, and I think you can do it.

Shaving is one of those skills that improves with practice, so just carry on shaving and just try to get a close, comfortable shave. Don't strive for the ultimate, perfect shave right now. You are going to develop muscle memory with practice.

The Fatip OC works well with many blades, just pick one that is working reasonably well and stick with it for at least 30 days.

Learn to make your lather the slickest it can be. Avoid shaving too many passes. Don't use much pressure at all. I think you will get there.
 
Thanks guys, I'm going to continue to work on my technique. Last night I ordered a vintage gillette black beauty, some astra do blades, and some arko. I can see myself developing rad.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Everything matters, but I find that too much pressure is the best way to get some irritation. Poor lather or razor angle certainly don't help, but less pressure is readily available and fairly easy to do if you concentrate.

I'm glad to see you ordered a new razor, as I suspect the piccolo was not your best choice for right now. You can make anything work, but some things are easier than others.
 
Ride the cap with Piccolo, dont ride the bar/comb. After you are sufficiently experienced with little FaTip, you can experiment other angles, but believe me....ride the cap in the beginning.


Riding the cap will help you the most, I believe. I had to take this approach when I started using razors other than my Murker. Nothing wrong with slowly and slightly dropping the head until you find your spot. It's better to go slow and keep your face than you peel it off like some Halloween mask.
 
Sometimes it takes me a couple of months to get the hang of a new razor, by that I mean a daily smooth, free of razor burn shave. Some I never did get it.
 

Lefonque

Even more clueless than you
Welcome, try using Astra blades. Hang in with it, before you know it will be second nature.
 
Top Bottom