Tuesday was exactly two weeks since my first (and hugely traumatic) DE shave.
As of this morning, I have had three consistently great, BBS quality or close, irritation free daily shaves in a row, with the last shave taking under 15 min including the time to clean & put away my razor & brush. I've had good days before, but not repeatably.
I would have got to this point much earlier have I not been experimenting with different blades even after finding one that worked for me.
So, here's what works for me - and hopefully it could help some other noob:
1) Mild razor. I have two I started with, Baili BD179 (TTO) and Baili BD176 (3-piece). The 3-Piece is probably the best to start on because it's absolutely the most forgiving razor imaginable, but is perfectly capable of giving a BBS shave. TTO however is my favorite at the moment, it's just a little more aggressive and gives great audible feedback (176 often feels as if I forgot to put a blade in) while staying very mild. I have a goatee so no issues with shaving under the nose, where a little thicker TTO head may be harder to maneuver.
2) Blade that is comfortable, has a good balance between mild and sharp, and provides reliable performance. For me, out of all blades I tried so far, it's Astra SP, no contest. YMMV.
3) Soap. Lather, lather, lather in between passes. All the time. I use Arko stick which I grated into a glass jar and I add a little hot water to the jar just before shave, let it sit for 15-20 sec, then dump most of it. This makes the soap very soft and easier to lather. I am using a Maggard synthetic brush but I am sure any decent brush would do.
4) Prep. This is very important, in my experience. I take a hot shower just before shaving. If it's late in a day, I take a face cloth and soak it in hot water and lay on my face for 30 sec. But shower works the best.
5) Technique. The biggest thing that I learned is that it's not the number of passes that irritates your skin, it's the pressure and blade friction. I use the least amount of pressure possible, and whenever I can just let the razor weight do the job. This is another reason I prefer TTO over 176, it's a little heavier. I started by holding the handle in the middle, but now try to hold it near the very end to increase the weight acting on skin.
With TTO, I do the classic 3-pass - WTG, XTG, ATG. I have to repeat ATG and XTG passes in stubborn areas several times, the main thing is to re-lather before every pass. With 176, WTG passes are all but useless with my stubble.
6) I follow up with a cold rinse, apply aftershave, wait 10 sec, and apply Nivea Cooling Balm.
As of this morning, I have had three consistently great, BBS quality or close, irritation free daily shaves in a row, with the last shave taking under 15 min including the time to clean & put away my razor & brush. I've had good days before, but not repeatably.
I would have got to this point much earlier have I not been experimenting with different blades even after finding one that worked for me.
So, here's what works for me - and hopefully it could help some other noob:
1) Mild razor. I have two I started with, Baili BD179 (TTO) and Baili BD176 (3-piece). The 3-Piece is probably the best to start on because it's absolutely the most forgiving razor imaginable, but is perfectly capable of giving a BBS shave. TTO however is my favorite at the moment, it's just a little more aggressive and gives great audible feedback (176 often feels as if I forgot to put a blade in) while staying very mild. I have a goatee so no issues with shaving under the nose, where a little thicker TTO head may be harder to maneuver.
2) Blade that is comfortable, has a good balance between mild and sharp, and provides reliable performance. For me, out of all blades I tried so far, it's Astra SP, no contest. YMMV.
3) Soap. Lather, lather, lather in between passes. All the time. I use Arko stick which I grated into a glass jar and I add a little hot water to the jar just before shave, let it sit for 15-20 sec, then dump most of it. This makes the soap very soft and easier to lather. I am using a Maggard synthetic brush but I am sure any decent brush would do.
4) Prep. This is very important, in my experience. I take a hot shower just before shaving. If it's late in a day, I take a face cloth and soak it in hot water and lay on my face for 30 sec. But shower works the best.
5) Technique. The biggest thing that I learned is that it's not the number of passes that irritates your skin, it's the pressure and blade friction. I use the least amount of pressure possible, and whenever I can just let the razor weight do the job. This is another reason I prefer TTO over 176, it's a little heavier. I started by holding the handle in the middle, but now try to hold it near the very end to increase the weight acting on skin.
With TTO, I do the classic 3-pass - WTG, XTG, ATG. I have to repeat ATG and XTG passes in stubborn areas several times, the main thing is to re-lather before every pass. With 176, WTG passes are all but useless with my stubble.
6) I follow up with a cold rinse, apply aftershave, wait 10 sec, and apply Nivea Cooling Balm.
