3 Months in and still havn't got a bloodless shave

[shupey]

Hi all:
I'm new to DE Shaving having been a cart shaver my whole life. I took the plunge and bought an EJ DE89. I have tried a few different blades (Astra SS and SP, Derby, Feather) and I have yet to do a 3 pass shave without drawing any blood. I seem to have the best luck with the Astra SS but still a few nicks each shave. I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I try to put no pressure on the blade. I lather up soap using either my boar or pure badger brush. I have tried several different soaps and creams (currently like the Body Shop Macca Root cream). As far as i know I am keeping the angle right-i can hear it cutting. I have ordered 5 more small packs of different blades to try in the meantime along with some DR Harris Arlington soap. I would appreciate any secret tips you veterans have that could make my shaves a bit better.
Thanks

 

[Rockminer]

Couple of things that might help us help you:

1. Have you mapped your beard growth?
2. Which directions are you going for your 3 passes?
3. Are you generally getting weepers in the same spots each time?

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

There will probably be quite a few suggestions until we can figure this out.

Along with Rockminer's questions:

4. Do you use short strokes, or long strokes?
5. What is your pre-shave preparation?
6. Have you tried just doing a 2 pass shave? Do you seem to draw blood on the last pass more often?
7. Are you a daily shaver, or do you shave every few days?

 

[shupey]

1. Have not mapped my beard growth but I have a general idea of how it grows based on feeling stuble. Good suggestion.
2. My 3 passes are WTG, XTG and finish with ATG.
3. I do generally get weepers obove the lip and around the chin. Very rarely do I get them on the side of my jaw.
4. I try to do short strokes. I definately dont take the long strokes I use to take when cartridge shaving.
5. My preshave prep is having a hot shower, washing my face and using conditioner on it. I also apply a homemade preshave oil (Castor/Olive/Grapeseed) about a minute before i lather. I have both face lathered and bowl lathered which i prefer.
6. I really have not tried a 2 pass shave. I find I need that 3rd pass to get a smooth shave. The bloodletting is almost always on the 2nd and more so on the third pass.
7. I generally shave every 2 days but sometimes go a day and a half. Face gets too sore if i try to shave everyday.

I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

 

[shupey]

Just to add to my original post, I have order and am planning on trying Personnal Med Preps, Personna Red, Gillette 7 o'clock yellow, Gillette Silver Blue, Shark super chrome and SS, and Rapira Platinum. Hoping I have better luck with one of these.

 

[Dave R]

I am using the same razor and blades (Astra SP) as you. I know YMMV, but at least with the way my beard grows I can get by with just a two pass (WTG & ATG) shave. I think a BBS is over rated. Some may disagree. But to me either a DFS or CCS is good.

When I got me EJ89 I was trying different blades and the Astras seemed to perform the best. I have a couple more to try from the sample pack but am in not hurry since the Astras shave so well and I don't get any irritation or weepers.

You might want to try cold water shaving. I found when I was trying different blades, I got very little irritation and no weepers when I used cold water.

 

[shupey]

Thanks Dave:
I think i will try a 2 pass shave next as you suggested. Maybe i dont need to go across the grain. I had thought of a cold shave but will have to look up exactly what i need to do for that (other than use cold water). I find the Astra SP chew my face up a bit but the Astra Stainless Steel work better.

 

[InNae]

The areas that you're having issues with are really hard to get the blade angle right. I would suggest on the upper lip trying to pull your nose out of the way as much as possible and pull the skin tight. I end up making some pretty weird faces which my 3 year old says "you're funny daddy". As for the chin area, again I work hard on getting the skin pulled tight using a combination of face contortions and pulling when necessary. I'm fairly new at wetshaving, with only about a year experience, so if somebody with more experience tells you something different, go with them. Stick with it though. For about the first 6 months I would get nicks and weepers, but now I manage to go weeks at a time without them. Keep trying different blades. I don't care for the blades you have used (which doesn't mean anything to you) but i like a bunch of what you have coming so they may work out great for you. The blade exchange is a great resource to take advantage of.

InNae

 

[djh]

Stopping at 2 passes sounds like a good idea and I would eliminate your ATG pass. With proper angle and no pressure there is no reason you couldn't shave daily. Take it easy and don't worry about results just concentrate on the process.

 

[Dave R]

Thanks Dave:
I think i will try a 2 pass shave next as you suggested. Maybe i dont need to go across the grain. I had thought of a cold shave but will have to look up exactly what i need to do for that (other than use cold water). I find the Astra SP chew my face up a bit but the Astra Stainless Steel work better.

That's good to know about the Astra SS blades. I have not tried them yet but they are on my list.

As far as cold shaving goes, all you need is cold water. Nothing special. With warmer weather right around the corner I suspect I'll be doing more of it over the summer.

 

[aldomarino]

One thing you didn't mention was pre-shave oil. Have you tried putting few a few drops of olive oil into your hand and massaging it into your face before lathering-up? I find this gives a suppleness to my skin, makes it less rough and easier to stretch out and shave.

Second thing I'd point out (and others would disagree) is that the three blades you mentioned as trying (Astra SS, Derby, and Feather) I consider all of these to be on the sharper side (lots of people don't think this about the Derby..) myself, I don't think blades make a big difference, but I tend to gravitate toward milder blades...Lord Racers, Supermax Super Stainless, etc.

Lastly, when I nick myself, at least half the time it's because I just didn't bring the razor far enough away from my face when I was changing the angle or changing the side.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Why do you guys always insist you need a perfectly smooth shave, then wonder why you get cuts and irritation???

 

[mysterfrosty]

Make sure you're re-wetting your face and getting a good slickness between passes.

 

[PMT]

Why do you guys always insist you need a perfectly smooth shave, then wonder why you get cuts and irritation???

Exactly! I keep styptic handy always!

 

[p38thadl]

As far as i know I am keeping the angle right-i can hear it cutting.

That's not it. Starting on the top cap and pitching down until it catches is often good, but sometimes it isn't. If your beard is too hard, or the skin too soft, you can be baited into compensating with an inappropriately steep angle, which finally succeeds in cutting the hair, yes, but also puts the skin in harm's way.

You can "lift the blade" away from the skin by pitching the blade at a lower angle, then pressing the top cap into your flesh to bring the edge back down to where it can catch the beard again. Balance that tension with fingers stretching the skin back BEHIND the stroke, and it's actually quite easy to control the cutting depth and avoid skin altogether.

 

[Michael Spotts]

Take your time and watch your blade edge. Most of my nicks were from trying to get areas that had some curvature to it. I kept getting the blade edge at a bad angle. As said before try stretch your neck and make as many awkward faces as you can. If all else fails try a different razor.

 

[SensorEx]

Stopping at 2 passes sounds like a good idea and I would eliminate your ATG pass. With proper angle and no pressure there is no reason you couldn't shave daily. Take it easy and don't worry about results just concentrate on the process.

+1 I agree with djh. Dump the ATG. Dump the conditioner and pre-shave oils. Try a WTG, XTG, with touch ups only for a few times and be happy with that, and maybe shave everyday in this manner for a 4 or 5 day stretch. Work on fundamental technique for now and results will improve.

 

[ackvil]

Most likely it's not the blades but your angle. For a good post on blade angle, look here.

 

[celestino]

Welcome to the forum and there is some great advice above! Just be patient and keep practicing!

 

[alex2363]

Couple of things that might help us help you:

1. Have you mapped your beard growth?
2. Which directions are you going for your 3 passes?
3. Are you generally getting weepers in the same spots each time?

Good questions. ..