Well guys, I started down this road a week ago yesterday. I still have a long way to go before getting that BBS or even a DFS, but things are getting better. Today I managed to pull off the first of what I assume to be a good beginner's shave: little irritation, no blood, even coverage, presentable results, and no cheating with another razor! However, I'm not writing this to gloat; rather I'm hoping that telling my story as it is now and pointing out what I've learned along the way may be of some help to other beginners.
Before I began, I was using a Fusion every other day. I used the goo and would usually make two passes, north-to-south then south-to-north, on my whole face. My first step into this world was an $8 VDH kit at Wal-Mart. I tried it out in several ways, including with the soap in the plastic, in the bowl, and in my hand. Eventually, I settled on using it in the plastic, but I feel it's meant to be used in the bowl. Even so, I learned to make a decent lather out of it and used it with the Fusion a few times. Soon after, I put in an order at BGT for the Merkur HD, an EJ Pure Badger brush and stand, and 25 Derby blades. I also stopped by my local Harris Teeter and picked up a $6 bottle of Nivea AS. Nothing special, just something to help keep my face in decent shape. Last Sunday I used the Fusion to look presentable for church, then tossed the blade and put the handle in a drawer.
The first four days, I shaved every day because I was excited to learn. The first couple of days didn't seem too bad. I would make three or four passes, sometimes ending with an ATG, trying to get it looking good. However, by Thursday, my face was burning and felt extremely tight. That day, I took a good chunk out from under my nose, which bled for a half an hour, and my shave ended with me yelling at the mirror, cleaning my gear in disgust, and considering quitting. After I calmed down, I decided to take Friday and Saturday off and reflect on my first week. The mistakes I made here are obvious: too many passes, going ATG, and shaving twice as often as usual. Also, my strokes were too long and too fast. In short, you have to respect the razor, and I simply was not.
Sunday I tried again and got a terrible shave, especially on my neck. No cuts, but it was very uneven, especially on the neck. I wasn't exactly rushing, but I wasn't exactly going at a leisurely pace, as I did need to be done in time to get to church. After two WTG passes, I decided to cheat and take a quick pass with the Fusion to get presentable, but knew that was something I couldn't do every day if I ever wanted to make progress.
I skipped Monday (yesterday). Today, I woke up, relaxed, then jumped in the shower around mid-day. I did not look at the clock beforehand, and did not after. I deliberately chose to ignore the concept of time, and focus completely on the shave. I worked up a decent lather in the bowl (still having trouble with it evaporating in the bowl, but that's another thread), spent at least twice as long rubbing it into my face, and focused on making shorter, slower passes. Both of the latter two were good ideas.
I went WTG twice, and after getting a little sloppy on the second pass, I hesitantly decided to make one more, very ginger XTG pass. Turns out, that was a very good idea. Going even lighter and slower than usual proved that I could still get the hairs and not irritate myself. By the time I was halfway through it, I could tell when I was using too much pressure and when I seemed to be getting it right. Finished the shave with a goofy grin on my face, and while I didn't get a BBS or even a DFS, I'm still presentable, smooth WTG, and only slightly irritated. A far cry from last Thursday to be sure.
I've learned that my biggest problem has got to be pressure. Until today's XTG pass, I thought I was doing OK, but I learned I can do better by going even slower, shorter, and lighter than I thought I could do. I can easily take tomorrow off and still look fine, so I'm leaving the razor alone until Thursday to avoid a repeat of last week's frustration. I have other things to improve on, such as lathering, but even that's better than it used to be. Taking the extra minute to work it in, rather than just covering my face, proved to be a big help on the first pass.
Now it's time for the true test of irritation: a four-mile run through the neighborhood. I'm feeling good about it! I know this was long, longer than I meant for it to be, so thanks for reading this far and also for making this place what it is.
Before I began, I was using a Fusion every other day. I used the goo and would usually make two passes, north-to-south then south-to-north, on my whole face. My first step into this world was an $8 VDH kit at Wal-Mart. I tried it out in several ways, including with the soap in the plastic, in the bowl, and in my hand. Eventually, I settled on using it in the plastic, but I feel it's meant to be used in the bowl. Even so, I learned to make a decent lather out of it and used it with the Fusion a few times. Soon after, I put in an order at BGT for the Merkur HD, an EJ Pure Badger brush and stand, and 25 Derby blades. I also stopped by my local Harris Teeter and picked up a $6 bottle of Nivea AS. Nothing special, just something to help keep my face in decent shape. Last Sunday I used the Fusion to look presentable for church, then tossed the blade and put the handle in a drawer.
The first four days, I shaved every day because I was excited to learn. The first couple of days didn't seem too bad. I would make three or four passes, sometimes ending with an ATG, trying to get it looking good. However, by Thursday, my face was burning and felt extremely tight. That day, I took a good chunk out from under my nose, which bled for a half an hour, and my shave ended with me yelling at the mirror, cleaning my gear in disgust, and considering quitting. After I calmed down, I decided to take Friday and Saturday off and reflect on my first week. The mistakes I made here are obvious: too many passes, going ATG, and shaving twice as often as usual. Also, my strokes were too long and too fast. In short, you have to respect the razor, and I simply was not.
Sunday I tried again and got a terrible shave, especially on my neck. No cuts, but it was very uneven, especially on the neck. I wasn't exactly rushing, but I wasn't exactly going at a leisurely pace, as I did need to be done in time to get to church. After two WTG passes, I decided to cheat and take a quick pass with the Fusion to get presentable, but knew that was something I couldn't do every day if I ever wanted to make progress.
I skipped Monday (yesterday). Today, I woke up, relaxed, then jumped in the shower around mid-day. I did not look at the clock beforehand, and did not after. I deliberately chose to ignore the concept of time, and focus completely on the shave. I worked up a decent lather in the bowl (still having trouble with it evaporating in the bowl, but that's another thread), spent at least twice as long rubbing it into my face, and focused on making shorter, slower passes. Both of the latter two were good ideas.
I went WTG twice, and after getting a little sloppy on the second pass, I hesitantly decided to make one more, very ginger XTG pass. Turns out, that was a very good idea. Going even lighter and slower than usual proved that I could still get the hairs and not irritate myself. By the time I was halfway through it, I could tell when I was using too much pressure and when I seemed to be getting it right. Finished the shave with a goofy grin on my face, and while I didn't get a BBS or even a DFS, I'm still presentable, smooth WTG, and only slightly irritated. A far cry from last Thursday to be sure.
I've learned that my biggest problem has got to be pressure. Until today's XTG pass, I thought I was doing OK, but I learned I can do better by going even slower, shorter, and lighter than I thought I could do. I can easily take tomorrow off and still look fine, so I'm leaving the razor alone until Thursday to avoid a repeat of last week's frustration. I have other things to improve on, such as lathering, but even that's better than it used to be. Taking the extra minute to work it in, rather than just covering my face, proved to be a big help on the first pass.
Now it's time for the true test of irritation: a four-mile run through the neighborhood. I'm feeling good about it! I know this was long, longer than I meant for it to be, so thanks for reading this far and also for making this place what it is.
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