Almost gave up on day 3.

[TexasDetour]

Been using an electric razor for the last 25+ years. Just got tired of shaving (in general) and the poor shave of an electric, especially if you skip a day. My brother is a big fan of DE shaving so I thought I would try

Bought a Merkur #34C, EJ Best Badger, Personna blades and Proraso soap and crème. I read through the forums and watched you tube videos (Geofatboy and others). I knew the transition would be difficult and challenging switching from electric but was ready to throw in the towel after day 3..

Getting better now but still battling razor burn. Threw out the AS (too much burn) and switched to Witch Hazel and Nivea balm for sensitive skin (thanks to forum posts!)

I bought MWF and really wanted to like it. The aroma is clean and pleasant but I wasn’t able to get a good lather. I added Proraso crème half way through this morning’s shave for a super lather, which helped but still had razor burn. The best shave I had so far was Proraso soap (only). I think I will try 2 passes tomorrow and not shave against the grain with Proraso soap only to see if that helps.

I may try cold shaving to see if that helps as well…

Hanging in there…week #2

 

[redshell23]

Welcome aboard, Texas!

Hang in there buddy! Hopefully you find a setup that works for you! Keep us posted!

 

[flyinion]

Try leaving out the ATG until you get your technique better. For the first few weeks I was doing just WTG and XTG. I also found out the bottom inch or so of my neck (the band that goes across the adams apple) the hair grows up instead of down. If I shave ATG on that (i.e. razor moving down) I would get razor burn there. Just something to think about if you only have it in a certain spot. Maybe that area is more sensitive.

 

[mikewood]

Yea no ATG!
Do a single WTG pass. That is one swipe with the razor. No back and forth or going back over. Just scrape the lather off. Then lather up again and do an XTG pass. Then your done.

 

[xxvaleria]

Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. Normally, razor burn indicates that you are using too steep of an angle or that you are using too much pressure. Instead of just exfoliating your face, you have gotten down into the live skin a little and removed some of the top layer.

 

[BSAGuy]

+1 for this. Be patient. It takes about 3-4 weeks to develop a consistent, repeatable routine. Also, watch your angle. You may be too steep (raror handle too parallel to your face) and you are doing more scraping vs. shaving off hairs.

Yea no ATG!
Do a single WTG pass. That is one swipe with the razor. No back and forth or going back over. Just scrape the lather off. Then lather up again and do an XTG pass. Then your done.

 

[TexasDetour]

Yea no ATG!
Do a single WTG pass. That is one swipe with the razor. No back and forth or going back over. Just scrape the lather off. Then lather up again and do an XTG pass. Then your done.

Shaving with an electric all those years... I don't have good technique with a blade yet. I think I may be going back and forth instead of a 'one swipe' technique. Will need to watch that. I will try WTG and XTG and skip the ATG for now. Good advice, thanks.

 

[coyotewhisper]

Hello, welcome to B&B. Be patient, no pressure. Try mapping your face, suggestion go north to south on the first pass then against the grain, then either east to west or west to east depend on your beard growth.

 

[Bushhippi]

Lol......we feel your pain......don't give up it only gets better..

 

[Terp61]

Concentrate on light, short strokes. I gashed my face the first few times, but even with a few nicks I was getting the best shaves I ever had. Now two years into it, everyday I get a great shave, and always nick free.

Hang in there!

 

[flyinion]

Shaving with an electric all those years... I don't have good technique with a blade yet.

I'm with you on that. I came from about 12 years of electric myself and before that I know my cartidge technique was really bad because even there I'd go over an area multiple times to "get it all" and "get it close". I had no concept of multiple passes lol.

 

[Reverend Jim]

Welcome! If you can, give your face a day or two to heal. Also consider these things that have helped this newbie:

Short strokes. This will help you maintain a good angle especially from the jawline down.
No pressure. This is so unlike using a cartridge or even electric. This takes practice and concentration at first. I turned off the water (which I didn't run full to overly waste) and after that I could hear the blade cutting; this made me realize more than anything how little pressure I actually needed.
More product/more water. Having more of each gives you a little more wiggle room to find that sweet spot for the soap/cream. I've never used the Fat (yet), but from what I've read it's finicky and you need to hit that product/water ratio juuuuuust right. I've also heard that once you get that ratio, it is one good soap. Hoping to try it myself.
Did I mention no pressure?
Consider a cold water shave. Go luke-warm in the shower at the most and then straight cold water. I was amazed how much this cut down the irritation on my neck especially.
Finally, no pressure.

Hope that helps. Don't be surprised if it takes a number of weeks for you to get it all in sync. Remember, too, that what works for one face may not work for another. Whatever works for you, stick with that.

 

[PacificNWBuckeye]

Keep with it, as above drop the ATG pass and use a XTG as a second. I would also suggest adding Noxzema as a pre-shave, just the normal blue tub stuff. It adds a super slick base to lay your lather on.

If adding more product helped your lather, then you may have too much water in your initial mix. I was guilty of that starting out, had more of a soapy water with bubbles then a real thick lather.

 

[TexasDetour]

Keep with it, as above drop the ATG pass and use a XTG as a second. I would also suggest adding Noxzema as a pre-shave, just the normal blue tub stuff. It adds a super slick base to lay your lather on.

If adding more product helped your lather, then you may have too much water in your initial mix. I was guilty of that starting out, had more of a soapy water with bubbles then a real thick lather.

Thanks for the feedback..I squeezed out all of the water from the brush so I don't think it was too much water, plus it was drying out on my face before I could finish. Since the MWF is a harder soap than Proraso I think loading the brush properly is my problem. I may try grating the MWF to soften as suggested in other posts. For the time bring I will use proraso until I can get a better handle on technique.

 

[PMT]

Concentrate on light, short strokes. I gashed my face the first few times, but even with a few nicks I was getting the best shaves I ever had. Now two years into it, everyday I get a great shave, and always nick free.

Hang in there!

+1

 

[dakotajfarley]

Newb here. +1 to letting your face heal up some if possible. My biggest problem is/was resisting the urge to go for a BBS shave, which inevitably leads to irritation due to bad technique, too many passes,etc. So far I'm just shooting for a presentable, irritation free shave, with pretty good results. Best of luck, I hope you stick with it!

 

[TexasDetour]

Newb here. +1 to letting your face heal up some if possible. My biggest problem is/was resisting the urge to go for a BBS shave, which inevitably leads to irritation due to bad technique, too many passes,etc. So far I'm just shooting for a presentable, irritation free shave, with pretty good results. Best of luck, I hope you stick with it!

Good point. Think I was trying for BBS as well. I will back off, slow down, and settle for DFS while focusing on technique. I think I now understand the term "art of shaving"..

 

[eaglesgift]

It's hard to resist going for a totally smooth finish. I don't like it when I stroke my face after a shave and I can feel micro stubble. It's almost like some OCD compulsion that I must be completely smooth afterwards. I'm a newbie myself but I think it's probably a good idea to try various different approaches / products until you find what works best for you because I can tell, even from just your experiences and mine that not everybody is the same. I found the Nivea Post Shave Balm actually irritates my neck and makes everything much worse whereas Pinaud Bay Rum has a wonderfully soothing effect for me. I would never have believed that if I hadn't found out for myself last night.

 

[alex2363]

Been using an electric razor for the last 25+ years. Just got tired of shaving (in general) and the poor shave of an electric, especially if you skip a day. My brother is a big fan of DE shaving so I thought I would try

Bought a Merkur #34C, EJ Best Badger, Personna blades and Proraso soap and crème. I read through the forums and watched you tube videos (Geofatboy and others). I knew the transition would be difficult and challenging switching from electric but was ready to throw in the towel after day 3..

Getting better now but still battling razor burn. Threw out the AS (too much burn) and switched to Witch Hazel and Nivea balm for sensitive skin (thanks to forum posts!)

I bought MWF and really wanted to like it. The aroma is clean and pleasant but I wasn’t able to get a good lather. I added Proraso crème half way through this morning’s shave for a super lather, which helped but still had razor burn. The best shave I had so far was Proraso soap (only). I think I will try 2 passes tomorrow and not shave against the grain with Proraso soap only to see if that helps.

I may try cold shaving to see if that helps as well…

Hanging in there…week #2

What was your breaking point that made you almost give up?

 

[mkiraly]

Welcome to B&B, glad you're on board, lots of good people, information, and opinions here!
All good advice above.
MWF is tricky to get a good lather with, especially for a newbie.
Proraso is the opposite, I used it for the first year.

Be patient, hang in there, it will get better.
Don't forget 50 years ago virtually all men shaved this way, so, it's not rocket science... If I can get the hang of it, anyone can!