Angle & Stuff (rookie post)

[blueguitar322]

2nd ever shave with a DE this morning. Yesterday's was better, but I'm not sure why...

I'm having a hard time getting the angle right. One poster here said to start with the razor parallel to the floor and let it down until the blade edge just starts to cut your hairs.

Well if I do that, it feels like the blade is scratching down my face, not gliding like I'm told it should. (It goes without saying that irritation follows.) When I don't have that scratchy feeling, it's hard to tell if the stroke was successful at all, because the shaving cream isn't fully picked up like my old Mach 3 or a straight razor (which I've never used, just seen) and I can't see my whiskers.

Any suggestions?

 

[letterk]

Seeing as you're going to do more than one pass, do a pass where you don't get that scratchy feeling. Rinse of the lather and see if the stubble is reduced. What blade and razor are you using?

 

[Jonnybc]

Hi blueguitar322 and welcome to B&B.

Getting the angle right can be difficult to master. If I were you I'd have a good look at the blade projecting from the razor anf try to visualise the correct angle by projecting an imaginary line in the direction of and away from the sharp edge of the blade. That's your angle, you then have to make that angle work on your face (I know it's easier said than done) remembering that the angle will have tochange as the head of the razor follows the contours of your face.

Which razor are you using?

 

[rschul2]

2nd ever shave with a DE this morning. Yesterday's was better, but I'm not sure why...

I'm having a hard time getting the angle right. One poster here said to start with the razor parallel to the floor and let it down until the blade edge just starts to cut your hairs.

Well if I do that, it feels like the blade is scratching down my face, not gliding like I'm told it should. (It goes without saying that irritation follows.) When I don't have that scratchy feeling, it's hard to tell if the stroke was successful at all, because the shaving cream isn't fully picked up like my old Mach 3 or a straight razor (which I've never used, just seen) and I can't see my whiskers.

Any suggestions?

OK, it sound like you are starting parallel and then lowering the razor until you feel cutting just right. The fact that you feel scraping could be 1 of 3 things: 1) Are you using the razor blade that came in the box with your DE? If you are get rid of it and use a new blade. Often the blades that come in the box with your DE have been abused in the shipping process and have lost their edge leading to the scraping sensation you are feeling. 2) You may not have adequate lubrication with your cream. Do you have a fully hydrated cream? Does the cream you are putting on your face have a meringue-like appearance? Remember, subpar shave cream leads to subpar shaves. Lastly 3) You may have "lowered" the razor handle too much from parallel such that you have passed your optimum shave angle and are using too large of an angle (anywhere from 50-90 degrees relative to your face) leading to more of a scraping action with your razor blade as compared to slicing through your whiskers. The ideal razor angle varies from individual to individual but as a general rule should be around 30-35 degrees. Try these things and if you are still having problems, post more questions or pm me and I can try to help you more.

 

[blueguitar322]

I meant to include info but must've forgotten...

Merkur hefty classic, I chucked the gimme blade and put in a seperate-bought Merkur blade.

I think it might be a lather issue. I'm using Mr. Taylor's shaving cream; lather isn't what it should be but I'm not sure what else to do. If I add more water, it doesn't get soaked up and if I add more cream, nothing seems to happen. I've been soaking the Vulfix brush in hot water while I shower, then pull it out of the mug, let the water drip off, then give it a shake or two. Swirl it around in the shaving cream tub till I get a decent amount (judging from pictures I saw on this message board) and then whipping it up in a bowl.

Still...should I end up with shaving cream all over after a full pass? That just doesn't seem right.

EDIT: Btw, Go Sox...grew up in Boston myself (just moved to Florida a year ago for my first job after college)

 

[guenron]

I...SNIP...
Still...should I end up with shaving cream all over after a full pass? That just doesn't seem right.

Hi BG,
I hate to seem obtuse, but I don't quite understand what you mean by the above statement. Do you mean that the razor is not removing the lather from your visage?

 

[mrob]

Or do you mean that you think we are telling you that you should have a face full of lather after a full pass?

Ron is obviously right--each pass with the razor should remove the lather on your face, ideally with a bunch of whiskers!

 

[boboakalfb]

I meant to include info but must've forgotten...

Merkur hefty classic, I chucked the gimme blade and put in a seperate-bought Merkur blade.

I think it might be a lather issue. I'm using Mr. Taylor's shaving cream; lather isn't what it should be but I'm not sure what else to do. If I add more water, it doesn't get soaked up and if I add more cream, nothing seems to happen. I've been soaking the Vulfix brush in hot water while I shower, then pull it out of the mug, let the water drip off, then give it a shake or two. Swirl it around in the shaving cream tub till I get a decent amount (judging from pictures I saw on this message board) and then whipping it up in a bowl.

Still...should I end up with shaving cream all over after a full pass? That just doesn't seem right.

EDIT: Btw, Go Sox...grew up in Boston myself (just moved to Florida a year ago for my first job after college)

Here is something that may help you...

Use about an almond amount of shave cream...let the water drip out of the brush and give it a little flick. As you build the lather swirl the brush around and you can pump the brush a couple times to release water and load up the brush. When you think you are finished feel the cream with your thumb and forefinger...rub it together. Does it feel slick to you? You might have to add a couple drops of water and then test again. You will start to know what the lather should feel like. Different creams require different amounts of water. Test it with your fingers before using your face as a test.

 

[TraderJoe]

2nd ever shave with a DE this morning. Yesterday's was better, but I'm not sure why...

I'm having a hard time getting the angle right. One poster here said to start with the razor parallel to the floor and let it down until the blade edge just starts to cut your hairs.

Well if I do that, it feels like the blade is scratching down my face, not gliding like I'm told it should. (It goes without saying that irritation follows.) When I don't have that scratchy feeling, it's hard to tell if the stroke was successful at all, because the shaving cream isn't fully picked up like my old Mach 3 or a straight razor (which I've never used, just seen) and I can't see my whiskers.

Any suggestions?

What really helped me with blade angle was to pick up the old M3, examine the angle of the blade as it is in the mower i mean cartridge, and then mimic that angle with your DE blade. Essentially, it should look like this:

|/

where "|" is your skin surface and "/" is the angle of attack (of the blade, not the razor itself).

 

[ouch]

Still...should I end up with shaving cream all over after a full pass? That just doesn't seem right.

Looks like someone is taking that "no pressure" thing to the extreme.

 

[blueguitar322]

Looks like someone is taking that "no pressure" thing to the extreme.

Yeah no joke it sounds like that. "I keep the razor at least two feet from my face...why isn't this working?"

A lot of the shaving cream comes off with each stroke, but I can't find a middle ground between scraping and not touching. If I shave to get rid of the same amount of shaving cream as with the Mach 3, my skin gets roughed up. Maybe that explains it better...?

 

[rschul2]

There's no doubt that it will take your skin some time to adjust to using a DE. Just keep trying to work on your blade angle and try getting better lather. It takes a little time to get the whole soap to water ratio right, but when you do, wow what lather you can make. I say start with at least an almond size amount of cream and try to make later. If the lather looks dry, slowly add water and try to work the water in. Still dry? Add more water. Keep doing this until you get the desired consistency that works best for you.

 

[AJS]

The one thing that held me back from getting superlative lather when I first started out was poor water quality. Try heating up some distilled water and then use this to soak your brush.
As for the angle problems, I'm still suffering after all this time I cannot get a good, consistent angle. There are days when I have good shaves, there are days when I have great shaves and then there are days when I wish everyone else was dead There are a couple of things you could try. For me, the Nancy Boy Shave Cream was a true revelation, it was so much better than anything I had tried before it that I developed a new found confidence with my DE, and as long as I use Nancy Boy I do fine. Unfortunately, switching products all the time is one of the symptoms of a true wet shaver, and once that starts, your consistency goes out the window and your results may very well follow. What can be done? Get a Single Edge Razor or an Injector. As long as you remember to keep the head flat on your face the optimum angle is already built in. Also the GEM blades from Nationwide Campus are superb as are schick injector blades and clipped down feather pro guards. The really nice thing about using a single edge for a while is that it gives you a better sense of the correct angle to use for your DE and a more confident touch when you do go back to it.