ATG at last, and an amazing shave...

[Dzaw]

Just to be sure - you re lather for the next pass, or are you going right to ATG?

Either way, you may want to try a fresh blade to see if that may be the culprit as well. I’ve chased similar kinds of irritation, and while I know there are some differences between a shavette and a straight, the lots of tiny weepers is hauntingly familiar. That, in essence is one of the primary ways I am learning that the edge on my razor needs some attention.

Also, maybe work a bit more water into the lather. The whole point to soaps and creams is lubrication. Make it slick. Cushion / protection, scent, post shave feel, they all take a back seat to following the point and purpose of the lubricant, which is to lubricate!

 

[MurderousCrow]

Just to be sure - you re lather for the next pass, or are you going right to ATG?

Either way, you may want to try a fresh blade to see if that may be the culprit as well. I’ve chased similar kinds of irritation, and while I know there are some differences between a shavette and a straight, the lots of tiny weepers is hauntingly familiar. That, in essence is one of the primary ways I am learning that the edge on my razor needs some attention.

Also, maybe work a bit more water into the lather. The whole point to soaps and creams is lubrication. Make it slick. Cushion / protection, scent, post shave feel, they all take a back seat to following the point and purpose of the lubricant, which is to lubricate!

Hi Dan,

Thank you, that's really helpful advice. It seems the amount of water really is key: I also looked into some threads here on B&B regarding issues some folk have had with CF creams, and they echo what you're saying.

In regard to the blade I don't believe it's the likely culprit - Saturday's blade had been changed out before the previous shave Thursday, and it went on to provide a more comfortable shave later that day. I do re-lather between passes.

I had another go earlier, using a different technique to build the lather. This followed a bit of experimentation with varying quantities of water and product, loading the brush in a different way (swirling the brush on the tub), and spending more time actually making the lather on my skin. I found what seemed like a sweet spot, using a much wetter CF lather on the right (dominant) side of my head, and using the same method with the BS cream on the left side. I did it this way round to reduce razor handling errors in the final result as much as possible.

While things were certainly improved with the CF, it was still far from perfect: my skin still feels irritated on the right side and again I have numerous tiny nicks, where these are absent on the left side... It's a strange thing, as many much more knowledgeable folk have consistently excellent results with Castle Forbes. I'm starting to think it may be that my skin is just not compatible with this product. I may try again in a few days when my skin's fully settled. Thank you for the advice!

 

[MurderousCrow]

I wanted to update this thread: after nearly two more months of near-daily head shaving with my Feather AC SS a few gentle truths have emerged. It's possible that other newbies may find my information useful. I have to say that most of the negative issues I encountered above with the CF cream were technique-related, in regard to both lathering and shaving.

My shaving technique has improved due to reading through old threads on here. What I gleaned from these was that with the Feather a shallow angle and firm lateral pressure (through the side of the blade, if you like) was desirable. I'd encountered the smoothness and ease of shaving this way previously, even on my first shave, but fearing the worst I didn't fully trust pressing the blade to my skin, opting instead to raise the angle and trying to shave more 'gently'.

Reading the old posts explaining why this lateral pressure was a good idea - using the AC Club's lip to raise the skin before the blade - reassured me that it was safe, and I started to explore this more confidently. With this technique one truly cuts the hairs rather than scraping, and it actually allows more subtlety in the angle of attack used. I can gently roll the razor using my wrist as the stroke progresses to adjust the angle to my head, allowing longer smoother passes.

My left hand has been on a steep learning curve too: after adopting the above technique I could shave the right side of my head to BBS with ease, however the left side was often lacking in comparison. It's taken a further dose of MT*U to trust my less-dextrous hand to press firmly, however no serious cuts have occurred, and last night I shaved slightly smoother on the left side...

In regard to lathering: well as with anything practice makes perfect. I had been using insufficient cream, too little water, and not enough effort in building the lather. I also moved from the Body Shop Aloe cream to Nivea Sensitive, after finding it to be a slightly better product. This fed back into the improvements I was experiencing with the shaving technique, as I was getting consistently comfortable shaves with very few cuts day after day. I decided after a few weeks to try the Castle Forbes sandalwood cream again, and used more product, water and time. It produced a comfortable shave however I may yet have more to learn, as I would still rate it below the Nivea cream and the Body Shop stuff. I currently feel that the residual slickness of the latter two is superior, and this compensated in large part for my newbie technique errors.

Were Castle Forbes owned by a large manufacturer I don't think I'd have even bothered to try it again let alone update the forum with my views, regardless of its price. However as I say above I respect the brand and wish to support quality independent businesses. I plan to try some of their lime cream when I can get my hands on a sample.

ETA: I would also add that while the Proguard blades are very good, they do not allow the closeness of either the Feather Pro blades, or the Schick Proline. At @Twelvefret's encouragement I gave the standard blades a go after about a month and am glad I did. The Schicks edge in front for smoothness but don't seem to last quite as long, or go quite as close as the Pro blades.

Luke

 

[MurderousCrow]

Great shave last night, really great. Kit used was:

Oilatum liquid as a pre-shave cleanse
Vulfix 374s Super Badger brush
Nivea Sensitive shave cream
Feather AC SS with Feather Pro blade
Oilatum again post-shave cleanse
Tiny blob of Epilim ointment applied sparingly over the scalp with a little water
4711 cologne
Roberts Borotalco powder

Despite two pre-existing weepers, there was no fresh blood. It was an ultra-smooth and satisfying shave. I'm feeling a system and rhythm starting to emerge, and the time taken is naturally finding its way down as I increase my skill. Edging the jaw line is not completely perfect from very close up, but passes muster. 12 hours later my scalp is still very smooth, would rate it as DFS if just done! I'm probably getting a shave like this one day in five at the moment. I began shaving with the Feather in mid-Feb, with around 60-65 shaves done.

 

[steveclarkus]

All you need to now is to keep shaving and it will all come together. It’s a very personal thing. You learn your own way by doing it. Believe me, it gets much better with experience.

 

[MurderousCrow]

@steveclarkus cool, this is good to hear.

I'm quite excited to begin honing properly now, another thing to learn! I've used 'the Method' once to do a cheap Japanese straight and got it shaving well and comfortably, just sadly not over the full length of the blade... Another thing to practice and refine. These are good hobbies.

 

[steveclarkus]

It didn’t get sharp across the blade because the bevel wasn’t set all the way across most likely. The easiest way to tell is to use the “burr” method. You’ll get it down. No worry.

 

[Twelvefret]

@steveclarkus cool, this is good to hear.

I'm quite excited to begin honing properly now, another thing to learn! I've used 'the Method' once to do a cheap Japanese straight and got it shaving well and comfortably, just sadly not over the full length of the blade... Another thing to practice and refine. These are good hobbies.

@steveclarkus was/is my mentor in all things straight razor. He will show you how to hone a razor the first time and every time.

No need to practice on junk when 90 year old vintage razors are readily available for less than $10.

 

[Earcutter]

Your insights regarding the Feather are bang on @MurderousCrow - great read.

I “discovered” my Feather long after I found straights. It was just supposed to be for travel... but I found myself reaching for it often (like two years straight) simply because it’s so convenient!

Now I’m trying out different DEs. I guess I’m going backwards compared to most, but I do miss the mechanics of maintaining a straight. The stropping - the honing. Particularly the honing. I think you’ll enjoy that part!

Good luck with the straights.

 

[MurderousCrow]

It didn’t get sharp across the blade because the bevel wasn’t set all the way across most likely. The easiest way to tell is to use the “burr” method. You’ll get it down. No worry.

That makes sense. I will admit to being impatient with it, and guess I did not check the formation of the burr thoroughly enough along the razor's full edge! Still as you say there is abundant time to get better at the process

 

[MurderousCrow]

@steveclarkus was/is my mentor in all things straight razor. He will show you how to hone a razor the first time and every time.

No need to practice on junk when 90 year old vintage razors are readily available for less than $10.

I'm not sure how poor the razor was - I admit to buying it because I thought it looked cool hahaha. It's a 'BBB No. 1' 6/8, looks vintage. Found basically zero info about it online, bought it as a cheap vintage to learn to hone on.

Having tried a sample pack of film and trashed it, I think I'm leaning towards buying more synthetics (I already own a Shapton 1.5k for bevel setting). Looking at a Shapton 5k and 8k this month, trying to show a degree of restraint!!

 

[MurderousCrow]

Your insights regarding the Feather are bang on @MurderousCrow - great read.

I “discovered” my Feather long after I found straights. It was just supposed to be for travel... but I found myself reaching for it often (like two years straight) simply because it’s so convenient!

Now I’m trying out different DEs. I guess I’m going backwards compared to most, but I do miss the mechanics of maintaining a straight. The stropping - the honing. Particularly the honing. I think you’ll enjoy that part!

Good luck with the straights.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed reading!

So far, stropping has proved to be a slow and slightly frustrating process, but I'm improving!

 

[steveclarkus]

That makes sense. I will admit to being impatient with it, and guess I did not check the formation of the burr thoroughly enough along the razor's full edge! Still as you say there is abundant time to get better at the process

The more you do it the better and easier it gets.

 

[Dzaw]

Master Steve is quite correct.

Much like shaving and stropping, your honing will improve as your hands learn this task more precisely, and you experiment a little with the hows and whys.

 

[MurderousCrow]

Morning all,

(well it's morning here)

Been getting some very good shaves lately with Nanny's Silly Soaps... I bought a puck of the coriander soap, plus 4 samples including 2 of the Original and 2 Signature soaps. The samples came out to work with me (I work away from home). They're all amazing: since getting the amount of lathering / incorporation dialled I've enjoyed wonderful, comfortable shaves very consistently. Have since ordered more...

My foolishness: with the samples dwindling, last night I decided to try using my Body Shop sensitive skin soap. It worked OK, despite feeling the soap 'drying' my skin as it was on. Very slick, and I guess my technique wasn't ready, as I sustained the worst cut I've had since beginning SR shaving. It didn't want to stop or slow down, so had to apply and hold alum for a couple of minutes mid-shave. It's behaved itself since with no more exsanguination but it's sore!

Lesson learned...

 

[MurderousCrow]

Just providing an update in case it may be useful for people thinking about getting in to face or head shaving with a straight razor.

Of late I've mostly been shaving with the Feather AC SS. I've used my two favourite straights around 3-4 times total in the last 2 months: while they have a great edge, passing tree-topping and HHT tests with no issues, they are simply not as sharp as the AC blades. So while the end result is the same, head shaving with a true straight (at least for me) takes a while longer. I do it only when I want the extra time on my own.

Regardless, blood-free and super-comfortable shaves have started to become the norm, and (touch wood!) I'm on a streak of unblemished shaves since late July. This is a magical feeling, as I had resigned myself to getting at least one nick or weeper per shave. I generally shave every 36-48h these last few weeks, which is acceptable to me in terms of appearance while allowing the skin a break, although the few times I've had to shave on consecutive days I've had no discomfort.

Time taken for the entire process of head shaving, from picking up brush to putting on cologne, is now down to a very reasonable 18-20min or so (and once less than 15min). Again this is not something I've actively chased, but it was heartening to one day find that I'd taken less than half the time I was spending during the first few months. Of course working out a system and sticking with it has helped a lot in this.

I've been getting great shaves from all the soaps and creams I have available, which goes to show that while some products might hold an advantage, the biggest improvements can be made in technique.

Lathering technique (or rather method) took some conscious thought and experimentation. But in essence I now ensure there's a lot of soap / cream on the brush, and that this is topped up frequently with generous amounts of water to keep the lather hydrated. I can now tell by feel, and by how quickly the cream comes off the blade under the tap, whether it is the right consistency. I'd rather waste a bit of soap down the plughole, than be needlessly sore from stinginess.

Shaving technique has also improved hugely. Choice of AC-type blade no longer seems to matter, and blades now last significantly longer - I think the current blade has provided around 18 shaves and still going strong, which is a lot more than I used to get.

Besides practice, I believe my improvement results from adopting two techniques. One, to ensure the blade is held relatively flat, with a consistent lateral pressure against the scalp or facial skin. An exception is the top of the scalp with seems to require very light pressure and a steep angle, but the hair is thin for me there anyway! Two, was learning how to roll the razor back to a flatter angle from any position, and actively but subtly doing so on each stroke.

This allowed a kind of relaxed elastic fluidity to emerge with practice, whereby the razor can roll gently over and with the skin, but default to a safe position rather than a needlessly high angle where one can suffer cuts. Counter-intuitively, this technique almost immediately provided smoother, faster shaves, although I still made silly errors for a bit. Regardless, one day everything just seemed to click.

If you're thinking about jumping in to it, don't be shy. Using a straight is a brilliant daily experience. It focuses the mind and, after you've earned it through some consistent practice, gives an incredibly close and comfortable shave. You also feel ten feet tall

Luke

 

[ajduplessis]

I would bleed to death if I have to attempt to shave my head with an open blade