As posted in my introduction thread, I was frustrated because, after doing a lot of research and impatiently awaiting the arrival of my EJ-89, it was delayed in transit and I got it just as I had to prepare for a very important meeting, which meant that I couldn't risk slicing my face.
So I had to wait a few days prior to my first DE shave...my shave prior in preparation for my meeting was pretty much perfect, done with a cheap Persona disposable I got at Wal-mart but trying to apply the wet shaving principles I read about here. Plenty of lather and hot water and several passes and I had pretty much the best shave I had ever had, though at the price of some irritation. I am a pretty hairy guy, with thick, black facial hair that seems to grow into stubble in a couple of hours, courtesy of my Mediterranean/Spanish ancestors, but this shave was exceptionally close, to the point that 48 hours later, I looked as if I had done a "normal" shave in the morning.
So I had to wait a couple of days before finally trying my EJ with Astra stainless blades. When the time arrived, I was excited and tried to do everything "by the book". I'm a perfectionist so I took my time, and I wanted to respect the blade and avoid any cuts or nicks.
First impressions: the razor was much, much heavier than what I was used to with the Quattro or the Fusion. My hand was actually getting a bit tired at the end of the third pass.
Lather (Body Shop's Maca Root cream) was OK but not perfect, and I did have a bit of irritation. The area around the jawline and Adam´s apple proved a bit of a challenge, with some irritation. However I'm happy that I did not cut myself and there was absolutely no bleeding. The shave was decent but not BBS.
For my second shave, I shaved a bit more like I normally would with a cartridge razor, and the results were better, again with no cuts or bleeding. I realized then that I had been too afraid to be more agressive with the razor, and that cutting myself would actually require me doing something careless, so I relaxed.
At this point I changed the blade, since I had done about 8 passes overall with the first blade and wanted to see how different a new blade would feel.
My third shave was a disaster. I think I got a dud blade and ended up with patchy results that needed a lot of touch-ups.
Fourth shave was also terrible. It felt as if one edge of the blade was very dull and the other one was dragging a lot. However I was planning to stay home that day so I didn't bother too much. It felt about the same as you would get from a cheap electric razor.
For my fifth shave, yesterday evening, I installed a new blade, and since I was a bit short in time, I didn't give it too much thought. Washed face, lathered up, and shaved exactly as I would have shaved with a cartridge razor - one reduction pass north to south, and one pass against the grain and attacking problem areas repeatedly in different angles. The result was pretty much perfect everywhere and it only took about 10 minutes. The end result was just as close or closer than what I would have had with a brand new cartridge, except I didn't have to deal with a clogged head which has always been a problem with the Fusion and Quattro.
I had not shaved in three days and had more than a bit of stubble, so maybe that made things easier. I think my skin is also adjusting now to the blade since I didn't have any noticeable irritation or redness. I may also have been lucky and got an exceptionally sharp blade. But I'm extremely happy with the results now.
At this point I feel pretty confident that I know how to handle the razor well and how to obtain the best results for my face. I was surprised at how much difference there was between the blades, though some of that may have been deficient technique on my part.
I realize that I was needlessly worried about DE shaving being difficult or difficult to adapt. Maybe because I've always been careful and had to learn to get the best possible results from a cartridge since I was 15, but it doesn't seem to me that the process is much different or more difficult. It is more enjoyable, though.
So to anyone still undecided about trying wet shaving, don't be intimidated by the jargon or all the learning materials available. It is not nearly as difficult as it may seem.
The best part? Lathering up with a brush and hearing the sound the blade makes as it cuts the hair brings back memories of watching my grandfather shave with his TTO as a kid, and it makes me feel as if I'm taking part in a ritual, as opposed to squirting some gel out of a can and carelessly slide something that looks like a Transformer on my face. I now wish he had been alive to teach me to shave - my dad just handed me a can of Gillette foam and a Sensor blade and I had to figure it out by myself...
So I had to wait a few days prior to my first DE shave...my shave prior in preparation for my meeting was pretty much perfect, done with a cheap Persona disposable I got at Wal-mart but trying to apply the wet shaving principles I read about here. Plenty of lather and hot water and several passes and I had pretty much the best shave I had ever had, though at the price of some irritation. I am a pretty hairy guy, with thick, black facial hair that seems to grow into stubble in a couple of hours, courtesy of my Mediterranean/Spanish ancestors, but this shave was exceptionally close, to the point that 48 hours later, I looked as if I had done a "normal" shave in the morning.
So I had to wait a couple of days before finally trying my EJ with Astra stainless blades. When the time arrived, I was excited and tried to do everything "by the book". I'm a perfectionist so I took my time, and I wanted to respect the blade and avoid any cuts or nicks.
First impressions: the razor was much, much heavier than what I was used to with the Quattro or the Fusion. My hand was actually getting a bit tired at the end of the third pass.
Lather (Body Shop's Maca Root cream) was OK but not perfect, and I did have a bit of irritation. The area around the jawline and Adam´s apple proved a bit of a challenge, with some irritation. However I'm happy that I did not cut myself and there was absolutely no bleeding. The shave was decent but not BBS.
For my second shave, I shaved a bit more like I normally would with a cartridge razor, and the results were better, again with no cuts or bleeding. I realized then that I had been too afraid to be more agressive with the razor, and that cutting myself would actually require me doing something careless, so I relaxed.
At this point I changed the blade, since I had done about 8 passes overall with the first blade and wanted to see how different a new blade would feel.
My third shave was a disaster. I think I got a dud blade and ended up with patchy results that needed a lot of touch-ups.
Fourth shave was also terrible. It felt as if one edge of the blade was very dull and the other one was dragging a lot. However I was planning to stay home that day so I didn't bother too much. It felt about the same as you would get from a cheap electric razor.
For my fifth shave, yesterday evening, I installed a new blade, and since I was a bit short in time, I didn't give it too much thought. Washed face, lathered up, and shaved exactly as I would have shaved with a cartridge razor - one reduction pass north to south, and one pass against the grain and attacking problem areas repeatedly in different angles. The result was pretty much perfect everywhere and it only took about 10 minutes. The end result was just as close or closer than what I would have had with a brand new cartridge, except I didn't have to deal with a clogged head which has always been a problem with the Fusion and Quattro.
I had not shaved in three days and had more than a bit of stubble, so maybe that made things easier. I think my skin is also adjusting now to the blade since I didn't have any noticeable irritation or redness. I may also have been lucky and got an exceptionally sharp blade. But I'm extremely happy with the results now.
At this point I feel pretty confident that I know how to handle the razor well and how to obtain the best results for my face. I was surprised at how much difference there was between the blades, though some of that may have been deficient technique on my part.
I realize that I was needlessly worried about DE shaving being difficult or difficult to adapt. Maybe because I've always been careful and had to learn to get the best possible results from a cartridge since I was 15, but it doesn't seem to me that the process is much different or more difficult. It is more enjoyable, though.
So to anyone still undecided about trying wet shaving, don't be intimidated by the jargon or all the learning materials available. It is not nearly as difficult as it may seem.
The best part? Lathering up with a brush and hearing the sound the blade makes as it cuts the hair brings back memories of watching my grandfather shave with his TTO as a kid, and it makes me feel as if I'm taking part in a ritual, as opposed to squirting some gel out of a can and carelessly slide something that looks like a Transformer on my face. I now wish he had been alive to teach me to shave - my dad just handed me a can of Gillette foam and a Sensor blade and I had to figure it out by myself...
