Close, but no cigar.

[Labyrinthine]

TL;DR verison: I can shave with a DE/Glycerin soap w/o irritation. I've never been able to consitently shave without irritation using the method. Please help.

Thanks in advance for reading and your help.

My first foray into wet shaving was method shaving in '07. Started out wetpacking a shavemaster with paste and since tried the cloth. I have never been able to make method shaving my primary method of shaving - shave quality is highly volatile and tends towards the 'ouch' side of the spectrum. Most of the time when I shave method I end up with mild irritation and redness; when I shave with a puck of mama bear's soap and a shavemac my face feels cool and comfortable. This isn't for lack of trying - I've had several conversations with Charles, watched mantics videos, charles' videos, read hydrolast forum, b&b, etc.

I want to make the method work, if only for the sake of saying I did it.

The only issues I can think of are

• mix technique
  -The mix does not feel protective. It feels very dry compared to glycerin soap. It disappears, dries, and breaks up rapidly after application (before the end of the pass). It does, however, feel velvety before application and my face feels very velvety when I rinse the mix off at the end.
  -I am currently following the method found in Charles videos. My mix technique has varied over the years as the products have evolved.
  
• water
  -Water in the house is very hard. Showerheads have visible buildup and need to be cleaned about every 6 months.
  
• climate
  -I live in Utah (read: dry) and have relatively dry skin.
  
• (I am ruling out DE blade technique because I can consistently shave without irritation using other soaps/creams.)

Overall, the method has been difficult. The high variability of shave quality makes it impractical to adopt full time. However, the good shaves I have had with the method have been some of the best. So, I still have a bit of hope.

 

[sproosemoose]

what does tl;dr mean? i keep seeing it on the internet

 

[golfnshave]

what does tl;dr mean? i keep seeing it on the internet

Too long Didn't Read. Basically trying to make it as short as possible since most are not going to read the whole story

 

[Bright (Satin) Futur]

Try this: Apply the primer directly to wet beard / face and rub that in. Then rinse it off and after soaking the primer in sink 30 - 60 seconds apply brush to primer and pull lots of slag to the brush and then take brush to face, building the first lather on your face. Then add bit of paste, bit of cutting balm and mix by hand or by brush - It should feel wet for the whole time. If it dries, add bit of moisture to hand and rub into whole face to keep it even.

Or perhaps you should do away with that counter top ventilation / heater fan you've been using to de-fog the mirrors -

Cheers!

 

[Friskyseal]

Have you tried a shower filter? You could run it for a second and fill a small bucket (which I use to shave with), or transfer it to the sink and shave there.

http://www.aquasana.com/product_detail.php?product_id=2

As far as mix technique goes, I struggled for a while, too. I only am able to use the original shave cube (1/3 piece with the cloth). The other soaps make a mix that feels too dry and "soapy" for me. With the cube, generous amount of cutting balm, and the cloth I can get a good mix pulled off the cloth that can last for two passes. It does break up a little after I've applied the paste, but I don't worry about it. (My paste is a bit old - I'm hoping when I reorder I'll get better performance there.)

Anyway, something important that helped me a lot is to apply the mix to a DRY face. Do not rinse your face at all prior to applying the mix. It does seems weird at first, but it's made my shaves way better. I think it's that the skin sebum on your face assists with the shave and provides some lubrication and protection when combined with the mix. Rinsing your face first with hot water is close to washing it, which can be drying.

If the mix is drying on your face, there's not enough water in it. It shouldn't be a problem after some practice with the cloth, but it's pretty easy to fix - just dip your hand in the water and work it into the mix on your face.

Hope it helps?