Critique My Technique.

[Pottertons]

This video is from my 'Journals and Diary' called "My journey towards a BBS Dream". It's from 6 years ago and received a flood of responses filled with great advice.

After giving up and returning to the electric methods of shaving (which still had it's issues, albeit much less so) I've decided to give Wet Shaving another go. Mainly because i feel that technique was my main issue, rather than pointing the blame at solely at DE shaving.

Now that i've tried again, i'm absolutely blown away at the results, even though the shave was nowhere near a clean one, which was deliberately done that way, so that i can focus on technique before going all out.

So, without further adieu, here's my (atrocious lol) attempt at Wet Shaving (again) with a DE safety razor.

Share your opinions and advice....Thanks...

EDIT: And to let you know just how bad things got after my first attempt years ago.....have a look at my gallery uploads.

 

[PMT]

Your doing fine, as for lather, you needed more product, you will figure out the water to product ratio. From the sound on the video, on the first pass, you were for sure cutting is whiskers, the angle seemed to change at times to not being steep enough, your passes seemed to change between WTG to XTG, which is fine if it works for you, we are all different and know our faces and whiskers as you do, keep at it and keep changing things up to find your nirvana, we all have had to do this, there is a learning curve and it takes a little time, but it is worth it and will work in the end, just my 2 cents!

 

[pwill112]

You are doing great. Most important thing is to keep going and learning.

One recommendation - Try a hot towel/washcloth for a minute of 90 seconds first. Really helped me.

 

[Pottertons]

You are doing great. Most important thing is to keep going and learning.

One recommendation - Try a hot towel/washcloth for a minute of 90 seconds first. Really helped me.

On top of coming straight out of the shower?

 

[ScrapeApe]

Good job with the light touch. You could try some faster shorter strokes to see if the razor will cut better. Sometimes if you go too slow the blade can't cut. Your lather the first time looked pretty dry which might be why the razor was skipping a bit. Plus, it seemed like most of the cream went to the right side of your face. Try spreading or dabbing the cream on your face in quadrants then start face lathering with the brush and add water as you go.

One final thought. I think once you get comfortable with the lather that you would benefit from a more aggressive razor. One with a larger blade gap, an open comb or an adjustable. Going more aggressive seems intimidating and counter-intuitive but it can really make for an easier and smoother shave with less irritation. Plus, I think the blade angle is easier to find on a more aggressive razor because the blade is giving you more feedback. Best of luck and keep programming that muscle memory.

 

[alex2363]

Your doing fine, as for lather, you needed more product, you will figure out the water to product ratio. From the sound on the video, on the first pass, you were for sure cutting is whiskers, the angle seemed to change at times to not being steep enough, your passes seemed to change between WTG to XTG, which is fine if it works for you, we are all different and know our faces and whiskers as you do, keep at it and keep changing things up to find your nirvana, we all have had to do this, there is a learning curve and it takes a little time, but it is worth it and will work in the end, just my 2 cents!

+1

 

[Alejandro Salemandro]

I would drop the DE and go with a straight!

 

[ackvil]

You are doing just fine. I would lighten up a bit on the brush. You seem to be mashing quite a bit and the result could damage your brush. Later in the video when you were using a painting motion it looked fine. Also, when you find the correct angle, lock your wrists so you keep a uniform angle when shaving. The more you move you hand with the razor the more you change the angle.

 

[celestino]

Looks fine, for now.
You may want to add more water to your lather to hydrate it more.
Also, you may want to just hold the DE with your dominant hand in a more comfortable and secure position as you seem to be a bit hesitant with it in some areas of your face.
You can always experiment without a blade in it to see which position it feels most comfortable in your hand while performing a mock-shave with some lather.
Good luck, be patient, and keep practicing as things will definitely improve!

 

[Pottertons]

Cheers for the feedback people.

As mentioned before, this post is a spin off from my original journal thread which you can find here....

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-W-Photos-(Warning-not-for-the-faint-hearted)

I'll be posting my future videos on there, just to keep things clean and tidy on the forums. So feel free to subscribe.
As new ones become available, i'll also update this thread with a notification.

 

[AvariCe]

Welcome back Pottertons!

First of all, good choice on the razor. I have the exact model and it worked out pretty well. Plus the handle gives a lot of grip. It is nearly impossible to slip from the grasp.
Congratulations on the progress as well. I checked the journal and your starting photos are totally different from the recent ones. HUGE improvement, bravo!

Now for the critique:

• First problem I noticed is with your face lather. It seems to me, by the end of lathering, the lather on the right side of your face is much thicker than the one on your left and it needs more water. That's probably why the razor is facing trouble on your first pass. As you noticed as well, the lather on the second pass is better. If you keep face lathering, try creating the lather on your neck and moving it upwards. It will be more consistent. I would add more water as well. Also, when you do painting strokes, do them against the grain. It helps lift the hair a little more.
  Also, as others before me have noted, take it a little easier on the brush.
• Second, it seems like you have problems with your angle (that's probably the reason the razor started skipping near the chin on the second pass). To solve it (and build some muscle memory quicker) every time you rinse or switch sides, lift the razor, place the top of the cap on your face and move the handle downwards until you feel the edge of the blade on your skin. Do a quick short stroke (without pressure), rinse or change sides and repeat.
  This will undoubtedly add some more time to your shave, but in the long run it is worth it. This is one of the processes that has helped me the most.
• Lastly, keep your wrist locked in place. If you need to move your wrist change sides, reset your angle and keep shaving. Doing short strokes will help with that as well.

Good luck!

 

[Pottertons]

Welcome back Pottertons!

First of all, good choice on the razor. I have the exact model and it worked out pretty well. Plus the handle gives a lot of grip. It is nearly impossible to slip from the grasp.
Congratulations on the progress as well. I checked the journal and your starting photos are totally different from the recent ones. HUGE improvement, bravo!

Now for the critique:

• First problem I noticed is with your face lather. It seems to me, by the end of lathering, the lather on the right side of your face is much thicker than the one on your left and it needs more water. That's probably why the razor is facing trouble on your first pass. As you noticed as well, the lather on the second pass is better. If you keep face lathering, try creating the lather on your neck and moving it upwards. It will be more consistent. I would add more water as well. Also, when you do painting strokes, do them against the grain. It helps lift the hair a little more.
  Also, as others before me have noted, take it a little easier on the brush.
• Second, it seems like you have problems with your angle (that's probably the reason the razor started skipping near the chin on the second pass). To solve it (and build some muscle memory quicker) every time you rinse or switch sides, lift the razor, place the top of the cap on your face and move the handle downwards until you feel the edge of the blade on your skin. Do a quick short stroke (without pressure), rinse or change sides and repeat.
  This will undoubtedly add some more time to your shave, but in the long run it is worth it. This is one of the processes that has helped me the most.
• Lastly, keep your wrist locked in place. If you need to move your wrist change sides, reset your angle and keep shaving. Doing short strokes will help with that as well.

Good luck!

Much appreciated. Yes, the handling of the razor is very awkward in certain areas.