First Ever DE Shave!

[Altonius]

Hey fellow groomers! Here’s my brief history and today’s first DE experience. Looking for some advice.

Learned shaving on Gillette Fusion with shave gel. My neck would always get so irritated. After a couple years of pain, I just used a beard trimmer for that fresh Velcro feel. Been doing that for the past 6 years.

I needed some shaving cream for my wedding shave. That’s when my best man came back from the store with a VDH badger brush and Williams mug soap. I was amazed by the lack of irritation with a 3-blade disposable!

Future shaves generated more neck irritation. Signed up for Harry’s with improved result from beard mapping, technique, and improved prep/aftercare. Still couldn’t achieve BBS on the neck though. Almost all research about irritation prevention led to DE razors. Figured this would be a good Xmas suggestion. Ordered some Razorock black bay in hopes a different soap would create a smoother experience.

Antiquing with my wife the other day, came across a Gillette Fatboy 1961 in original box with blade pack and instructions for under $20! Likely used less than a dozen times. Picked up VDH blades locally and gave it a whirl today! Yes, I cleaned and sanitized the razor first.

Started at setting 1 and quickly moved up to 3. Actually feeling the hairs cut was really gratifying. Pass 2 XTG was on settings 4&5 where I really began to feel the blade. Pass 3 ATG hurt on the neck. Finished most of it with another XTG. Ended up with lots of bumps. One cheek nick! I know my lather got thin towards the end.

Is it normal to be very irritated after first DE shave?
Are Van Der Hagen blades low quality?
Is it possible to shave ATG for BBS results with sensitive skin?
Does razor angle make a wild difference? I tried to stay consistent at 40 degrees where I could feel/hear the cutting.

Thanks!

 

[Gryffindor]

Is it normal to be very irritated after first DE shave?
Are Van Der Hagen blades low quality?
Is it possible to shave ATG for BBS results with sensitive skin?
Does razor angle make a wild difference? I tried to stay consistent at 40 degrees where I could feel/hear the cutting.

Thanks!

Congrats on knocking out your first DE shave. I was super nervous when I started.

Irritation is usually the cause of the user, either by poor blade angle and/or too much pressure, or too many passes trying to chase BBS. If you were pressing anywhere near like you would have with a cartridge razor, that's going to result in irritation. There are a ton of resources on blade angle on the Shave Wiki here.

VDH blades are not known to be the best. I would always suggest a sampler pack from Amazon which includes Gillette Silver Blue, Astra SP, Feather, Voskhod, etc. This will give you a wide range of quality blades to try. Everyone has a different face. Voskhod hasn't worked for me in any razor, but works great for many. Some steer clear of Feather as a sharper blade, others need one due to their beard type. A sampler gives you a few of many types of blades to try, in order to find out what works best for you without buying 20-100 blades.

Yes, it is possible to receive a BBS shave, with an ATG pass, with sensitive skin. You just have to be a bit more careful than someone with a bulletproof face. But, I would strongly discourage you from chasing a BBS shave right out of the gate, for a few reasons. First, you're just learning your technique with a DE. You will most likely not get a BBS shave with 15 passes. You would also have way less of your face. Your angles won't remain uniform throughout your shave yet, as you're building muscle memory right now. Instead, I would encourage that you simply work on using as little pressure as possible while still actually cutting hair on your face. Your technique will improve, you will learn about skin stretching / facial contortions to tighten your skin, you will find a blade that works better with your Fatboy for your face, etc.

Yes, angle can play a huge factor in whether you're cutting hair at all, irritating your face, etc. You're using a Fatboy, so you also have adjustment options on top of your angle to consider. I have sensitive skin, and I shave my face on 5 with an Astra SP (sharper blade than the VDH, smoother than a Feather to me), and my neck on 4 or 3 depending on how my neck feels. The Shake Wiki has a great breakdown of what angle can do for your shave.

Keep asking questions! Folks around here are a great resource for knowledge and experience. I'm a newer wet shaver, and I've learned the vast majority of what I know from the people here. Videos are also a great option to check out. I would recommend Nick Shaves, mantic59, and geofatboy on YouTube for some channels to check out. I'm not affiliated with any of them. I found their videos to be helpful when I started out this year.

Enjoy your shaves!

 

[Teppanyaki]

As above; practice, technique, and starting out I wouldn’t try xtg or especially atg until you’ve got standard with the grain 1-2 passes down without irritation.

Congratulations btw!

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.
It takes time to develop good technique with the DE so be patient and don' shace BBS. Irritation is due to poor technique so you will get less irritation in time. Good lather will help with your shave so work on that too.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Welcome to B&B!

Great answers above! In addition, I would also suggest sticking to one setting for all passes, until you get a bit more experience. Different settings require you to adjust your angle and pressure, so IMHO, it is better to reduce the variables in the beginning.

 

[Altonius]

Thanks for the good advice. I did watch the top YouTube channels to help prepare for the trial run. Sample blade pack was ordered a couple days ago. It really sounds like consistent angle, light (resting) pressure, and better skin stretching is the key. My neck hair grows completely sideways and I’ll bet I was pushing harder than I thought. No ATG passes for now!

It’s rather entertaining how obsessive and excited I’ve become over this new hobby, even before the first go. Waiting 2 days between these initial practices is going to feel like forever!

 

[cyclingsteveb]

Welcome and thanks for sharing!

 

[Lightcs1776]

Awesome way to start. Congrats.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[RayClem]

I have a coarse, tough beard and very sensitive skin, so getting a close, comfortable shave is a challenge. Here are some tips I have learned.

1. Prepare your beard. Your beard will be easier to shave if it is clean and hydrated. I like to shower before I shave. I use both hair shampoo and conditioner on my beard. It really makes the beard easier to shave.

2. Use a great shave soap lathered by a good brush. I have a VDH pure badger brush that I no longer use as it is one of the worst brushes in my den. You can do a lot better, even at a lower price. Check out the brush forum for suggestions.

3. Some people love Williams Mug Soap because it is cheap. However, if you can afford a better soap, there are many great ones available. The better soaps contain ingredients to moisturize and condition your skin to prevent irritation. Check out the shaving soap forum.

4. The VDH razor blades are expensive, but they are some of the least sharp blades available. Purchase a razor blade sampler pack with about a dozen different brands and learn which blades work best for you in your razor. Sometimes you can get less irritation from a sharper blade because it will give a more efficient shave.

5. Learn the right shave angle for your razor. For every razor, that angle will vary slightly. For an adjustable razor, the angle may vary slightly with the setting. If your angle is too steep, you will scrape off skin along with your beard hair. I suggest placing the top cap of the razor flat against your cheek and then lower then handle until you can just start to feel the blade on your face. That gives you a shallow blade angle that will slice through your beard. Some people call this angle "riding the cap".

6. Shave with minimal pressure. Hold the razor with sufficient pressure so you can control it, but do not grip it tightly. Barely touch the razor to your face, especially when shaving sensitive areas like your neck.

7. Be careful not to irritate your skin when rinsing off remaining lather. Some people just use their bare hands. I use a microfiber cloth as I find terry cloth to be too rough.

8. If necessary, use an aftershave lotion or balm to heal and protective the skin. I use top tier shave soaps, so my aftershave of choice is witch hazel, but if the humidity is low, a balm helps. Be careful with alcohol based aftershave splashes if your skin is irritated.

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing with us.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Some excellent advice above. I also suggest that you read through the Wiki which has a ton of useful information!

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[CJB3]

Congrats! Welcome aboard. What you’re experiencing is completely normal. Good advice above.

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B & B, enjoy! Great folks here, jump in & join in.

 

[Marcshepherd]

I agree with the above find your angle as mentioned by placing the head flat on the face and lowering the handle lock your wrist and let your shoulder do the work.

I'd start with 2 wtg passes if you can and leave it at that ain't gonna be BBS but hopefully a SAS.. after youve shaved a few times and your not getting any irratation I'd add a xtg either nose to ear or ear to nose and see how that goes you might be able to eliminate a wtg and just do a 1 wtg and 1 xtg. Then once is all good again try adding a atg pass and hopefully you'll be all good.

I like to ride the cap more on a atg believe geofatboy has a video on YouTube

I also use almond oil as a pre shave b fore applying my lather helps considerably

But all the suggestions are good advice and in time you'll find what's right fo your face

 

[OhioBob]

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your first shave with a DE! Great information available here in the forums. Patience and practice will help you along with trying different blades and soaps or creams. Stick with your current tools until you feel you are really getting the hang of it then you can try new hard tools. I just started DE shaving in March and in the beginning I felt I had made a terrible mistake, but persistence paid off and now I get BBS shaves almost daily with little to no irritation. Feel free to ask questions as many can help!

 

[Altonius]

Wow. Second round was a significant difference! More consistent, richer lather with longer scrub onto the skin. I now see what they mean by “cushion”.

Two WTG passes really helped reduce irritation. It was tough to depict the difference between shallow blade angle and scraping. I forget to avoid excess pressure too.

Achieved a blend between SAS and CCS. Looking forward to receiving the sharper blades this week.