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First shave, first post!

Hello all,
I sort of randomly made the jump to wet shaving. I came across an article about wet shaving on the art of manliness website after reading some article about lifting. I've always used an electric razor on dry skin for my shave. I've always had issues getting a close shave with it, and have frequently had ingrown hairs. I tried shaving with cartridges for a while to get a better shave, but I got so much irritation from them it looked like I shaved my neck with a cheese grater.

So I find this article, and decide to give it a shot. Ended up buying a razor off here before I even had an account (thanks tomharr!), and just had my first shave last night. I made 2 passes (WTG, XTG), and touched up ATG in a few spots, and got probably my smoothest shave i've ever had. I had a little irritation on my neck in one spot, but thats it.

My one question has to do with my lather. I lathered TOBS in a mug using a badger brush. Not sure if I had the right consistency. After it was on my face for a bit (I was shaving pretty darn slow), it dried out a bit and some flakes kept falling off. Looked like a mini snowstorm on my sink. Did I use too much cream, causing it to dry out? Thanks for all the help so far!
 
Welcome!
good to have you here :thumbup1:

I think you may not have used enough water to make your lather.
You'll figure out your perfect formula with time.
No worries yet, it sounds like you are doing good.

Be sure to stop in to the hall of fame and let us know who you are.
I was recently in Duluth, MN. I love visiting MN, it's always a good time.
 
Welcome!
good to have you here :thumbup1:

I think you may not have used enough water to make your lather.
You'll figure out your perfect formula with time.
No worries yet, it sounds like you are doing good.

Be sure to stop in to the hall of fame and let us know who you are.
I was recently in Duluth, MN. I love visiting MN, it's always a good time.
+1
 
Hello and welcome, bgusty. Great to have you here on B&B. Your lather is probably OK. When you learn to shave faster, it won't be there as long to dry out. Good luck. The shaves only get better and better.
 
Welcome to B&B! You are among kindred spirits here, who will help you along the way.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. It would seem that your lather wasn't wet enough and/or your shave is taking enough time to allow the lather to dry out. You should try and add more water as you build the lather, and don't be afraid to re-apply the lather if it's not lasting through the shave...there is no "lather police" monitoring how much lather you use and when/how you apply it! :001_smile

Hang in there, and you will find the sweet spot...shave on!
 

KeenDogg

Slays On Fleek - For Rizz
I go for a little more water with a small dip of the brush in the sink. Then, I'll re-lather.

Welcome aboard! You'll love it here!
 
As others have said... not enough water. I did the same thing on my first mix. Thought it was done when it whipped up... I found that it didn't make it through the shave (I also use TOBS - the Peppermint).

Plan on making a mix that you will not actually use to shave. Start with the same method that you used last time. Add drops of water at a time mix and brush onto your arm or face to see how it feels. Add a few more drops, mix and repeat. The goal is to get a feel for what the cream requires for water. It took me about 5 trials before I dialed in the TOBS.
Next you'll find that other creams and soaps are different. Some are more thirsty for water than others.

Welcome to B&B and enjoy your shaves.
 
As others have said... not enough water. I did the same thing on my first mix. Thought it was done when it whipped up... I found that it didn't make it through the shave (I also use TOBS - the Peppermint).

Plan on making a mix that you will not actually use to shave. Start with the same method that you used last time. Add drops of water at a time mix and brush onto your arm or face to see how it feels. Add a few more drops, mix and repeat. The goal is to get a feel for what the cream requires for water. It took me about 5 trials before I dialed in the TOBS.
Next you'll find that other creams and soaps are different. Some are more thirsty for water than others.

Welcome to B&B and enjoy your shaves.

This is probably the best plan. I tested till it felt slick in my fingers, that being said my first few shaves I had the same issue as you.
Welcome to B&B, watch out for the enablers.
 
Welcome!!

I am pretty new to wet shaving too, what I do is lather sections of my face. The part I will shave first I lather. Then, when that part is done, I lather another part of my face and shave that.. and so on. Maybe it's an idea for you to try out.
 
So I had my second shave today. Didn't go as smoothly (pun intended) as the first shave. I ended up with a few nicks and the shave wasn't quite as close as the first one was. I think I overshot this time, and my lather was too runny. It looked a little more foamy and less like yogurt/ a rich cream. The face definitely suffered a little from it. A couple nicks on my face and a couple on my neck. Oh well at least I got to try out my pacific shaving nick stick. IT STINGS!
 

KeenDogg

Slays On Fleek - For Rizz
Try Mantic59's videos on you tube. He has a lot of good stuff on there. He really helped me out.
 
Welcome to B&B! Lots of good advice preceded this post. Keep at it and you'll be proficient before you know it. Took me a good month before I could build a consistent reliable lather for shaving...,
 
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