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First Shave Thoughts & Questions

Ok, so I did it and managed not to nick myself in the least little bit. The first reaction after it was all over was: "damn! I did it. And my mach 3 NEVER got as close as this Vision. And NO BLOOD!" Overall, I was super, super pleased and the face feels as smooth as a glass. :biggrin: I only got a little razor burn on my neck where my hair grows towards my ears and I have to shave on a diagonal. Is there a way to actually shave in this direction without getting irritation?

Ok, so here are some things I need to learn to fix.

1. Since I was slow starting out & deliberate, the cream on my face seemed to dry a little bit and didn't feel as nice & wet as the side I was shaving by the time I got to the other side. Is this common? Or will this become a non-issue as my speed increases?

2. Is there anyway to keep the shaving mug & brush warm so the lather stays warm when I reload for the South to North pass? Mine seemed to be just above room temperature, I'd like it to be as piping hot as the first application. Does anyone have any ideas?

3. This is more of a statement than a question, but I'd be interested to see if anyone else had/has this feeling too. My face feels like it's been shaved, not just cut. It has a little numbness to it, followed by an intense warm softness. I've never felt that before. Does anyone know what I'm talking about or am I crazy? Even sitting here typing this, my face just feels softer than I'm used to. If this is what is to be expected in the future, I'm very very pleased.

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'm not going to waste anymore bandwidth..

Thanks in advance..

Justin
 
Justin,

Glad it worked out for you.:a14: Take it slow and steady and it will continue to get better as you learn and your face adapts.

1. Since I was slow starting out & deliberate, the cream on my face seemed to dry a little bit and didn't feel as nice & wet as the side I was shaving by the time I got to the other side. Is this common? Or will this become a non-issue as my speed increases?
To answer stuff like this, it might be helpful to give us more information on the products you are using, and your routine. Without knowing that, I can say in general that you shouldn't have an issue with cream drying out. You may need more water in the mix, or it may be related to the cream you are using. Let us know the details and we can help out.

2. Is there anyway to keep the shaving mug & brush warm so the lather stays warm when I reload for the South to North pass? Mine seemed to be just above room temperature, I'd like it to be as piping hot as the first application. Does anyone have any ideas?
There are lots of schools of thought on this one. Soak your brush in the hottest water from your tap as you can get. I soak mine while I am showering, and then give it another flush with hot tap water right before loading the cream or soap. This gives nice warm lather for the first pass, but the subsequent passes will be, alas, cooler. Depending on the brush, they will trap various amounts of heat.

If you want to go really nuts, do a search on "hot pots" here, and sign up to get the B&B DVD to see the details. For me, this is a bit too much effort, though. I have also tried using a mug warmer to keep my brush in between passes, but I believe this to be detrimental to the bristles, so I gave up on that.

3. This is more of a statement than a question, but I'd be interested to see if anyone else had/has this feeling too. My face feels like it's been shaved, not just cut. It has a little numbness to it, followed by an intense warm softness. I've never felt that before. Does anyone know what I'm talking about or am I crazy? Even sitting here typing this, my face just feels softer than I'm used to. If this is what is to be expected in the future, I'm very very pleased.

If I do it right, I get a nice glowing feeling without irritation. Those days are to be savored.... I also believe that pampering your face with quality products does a lot to improve your skin quality. I have noticed a marked difference from the years I smeared gel on my face and had at it with a Mach 3.
 
Justso said:
1. Since I was slow starting out & deliberate, the cream on my face seemed to dry a little bit and didn't feel as nice & wet as the side I was shaving by the time I got to the other side. Is this common? Or will this become a non-issue as my speed increases?

quick solution is to lather one side of your face at a time. this way the remaining side will be nice and slick for the blade.
 
Hello Justin,

First off, Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Scotto and Robofunk gave you very good advice. Yes, we do need more info, as Scotto mentioned, before we can further advise you.

As for keeping the brush and lather warm between passes, I use the hot pot method. I use a Proctor-Silex hot pot (translucent blue with white trim). I had a Rival, but it's wires melted.

I heat the water to boiling, then turn the thermostat control to low and unplug the pot and remove the top. I pour the hot water into a mug which is holding my brush, covering the bristles. I also pour some water into the mixing bowl to heat it up. I finish up soaking my beard and applying PSO, then I remove the brush from the mug and stand it on end to drain. I pour the water from the mug and the bowl back into the pot to replenish the water level.

After lathering, I place the bowl with brush in it, floating in the pot. With the pot unplugged and uncovered, the water temperature is just right to keep the lather nice and very warm. If you keep the pot plugged in and covered, the water in the lather will evaporate.

For the second and third passes, I remove the bowl with a washcloth (bowl is hot), whip up the lather a bit in the bowl and apply to my beard. Very, very warm. The entire shave has very warm lather. No problem. When used with Proraso, the heating-cooling effect is most pleasant.

It takes longer to explain it than to actually do it.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Richard
Plano TX
 
richard, robofunk & scotto..

thanks for the welcome..A bit of information on my shaving routine...

The cream I'm using is Taylor of Old Bond Street "Mr. Taylor" (very nice) and my razor is a Merkur Vision. Blades are Merkur. I use Zirh's pre-shave oil (called prepare-I'm willing to try other oils at your suggestion). After the shave, I used Zirh's Soothe (post shave balm)

I am thinking of buying some Taylor Lavender as I've heard it's nice too. As I said in another post, i guess it's ok to have more than one cream.

Richard, question about the hot pot. Seems like a lot of trouble but I'm sure you have it down to a science. How long does it take to heat the water up? How much does one of those little devices cost? If I can incorporate that into a resonable amount of time in the morning, I'm interested.

I'll write more this evening. Thanks for all the input.

-Justin
 
Hello Justin,

It is Proctor Silex 45802 (see pix below). About $13 or so. I think it is better than the Rival: padded handle, three-prong heavy duty cord, see-thru sides, removable lid, wider pot for ease of floating the ceramic bowl, and hasn't caught on fire yet. Several places on line. My wife bought mine at some kitchen outlet place. Target and Walmart may have it also.

Before I set out my shaving stuff for the morning shave, I first fill up the pot and turn it on low with the lid on. I then proceed to do some morning "rituals". When I am washing my face, I turn the pot on high. Two minutes later, the water is boiling. I turn it on low, unplug it, remove the lid and I proceed. Like I mentioned earlier, wait till you try hot/cooling Proraso lather.

The hot lather really adds immensely to the whole "hot lather barbershop experience".

Cheers,
Richard
Plano TX

full
 
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Justin,

Welcome aboard! Not much I can add to the thread other than that.

I'm glad to hear you're already experiencing great results.

What type of brush are you using?

-Nick
 
Nick,

I'm using a shavemac XL silvertip. It's an older one (probably 4 years), so it's not on the shavemac website any longer. But I will tell you that it is awesome. I've been very pleased with Bernd's products & service.

Day 2:
I find that I'm getting maximum irritation around my neck as the hair grows from east to west and southwest to northeast. I'm applying as little pressure as it takes to hold the razor. Overall, the irritation isn't so bad, but it is a bit uncomfortable. I'm trying to lather up before I make the pass..Maybe my face will adjust because it feels fine now, but during the shave and immediately after, it did burn a little.
 
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