Just got a DE razor - I must be doing something wrong

[Maximus2]

Hey guys. Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

I just got my first DE safety razor (a brand new Merkur from amazon.com) earlier today. I just tried it out and... I'm fairly disappointed. The shave isn't any closer than what I've been getting with my Mach 3, and it might actually be worse. I imagine what I'm doing wrong is the angle... I angled the blade so that the top part of the guide was about perpendicular to my face, as the razor bends the blade slightly, in the hope that that would make the blade be at about 30 degrees. Hair was definitely shaved, but not nearly as well as I would have hoped. I tried playing with the angle a bit but I couldn't find anything that worked better.

Any ideas? Could someone maybe post a zoomed-in picture of a blade against a face at the right angle?

Thanks for any help... I really want to be able to do this well!

 

[djh]

Welcome and congratulations on getting a DE razor. There is a little learning curve and a shave "better than your old cartridge" won't necessarily come overnight but I think that it is well worthwhile.
You might like to check through these posts which will give you more than enough information............. good luck!

For the newbies

 

[JPDyson]

Welcome aboard! Let's start by gathering a few more variables.

How did you prepare your beard for the shave? Did you shower first? Any pre-shave products?

What blade? What soap/cream? How are you making lather - bowl, mug, face, palm? Do you think you're getting good, cushiony, slippery lather?

How much pressure are you using? Have you mapped your beard grain? Are you starting out by reducing your beard with at least one WTG pass?

As to blade angle, here's a great demonstration:
http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=130110

Finally, an encouragement: Your first shave will probably suck. You're new at this, and it's a nuanced process. You're probably not making the best lather right out of the gate, your angle is probably not just right, you might be applying too much pressure, and you might be shaving the wrong direction with respect to beard growth. A lot of this (angle, pressure, direction) becomes second nature, after you've been doing this for a while.

Wet shaving with a DE isn't a quick-fix for all of your shaving woes. There's a learning curve, so give it some time and stick with it.

 

[Rocketeer]

Could someone maybe post a zoomed-in picture of a blade against a face at the right angle?

It's going to be a little different for every razor and face. Try shaving a small patch of hair off your arm and note the angle. (It's easier to see it on your arm than on your face in the mirror.)

It usually takes at least several days to get as close a shave as you were getting with the multi-blade monstrosities. Don't over-do it at first. Just go for a socially acceptable shave, using one or two passes with the grain (WTG), re-lathering in between passes, for the first week to get used to the technique. Then add an across the grain (XTG) pass.

You will also find differences from one brand of blades to the next.

Persevere! The reward is worth the learning curve.

_______________

 

[kingfisher]

1) who told you it would be easy?
2) Who told you it would be better than a cartridge razor on the first shave?


find whomever did, and punch him in the face.

 

[Optometrist]

Hey guys. Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

I just got my first DE safety razor (a brand new Merkur from amazon.com) earlier today. I just tried it out and... I'm fairly disappointed. The shave isn't any closer than what I've been getting with my Mach 3, and it might actually be worse. I imagine what I'm doing wrong is the angle... I angled the blade so that the top part of the guide was about perpendicular to my face, as the razor bends the blade slightly, in the hope that that would make the blade be at about 30 degrees. Hair was definitely shaved, but not nearly as well as I would have hoped. I tried playing with the angle a bit but I couldn't find anything that worked better.

Any ideas? Could someone maybe post a zoomed-in picture of a blade against a face at the right angle?

Thanks for any help... I really want to be able to do this well!

Congratulations on your first DE shave. May I suggest you visit The Gentleman's Shop website here in the UK? The video is a superb instruction to DE shaving. This was where I began not more than a few months now and it was the biggest learning curve to DE shaving I could have had. I used a Fusion prior to DE and my first shave was like I hadn't done anything. Now, with 3 passes(WTG,XTG and ATG) with a 4th touch up, I wouldn't return to a cartridge for anything. (Well, almost anything!). Stay in there. It gets better, and it's fun in the process. Good wishes,

David

 

[Quadio]

Read up and practice. I was frustrated at first, but after several weeks I couldn't be happier with my DE shaves....

 

[Eudjinn]

it gets better. much better. don't forget that DE shaving is based on gradual beard reduction in multiple passes as opposed to the cartridge one pass hack fest. I can get a very good shave with 2 passes on a very sharp blade ( feather ) but a less sharp blade and 1 pass will not be closer than a cartridge.

 

[Maximus2]

First, I just want to say thanks for all the encouraging responses!

Welcome aboard! Let's start by gathering a few more variables.

How did you prepare your beard for the shave? Did you shower first? Any pre-shave products?

What blade? What soap/cream? How are you making lather - bowl, mug, face, palm? Do you think you're getting good, cushiony, slippery lather?

How much pressure are you using? Have you mapped your beard grain? Are you starting out by reducing your beard with at least one WTG pass?

As to blade angle, here's a great demonstration:
http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=130110

Finally, an encouragement: Your first shave will probably suck. You're new at this, and it's a nuanced process. You're probably not making the best lather right out of the gate, your angle is probably not just right, you might be applying too much pressure, and you might be shaving the wrong direction with respect to beard growth. A lot of this (angle, pressure, direction) becomes second nature, after you've been doing this for a while.

Wet shaving with a DE isn't a quick-fix for all of your shaving woes. There's a learning curve, so give it some time and stick with it.

Here's what I did:

- Took a shower.
- Wet a washcloth in hot water, then scrubbed my face with it.
- Wet the washcloth again and made sure my face was good and soaking.
- I then applied Williams Mug Shaving Soap with my boar hair shaving brush. I mixed this in my palm.
- I then shaved with the grain with my new DE razor. The blade on this is the stainless steel "comfort coated" double-edged blade from Walgreens—this is the only blade they sell.

The soap is a funny story. Until recently I had been using a Van Der Hagen soap that came in a little plastic container, and what I had been doing was wetting my brush and then just swirling it around on top of the soap until it foamed up a little and then applying that to my face. A couple of days ago I saw a YouTube video explaining the different ways to mix soap lather, and so for the past couple of days I've been mixing it in my palm and getting something resembling an actual lather—as opposed to the nonsense I was getting swirling the brush on top of the soap.

I just got back from Bed, Bath & Beyond and bought myself a nice ceramic mug. I just tested that out with the Williams soap and OH MY GOD. Not only is there SO MUCH LATHER (I think I wasn't using enough water in my palm), but heating the bowl up beforehand actually makes the lather warm. I'll definitely be using this when I shave tomorrow.

(By the way, I still have the Van Der Hagen soap. Which is generally considered better: this, or the Williams? I definitely prefer the scent of the Williams. Oh, and a tube of Proraso that I ordered should be arriving in about five days!)

Final question: how important is using a badger brush (as opposed to the boar one I have right now)? Is this something I'll want to eventually upgrade to for the perfect shave after really getting the hang of this, or is it a critical part of a good shave?

 

[Sir Ronald]

Final question: how important is using a badger brush (as opposed to the boar one I have right now)? Is this something I'll want to eventually upgrade to for the perfect shave after really getting the hang of this, or is it a critical part of a good shave?

the brush type is the least critical part of the shave. a decent lather can be made with either boar, badger or synthetic. just take your time. if the lather is too try add a few drops of water onto the brush and continue swirling.

your DE choice, blade choice and blade angle are the 3 variables to get right first up.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Just watch every mantic59 video on youtube, in an hour you'll learn a lifetime's worth of good technique.

 

[alabamalawyer]

Don't expect the best shave the first time. The transition to a DE takes time and practice. Stick with it, and check out some of the excellent references above and you will eventually get the shave you want.

 

[JPDyson]

Just watch every mantic59 video on youtube, in an hour you'll learn a lifetime's worth of good technique.

I still re-watch them and remind myself the basics from time to time.

To the OP, if all you're doing is a WTG pass, then even the best of us won't get BBS with the finest equipment. I can get a DFS in two N-S passes on most days, however, and zero irritation.

For my face, those Walgreens blades are not that great. I will re-iterate my recommendation toward a sampler. Keep working on that lather; folks get good shaves with VDH and Williams every day (though, I'm willing to pay more for stuff that smells and performs better).

Most importantly, be patient. Making it through the first few weeks without nicks and cuts and massive irritation is a success. Then, you'll start to feel it come together. Make sure you have it in your mind that you're in this for the long haul.

 

[Maximus2]

Where might I find a sampler? Is there any hope of getting it from somewhere other than online?

DAY 2 UPDATE:

I switched a few things up today. I know I'm not supposed to be changing more than one variable at a time, but because yesterday was my first wetshave and I had learned so much on here since then, I figured I could make one exception to try to get the basics up to par.

Here's what changed:

- I switched from the Williams soap back to the Van Der Hagen after doing some research on what people on here thought of them.
- I bought a mug to use for making lather, and WOW did it make a difference. There's so much more lather now, and it's nice and warm. Oh, and my hand doesn't turn into a prune.
- I bought one of those $8 Target badger brushes. This was a HUGE change from my old brush... it's much less stiff, which means getting soap onto the brush and making lather are a bit tougher, but it feels much nicer on my face. It also holds a hell of a lot more water.
- I also switched up my prep a bit. Rather than scrubbing my face with the washcloth and then wetting it, I wet it and then held the hot, damp cloth onto it for as long as I could stand it (which, admittedly, wasn't especially long).

Anyway, I think my technique has improved a bit since yesterday. I made several practice batches of lather yesterday to figure out how to do it right. Admittedly this was with my old brush, but I think the lather I made this morning was about comparable to the best I made practicing yesterday.

I angled the blade on my arm a few times on my arm like someone suggested, and I think this really helped. I also let gravity and the head of the blade apply the tiniest bit of pressure, and that seems to have helped as well. While I was shaving I could tell that I was getting more hair than last time. I even cut myself on my chin during my second pass, but the cut had closed up by the third and final pass (all of which were with the grain). All in all I think I got a slightly better shave than last time, but still not quite up to cartridge levels.

 

[Maximus2]

Also, I forgot to mention, I ordered a tube of Proraso and Proraso aftershave when I ordered the razor. Apparently they should be arriving around Tuesday.

 

[Jobol]

Nobody on this forum will tell you he got a better shave from DE on the first few shaves. So we have all been there. Practice, practice, practice and trust me, in a few weeks you will not even be looking back!

 

[filedog]

Sounds like you are making progress, that's what it's all about, read, learn, try, you'll get better!

 

[Jaymo]

I got a better shave with my DE my first time (in 20 years) than with my carts, kinda. But that's because I'd done some seriously obsessive-compulsive research here, on other shaving forums, and by watching Mantic's videos while waiting for my DE to arrive. Granted, I got some razor burn until I got some Derby, Shark, and Bic bladdes, but I got a BBS shave and no zits afterward. I always had trouble with zits along my jawline and on my cheeks after shaving with cartridge blades.
Turns out, it it had compound causes. Poor to no pre-shave regimen, Canned goo shave cream just slapped and smeared on my face, and the excessive pressure required to get a close shave with carts.
If I had shaved with my DE for the first time using the same methodology I used with carts, I would have butchered my face.
Of course, I also use witch hazel and aloe vera gel after my shave, before applying my AS splash.

I still get my face chewed up, from time to time, if I get in a hurry with a new razor or blade.
Don't give up, it's definitely worth the time and learning curve.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Wait, you're only on your 2nd shave? I missed that part the first time around.

It took me easily 3 months until I was getting consistently good shaves, and 6 before I was really happy. Give it time, be patient, try to learn from your mistakes and improve slowly every day.

 

[nmg82]

My first few weeks of DE shaving were pretty rough. Even if I got a good shave, my neck would be tore up. I finally figured it out, and now it's just amazing. It's definitely a skill you have to learn, unlike cartridge "shaving" where you can get by with just about any technique. Hang in there, become familiar with all the info on B&B, and most definitely watch mantic's videos. I don't even know how many times I watched them when I was first learning to shave. Heck, I go back and watch them now just for the fun of it. They're that good!