I enjoyed reading a few of the other journals here, and I can see the strength in keeping a journal, so this will be mine. I will move over a few things from this thread so I can keep it all in one place.
Hey LBussy,
First off, welcome to the world of SR shaving.
I know some people shave every single days, then there are those that shave every couple. I tend to shave M-F, and usually took Sat & Sun off. My Monday shave, typically is a nice shave. I don't know if it is due to the extra day off, or what, but I typically like Monday's shave. The other reason I have considered is I have a day off for my face to heal/relax/whatever.
The "chatter" problem is something I had early on too - or at least I think I am talking about the same thing. I found it was due to a number of things, at least for me, in my routine. Even though I felt like I was keeping a shallow angle, I wasn't. Or at least I wasn't keeping a shallow angle consistently through the shave. I was able to help this by using shorter strokes, instead of trying to do one long swipe. As you get better, you can start to lengthen the stroke. Another thing that contributed to the "chatter" was indeed the lather. I realized, with the help of others, that SR shaving lather is/can be different than what you may use for DE shaving. The thinner, wetter, slicker, sloppier (however you want to classify it) lather is really, really, really (did I say really ) helpful, almost necessary, in SR shaving.
As for you "before shower shaving". I think you can get away with this, provided you do a good prep job. Make sure you get those whiskers hydrated in some way. A nice way to do this would be to soak your soap for a bit. Pour some of that soapy residue in your palms and rub it into your whiskers. Go off and strop your razor. Come back and maybe put a bit more in your palms and rub it in again. Get the rest of your stuff ready. Depending on how you lather, face/bowl, load over a bowl catching some of that proto-lather. Once you are done loading, rub a bit more into your whiskers. By this time, your whiskers should be pretty well hydrated, plus you should have a nice slick base for you lathering.
Rinse or wipe. When I first started SR shaving, I rinsed each time I needed to clear the blade. Then I whacked it on the faucet, necessitating a trip to a honemeister. At this point, I got a lot of advice in getting a sponge. Since then I have been using the sponge. What I do is wet the sponge and put it on the side of my sink basin (outside of the basin as i don't want to whack the blade again). When the blade need to be cleared I just wipe it off on the sponge. I really like it, and I haven't even come close to having an issue since.
Lastly, keep the journal going. The guys in this part of the forum are fantastic. They have tons of knowledge, and share it freely.
I hope this has helped...
Hey LBussy congrats on the first shave. I think Rob has you covered on most of your questions, not much more to add there. Regarding wiping or rinsing between passes, both are fine. But beware the sink monster, if you choose to continue to rinse. I would recommend only rinsing with the edge down, so that when you inadvertently tap the faucet, which will happen, you tap the spine and don't damage the shaving edge. If you choose to try wiping your blade, many of us use one of those big yellow sponges. I cut mine in half do to limited counter space. Either way, be careful to avoid getting water and lather in the razor pivot.
Good luck.
Well your advice is one of the pieces I tried to incorporate. I also went back and ready a few journals (including yours) which began to make some more sense. I believe my basic issue was a dry face under the foam. The quick fix was a little olive oil and paying more attention to the lather build. If I can switch my mornings around to shave after the shower it might work better for the shaving. I just hate changing my ritual!Glad to see you create a shave journal.
Did the advice help any?
Keep your thoughts going.
Pre: 25 leather
Date: 4/27/14 (afternoon)
Prep: Face wash and olive oil
Soap: Cella
Brush: Vie Long Natural Horsehair
Razor: Henry Sears & Son 9/16
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Captain Choice Bay Rum (my own mix)
Today I decided to try Lakebound's Henry Sears razor mentioned above. All in all it went very well. I can tell that this is a slightly narrower/more delicate blade. I had a little more trouble getting the angle right on my face. The hone was fantastic through the first pass but I had to stop and strop a little before the second pass as it got a little harsh. This is more likely to do with my shaving style than the hone job. The Cro-Magnon approach may work for a slant, but not for a 100+ year old razor!
View attachment 441312
A note about the stropping: I have a cheapie strop hanging from some towel hooks on the back of my bathroom door. I need to fix that whole setup. It's too high and the strop is too short for that to be effective for me. I noted Doc226 shared in another thread that his strop was hanging from the center hinge pin on his door. That seems very sturdy and I might try that.
No blood, less irritation, the alum let me know it was there as always. I still can't make myself try a shower before shaving ... I'm sure it would be a much better experience but my rhythm just doesn't let me (yet).
I am concentrating on really loading the brush beforehand along the lines of Marco's post. That and leaving it a little more yogurty and less foam explosiony. That's hard to do with Cella, it lives to foam. I have some Jabonman soap that just came in, I might try that next and see how it works with the straight.
So I'm now enjoying another Whiskey Sour ... must seem like I do that a lot but I don't! I have to recommend making one's own Sour mix by the way. Oh so good! I need to figure out a way to have one of these after shaving/before work each morning and maybe the commute will be less stressful.
Bless me Sheffield, for I have sinned, it's been two days since my last straight shave.
I decided to do a couple days back on my DE (I remember when I thought my slant was aggressive!) to let my neck calm down a bit. I kept re-irritating the spot where I got a little cut the first time with the straight. Shaving should not be painful, so I won't let it be.
Neck looks pretty good today, assuming it stays that way I should be back on the straight tomorrow.