My experience so far and a few questions

[carlos118]

Ok so im still a newbie to the DE shaving. But this is how it has went so far...
My first shave i felt did not go well as i now know i had a very dry and sparse lather so it left my skin feeling sore after.The few shaves after that i felt went better, i spent most the time trying to get my methods right, i was using a cheap brush and the Wilkinson sword blue soap bowl.I then decided to try out a shave stick (palmolive) and bought a better and bigger brush (Wilkinson sword). i found i preferred the shaving stick over the soap in a bowl although i prefer the smell of the soap in the bowl.I also tried the several methods of getting a lather and found using the lid of the soap to work best, whenever i tried to directly apply it to my face the lather ended up being too dry. But here i am now, i still have not managed to get my technique right, i find some areas i do well and others not so. The main areas i struggle in are around the chin and neck, getting the angle is just hard for me currently.

This leads me onto my questions;
1. I heard tallow is better for the soap, why is this? and does anyone know if the Wilkinson soap dish contains it?

2. I came from shaving every 2 or 3 days to daily since i have DE, but lately i have found my skin is getting very sensitive around the bottom of my neck and the sides of my chin, is this because of my technique or because i have started to shave on a more regular basis? Maybe even because i keep going over the same area to practice?

3. Where is the best place to get different sample packs? (i live in england)

4. Can i give you all a hug for the huge help you have been and the hospitality i have had since i have joined this forum?

 

[jlanger]

Ok so im still a newbie to the DE shaving. But this is how it has went so far...
My first shave i felt did not go well as i now know i had a very dry and sparse lather so it left my skin feeling sore after.The few shaves after that i felt went better, i spent most the time trying to get my methods right, i was using a cheap brush and the Wilkinson sword blue soap bowl.I then decided to try out a shave stick (palmolive) and bought a better and bigger brush (Wilkinson sword). i found i preferred the shaving stick over the soap in a bowl although i prefer the smell of the soap in the bowl.I also tried the several methods of getting a lather and found using the lid of the soap to work best, whenever i tried to directly apply it to my face the lather ended up being too dry. But here i am now, i still have not managed to get my technique right, i find some areas i do well and others not so. The main areas i struggle in are around the chin and neck, getting the angle is just hard for me currently.

This leads me onto my questions;
1. I heard tallow is better for the soap, why is this? and does anyone know if the Wilkinson soap dish contains it?

2. I came from shaving every 2 or 3 days to daily since i have DE, but lately i have found my skin is getting very sensitive around the bottom of my neck and the sides of my chin, is this because of my technique or because i have started to shave on a more regular basis? Maybe even because i keep going over the same area to practice?

3. Where is the best place to get different sample packs?

4. Can i give you all a hug for the huge help you have been and the hospitality i have had since i have joined this forum?

Being somewhat of a noob myself, I'd say that as I've shaved with the DE I've noticed that my hair direction gets all goofy around the sides of my chin and the "transition area" from my face to neck. My recomendation would be to check ur hair direction and maybe try some different directions of shaving.

IMO after lots of research I think the best place for sample packs is West Coast Shaving.

No hugs lol, but I'll gladly have a bourbon with ya!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Welcome to B&B!

Tallow is a personal preference. I think it makes the soap a little slicker and I always shave with a tallow these days. I don't know if your soap has tallow, but there's a list of tallow soaps in the Wiki here.

I don't know if your technique affects your sensitivity, but it certainly is one of the factors. Have you watched Mantic's videos? They're very helpful. Also, having a good lather and using no pressure helps here. Also, try different blades. Spme will work better for you than others.

You can get good sample packs from West Coast Shaving and Bullgoose. Though there are several other good vendors, these are what most people start with.

A hug is nice! Though I'd rather see you get up to speed with DE (don't worry, you will!) then stick around and help out the noobs. Another helpful, experienced member just makes B&B better.

 

[carlos118]

I think i may let my beard grow a little in order too see which way it now grows then : )

 

[StylinLA]

Welcome Carlos. There is so much to this, I'm not sure what advice to give. Except this- if you enjoy the DE shaving experience, keep at it. Maybe only do it on weekends at first. That's how I started.

Who knew there could be soooo much advice on shaving? My experience has been that it takes time. I am blessed with patience and so it didn't phase me that it took about 3 months of reading in here, trying different blades/soaps and refining technique to start getting good shaves.

We are conditioned to be instant gratification machines. You join up here and see all these guys raving about great shaves, BBS and then your first few efforts are like - ***?
I'm sure many guys leave thinking we're all nuts.

Stick with it if you enjoy. It will come.

 

[carlos118]

Well i defiantly don't think anyone here is nuts, i enjoy the whole process of doing the shave, almost therapeutic and relaxing so i will continue. I think ill shave less often too as i build my way more into it. Learning and becoming greater until i can provide more people with information on the subject.

 

[T_M]

I'm not sure about razor sample packs in England, but for shaving creams and aftershave balms, both Truefitt & Hill and Geo. F. Trumper have very inexpensive sample packs.

------T_M

 

[rsaltonstall]

2. I came from shaving every 2 or 3 days to daily since i have DE, but lately i have found my skin is getting very sensitive around the bottom of my neck and the sides of my chin, is this because of my technique or because i have started to shave on a more regular basis? Maybe even because i keep going over the same area to practice?

All of the above are possible.

When you go over the same area to practice, are you going over already shaved skin over and over? This would irritate your skin, especially the skin on your neck, which is sensitive to begin with. (Also, neck hairs tend to grow in several directions, which makes the neck prone to in-grown hairs.)

Use minimal pressure when shaving with a DE. Gently hold the handle of the razor (just use thumb, fore-finger, and middle-finger), and allow the razor head to just glide over the lather--let the blade do all the work. Use your fingers to guide the direction of the razor while using minimal pressure.

Do you use an aftershave?

 

[Drubbing]

I would practice lathering. You need to be able to make a decent lather before a good soap will make any difference; poor lather is poor no matter the product, and will result in a bad or uncomfortable shave.

Look at the soap lathering tutes. You need to load up your brush, then make lather in a decent sized bowl or on your face. Having too thick a lather isn't a problem, you can always add more water.

Your experiences so far suggest you're not using near enough product.