I can't believe that it's only been 4 months since I joined the forum and started DE shaving - it really feels like I've been doing this forever.
For those of you who are getting started or are getting frustrated (I certainly was in the first 2 months or so!), I've updated my list of things that I can now sit back and reflect on.
1. Preparing my face - this isn't something new to me, as whenever I have shaved with a blade (cartridge or DE) I take a hot shower. I haven't tried warm towels with my New, which I may do, but a few minutes ina hot shower makes my stubble much easier to shave with much less irritation/pain.T
2. Lather - I hate this one, as I am still a newbie in this. But different lathers make a huge difference for me. Mike's? Works beautifully. Many others? Yecch. And my best lathers are thick and yogurty with minimal bubbles and with very short mixing times. A bit of water, load the brush, and paint the lather on.
3. Razors - I have personally found that different razors make a huge difference as well. Using similar technique, some razors give me a wonderful irritation-free shave, and others will not only not shave but literally scrape away at my face so that it actually hurts. I can't think of a good way to predict this. I do think that there is a ton of value in learning with 1 razor and getting your basic technique down before experimenting with other razors. But if I had never tried different razors, I'd be shaving with my R89 and probably getting pissed off several times a week.
4. Blades - blades make some difference for me (if they didn't, I wouldn't be spending $33+ for 100 Super Iridiums!). Again, for learning there is a ton of value in sticking with 1 blade and then experimenting when you find a razor you like.
5. Technique & patience - the most important and also the most annoying things! No pressure, find the right angle for that razor, start with WTG and go for irritation free first and then gradually work your way up to close shaves. I have ended up shaving with 2 pass shaves most days - with the grain and then somewhere angled between with the grain and across the grain (ear to chin). Shaving with no noise lets me hear the whiskers being cut which actually helps quiet a bit. I have found that XTG under my nose for the top part and WTG/straight down for the rest gives me the closest irritation free shaves there. For my chin and neck, 2 WTG shaves with some blade buffing work better for me than XTG passes there.
6. YMMV - may be tied with #5. I have found, through my own experience, that some advice simply doesn't seem to work for me. Other advice has been the Holy Grail. It all varies, and my own experience (and yours) is ultimately the best guide. I remember reading that someone actually liked to shave using significant pressure. While that wouldn't work for me at all, I'm glad it works for them.
I did learn a lot from Mantic's videos, and even more from reading all of the advice on this board.
I will say that this hobby (and it is a hobby - I enjoy shaving as I never even thought I would pre-DE, and browsing the boards/online shops is actually fun) is definitely like following a rabbit hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper. At first, I never thought that I would have multiple shaving creams (ha!). Then I thought it was crazy to order shaving stuff from outside the country (2013 R41 and silvertip fiber brushes). Then I thought it was crazy to buy a vintage razor made decades before I was born and get it cleaned/replated/etc.
Now? I am still making my mind up on a vintage Gillette New Long Comb and, if it keeps working as well as it did today, will be mailing it to another continent to get it replated in different colors of gold to match the unplated look.
I still think people who use straights are nuts.
Based on my pattern of trying stuff . . . I might be in the straight razor club in another month or two. And if I do ever try a straight razor, I positively must pose in the mirror holding the razor out at arm's length, glinting in the light, saying, "At last, my arm is complete again!!!" (Sweeney Todd) But I suspect that the idea of stropping/honing is too much work for me to make that particular jump.
Yes, I am nuts. But it sure is fun!
For those of you who are getting started or are getting frustrated (I certainly was in the first 2 months or so!), I've updated my list of things that I can now sit back and reflect on.
1. Preparing my face - this isn't something new to me, as whenever I have shaved with a blade (cartridge or DE) I take a hot shower. I haven't tried warm towels with my New, which I may do, but a few minutes ina hot shower makes my stubble much easier to shave with much less irritation/pain.T
2. Lather - I hate this one, as I am still a newbie in this. But different lathers make a huge difference for me. Mike's? Works beautifully. Many others? Yecch. And my best lathers are thick and yogurty with minimal bubbles and with very short mixing times. A bit of water, load the brush, and paint the lather on.
3. Razors - I have personally found that different razors make a huge difference as well. Using similar technique, some razors give me a wonderful irritation-free shave, and others will not only not shave but literally scrape away at my face so that it actually hurts. I can't think of a good way to predict this. I do think that there is a ton of value in learning with 1 razor and getting your basic technique down before experimenting with other razors. But if I had never tried different razors, I'd be shaving with my R89 and probably getting pissed off several times a week.
4. Blades - blades make some difference for me (if they didn't, I wouldn't be spending $33+ for 100 Super Iridiums!). Again, for learning there is a ton of value in sticking with 1 blade and then experimenting when you find a razor you like.
5. Technique & patience - the most important and also the most annoying things! No pressure, find the right angle for that razor, start with WTG and go for irritation free first and then gradually work your way up to close shaves. I have ended up shaving with 2 pass shaves most days - with the grain and then somewhere angled between with the grain and across the grain (ear to chin). Shaving with no noise lets me hear the whiskers being cut which actually helps quiet a bit. I have found that XTG under my nose for the top part and WTG/straight down for the rest gives me the closest irritation free shaves there. For my chin and neck, 2 WTG shaves with some blade buffing work better for me than XTG passes there.
6. YMMV - may be tied with #5. I have found, through my own experience, that some advice simply doesn't seem to work for me. Other advice has been the Holy Grail. It all varies, and my own experience (and yours) is ultimately the best guide. I remember reading that someone actually liked to shave using significant pressure. While that wouldn't work for me at all, I'm glad it works for them.
I did learn a lot from Mantic's videos, and even more from reading all of the advice on this board.
I will say that this hobby (and it is a hobby - I enjoy shaving as I never even thought I would pre-DE, and browsing the boards/online shops is actually fun) is definitely like following a rabbit hole that keeps getting deeper and deeper. At first, I never thought that I would have multiple shaving creams (ha!). Then I thought it was crazy to order shaving stuff from outside the country (2013 R41 and silvertip fiber brushes). Then I thought it was crazy to buy a vintage razor made decades before I was born and get it cleaned/replated/etc.
Now? I am still making my mind up on a vintage Gillette New Long Comb and, if it keeps working as well as it did today, will be mailing it to another continent to get it replated in different colors of gold to match the unplated look.
I still think people who use straights are nuts.
Based on my pattern of trying stuff . . . I might be in the straight razor club in another month or two. And if I do ever try a straight razor, I positively must pose in the mirror holding the razor out at arm's length, glinting in the light, saying, "At last, my arm is complete again!!!" (Sweeney Todd) But I suspect that the idea of stropping/honing is too much work for me to make that particular jump.Yes, I am nuts. But it sure is fun!
