New guy struggling to get a close shave..

[Mushakian]

Hello gentlemen (and ladies, if they are here),

I found this site about a year ago, and for the past month or so have been going through it almost each day. I finally started shaving the ''real'' way only about a week ago, but while it's been ok, I have some questions.

Mainly, my trouble is the closeness of the shave. I am definitely still having alot of trouble getting all of the angles of my neck right, but that's something I'm convinced will come with time. My problem is more that even in the good areas of my face, where I'm controlling the blade well, the shave doesn't seem that close. I've read all over how it's multiple passes, and even after just the first day of wet shaving, I understood that. After a few disappointing days, though, I tried going against the grain. I know it's not recommended too soon, but it wasn't hard on me at all. Haha, before this, I was just shaving with a Mach 3 razor in the shower - no creams or anything...just a wet face, so my skin didn't have a hard time with the ATG of the double edge blade at all.

So, apologies for the length (I can ramble), but I'm still struggling to find the answer to what I'm missing. To set things up..I'm using a Merkur HD, I've tried the Merkur(not feathered) and Derby blades from the sampler so far, I bought an Omega pure badger brush (on recommendation), and I found some William's mug soap at the store. I shower at night, but my beard is so dark and heavy that it's best to shave in the mornings. Really, after all of this, my main question is (if there can be an answer) what is most important in getting a close shave? Is it water, heat, strong lather, the right blade, or etc? I'm definitely not going to go back to my old shaving ways - because even though I was getting a closer shave then...my face feels so much better and healthy overall now.

If you even read all this, haha, I thank you.

 

[peacefrog]

In no particular order:

1. Gradual beard reduction. I use four passes: with the grain, across the grain, across the grain the other way, and finally against the grain. Note that the direction of the grain may vary on different areas of your beard, thus the direction of the passes may need to change accordingly.

2. Blade angle. The blade should be as close to parallel to the skin as possible. Short strokes help maintain the proper angle.

3. Pressure. Keep it very, very light. The "Kyle" grip may help here, wherein you grip the razor at its very end using just the tips of your fingers.

4. Advanced tecniques. You could try holding the blade slightly askew so that has more of a shearing action. Blade buffing, J-hook, Gillette slide...look at Mantic's videa for those things.

5. Blade sampler. Get one or two of the samplers. Maybe you just haven't found the right blade for you yet. For me, it's Israeli Personna's. Everyone has their own best blade, and it's only discovered through experimentation.

I think water, lather, etc. are secondary to technique. For me they have some effect on the closeness of the shave, but their effect is mainly comfort and aesthetics.

 

[greenerock]

I just do 2 passes from N to S except my lower neck. It only gets one pass from S to N. Maybe a little touch up and that's it. I never go ATG.

 

[mozart]

I'm might be drawing some fire here...

1. angle: If you keep the blade almost parallel to your skin, you won't cut anything. That's because most razors are designed such that the guard prevents the blade from getting too close to the skin in that orientation. Check it out with your own razor: stand it head up on a flat surface, look at it from the side, then tilt the head down and see what the blade edge does. In order to get closer, you need to cut "into" the skin, or use a razor without a guard, i.e. a straight. With the method described above, you should be able to figure out the angle at which the blade just scrapes along the surface of the skin (usually around 30 degrees).

2. pressure: without pressure, you won't get a close shave either, because a certain pressure is needed to get the blade close to the skin (flesh is squishy). I know, one often hears "no pressure", but I think it should read "not too much pressure". Point in case: using a heavier razor usually results in a closer shave, because more pressure is applied. Now, one can achieve that using a heavy razor and gripping it at the end, or by carefully controlling the pressure actively (you apply the pressure yourself). The latter requires a lot of experience. You need to know your face very well, and you shouldn't drink too much coffee before shaving.

3. You strike me as a good candidate for a Slant/Feather combo. 'nough said!

Best - MM

 

[Mushakian]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'd become convinced that there was more of a situational problem of bad lather or something else, but the one thing you all kept mentioning was the shaving technique itself. I suppose that gives me some more comfort...so I'll just keep practicing.

 

[krawlx]

*Snip!* I shower at night, but my beard is so dark and heavy that it's best to shave in the mornings. *Snip*

Many (or is it just some?) of the members prefer shaving right after they shower. If you're showering at night and shaving in the morning it's probably necessary to take extra care in your prep. What is your prep in the morning?

 

[Kyle]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'd become convinced that there was more of a situational problem of bad lather or something else, but the one thing you all kept mentioning was the shaving technique itself. I suppose that gives me some more comfort...so I'll just keep practicing.

While I won't downplay the importance of good technique, I think it is only part of the solution here. While some folks do get good results from Williams Soap, it is not a highly regarded product by the majority. I would recommend grabbing up a tub of Taylor's shaving cream. It lathers easily, performs wonderfully, and is a very affordable product. If you are determined to use a soap, spend the money to get one of the highly regarded, triple milled soaps (Trumper's, Tabac, T&H, DR Harris).

The aforementioned products will produce a more forgiving medium with which to work while you finish knocking the kinks out of your technique.

 

[rickw]

Listen for the blade as it cuts the hair. There are many inexpensive creams on the market. Kiss My Face and Body Shop are in this group.

 

[Mushakian]

As far as the soap goes, I'll definitely look into others. I've been reading good things on lather, so as I get better at it, if I can't get what I need out of the William's - I'll make a switch right away.

As far as my preparations go, it's been varied as I've been experimenting and learning. That was were I actually imagined most of my problem would be coming from. I haven't used any actual products for a pre-shave treatment, but have tried different things with warm water, hot towels (washcloth for now), and the latest in trying what I read in another thread about using the actual soap lather as a pre-shave. It's been hard for me to determine exactly when my beard is soft enough to start shaving, because I can't even tell the difference after a long, hot shower - let alone in the morning. So, haha, I've got about 50 different variables to go through, but I appreciate the answers and advice I've been given so far.

Just the sound alone of the blade cutting through the hair makes it worth it.