Yeah, the pressure used is important. Coming from a cartridge razor to a DE razor took me awhile and practice to find the correct pressure. Like you, I nicked and got razor burn until I got the technique down. Now I can easily get nice, comfortable, close shaves every time. Hang in there and don't give up. Go easy on the pressure. Just the weight of the razor head for starters.
New to wet shaving - Desperately need help.
- Thread starter ScruffyLooking NerfHerder
- Start date
Late to the party I am!
Welcome to B&B @ScruffyLooking NerfHerder
Clearly you've experienced some of the finest advice thus far from this community.
I saw an initial post that provides coaching for developing great lather.
If you're skin is that sensitive, you may be experiencing some issues with your pre-shave routine.
Perhaps, if you have yet not, take it a bit more gently on the pre-shave so as to limit irritation out of the gate.
Second, I wouldn't face lather. I prefer to bowl lather as it too will limit the amount of irritation to your skin prior to shaving and you'll be able to more readily discover your technique for creating a great lather.
The very short story with a great lather is controlling the amount of water you use at the beginning.
- Put x amount of product in your bowl/scuttle.
- Wet your brush and then wring it to damp.
- Start making lather.
- Add water judiciously by dampening the tips of the bristles.
- Continue making lather
- Rinse - Repeat until you've gotten a gooey, thick creamy lather.
You noted using an adjustable razor: not sure someone has suggested this...
Perhaps try your first pass with the setting you noted: 2.5
Your second pass might be set lower.
Third pass/touch up: lowest setting.
This will potentially change the angle you'll have to hold the razor and it will also lessen the blade exposure on more "naked" skin, making it more gentle for the last pass.
Welcome again to B&B.
Welcome to B&B @ScruffyLooking NerfHerder
Clearly you've experienced some of the finest advice thus far from this community.
I saw an initial post that provides coaching for developing great lather.
If you're skin is that sensitive, you may be experiencing some issues with your pre-shave routine.
Perhaps, if you have yet not, take it a bit more gently on the pre-shave so as to limit irritation out of the gate.
Second, I wouldn't face lather. I prefer to bowl lather as it too will limit the amount of irritation to your skin prior to shaving and you'll be able to more readily discover your technique for creating a great lather.
The very short story with a great lather is controlling the amount of water you use at the beginning.
- Put x amount of product in your bowl/scuttle.
- Wet your brush and then wring it to damp.
- Start making lather.
- Add water judiciously by dampening the tips of the bristles.
- Continue making lather
- Rinse - Repeat until you've gotten a gooey, thick creamy lather.
You noted using an adjustable razor: not sure someone has suggested this...
Perhaps try your first pass with the setting you noted: 2.5
Your second pass might be set lower.
Third pass/touch up: lowest setting.
This will potentially change the angle you'll have to hold the razor and it will also lessen the blade exposure on more "naked" skin, making it more gentle for the last pass.
Welcome again to B&B.
can you stretch your budget? you won't be able to cut yourself with a feather as-d2 razor with a feather blade. it's just not gonna happen! it's the most efficient razor of ALL TIME*!
*when paired with a feather blade made of surgical grade japanese steel, of course!
*when paired with a feather blade made of surgical grade japanese steel, of course!
Man! Good routine here. I think you might need a more mild razor. Try a Henson or AS-D2.
Hope you're having better results. Lots of good advice. I'd suggest keeping things simple for awhile. Stick with fewer products. Maybe just the witch hazel instead of Alum, witch hazel and balm. Or just pick one outta the 3. You might need a milder razor or blade. Experiment with different blades. Maybe you need a smoother more comfortable blade instead of super sharp like the Feather. I'd reduce the number of passes for awhile too. Maybe just 1 pass wtg and some light blade buffing for clean up.
I would echo this advice, consistency is key when starting any new skill, and wet shaving is a skill like any other.
When I started about 20 years ago, all the equipment I had was sourced locally and of a low to mid range quality. But I made it work for me, for at least the first year of shaving I only used this gear. A cheap boar brush, store brand chemist shave soap, and a store brand Gillette tech clone with a plastic handle. Not great, but it taught me how to find the angle of the blade, and how the water content of the lather affected the glide of the razor.
It wasn’t until years later that I started collecting multiple brushes, razors, blades and soaps etc.
I would start over by simplifying the routine. Skip the pre-shave stuff. You should ready to go after a shower. Make sure you have a good lather. Maybe try bowl lathering and apply lightly to avoid punishing your skin. Use light pressure with razor. Pick one aftershave. Alum can be irritating and so can alcohol. Harder to figure out what may be irritating if using a bunch of different things. Lastly, it could be an ingredient/fragarance in the soap. Maybe try an unscented until you get things worked out.
- Thread starter
- #108
Hi Dave Himself,
Thank you so much for the welcome.
This group is honestly the most welcoming bunch of people I have ever encountered from the the world of internet forums.
A truely refreshing change to all of the Keyboard Warriors that one usually encounters.
- Thread starter
- #109
Hi Goblin,Glad things are working out for you - it's always good when folks keep us up to date on how they are progressing and whether they are seeing improvements.
The shaves are definitely getting better. I am far from a professional shaver, just yet but am leaps & bounds from where I first started.
The majority of members here on B&B regularly ask for feedback from other members, on their advice that they have given, so they can find out what has worked and what hasn’t, this way they can fine-tune the problem and ensure everyone is having a great shave.
With the wealth of knowledge from this group, my shaving experiences have gone from strength-to-strength.
- Thread starter
- #110
Hi Space Monkey 42,
The shaves are definitely getting better.
A long way from perfection, just yet but a Hell of a lot better than when I first started.
With each shave I am learning a little more.
Either about creating a good lather, pressure, angle, stroke length or speed, direction of beard growth, number of passes or directions of shaving.
The more mistakes I make from the previous shaves all help to improve the next shave.
The journey continues…
- Thread starter
- #111
Hi Desert Iguana,
That is great advice.
Every time I have a bad shave, either too many passes or wrong angle or a little heavy-handed with the pressure, I take a few days off from the daily shaves, giving the skin some much-needed time to heal and then get back into having learnt what not to do.
Cheers.
- Thread starter
- #112
Hi Jamolay,
The glycerin-based soap as a pre-shave, really works a treat.
Aides in the overall slickness of the shave once the shaving cream has been applied over the top.
I too, find that having a break from daily shaving works wonders in the overall condition of my skin.
Constant shaving, even when they are all good shaves, still leads to slight irritation.
- Thread starter
- #113
Hi Ingolfur,Hi ScruffyLooking,
I'm glad your shaves have improved!
Being clean-shaven without irritation is definitely rewarding!
Amen to that one, my friend.
The shaves are most definitely getting better.
There is still a long way to go before perfection can be achieved but each mistake made leads to a better shave.
- Thread starter
- #114
Hi Preidy,
You are correct, sir.
A glycerin-based soap, such as Pears Translucent, used as a pre-shave and then a good quality shaving soap over the top, leads to a slick shave.
Thanks again.
- Thread starter
- #115
Hi Hugh,
You could not be more correct.
The three most important aspects of any good shave are:
1. Pressure.
2. Pressure.
3. Pressure.
Coming from the non-shaving world of beard-growing to becoming a regular DE shaver, I have learnt that pressure is paramount.
With each shave, the nicks, shaving rashes and irritation are getting less and less.
Every time I forget, a razor-sharp piece of stainless steel reminds me and I go back to easing off the pressure.
- Thread starter
- #116
Hi E. Steve,
I am finding that the adjustable DE Safety Razors I have in my collection, are the ones that I have the best shaves with.
Whether that is antique razors, such as Gillette Fatboy & Slim, or modern razors, like Merkur Progress & Futur.
Though I am finding that the best shaves are when I put them on the maximum, or most aggressive setting.
Great. Cheers..
Wow! That's pretty brave, I've only used my adjustables on the middle settings. I just have the Futur and the three Gillettes. I'm going to be looking at the Gillettes again in about a month. And I have a plan to use all four, through the whole range of settings, but that will be closer to summer. Have fun man.
You might find this thread interesting.. I know I did.... It's about listening.. letting a razor guide you to its sweet spot.... I know I enjoyed it... :
www.badgerandblade.com
All one has to do is learn to listen - a techniques for an irritation free close shave
All one has to do is learn to listen - a few techniques for comfortable irritation free close shave there are many great posts on this form about beginner techniques, here is a link to a popular one. The Wanderer's Guide To DE Shaving -...
www.badgerandblade.com
Interesting … I see people discuss angle of stroke and length of stroke but not speed of stroke.Hope your experience is starting to improve.
Two little pieces of advice I would throw into the mix are:
1. Skin stretching to help avoid it bunching up in front of the blade
2. (Warning, this one might scare ya!) Don't go so slow on the strokes, you want the blade to be able to slice effortlessly through the hair not drag it off your face.
For clarity, make sure you've got the pressure down to the correct level first. When I first started using an aggressive razor I naturally went slow and it was horrendous. With slightly faster smoother strokes I found things vastly improved.
Good luck with your progress
Good call!
