Newb shaving with a Slant, got butchered

[hotrod]

Hey guy's first post. I know this has probably been posted 100x, but I think every face is different, and am looking for some advice.

I've been using a DE for a few months now, it was my fathers razor (really old, no name on it?). I switched from electric in hopes of a closer shave. With that said, I never cut myself with his safety razor. It was very unaggressive, and although it shaved way closer than my Braun, I still wasn't satisfied.

I read through these forums quite a bit, and from what I gathered, the Slant bar usually wins when it comes to shaving closeness. I read all about respecting it, and using it carefully. I also read about the blade alignment, and how to let only the weight of the razor apply the pressure. But I still got cut a bit, even though I didn't feel it cutting me.

My beard hair is thick, and I'm not sure if I have sensitive skin? I just know that when I'd use a Mach 3 I would bleed, and when I use the slant bar I bleed. The difference is I could feel the Mach 3 tearing my face up, while my face feels fine using the slant. It's not until later that I notice the slant cut me up. Also it leaves no razor burn? Let me rephrase that, my face doesn't burn when I'm done.

My routine is take a hot shower, lather up and let sit for a minute or two, and then begin shaving. I rinse my face with hot water in between each pass. Lather up again, and begin next pass.

Anyway, I'm going to post of a pic. Maybe some shaving experts can help me out here I really love how close it gets, and I'm not ready to give up on it. I shave with the direction of my beard, across, and against. I only start to bleed when shaving against the grain, which to me is the most critical part of getting a close shave. I use short strokes, and feather blades. Should I wait a few days and let my face heal before shaving again? Does my facial hair have to adjust to the new combo?

Help!

Note: This shave is about 6 hours old.

 

[Huxley]

Going from your skin id say a feather blade bit you up a far bit but i can't see many nicks just mostly weepers that'll be down to pressure more than anything, i feel your jumping to a slant might have been a bit much personally id have bought an edwin jagger de89l, with an iridium i can get far closer than that with no nicks or weepers.

When you shave do you use a single long stroke perhaps that is where you're going wrong in that you're not giving the blade a chance to cut the hair, use light short strokes, try to get a feel for the blade cutting your hair again pressure is key.

Have a look at mantic59 videos on youtube he's pretty much on the money when it comes to technique, looks to me you might be rushing things a bit.

 

[hotrod]

Hey thanks for the suggesting mantic59, I just watched one of his vids. I wish I would have seen them earlier, now I want to shave again :-O

I use short strokes when shaving, almost no pressure. Maybe I won't go against the grain for a little while I until I get a little more comfortable with it. Another thing I don't do is stretch the skin. I'm afraid of ingrown hairs, on the other hand I think it would give me a flatter shaving surface.

I think you're right, I may be rushing things a bit. I guess I've grown tired of having a 5 o' clock as soon as I'm done shaving. Thanks for advice Huxley.

Looking forward to more critiques, I want that BBS shave!

 

[DunEdinRanger]

The Barber Pole Slant is an awesome razor, and definitely my favorite.

I think you're using too much pressure. I would also suggest trying a different blade in there, maybe a Red Pack Personna or Astra Superior.

 

[Luc]

Welcome to B&B!

+1 on too much pressure.

 

[natchez]

+2 on the pressure go light as a feather

 

[BroJohn]

Hotrod --

Here's a re-run of an earlier post I made about the slant. There are some good posts in that thread.

Click!

-- John Gehman

 

[Bogframe]

I got that same irritation in those same areas. It ended whan I stopped going against the grain and stuck to WTG and XTG.

 

[baba]

Hotrod,

+1 on all the advise so far!

Welcome to B&B. Nice to have you.

Correct me if I'm wrong but from your picture it looks as if the spots that bleed are not cuts but rather round shaped dots that we tend to call weepers. Just from that alone, it appears to me as if you are just shaving too close in a few spots. Perhaps you could start with the slant, use it first pass, with the grain, then switch to a milder razor for your XTG or ATG passes. I call it "bladeblending"...I think it might help while you hone your technique.

The slant is a great razor, but every face has it's limits. I know just from chopping my face up good, what my face can and can't take so I try to stay within those limits now. I can not do three passes with a slant, I can do the first with a slant, then if I need to, I will do a second pass with a superspeed or a tech. It's a bit unorthodox but it works for me.

 

[mblakele]

Welcome to B&B!

I mostly shave with short-handled slants (a vintage Merkur and the 37g). I also have a dark beard and fair skin, and I can't give you too much hope on that front: even when my skin feels smooth in every direction, those dark hair follicles are still clearly visible.

But there's no reason why you should cut or irritate your skin with any DE razor. I suspect that you can feel the M3 because it's duller. Judging by the picture, you are using a Feather blade in your slant. So you probably won't even feel the edge when it's slicing your skin. Also the M3 takes care of blade angle for you - with the slant, it's all up to you, and holding the blade at the wrong angle will make it bite into your skin.

Better prep of your beard and skin could help - even with the M3, and definitely with the slant. What are you doing for lather and prep today? Have you read about Kyle's prep? For me, it's crucial to build a good lather and then rub it into my beard with my fingertips for a few minutes before I start shaving. This is supposed to soften the hair, making it easier to cut.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Going ATG with a Feather in a Slant? And you wonder why you got chewed up? Oh my!

 

[Stick Monkey]

You might want to try a milder blade (like a Derby) until your technique improves.

You started using a very aggressive slant head, on a heavy razor (more pressure) and an aggressive blade . I think you did better than most would have under the same circumstances.

Good luck, and keep at it .

 

[DFrancis]

+1 to all the advice above.less pressure and maybe a step back from the feathers.

 

[Arkansas]

You've really got to be light as a feather with the long slant. No pressure at all.
I've cut myself much worse than you when using feathers before. I like crystal's in my slant.
I've gotten the EJ 89, and I really like it. Recently got the muhle r41 open comb, but it just doesn't get as close as the EJ.
I think tomorrow I'm going back to the slant w/crystal.

 

[htownmmm]

The Slant and Feather are called Satan's Combo for a reason. However, if handled carefully, they will provide the closest shave this side of a straight.

One thing you may want to do is forget about the ATG for now. Try 2 WTG passes and then an XTG pass. Your face will be light bulb smooth w/o a reason to even go ATG.


marty

 

[superspot]

I know the feeling, I bought a 39-C with feathers and ended up with 8 cuts on the second day I used it and a sore face. Waited a week and tried it again with a diffrent blade and still cut myself 1 time. So I put it up and have not used it since. I looks pretty on the retired shelf. My HD works for me

 

[Sullybob]

Welcome to B&B.

Lots of great advise so far.

I love my slant, and I love Shark blades in it. I tried Feather blades and it didn't agree with my face. I read some good things about the sharks and decided to give them a try. They work great for me.

 

[JPM]

I have the same slant. I'd recommend using a different blade for a bit. Maybe a 7 O'clock Yellow or a BlueBird. If you get good results with one of those, you can come back to the Feather after you've perfected your technique.

 

[Kbennett]

...in other news, water is still wet.

 

[Fish Slayer]

You might also consider trying another XTG pass in the opposite direction from your previous XTG pass and skip the SGT pass for a while.