Sorry for this wall of text, but I want to include as many relevant details as I can to help you guys out. There's a TL;DR at the bottom.
So I got a Van Der Hagen safety razor to start out with. I'm new to this scene and didn't want to immediately invest my life savings into it haha. It comes with Timor Solingen Ice-Tempered blades. Supposed to be stainless, but the first one I put in got brownish rust looking marks all over it after shaving in the shower. Granted, I really didn't open it up and dry it off, but still, kinda surprised.
The first shave, I used:
So, the first shave ever. I took a nice shower, washed my face off with Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Face Wash, then washed my hair, then after showering the rest of my body I kept the water on and stayed in the shower to shave. I didn't want to step out into a colder area and risk the cool air drying and tightening up my skin. I got what I felt was a good lather, and went to work. How did it go?
It was extremely hard to get any hairs off going with or across the grain. I was still getting the angling and techniques down, but my angle was generally steep. The shave wasn't as painful as I was expecting., maybe due to the angle. I actually ended up going over the same spots many times, often without any lather, and sometimes putting pressure down. In the end, there was irritation as I expected, and a couple nicks here and there that actually closed up by the time I was done and got out of the shower. I guess running my face under the water helped clean up the nicks.
So that first shave was much more effort than I thought it would be. Not that enjoyable to be honest and it took a hundred passes in every direction to get a BBS feeling. But that post shave balm ooooooh man that stuff is like nectar for the face.
The second shave, I used:
This time, I tried a different face wash, Cremo, which found it in a Harmon store among the shaving section. I also stayed in the shower again. I lathered up the soap using the wet brush technique I saw in this video. I paid a lot more attention to my angle, putting the cap flat on my face and tilting until I could feel the blade doing its thing. So I think I used a shallow angle. I also read more about doing multiple passes, and going with the grain on the first pass, re-lathering, then going across the grain, and so on. This time I could feel the hairs getting sized down more when going with the grain, but my face still felt scratchy even with a relatively light touch. My neck area got nicked and scratched even going with the grain. Then I tried going across the grain on the second pass. Going across the grain, my neck got sliced and diced from left to right. Saying it was unpleasant is an understatement.
Trying to dry up the nicks and cuts and then apply after shave balm didn't do a thing. The nicks bled right through. Had to use my roll-on nick stick, and man did my face sting.
So, I tried to evaluate every step of my process, and concluded that my troubles certainly lie in my technique and the blade I'm using. So, my blade sample just came in today, came with the following blades:
So, I guess my face is kinda sensitive, and I've been having infinite trouble getting a smooth, consistent shave all around. Which blades would you guys recommend I try first?
TL;DR:
My first two shaving experiences have been very unpleasant, and following the tips to go with and across the grain have left me a still scratchy face, and still getting nicks and cuts. I am trying new blades from a sampler pack, which are listed just above.
I don't intent on quitting and going back to cartridge shaving. After all the great things I hear about DE wet shaving, I am determined to learn and eventually master this stuff, but right now, my lack of experience and knowledge are costing me countless skin cells, so some feedback on my story or product choice, pointers about which blades to try first, and anything you feel will help me on my quest to figure this all out, would be immeasurably appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Yours truly,
The new guy
PS: The prices of some of the stuff I used might shock you, but I got it all for much cheaper than the links show at a local Harmon, so don't freak out! (except the brush, which came right from the Amazon page I linked, still on sale)
So I got a Van Der Hagen safety razor to start out with. I'm new to this scene and didn't want to immediately invest my life savings into it haha. It comes with Timor Solingen Ice-Tempered blades. Supposed to be stainless, but the first one I put in got brownish rust looking marks all over it after shaving in the shower. Granted, I really didn't open it up and dry it off, but still, kinda surprised.
The first shave, I used:
- Pacific Shave Company Shave Cream
- Perfecto Badger Brush
- Van Der Hagen Safety Razor
- Timor Solingen Ice-Tempered blades
- Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
So, the first shave ever. I took a nice shower, washed my face off with Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Face Wash, then washed my hair, then after showering the rest of my body I kept the water on and stayed in the shower to shave. I didn't want to step out into a colder area and risk the cool air drying and tightening up my skin. I got what I felt was a good lather, and went to work. How did it go?
It was extremely hard to get any hairs off going with or across the grain. I was still getting the angling and techniques down, but my angle was generally steep. The shave wasn't as painful as I was expecting., maybe due to the angle. I actually ended up going over the same spots many times, often without any lather, and sometimes putting pressure down. In the end, there was irritation as I expected, and a couple nicks here and there that actually closed up by the time I was done and got out of the shower. I guess running my face under the water helped clean up the nicks.
So that first shave was much more effort than I thought it would be. Not that enjoyable to be honest and it took a hundred passes in every direction to get a BBS feeling. But that post shave balm ooooooh man that stuff is like nectar for the face.
The second shave, I used:
- Van Der Hagen Shave Soap
- Perfecto Badger Brush
- Van Der Hagen Safety Razor
- Timor Solingen Ice-Tempered blades
- Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
This time, I tried a different face wash, Cremo, which found it in a Harmon store among the shaving section. I also stayed in the shower again. I lathered up the soap using the wet brush technique I saw in this video. I paid a lot more attention to my angle, putting the cap flat on my face and tilting until I could feel the blade doing its thing. So I think I used a shallow angle. I also read more about doing multiple passes, and going with the grain on the first pass, re-lathering, then going across the grain, and so on. This time I could feel the hairs getting sized down more when going with the grain, but my face still felt scratchy even with a relatively light touch. My neck area got nicked and scratched even going with the grain. Then I tried going across the grain on the second pass. Going across the grain, my neck got sliced and diced from left to right. Saying it was unpleasant is an understatement.
Trying to dry up the nicks and cuts and then apply after shave balm didn't do a thing. The nicks bled right through. Had to use my roll-on nick stick, and man did my face sting.
So, I tried to evaluate every step of my process, and concluded that my troubles certainly lie in my technique and the blade I'm using. So, my blade sample just came in today, came with the following blades:
- Treet Platinum, Super Stainless
- Trig Silver Edge Stainless Steel
- Super Max Super Stainless
- Gillette Nacet
- Super Max Platinum
- Gillette Goal Stainless
- Feather
- Nacet Platinum
- Blue Bird
- Gillette 7 O'Clock Permasharp
- Derby
- Bic
- Astra Superior Platinum
- Astra Superior Stainless
So, I guess my face is kinda sensitive, and I've been having infinite trouble getting a smooth, consistent shave all around. Which blades would you guys recommend I try first?
TL;DR:
My first two shaving experiences have been very unpleasant, and following the tips to go with and across the grain have left me a still scratchy face, and still getting nicks and cuts. I am trying new blades from a sampler pack, which are listed just above.
I don't intent on quitting and going back to cartridge shaving. After all the great things I hear about DE wet shaving, I am determined to learn and eventually master this stuff, but right now, my lack of experience and knowledge are costing me countless skin cells, so some feedback on my story or product choice, pointers about which blades to try first, and anything you feel will help me on my quest to figure this all out, would be immeasurably appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Yours truly,
The new guy
PS: The prices of some of the stuff I used might shock you, but I got it all for much cheaper than the links show at a local Harmon, so don't freak out! (except the brush, which came right from the Amazon page I linked, still on sale)
