Hi all,
I wanted to take a moment to reflect on exactly one year of wet shaving, what I have learned, as well as say thank you for the wealth of information on this forum.
To be honest, I actually got on here to post something in the BST section, and found that I didn't have enough posts to do so. I then checked the date of my joining..... and holy smokes its my 1 year anniversary!
Ironically, I had one hell of a shave last night. It was only a DFS, but was accomplished in two passes. It was actually such a good shave that I mentioned it to my wife last night, as well as to some guys at work today. When a shave is good enough to mention... it means something.
Last nights shave:
EJ89DE w/ new Astra SP blase
Talbac soap
SOC Boar Brush
Floid Vigoroso AS
So here it is, what I've learned over the past year, and what made last nights shave so amazing:
- Time... take your time. Don't rush the experience. A great shave only takes me 8-12 minutes.
- Preparation; Soak your brush and razor (even certain types of soap). Hot shower, scrub, exfoliate, etc. Using a good hair conditioner seems to help soften my beard a lot (I have a thick, red-haired beard).
- Lather; I initially bowl lathered, but quickly found that face lathering was less of a production, quicker, and helps keep my prickers raised up and soft. Each soap or cream takes a different amount of water and technique. This also goes back to time. Take your time building a good lather, whether in a bowl or on your brush. A properly loaded brush translates to better lather on your face.
- The Shave; Map your face. Know WTG, XTG, and AGT. I hardly ever shave against the grain. Focus on using light pressure with the correct angle. Let the blade do the work. I often muscle through the shave because i'm in a hurry, or just want to get it over with. This results in small weepers here and there, and less than perfect complexion. If I set the time aside (see above), and plan on enjoying the experience, I tend to focus more on pressure and angle, which in turn gives me a much better.... and closer shave.
- Rinse; I use cold water for rinse followed by witch hazel if I have it. I actually really believe in witch hazel, but since I use it like water, I often run out.
- Follow-Through; If you just took all the time required doing the above... make sure you follow up with a good AS product. I love Floid Blue, Amber, and Vigoroso. I also really enjoy Poraso AS.
Hopefully someone will find this post helpful. Don't give up, keep learning, focus on the basics, and enjoy the experience of wet-shaving. Thanks again!
I wanted to take a moment to reflect on exactly one year of wet shaving, what I have learned, as well as say thank you for the wealth of information on this forum.
To be honest, I actually got on here to post something in the BST section, and found that I didn't have enough posts to do so. I then checked the date of my joining..... and holy smokes its my 1 year anniversary!
Ironically, I had one hell of a shave last night. It was only a DFS, but was accomplished in two passes. It was actually such a good shave that I mentioned it to my wife last night, as well as to some guys at work today. When a shave is good enough to mention... it means something.
Last nights shave:
EJ89DE w/ new Astra SP blase
Talbac soap
SOC Boar Brush
Floid Vigoroso AS
So here it is, what I've learned over the past year, and what made last nights shave so amazing:
- Time... take your time. Don't rush the experience. A great shave only takes me 8-12 minutes.
- Preparation; Soak your brush and razor (even certain types of soap). Hot shower, scrub, exfoliate, etc. Using a good hair conditioner seems to help soften my beard a lot (I have a thick, red-haired beard).
- Lather; I initially bowl lathered, but quickly found that face lathering was less of a production, quicker, and helps keep my prickers raised up and soft. Each soap or cream takes a different amount of water and technique. This also goes back to time. Take your time building a good lather, whether in a bowl or on your brush. A properly loaded brush translates to better lather on your face.
- The Shave; Map your face. Know WTG, XTG, and AGT. I hardly ever shave against the grain. Focus on using light pressure with the correct angle. Let the blade do the work. I often muscle through the shave because i'm in a hurry, or just want to get it over with. This results in small weepers here and there, and less than perfect complexion. If I set the time aside (see above), and plan on enjoying the experience, I tend to focus more on pressure and angle, which in turn gives me a much better.... and closer shave.
- Rinse; I use cold water for rinse followed by witch hazel if I have it. I actually really believe in witch hazel, but since I use it like water, I often run out.
- Follow-Through; If you just took all the time required doing the above... make sure you follow up with a good AS product. I love Floid Blue, Amber, and Vigoroso. I also really enjoy Poraso AS.
Hopefully someone will find this post helpful. Don't give up, keep learning, focus on the basics, and enjoy the experience of wet-shaving. Thanks again!