Introduction
As I celebrate my one year anniversary on B&B, I thought it might be helpful to other newbies if I shared some thoughts about the journey. I said it at six months and it is still true today that B&B continues to be an outstanding resource. The site has a good balance of pragmatic advice and tolerance of the fact that different approaches work for different folks.
I came here largely out of curiosity about "old time shaving." My father had passed away a few months before, and in his possessions, I found my grandfather's straight razor. I knew my grandfather had been a barber in the 1930's and 1940's and as I researched his razor online, I bumped into B&B. I can't say I was dissatisfied with my shaves, because I wasn't looking for much from shaving. I considered it a necessary evil and something to be avoided when possible. Now, I look forward to and enjoy shaving and it has become somewhat of a hobby. As a hobbyist (not just shaving stuff but other hobbies as well) I am not so much a collector as an optimizer. Once I explore some possibilities and find something that works well for me I tend to stick with it, yet I keep an eye out for developments or new things to try.
Starting Out
Reading a book or watching a video or visiting a website about bicycle riding might prove interesting and even helpful, but you are not going to learn to ride a bike by looking up the answer at the back of the chapter. When I started I was looking for answers to what I thought were simple questions: what is the best ..., how do I get maximum bang for the buck, and so forth. I quickly learned that it wasn't quite that simple. There were a whole bunch of interacting variables (razors, blades, soaps, creams, oils, brushes, pre and post treatments, not to mention differences in faces, skins, beards) and for a newbie its pretty hard to judge differences because everything is masked by lack of technique and/or understanding of what is going on. And yet, shaving is not rocket science either unless you make it so. You just need to start with a reasonable kit, follow some simple suggestions, and take the time to learn what does and doesn't work for you.
I wasn't terribly budget restricted in assembling my kit except that I am a cheapskate. I started out with a Merkur Progress razor, a sampler pack of blades, and an Omega Pro 49 boar brush all from from WestCoast Shaving (WCS). While waiting for my shipment I bought Bigelow (Proraso green) cream, Real Shave Company cream, Williams shave soap and Nivea aftershave balm from local stores. (Do you see the soap acquisition disorder forming up?) The only thing that seemed expensive, as in more than $10, was the razor. All of the purchases were based on recommendations here, although the most recommended razors at the time were the Edwin Jagger 89 and the Merkur HD34 both at about half the cost of the Progress. However, the Mantic youtube videos were very helpful in the beginning, and he was such a fan of the Progress that I decided to splurge. I was suspicious of the boar brush because brand name badger brushes were so much more expensive. A year later I am very pleased that I spent less on the brush and more on the razor. I am not suggesting the the Progress is the perfect starting razor for everyone, in fact, the adjustability adds another variable to the complexity at first. However, the Omega Pro 49 is a terrific brush, not just starting out, but also a year later, and for only $9. The Progress is still my favorite razor even though I have three others now. So I advise choosing any of the often recommended good quality entry level suggestions without going for either the cheapest possible, or believing you are going to only buy once at the top of the line. The problem with the former is that it is hard to learn with poor equipment, and the problem with the latter is that it is hard to buy once and for all time before you have any idea about your needs and preferences.
Early Shaves and Developing Consistency
My initial shaves were neither the blood baths that I feared nor the great shaves I hoped for. At first I was in search of the BBS great shave, so I kept looking for correlations between better/worse shaves, and which soap I used or which blade or which razor setting and so on . I was still in the searching for the answers mode. To use the bicycle analogy again, if I was new to cycling and trying to figure out what was happening when I fell off, it could be because the tires were improperly inflated, or the rims were out of round, or the chain grease was too thick, or I was starting out in the wrong gear. It's possible to have such mechanical problems, but most likely I'd be falling because I was still learning to balance. This would not be the time to decide on the perfect chain lube or buy new rims.
I was told that the key in the beginning is developing consistency while paying attention to the basics:
I have been gradually developing better consistency and gaining new insight throughout the year. At first I was very focused on razor and blade, pressure and angle, and that was appropriate since I had been using cartridges--I had to relearn holding the razor and moving it across my face while controlling angle and pressure. But once I reduced cuts and weepers a bit, I realized that the irritation I had was probably due to poor hydration and lubrication (my prep and lathering sucked). And as that improved, I realized that I really didn't know the grain of my beard very well, and I couldn't seem to settle into which passes to do in which order. Then, once I got a consistent pass structure, I was able to refine both my blade angle and my understanding of my beard grain. As I get more consistent in one area, I am able to notice the variations in other areas and improve on them. While it has been a year of steady improvement viewed on a month to month basis, there have also been bumps along the way, and days to weeks of worse shaves until some problem or other is resolved. However, I always seems to go back to the same basic advice, whether to get out of the rut of some bad habit or perhaps to reinterpret the basics in a slightly more subtle way to get more consistent.
Exploration
Exploration is part of the fun of this hobby, but especially early on, it is counter productive in terms of developing consistency. So once again, a certain amount of balance is necessary. I experimented with soaps and creams quite a bit early on, but since I had success with Proraso cream and different flavors of their soft soaps in the tub, that formed a core I could fall back on, and my experience with one soft Italian soap translated fairly well to another. After a couple months I started down the path of trying different brushes and hard milled soaps and soap sticks. I think the combination of rotating through brushes and soaps like that actually set me back a bit, so I drastically reduced the number of soaps I used regularly, and I stayed with a soap for a week or two at a time. In addition to improving the shaves, that allowed me to better judge and cull my soap collection and to some extent my brushes.
By six months in, I had pretty much decided that my preferred blades were Astra SP and Personna Lab and I was ready for a bulk buy. However, out of curiosity, I revisited some of the remaining blades from my sampler pack just to make sure, and while not changing my preference, it showed me that I really could get a pretty good shave with any of the blades. I also began an affair with slant razors at that point, acquiring both a Merkur 37C and an Ikon Slant; the 37C became my daily driver for several months. At the nine month point, I was 100% a face latherer and I had a six or eight brush rotation including boar, badger, and synthetic where it was difficult for me to pick favorites. Each brush had plusses and minuses, but I liked the variety, and any one of them would be fine as an only brush. I was rotating between Valobra (stick or puck), Speick stick, DR Harris Arlington, Cella, and MWF.
These days there is less exploration and more resupply. It is Valobra 80% of the time with Speick or Arlington filling in, and on rarer occasion Cella. I still strictly face lather, and haven't bought a brush in three months. My brush rotation is two boars (Omega Pro49, Semogue 1250), four badgers (Simpson Berkeley, two Whipped Dog (WD) Silvertips, Vintage Blades Two-Band), and two synthetics (Muhle STF V2, Plisson). The boar brushes are used less and the synthetics more than their number in the rotation would suggest. I find I get just as close a shave with the Progress as with the Slant, but the Progress is slightly more comfortable. While the Slant has a variable blade exposure, it seemed less aggressive than the setting I was using on the Progress. Shaving with it convinced me to try a less aggressive setting on the Progress. Both are great razors. While I preferred the Astra SP at the more aggressive Progress setting I used to use, I think I may prefer the Personna Lab at this milder setting.
Recent Insight About Technique
Strategic Advice (Lessons I Like to Think That I Have Learned)
Tactical Advice (Things I Know and Only Forget Occasionally)
As I celebrate my one year anniversary on B&B, I thought it might be helpful to other newbies if I shared some thoughts about the journey. I said it at six months and it is still true today that B&B continues to be an outstanding resource. The site has a good balance of pragmatic advice and tolerance of the fact that different approaches work for different folks.
I came here largely out of curiosity about "old time shaving." My father had passed away a few months before, and in his possessions, I found my grandfather's straight razor. I knew my grandfather had been a barber in the 1930's and 1940's and as I researched his razor online, I bumped into B&B. I can't say I was dissatisfied with my shaves, because I wasn't looking for much from shaving. I considered it a necessary evil and something to be avoided when possible. Now, I look forward to and enjoy shaving and it has become somewhat of a hobby. As a hobbyist (not just shaving stuff but other hobbies as well) I am not so much a collector as an optimizer. Once I explore some possibilities and find something that works well for me I tend to stick with it, yet I keep an eye out for developments or new things to try.
Starting Out
Reading a book or watching a video or visiting a website about bicycle riding might prove interesting and even helpful, but you are not going to learn to ride a bike by looking up the answer at the back of the chapter. When I started I was looking for answers to what I thought were simple questions: what is the best ..., how do I get maximum bang for the buck, and so forth. I quickly learned that it wasn't quite that simple. There were a whole bunch of interacting variables (razors, blades, soaps, creams, oils, brushes, pre and post treatments, not to mention differences in faces, skins, beards) and for a newbie its pretty hard to judge differences because everything is masked by lack of technique and/or understanding of what is going on. And yet, shaving is not rocket science either unless you make it so. You just need to start with a reasonable kit, follow some simple suggestions, and take the time to learn what does and doesn't work for you.
I wasn't terribly budget restricted in assembling my kit except that I am a cheapskate. I started out with a Merkur Progress razor, a sampler pack of blades, and an Omega Pro 49 boar brush all from from WestCoast Shaving (WCS). While waiting for my shipment I bought Bigelow (Proraso green) cream, Real Shave Company cream, Williams shave soap and Nivea aftershave balm from local stores. (Do you see the soap acquisition disorder forming up?) The only thing that seemed expensive, as in more than $10, was the razor. All of the purchases were based on recommendations here, although the most recommended razors at the time were the Edwin Jagger 89 and the Merkur HD34 both at about half the cost of the Progress. However, the Mantic youtube videos were very helpful in the beginning, and he was such a fan of the Progress that I decided to splurge. I was suspicious of the boar brush because brand name badger brushes were so much more expensive. A year later I am very pleased that I spent less on the brush and more on the razor. I am not suggesting the the Progress is the perfect starting razor for everyone, in fact, the adjustability adds another variable to the complexity at first. However, the Omega Pro 49 is a terrific brush, not just starting out, but also a year later, and for only $9. The Progress is still my favorite razor even though I have three others now. So I advise choosing any of the often recommended good quality entry level suggestions without going for either the cheapest possible, or believing you are going to only buy once at the top of the line. The problem with the former is that it is hard to learn with poor equipment, and the problem with the latter is that it is hard to buy once and for all time before you have any idea about your needs and preferences.
Early Shaves and Developing Consistency
My initial shaves were neither the blood baths that I feared nor the great shaves I hoped for. At first I was in search of the BBS great shave, so I kept looking for correlations between better/worse shaves, and which soap I used or which blade or which razor setting and so on . I was still in the searching for the answers mode. To use the bicycle analogy again, if I was new to cycling and trying to figure out what was happening when I fell off, it could be because the tires were improperly inflated, or the rims were out of round, or the chain grease was too thick, or I was starting out in the wrong gear. It's possible to have such mechanical problems, but most likely I'd be falling because I was still learning to balance. This would not be the time to decide on the perfect chain lube or buy new rims.
I was told that the key in the beginning is developing consistency while paying attention to the basics:
- Don't shave where you don't have good hydration and lubrication
- Use minimal pressure
- Concentrate on finding and maintaining the correct blade angle
- Work with the grain of your beard and shape (planar features) of your face
- Think of reducing beard not removing it with each pass
I have been gradually developing better consistency and gaining new insight throughout the year. At first I was very focused on razor and blade, pressure and angle, and that was appropriate since I had been using cartridges--I had to relearn holding the razor and moving it across my face while controlling angle and pressure. But once I reduced cuts and weepers a bit, I realized that the irritation I had was probably due to poor hydration and lubrication (my prep and lathering sucked). And as that improved, I realized that I really didn't know the grain of my beard very well, and I couldn't seem to settle into which passes to do in which order. Then, once I got a consistent pass structure, I was able to refine both my blade angle and my understanding of my beard grain. As I get more consistent in one area, I am able to notice the variations in other areas and improve on them. While it has been a year of steady improvement viewed on a month to month basis, there have also been bumps along the way, and days to weeks of worse shaves until some problem or other is resolved. However, I always seems to go back to the same basic advice, whether to get out of the rut of some bad habit or perhaps to reinterpret the basics in a slightly more subtle way to get more consistent.
Exploration
Exploration is part of the fun of this hobby, but especially early on, it is counter productive in terms of developing consistency. So once again, a certain amount of balance is necessary. I experimented with soaps and creams quite a bit early on, but since I had success with Proraso cream and different flavors of their soft soaps in the tub, that formed a core I could fall back on, and my experience with one soft Italian soap translated fairly well to another. After a couple months I started down the path of trying different brushes and hard milled soaps and soap sticks. I think the combination of rotating through brushes and soaps like that actually set me back a bit, so I drastically reduced the number of soaps I used regularly, and I stayed with a soap for a week or two at a time. In addition to improving the shaves, that allowed me to better judge and cull my soap collection and to some extent my brushes.
By six months in, I had pretty much decided that my preferred blades were Astra SP and Personna Lab and I was ready for a bulk buy. However, out of curiosity, I revisited some of the remaining blades from my sampler pack just to make sure, and while not changing my preference, it showed me that I really could get a pretty good shave with any of the blades. I also began an affair with slant razors at that point, acquiring both a Merkur 37C and an Ikon Slant; the 37C became my daily driver for several months. At the nine month point, I was 100% a face latherer and I had a six or eight brush rotation including boar, badger, and synthetic where it was difficult for me to pick favorites. Each brush had plusses and minuses, but I liked the variety, and any one of them would be fine as an only brush. I was rotating between Valobra (stick or puck), Speick stick, DR Harris Arlington, Cella, and MWF.
These days there is less exploration and more resupply. It is Valobra 80% of the time with Speick or Arlington filling in, and on rarer occasion Cella. I still strictly face lather, and haven't bought a brush in three months. My brush rotation is two boars (Omega Pro49, Semogue 1250), four badgers (Simpson Berkeley, two Whipped Dog (WD) Silvertips, Vintage Blades Two-Band), and two synthetics (Muhle STF V2, Plisson). The boar brushes are used less and the synthetics more than their number in the rotation would suggest. I find I get just as close a shave with the Progress as with the Slant, but the Progress is slightly more comfortable. While the Slant has a variable blade exposure, it seemed less aggressive than the setting I was using on the Progress. Shaving with it convinced me to try a less aggressive setting on the Progress. Both are great razors. While I preferred the Astra SP at the more aggressive Progress setting I used to use, I think I may prefer the Personna Lab at this milder setting.
Recent Insight About Technique
Technique is more than how you handle the razor or the brush, it includes your knowledge of your face, your beard, your equipment, and the products you use. Technique is the ability to adjust what you are doing to improve your shave.
Strategic Advice (Lessons I Like to Think That I Have Learned)
- Don't try to optimize your initial kit too much for either performance or price, just follow the boring advice and then try not to blame your initial kit too much
- It' a learning experience, pay attention and review the basics regularly. Experience is how you avoid mistakes, but making mistakes is how you gain experience.
- Maintain comfort, and closeness will come with consistency; be as patient as you can.
Tactical Advice (Things I Know and Only Forget Occasionally)
- In real estate it's location, location, location; in shaving it's angle, angle, angle.
- The most critical time in the shave is the interval between when you apply the lather and your first pass.
- Initial application of razor to face is when cuts are most likely.
- Don't put razor to face if you are not happy with your lather (all passes).
- Going back to the soap/cream between passes is no crime nor is reapplying lather during a pass.
- More with the grain will be more comfortable.
- Don't judge your pass by amount removed, but by comfort.
