Preparing the Room of Requirement!

[Gryffindor]

Hi there!

Brand new member here getting ready for my first DE shave this week. Your thoughts (and prayers), opinions, questions, jeers, and suggestions are welcome on my first choices!

Razor: Merkur 34c
Blade: Sample Pack, thinking of starting with Personna or Voshkod
Soap: Stirling Soap Co. - Vanilla Sandalwood
Brush: Stirling Soap Co. - Synthetic 22 x 51
Bowl: Face Lather, but I grabbed This Little Guy

Pre-Shave Soap: Stirling Soap Co. - Unscented
Pre-Shave Oil: None Yet, could try one of several Bearded Bastard beard oils already on hand
Toner: Thayers Witch Hazel - Unscented
Aftershave Splash: Stirling Soap Co. - Vanilla Sandalwood
Damage Control: Styptic Pencil, Alum Block, Extra Towels, 911 on Speed Dial

If it helps to know what's going on with my face:

With a Mach 5 + shave gel I get no irritation above my jawline even with multiple ATG passes, decent irritation on my neck no matter what, no apparent razor bumps or ingrown hair. My beard aside from my chin is best described as wavy. My stubble isn't super coarse, and my cheeks still grow in a little patchy. I need to actually trim my beard down to look at my growth pattern on my neck, because that probably looks like Circuit of the Americas. I won't be shaving my chin or under my bottom lip.

Let me know what you think! I'd be interested in knowing what I'm missing, or if I've made any horrible choices for a brand new DE shaver. Any suggestions on prep, what to expect on my first shave, etc. Bring it all on!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Welcome aboard!

Here's my standard advice for people new to DE shaving...

The Wanderers Guide To DE Shaving

... I hope it proves helpful.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.
I would forget the pre-shave oils, just do a lather and work in for a good 3 minutes. Good preparation is all important. If the ATG pass is uncomfortable, stop at 2 passes. Start with a neutral blade angle and very light pressure. The Merkur 34C should not give you any problems.

 

[Gryffindor]

Welcome aboard!

Here's my standard advice for people new to DE shaving...

The Wanderers Guide To DE Shaving

... I hope it proves helpful.

I read both volumes before I signed up (and noted you in my intro thread)! Excellent stuff there! =D

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I read both volumes before I signed up (and noted you in my intro thread)! Excellent stuff there! =D

Splendid!

Sorry, I found this thread before your intro one

 

[Gryffindor]

pre-shave oils, just do a lather and work in for a good 3 minutes. Good preparation is all important. If the ATG pass is uncomfortable, stop at 2 passes. Start with a neutral blade angle and very light pressure. The Merkur 34C should not give you any problems.

I'm less scared of irritation with an ATG pass than I am of actually cutting myself. I probably won't try ATG until I'm comfortable going XTG.

Splendid!

Sorry, I found this thread before your intro one

No worries at all!

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

Welcome to B&B. My advice would be to stick with one set-up for a good while. It's tempting to blame gear for a poor shave, or become confident too soon and start chopping and changing things like blades, but it doesn't help your technique.

 

[It's Hedley]

Welcome to B&B from St. Louis, MO. Good luck and happy shaving!

 

[Gryffindor]

Welcome to B&B. My advice would be to stick with one set-up for a good while. It's tempting to blame gear for a poor shave, or become confident too soon and start chopping and changing things like blades, but it doesn't help your technique.

Sounds good! I picked the 34c based on the sheer number of recommendations for new shavers. I don't think I'll get another until I know that DE is shaving is for me, and whether I want something different out of my shaves once I have some under my belt. I am a collector by nature, so I'm sure that will happen eventually.

The confidence mention is interesting to me. I am actually really nervous about my first shave.

Welcome to B&B from St. Louis, MO. Good luck and happy shaving!

Thank you kindly from Austin, TX! I'm hoping to not wreck my face.

 

[sharpstar90]

I think you have made some excellent choices, especially if your hair is not that coarse. I will tell you something that I wish someone had told me when I first started: your skin will take time to adapt. A DE shave requires a little more work because it's only one blade and you may get some mild irritation at first. After a couple of weeks, your skin will toughen up.

Also, you have years of muscle memory with a cartridge which requires you to press down. The blades are angled differently and they flex and pivot. If you do that with a rigid DE blade then you are in for a world of pain! Only apply slight pressure.

I tend to use preshave oil in the winter months because indoor heating will dry your skin and hair and make it more coarse than you realize. Inexpensive vitamin E oil from the discount store works great. If you shave in the morning, you can apply moisturizer to your face before bed. That will help too.

You seem like you have done your research and you have chosen some truly excellent products! Your blades are around medium sharpness. If you feel them tugging, you might want to get something sharper.

I hope that helps.

 

[Gryffindor]

I think you have made some excellent choices, especially if your hair is not that coarse. I will tell you something that I wish someone had told me when I first started: your skin will take time to adapt. A DE shave requires a little more work because it's only one blade and you may get some mild irritation at first. After a couple of weeks, your skin will toughen up.

Also, you have years of muscle memory with a cartridge which requires you to press down. The blades are angled differently and they flex and pivot. If you do that with a rigid DE blade then you are in for a world of pain! Only apply slight pressure.

I tend to use preshave oil in the winter months because indoor heating will dry your skin and hair and make it more coarse than you realize. Inexpensive vitamin E oil from the discount store works great. If you shave in the morning, you can apply moisturizer to your face before bed. That will help too.

You seem like you have done your research and you have chosen some truly excellent products! Your blades are around medium sharpness. If you feel them tugging, you might want to get something sharper.

I hope that helps.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not wildly off the mark with my choices.

I fully expect that my first few strokes of my first pass will just move product around on my face. Because I'm just moving the guard on my face with no blade contact. Like an idiot. I am truly worried about cutting my face while I figure out the angle, so I'll be very leery of using any pressure.

For the time being, I'll be shaving at night on work days, and the afternoon on weekends. I probably won't shave every day. I take forever to wake up, and I am not required to shave for work. I can moisturize during the day, though! I'd rather this be a relaxing experience than one of "YOU HAVE FOUR MINUTES! GOGOGOGO!"

The sample pack does include a wide variety of blade in terms of sharpness based on what I've read. I chose the ones in the middle (and will probably start with the Personna), but there are two Feathers and Astras in there just in case. If the original choices are somehow too sharp, which would be surprising, I can always fall back on the Derby or Treet blades.

Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it!

 

[sharpstar90]

I think your choice of soap is the most important thing you did and you started with pretty much the best. If it gets any better than Stirling, it's only by a small margin and large cost!

Best of luck! I doubt you'll "cut" yourself. We all get nicks from time to time, but no big deal. You'll find your angle. You'll feel it cutting the hair.

 

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B.

By keeping the pressure off of the blade you will go a long way in getting a good shave. I have found that using the right grip on your razor goes a long way in keeping pressure off of the blade. The wiki deals with holding a razor and may help you. You may have to click on each photo to load it.

For information about blade angle, look here in the wiki.

Some additional suggestions:
1. Be sure your lather has sufficient water in it. This makes your shave smoother.
2. Be sure your face is sufficiently hydrated whether you use warm or cold water. If your face is wet before you apply lather for each pass, IMHO, your shaves will be better.
3. Take a washcloth and dip it in cold water and then place it on your face after your last pass.
4. Use WH on your face after you do step 3 above. Use an aftershave balm that is a good moisturizer.
5. At night, before retiring apply a good quality moisturizer to your face.

Finally, don't worry. Everything will work out fine.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Here's my standard advice for people new to DE shaving...

The Wanderers Guide To DE Shaving

... I hope it proves helpful.

+2! Welcome aboard! You might also watch a few videos.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Welcome!

Shave one, hold razor lightly, use no pressure. Let the weight do the work.

Second shave: Use half as much pressure.

Mac

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B & B, enjoy!

 

[REV579]

Welcome from Northeast Texas! After you get a grasp on your current setup, let me say the Gillette Pre-war Tech razors shave very much like the Mach 3 (I can’t compare it to the Mach 5), and it’s worth a go. If you decide to undertake a more efficient razor, do so incrementally. It will still be cheaper than the Mach 5.

 

[Luecke2326]

Welcome to the B&B, we are very happy to have you! Good luck with your first shave! A Merkur 34C in my recollection is a fairly mild shaver, so you shouldn't have too many issues there. As for blade choice, the Personna may be a hair ahead of the Voskhod blades, but your mileage may vary. The only bit of advice is to take your time at first and stick with it. There are a lot of wet shavers out there ready to help if you have any questions or concerns. Good luck!

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum, you will be fine. You have a great set up. Remember Rome was not built in a day. It is gradual beard reduction over 2 to 3 passes, use no pressure. It may take a few shaves but you will get there.

 

[ThatDaveCh]

I'm less scared of irritation with an ATG pass than I am of actually cutting myself. I probably won't try ATG until I'm comfortable going XTG.

First off, most welcome to B&B.

I'm well at about a dozen or more shaves, and I only to WTG/XTG on my face, WTG on the chin, and WTG/occassional XTG on the neck.

It's a matter of time and comfort, and determining what's good enough for you. Don't rush, you have a lifetime of shaving ahead.