Greetings from England!
I've been a lurker for awhile, and decided to finally come out of the woodwork and sign up.
My DE shaving journey started right when I started sprouting whiskers from my face, but it has been a very on-off relationship until recently. Even my dad's best teaching efforts didn't prevent me from stumbling at the dreaded Against The Grain pass, which would leave my face burning and bloody. I settled on doing two passes with a DE razor and a final ATG pass with a cartridge razor for a good while, but then I regressed to wholly cartridge shaving.
Nearly 20 years later, I have finally managed to do full three-pass-shaves and have it feel good on a consistent basis. I'll still get the odd day where I get some weepers, but even then I'm not left with the burn. What changed? I asked for advice.
About 6 months ago, I asked one of the UK's shaving shops for advice on what to buy, noting my past difficulties. I was given a response by a chap called Simon, and at first I was a bit disappointed- after all, I wanted to buy a nice shiny new razor that would fix all my problems, but he suggested that rather than buy something new, I should instead take a closer look at my technique. He gave some tips, and I went back to basics to refresh my memory. Over the next few shaves, I paid special attention to the angle I was presenting the blade to my skin, that I wasn't applying pressure and perhaps most importantly, I took my time. And the result? It wasn't half bad. Some spots weren't as close as I'd have liked, but it was a pleasant shave without blood or a burning sensation.
After reporting my early success to Simon, he kindly offered to send me a selection of blades free of charge, to help me dial things in some more. I couldn't pass up such a generous offer, and soon enough an envelope arrived with dozens of different blades! I was spoilt for choice, and started to put together a spreadsheet to record my experiences of each blade. I still have some I need to try out, but it definitely highlighted how different some blades are to each other, and which ones agree with me more.
We had a bit more back-and-forth afterwards (during which I expressed my gratitude, of course), and once I'd gotten enough experience, I bought a new razor (a Leaf Thorn) from that shop. While I didn't need it, it offered a chance to satisfy my curiosity, and more importantly to support those who helped me finally find my feet with proper shaving.
Now, I'm mostly switching between a Fine Accoutrements Premium Slant and a Razorock aluminium Lupo. The slant is very efficient, while the Lupo is more easy-going and is able to get right under my nose. The Thorn sadly doesn't get much use, as I just can't get a comfortable shave when going Against The Grain, but it's an unusual design, and I'm glad to have had the experience of shaving with it. Perhaps with some experimentation, I'll find the blade that makes it work for me.
I had hoped for a fairly brief introduction, but it turns out I wrote an essay! I think my experience has taught me that while shaving is a very personal thing, it's also important to share with others to learn and gain perspective. Fortunately, the shaving 'community' is probably one of the friendliest and most helpful out there, which makes that easy.
I've been a lurker for awhile, and decided to finally come out of the woodwork and sign up.
My DE shaving journey started right when I started sprouting whiskers from my face, but it has been a very on-off relationship until recently. Even my dad's best teaching efforts didn't prevent me from stumbling at the dreaded Against The Grain pass, which would leave my face burning and bloody. I settled on doing two passes with a DE razor and a final ATG pass with a cartridge razor for a good while, but then I regressed to wholly cartridge shaving.
Nearly 20 years later, I have finally managed to do full three-pass-shaves and have it feel good on a consistent basis. I'll still get the odd day where I get some weepers, but even then I'm not left with the burn. What changed? I asked for advice.
About 6 months ago, I asked one of the UK's shaving shops for advice on what to buy, noting my past difficulties. I was given a response by a chap called Simon, and at first I was a bit disappointed- after all, I wanted to buy a nice shiny new razor that would fix all my problems, but he suggested that rather than buy something new, I should instead take a closer look at my technique. He gave some tips, and I went back to basics to refresh my memory. Over the next few shaves, I paid special attention to the angle I was presenting the blade to my skin, that I wasn't applying pressure and perhaps most importantly, I took my time. And the result? It wasn't half bad. Some spots weren't as close as I'd have liked, but it was a pleasant shave without blood or a burning sensation.
After reporting my early success to Simon, he kindly offered to send me a selection of blades free of charge, to help me dial things in some more. I couldn't pass up such a generous offer, and soon enough an envelope arrived with dozens of different blades! I was spoilt for choice, and started to put together a spreadsheet to record my experiences of each blade. I still have some I need to try out, but it definitely highlighted how different some blades are to each other, and which ones agree with me more.
We had a bit more back-and-forth afterwards (during which I expressed my gratitude, of course), and once I'd gotten enough experience, I bought a new razor (a Leaf Thorn) from that shop. While I didn't need it, it offered a chance to satisfy my curiosity, and more importantly to support those who helped me finally find my feet with proper shaving.
Now, I'm mostly switching between a Fine Accoutrements Premium Slant and a Razorock aluminium Lupo. The slant is very efficient, while the Lupo is more easy-going and is able to get right under my nose. The Thorn sadly doesn't get much use, as I just can't get a comfortable shave when going Against The Grain, but it's an unusual design, and I'm glad to have had the experience of shaving with it. Perhaps with some experimentation, I'll find the blade that makes it work for me.
I had hoped for a fairly brief introduction, but it turns out I wrote an essay! I think my experience has taught me that while shaving is a very personal thing, it's also important to share with others to learn and gain perspective. Fortunately, the shaving 'community' is probably one of the friendliest and most helpful out there, which makes that easy.
