Long story short, my last shaves were outright bad, even though I was using my best shaving gear and was very careful with my technique.
Gents, have you ever had similar cases?
Gents, have you ever had similar cases?
Long story short, my last shaves were outright bad, even though I was using my best shaving gear and was very careful with my technique.
Gents, have you ever had similar cases?
For sure. Cold outdoor winter air makes my skin pretty tender-- very dry indoor air makes it hard to keep my lather the way I like it. I have to make adjustments accordingly.Could even be the weather or something else that meant your skin wasn’t in the same condition as usual. Or a difference in preparation, or your mood meaning you weren’t shaving as carefully as you thought you were, or a blade issue. There are so many variables and this hapoens sometimes. I just take it as a reminder not to get complacent and not to assume my technique (including prep) is as consistent and good as it could be. These are the shaves you can learn something from.
A great thoughtful reply! Thank you!It could be one variable, it could be many, it could be none that affected your shave--chalk it up to "Bad Shaves Happen," and try to not overthink it. Sometimes the shave is just a reflection of other things going on; distractions, being rushed, stress elsewhere, etc.. I let the situation dictate which razor and type of razor and not the other way around--DEs, SEs and Straights get used interchangeably according to my mood. If I planned a SR shave but got up late, or if I have that "out of synch" feeling I'll flex to a SE or DE, or skip the shave for the day (I have that option). Of all the shaving variables, a set prep routine isn't something that affects my shaves, so I can't comment on its importance for a good shave other than if that part of your routine keeps you in synch for a good shave, I'd focus on that. Try to relax, because in the overall big scheme of things, it's just shaving; the advantage being that in a day or two you get a "do over."
Yup. it's happened to me - that simple.Sometimes you get a dull blade.
Sometimes you get a really sharp blade, but you're just carelessly stoopid. When you're not in synch, and things start going wrong and you consider just skipping the shave, go with your gut. Well that, and when you pull out a Lather Catcher and a fresh GEM PTFE blade (they're sharp and can be harsh the first time, and really harsh if you're stupid), always, always, always check to make sure the blade is behind the blade stops. Razor blades don't discriminate between what they cut and when they're really sharp they cut without you noticing right away. In this case blood on both upper cheeks, adams apple, blood running down my neck from an inch-long cut on my neck, and then I noticed the dual "gill marks" in front of my ear. Upon closer inspection, I could see the spine was smiling at me due to the left side of the blade sitting on top of the blade stop. I'm calling it a year, my last shave, because it will take a few days to heal--two days ago I took off 6 days growth with a straight and didn't draw a drop of blood, oh well, live and learn.Sometimes you get a dull blade.