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Taking things for granted.

I've been using a straight razor to shave my head for a long time. I do a WTG pass with a straight, then a quick cleanup ATG pass with a Rockwell #2 plate. I'm still shaving my neck with a cart unfortunately because of swirly neck hairs.

Well every 6 months or so i get it into my head that i'm going to do a full shave with a DE and it has always gone terribly wrong. Like puddle of blood wrong.

About a week ago i got the bug again and ordered 2 slant razors. I told myself this time i was going pull it off and do a full DE shave. Don't ask me why i didn't try it with the Rockwell because i don't know.. Acquisition disorder most likely.

Well it went terribly wrong. 🤕 🏥 :a16:

As i stood there in the shave den bleeding out I had a moment of enlightenment. I realized that just because i knew how to use a straight, didn't mean i knew how to use a DE. There were techniques involved that i knew nothing about because i had never done the research.

I took a few days to read up and watch some videos and gave it another go last night.

For the first time ever i gave myself a pretty decent shave with a DE. Just on the neck mind you (i have a beard). Ill be working on the head again after i heal up a little more from the first attempt.

My main issue was pressure. Waaaaay too much pressure. The #2 on the Rockwell feels like a cart so i didn't realize how light the touch with a more aggressive razor had to be. Also a user here mentioned 'riding the cap'. I realized coming down into the correct angle instead of up (if that makes sense) made a huge difference for me. That, combined with the lightest pressure i could manage did the trick.

My end goal is to get away from the cart completely. I really only use it to shave my neck as it was the only thing i could use to shave my crazy neck hairs without irritation. I only go through about 5 cartridges a year but it still bugs me.

Last nights shave gave me no irritation after 2 passes and one tiny weeper where the hair does a little hurricane.

TBH Its kind of fun to feel like i'm back at the beginning again. Learning to use the DE proper reminds when of when i started with the straight and the world of wet shaving was shiny and new.

Just wanted to share my tale. Also this will help spare my wife from hearing about the 'Greatest neck shave of all time' again.

If you've read this far, thanks!
 
Thanks for posting, I enjoyed reading it. Yep, technique sure is important, glad you researched it & discovered how enjoyable shaving can be. Now for the fun part - practice, practice, practice!
 
I've been using a straight razor to shave my head for a long time. I do a WTG pass with a straight, then a quick cleanup ATG pass with a Rockwell #2 plate. I'm still shaving my neck with a cart unfortunately because of swirly neck hairs.

Well every 6 months or so i get it into my head that i'm going to do a full shave with a DE and it has always gone terribly wrong. Like puddle of blood wrong.

About a week ago i got the bug again and ordered 2 slant razors. I told myself this time i was going pull it off and do a full DE shave. Don't ask me why i didn't try it with the Rockwell because i don't know.. Acquisition disorder most likely.

Well it went terribly wrong. 🤕 🏥 :a16:

As i stood there in the shave den bleeding out I had a moment of enlightenment. I realized that just because i knew how to use a straight, didn't mean i knew how to use a DE. There were techniques involved that i knew nothing about because i had never done the research.

I took a few days to read up and watch some videos and gave it another go last night.

For the first time ever i gave myself a pretty decent shave with a DE. Just on the neck mind you (i have a beard). Ill be working on the head again after i heal up a little more from the first attempt.

My main issue was pressure. Waaaaay too much pressure. The #2 on the Rockwell feels like a cart so i didn't realize how light the touch with a more aggressive razor had to be. Also a user here mentioned 'riding the cap'. I realized coming down into the correct angle instead of up (if that makes sense) made a huge difference for me. That, combined with the lightest pressure i could manage did the trick.

My end goal is to get away from the cart completely. I really only use it to shave my neck as it was the only thing i could use to shave my crazy neck hairs without irritation. I only go through about 5 cartridges a year but it still bugs me.

Last nights shave gave me no irritation after 2 passes and one tiny weeper where the hair does a little hurricane.

TBH Its kind of fun to feel like i'm back at the beginning again. Learning to use the DE proper reminds when of when i started with the straight and the world of wet shaving was shiny and new.

Just wanted to share my tale. Also this will help spare my wife from hearing about the 'Greatest neck shave of all time' again.

If you've read this far, thanks!
Amazing when the light bulb goes off isn’t it?
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I've been using a straight razor to shave my head for a long time. I do a WTG pass with a straight, then a quick cleanup ATG pass with a Rockwell #2 plate. I'm still shaving my neck with a cart unfortunately because of swirly neck hairs.

Well every 6 months or so i get it into my head that i'm going to do a full shave with a DE and it has always gone terribly wrong. Like puddle of blood wrong.

About a week ago i got the bug again and ordered 2 slant razors. I told myself this time i was going pull it off and do a full DE shave. Don't ask me why i didn't try it with the Rockwell because i don't know.. Acquisition disorder most likely.

Well it went terribly wrong. 🤕 🏥 :a16:

As i stood there in the shave den bleeding out I had a moment of enlightenment. I realized that just because i knew how to use a straight, didn't mean i knew how to use a DE. There were techniques involved that i knew nothing about because i had never done the research.

I took a few days to read up and watch some videos and gave it another go last night.

For the first time ever i gave myself a pretty decent shave with a DE. Just on the neck mind you (i have a beard). Ill be working on the head again after i heal up a little more from the first attempt.

My main issue was pressure. Waaaaay too much pressure. The #2 on the Rockwell feels like a cart so i didn't realize how light the touch with a more aggressive razor had to be. Also a user here mentioned 'riding the cap'. I realized coming down into the correct angle instead of up (if that makes sense) made a huge difference for me. That, combined with the lightest pressure i could manage did the trick.

My end goal is to get away from the cart completely. I really only use it to shave my neck as it was the only thing i could use to shave my crazy neck hairs without irritation. I only go through about 5 cartridges a year but it still bugs me.

Last nights shave gave me no irritation after 2 passes and one tiny weeper where the hair does a little hurricane.

TBH Its kind of fun to feel like i'm back at the beginning again. Learning to use the DE proper reminds when of when i started with the straight and the world of wet shaving was shiny and new.

Just wanted to share my tale. Also this will help spare my wife from hearing about the 'Greatest neck shave of all time' again.

If you've read this far, thanks!
Why don’t you use the straight razor on your face? They don’t nick you so much as a DE and are much kinder to one’s face
 
Thanks for reading guys. It really did feel good to finally get it right, or close at least.

Why don’t you use the straight razor on your face? They don’t nick you so much as a DE and are much kinder to one’s face

I did try that for a while. I could not get a shave without irritation. I cant get the angles with a straight to do an actual WTG pass. Mind you a have a large beard, so this is just neck cleanup. I do use a straight to clean up my jawline and my cheeks but never could do the whole neck.

Maybe ill try again.
 
Do give neck with SR another couple of tries. My friend is successfully shaving his neck and cheeks with SR (he also has a beard). I think if you can shave your HEAD with SR I believe you have the skill set to shave neck to...I have faith in you
 
Great progress!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

The key insight is that DE requires respect and different technique from a straight! And there is a fair amount of muscle memory involved with either approach. So give yourself a bit of time to get your technique well established.

The worst behaviors that I brought from my cart days were:
1. Lack of respect for sharp objects, and
2. Use of pressure.

So, you are not alone!!
 
So I pulled it off today. Full neck and head shave, 2 passes each. Still getting some redness on the neck and a little around the ears but no cuts and just a few weepers.

After shaving my head with a straight for a few years I gotta say there are some things about the DE that I think require more attention. Beyond correct pressure and angle it seems like the lather makes a much bigger difference. I noticed letting the lather dry out is a no no. I can get away with it for some reason with the straight. Usually by the time I get around to the back of my head / neck the soap is a little dry but it doesent seem to affect the shave. With the DE you definitely feel it once the lather is dried out. No cheating i guess. Anyway i feel like I won one for the Gippper today as the Mach III never saw the light of day.

Thanks all for the years of distilled DE shaving information to learn from!!
 
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