The Commandments
1. Thine technique suckith.
It really does. Mine did when I started and so did everyone elses'. Oh, your first four shaves went great and the 5th one ruined your face? That's because your technique is terrible. You got lucky a few times and ended up complacent. Even veterans get careless at times! Check the Shave Wiki for all sorts of great information regarding technique.
2. Thou shalt not perform more than two passes on thine first dozen (or more) DE shaves.
If you've done two passes and your face isn't already torn up, you've won. Rinse your razor and call it a shave. Your technique is abysmal and a third or forth pass is just another opportunity to irritate.
3. Pride comes before thy fall.
The most surefire way to butcher your face is to convince yourself you've finally got it figured out. See Commandment #1. You don't.
4. Rinsing lather down the drain and walking away is not a sin.
If you're part of the way through a shave and your razor is skipping, dragging, snagging, and/or pulling something is not right. Put your razor down, rinse your face off, and regroup. Maybe you want to relather and try a new blade? Maybe it's time to take the cartridge system back out and finish up in a way that won't cause a bunch of issues. Sometimes your face and stubble come to a draw... If your face loses you might be out of commission for a week or more.
5. Thou shalt be bitten once and shy twice.
If you cut yourself 15 times on your first pass, but only cut yourself five or six times on your second pass it's not because you got better. It's because there wasn't any face left to cut. I'd say a good rule of thumb is one cut stick it out... two cuts cut it out. Everyone makes an occasional mistake but if you're cutting 1/4" chunks out of your mug S T O P shaving.
6. Thou shalt burn thine razor burn.
The best way to limit infection is to kill the germs that are going to cause it. If you've got a little razor burn or feel like you're going to have some irritation from your shave... throw on some alcohol based aftershave. Cuts/nicks heal a lot faster if they're clean (doesn't hurt to throw some more on the following day either). Alcohol based aftershave is also a good gauge of how well you shaved. A little burn is what I'd call normal. No burn is perfect. And if it feels like someone threw lava on your face you didn't do so well. Your razor is causing your razor burn!
7. Shaving isn't rocket science.
Regardless of what everyone on here might say... this whole shaving thing isn't nearly as complicated as some of us make it out to be. Sometimes I think a lot of guys would be better off watching a couple Mantic videos and then unplugging the internet for a week and shaving. Everyone has their opinion and their way of doing it... It's overwhelming quite frankly.
However, shaving isn't cookie cutter either. Your beard grain, for instance, might be just the opposite of what you'd expect.
8. Use one set of PROVEN products for an extended period of time.
If you're changing soaps and blades every shave or every other shave you're setting yourself up to fail. Your technique is so unbelievably bad at this point that changing variables is just enabling you to stay bad. "All I need is a Feather and I'll be BBS in no time!" If you force yourself to learn how to shave well with one set of products then you have a great starting point when you decide to try a new soap or blade. But only change one variable at a time! Blade samplers are the devil in this regard... I always cringe when people suggest them for brand new DE shavers. Leave Ogalalla Bay Rum, Mitchell's Wool Fat, and Feather blades to the "pros". Buy a lather-bomb soap... Arko, Tabac, or Mama Bear's (for example). You'll benefit greatly from an easy to lather soap!
9. Someone has most likely struggled with thine problem in the past.
Just look through the "Shave Clinic & Newbie Check-In" sub-forum. There are sometimes ten, maybe more, people joining the ranks on any given day. There's a huge number of active members here and every one of us has had an issue at one time or another. There's a bunch of absolutely fantastic gentlemen (and women!) on this site who are more than willing to help you out. Just ask!
10. Have fun!
Have you considered roasting your own coffee or trying a new tea? Need a suggestion for a good Single Malt? What about an enjoyable cigar for an upcoming golf outing? Need to look sharp for a date or upcoming job interview? Badger and Blade has a TON to offer and it's a fantastic resource for a great number of things. Once you figure the whole shaving thing out all the other stuff is what keeps you coming back!
The 11th Commandment (if one existed)...
Once you've mastered your shaving rituals and bought a dozen soaps and a bunch of razors, three brushes, and a half dozen different colognes...
Support Badger and Blade by becoming a contributor.
1. Thine technique suckith.
It really does. Mine did when I started and so did everyone elses'. Oh, your first four shaves went great and the 5th one ruined your face? That's because your technique is terrible. You got lucky a few times and ended up complacent. Even veterans get careless at times! Check the Shave Wiki for all sorts of great information regarding technique.
2. Thou shalt not perform more than two passes on thine first dozen (or more) DE shaves.
If you've done two passes and your face isn't already torn up, you've won. Rinse your razor and call it a shave. Your technique is abysmal and a third or forth pass is just another opportunity to irritate.
3. Pride comes before thy fall.
The most surefire way to butcher your face is to convince yourself you've finally got it figured out. See Commandment #1. You don't.
4. Rinsing lather down the drain and walking away is not a sin.
If you're part of the way through a shave and your razor is skipping, dragging, snagging, and/or pulling something is not right. Put your razor down, rinse your face off, and regroup. Maybe you want to relather and try a new blade? Maybe it's time to take the cartridge system back out and finish up in a way that won't cause a bunch of issues. Sometimes your face and stubble come to a draw... If your face loses you might be out of commission for a week or more.
5. Thou shalt be bitten once and shy twice.
If you cut yourself 15 times on your first pass, but only cut yourself five or six times on your second pass it's not because you got better. It's because there wasn't any face left to cut. I'd say a good rule of thumb is one cut stick it out... two cuts cut it out. Everyone makes an occasional mistake but if you're cutting 1/4" chunks out of your mug S T O P shaving.
6. Thou shalt burn thine razor burn.
The best way to limit infection is to kill the germs that are going to cause it. If you've got a little razor burn or feel like you're going to have some irritation from your shave... throw on some alcohol based aftershave. Cuts/nicks heal a lot faster if they're clean (doesn't hurt to throw some more on the following day either). Alcohol based aftershave is also a good gauge of how well you shaved. A little burn is what I'd call normal. No burn is perfect. And if it feels like someone threw lava on your face you didn't do so well. Your razor is causing your razor burn!
7. Shaving isn't rocket science.
Regardless of what everyone on here might say... this whole shaving thing isn't nearly as complicated as some of us make it out to be. Sometimes I think a lot of guys would be better off watching a couple Mantic videos and then unplugging the internet for a week and shaving. Everyone has their opinion and their way of doing it... It's overwhelming quite frankly.
However, shaving isn't cookie cutter either. Your beard grain, for instance, might be just the opposite of what you'd expect.
8. Use one set of PROVEN products for an extended period of time.
If you're changing soaps and blades every shave or every other shave you're setting yourself up to fail. Your technique is so unbelievably bad at this point that changing variables is just enabling you to stay bad. "All I need is a Feather and I'll be BBS in no time!" If you force yourself to learn how to shave well with one set of products then you have a great starting point when you decide to try a new soap or blade. But only change one variable at a time! Blade samplers are the devil in this regard... I always cringe when people suggest them for brand new DE shavers. Leave Ogalalla Bay Rum, Mitchell's Wool Fat, and Feather blades to the "pros". Buy a lather-bomb soap... Arko, Tabac, or Mama Bear's (for example). You'll benefit greatly from an easy to lather soap!
9. Someone has most likely struggled with thine problem in the past.
Just look through the "Shave Clinic & Newbie Check-In" sub-forum. There are sometimes ten, maybe more, people joining the ranks on any given day. There's a huge number of active members here and every one of us has had an issue at one time or another. There's a bunch of absolutely fantastic gentlemen (and women!) on this site who are more than willing to help you out. Just ask!
10. Have fun!
Have you considered roasting your own coffee or trying a new tea? Need a suggestion for a good Single Malt? What about an enjoyable cigar for an upcoming golf outing? Need to look sharp for a date or upcoming job interview? Badger and Blade has a TON to offer and it's a fantastic resource for a great number of things. Once you figure the whole shaving thing out all the other stuff is what keeps you coming back!
The 11th Commandment (if one existed)...
Once you've mastered your shaving rituals and bought a dozen soaps and a bunch of razors, three brushes, and a half dozen different colognes...
Support Badger and Blade by becoming a contributor.
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