The moustache area and a 4th pass

[Its just me Ash]

I think I am getting the hang of this wet shaving malarkey now. I am through the newb zone and starting to feel a bit more confident. This has made me happy.

I have a couple of questions which I could do with some help with (context of my setup and process is at the end of this post, I wanted to get into the questions first):

1) If I get a more efficient / aggressive razor, will it help to eliminate the 4th pass I have to use on my moustache area? (Currently I am adding in a specific extra 4th pass just for the moustache area).
2) If I get a more efficient / aggressive razor, will it help with less buffing needed on certain problem areas?
3) If I get a more efficient / aggressive razor, will I get nearer to BBS?

My goal for each shave: Trying to get BBS
My setup for every shave: Muhle R89, GSB blade, Somerset's Maximum Glide shaving oil, Fine Latigo soap, Executive Shaving Synthetic brush
My process: soak bowl and brush in hot water, shower, face scrub, shaving oil, bowl lather, WTG, XTG, Additional XTG in a different direction for moustache, ATG
Post shave: Alum block (and wash off again after 30 secs to a min, Kiehls age defender power serum, Moisturiser (different depending on how I feel and what I have on my shelf).
Results: I am getting pretty close to BBS. I am still left with a few spots of micro-stubble. By adding in the 4th pass on the moustache area, I have stopped getting nicks or irritation. I do still occasionally get irritation on the side of mouth or chin but that is from a moment of bad technique combined with insistently chasing BBS.

Side note: I always lather before any pass, I do not dry shave anywhere.

 

[BigJ]

You might try two XTG passes in opposite directions (‘nose-to-ear’ and ‘ear-to-nose’) rather than a fourth pass. Also, I concentrate on ‘beard reduction’ with each pass.

 

[razorhead63]

You might try two XTG passes in opposite directions (‘nose-to-ear’ and ‘ear-to-nose’) rather than a fourth pass. Also, I concentrate on ‘beard reduction’ with each pass.

I second this advice. The XTG pass can really clean things up.

 

[JCarr]

It sounds to me like you're close. Maybe I'm reading into your post where I shouldn't be. I would hang tough and just keep working on technique. Focus in on what you're already doing before spending money on another razor. If you do decide over time that the tool is holding you back from BBS, of course, the next question becomes: What razor? I'm not familiar with the Muhle R89. Can anyone chime in? Is that an aggressive or a mild razor? The GSB blade you're using...I find those to be very good blades.

 

[chuckd]

I agree with the advice given above. That said, the R89 might not be the right razor for you - the R89/Edwin Jagger DE89 razor is one of only three DE razors that I have tried (out of 20+) that do not give me a close shave after 8 years of DE shaving (the others that do not work for me are the Merkur open comb head razors - like on the 15C, and the Weishi 9306F). Otherwise, everything else gives me a close shave, like the Gillette Tech, which some consider to be very mild.

My first DE razor was a Merkur 23C three-piece razor that gave me a close shave right away. I just used it again a couple weeks ago, and I still enjoy it. This is still relatively inexpensive ($28 or so), so it could be worth a gamble for you.

 

[thombrogan]

It sounds like more practice with your current kit will get the job done. Using the muscles in your lips to flatten and expand your mustache area can help, too. Just be sure to do it before your razor touches. Done during hurts. At least it did last week.

You and your current cache of gear have got this

 

[Eben Stone]

WTG, XTG, Additional XTG in a different direction for moustache, ATG

Just to be clear, your going mustache WTG, XTG, XTG, ATG, and it's still not close?

If that's correct then I would say there is something seriously lacking in your ATG pass.

 

[Fukushima Daiichi]

Try a different blade. Also remember to make faces to stretch out the skin to a flat surface on the moustache area. Get a Muhle R41 it's good to have a more aggressive razor for those days of longer beard growth.

 

[Its just me Ash]

Just to be clear, your going mustache WTG, XTG, XTG, ATG, and it's still not close?

If that's correct then I would say there is something seriously lacking in your ATG pass.

Yes correct on the passes, but the finish is close and I am happy with the results I am getting. I guess the question I am asking is will a more efficient razor mean I don't need the second XTG pass? And will it make it easier to get a close finish with less effort?

 

[Its just me Ash]

Try a different blade. Also remember to make faces to stretch out the skin to a flat surface on the moustache area. Get a Muhle R41 it's good to have a more aggressive razor for those days of longer beard growth.

Funnily enough I tried a Nacet last night and it was easier with a better finish but I still did 4 passes. I am trying to get it down to 3 passes for efficiency. I don't mind doing 4 passes though really as I do love the process of shaving and find it relaxing.

 

[mtcn77]

1. No,
2. No,
3. No.

I happen to find an 'efficient' razor's main advantage to be in giving feedback and eliminating manual pressure from your shave.
Still, I would like to point you out in some areas since I didn't know them when I started and I haven't seen them mentioned frequent enough. The lower plate of the razor is very important to understand how your razor will shave you.
Take a look at the two underside supports: if they run close to the handle screw and away from the safety bar - this means your razor will chatter a lot. Now, blade-chattering itself is a deterrant of a close shave, necessitating touch up passes in order to reach a clean shave; however when beginning your wet-shaving experience you might need pointers to guide you which shaving angle is the best. The chattering does just that - when the blade sings to you, you will know that the blade will shave clean instead of scraping and tugging across your face.
I can give you two such examples:

• Yaqi Agamemnon-DOCS-Globetrotter-Top Aggressive Slant whichever you want to call it is one such chattering razor that is both beginner friendly(myself) and easy to control your blade pressure.
• Yaqi Knight's Helmet. Notice the under plate's pillars are much closer to the bar. That will effectively cancel out any and all blade chatter and give you a solid shave; however you have to have prior experience to control it; both due to it's guard bar not being solid and in semi-comb shape and also because there won't be any blade chatter to alert you in any way. Be careful with that.

 

[Runnin_Ute]

BBS? Don't worry to much about it. I run two passes. My face can't handle three let alone four.

#1: sides of face and chin north to south, this is predominantly wtg, same with neck and under chin.

#2: xtg under/along chin/jaw line, south to north neck to chin line. Sides of face and chin same as pass 1.

Lip? I have a moustache. Outside of about 3 days I have had it since October 1981.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Eben Stone]

Everyone is different and it's very difficult to answer those questions for you. All we can say, with any certainty, is if a more aggressive razor solved any of those problems for us personally.

The problem with the R89, in my opinion, is lack of blade feel. It was impossible for me to determine the correct angle, and impossible to determine how much pressure to apply, because I couldn't feel the blade.

Some members will suggest that acquiring a new razor to solve a problem is most likely not going to work. I would mostly agree with that. However, in my experience, changing from a razor with no blade feel (R89) to a razor with lots of blade feel (R41) solved the problems I was having at the time with angle and pressure.

To answer those questions for myself I would say absolutely yes to all 3. But is that going to work for you? I don't know. A big fat *maybe* with a cherry on top.

 

[mtcn77]

Everyone is different and it's very difficult to answer those questions for you. All we can say, with any certainty, is if a more aggressive razor solved any of those problems for us personally.

The problem with the R89, in my opinion, is lack of blade feel. It was impossible for me to determine the correct angle, and impossible to determine how much pressure to apply, because I couldn't feel the blade.

Some members will suggest that acquiring a new razor to solve a problem is most likely not going to work. I would mostly agree with that. However, in my experience, changing from a razor with no blade feel (R89) to a razor with lots of blade feel (R41) solved the problems I was having at the time with angle and pressure.

To answer those questions for myself I would say absolutely yes to all 3. But is that going to work for you? I don't know. A big fat *maybe* with a cherry on top.

+1 for beginners. How to know if you can live with a razor? Try to stop a shave before your regular final-pass and notice if that upsets you during the day. If so, pass up.

If you have no blade feel, even a "Down-the-middle-lane" razor can turn your face into a mining zone. Just a tiny inkling of obsession, perfectionism, not accepting 'no' as an answer can turn into a rash by going over the same area until you beat the crave, or going against the grain when the hairs haven't yet been passed successively closer.

You can be scraping over the skin even with a mild razor without the feedback an aggressive razor gives and it will be too late when it happens since it happened to me.

Mild razor and aggressive blade is just as dangerous as a mild razor and mild blade combination - there is no razor that won't give you a nice open wound in the wrong hands.

Personally, I find strictly dedicated razors easier to use since they are not a joke. You won't even get a whiff of absent mindedness while using them. They are 'as is'.

Another way to say it is the razors aren't doing the action, they just expose, or conceal just how sharp a razor blade really is. Exposing it first hand doesn't leave any other misinterpretation later.

 

[Ivo4u2]

I am not a bbs shaver and love clunky big head razors which are a pita under your nose. I rarely use atg. Wtg and bi directional xtg usually does it.

I would first try a couple of different blades before going into new razor territory. I still use Gillette silver blue as my baseline. If you want smoother a platinum and want Uber sharp feather, bic, Kai. Always try a couple of days without changing the blade.

Face stretching etc helps a lot.

Still no go.... then it is either a adjustable or a razor with multiple plates or simply a more efficient razor.
And keep in mind most of the modern adjustables are big and clunky.

 

[musicman1951]

I have to make an educated guess as I don't shave your face. It is possible that your beard is too tough for your razor. GSB is a sharp blade, so that eliminates the use a sharper blade suggestion.

It is also possible that your technique could continue to improve to the point where the issue is eliminated.

You're on B&B, so you're going to have to purchase another razor or 7 sooner or later. My suggestion would be to wait as long as you can stand. If you see no improvement over the next 4 weeks or so, buy yourself a nice present.

 

[mtcn77]

The layer that gets exfoliated in shaving that is called stratum corneum for reasons pertaining to its 'keratinized' nature doesn't regenerate faster than 2 days and in my experience I never get a shave as good without a 2 day rest - essentially 3 days apart each shave - without the due notice associated with shaving frequency, so consider it a possible reason to your displeasure.

 

[Atlantic59]

A really sharp blade in a milder razor works well in the mustache area, IME. Less chance it will catch and pull, leading to a rough shave. Still, you may want to experiment.

It seems to be a rite of passage for newer DE shavers to "progress" on to more aggressive razors. Quite a lot of them end up coming back to the milder razors once they get more experience.