There seems to be a common theme that comes up a lot, for relative beginners to classic wet shaving. For some, it happens sooner, for others a little later. And for a few lucky folks, never. But this is not an easy skill to learn for everyone, so frustration often rears its ugly head.
I thought I would post a little advice for trying to overcome that frustration, or at least what worked for me. I am hardly an expert, but this is based on what others have told me, and as I say, it worked for me.
On starting into this, it is very easy to get very excited, and build up very high expectations. After all, we are always talking about how classic wet shaving revolutionized shaving for us, turning an unpleasant thing to be gotten through with into something truly enjoyable. And all that it true, but the thing that is easy for forget, starting out, is that it does not happen overnight for everyone. If you just started, and it did for you, congrats, and you can stop reading, this is not really for you. If you are like I was a week or two in, and starting to ask, "what's the big deal, why am I spending twice as much time on a shave half as good as I got with a Mach 3," then read on.
Step back, and have a little patience. As Scotto wisely said recently, to a frustrated newbie "breath." Just take it easy, do your best to enjoy, and the rest will come.
Here is my suggestions for what to do, when you keep working at things, and not improving. This has all been posted before, but perhaps it will help to post it again.
1) Pick one simple setup. The natural instinct, when things are not going well, is to blame the products, and go searching for something better. This is counterproductive. Everybody has their favorite DE, and some may be marginally better for some people. Same with creams. But if you are a newbie, and having trouble even getting a decent shave, this is not your problem, almost certainly. It is your technique. You may or may not want to hear that, but it is true. And the more you try to experiment with other things to improve your shave, the more you are distracting yourself from focusing on improving your technique, the one thing that will really work. So pick one razor, one blade, one brush, one or two creams or one or two soaps. It really does not matter that much which of any you pick, as long as it is one of the dozens that are recognized all over the forum as decent. Use as many flavors of the cream or soap you pick as you want, you just want one brand, or two similar ones, so that they lather the same.
You do not need to be fancy or complicated with your routine. Read Kyle's sticky on Pre-shave, and do a basic pre-shave routine, that is simple, and always consistent. Lather in a bowl, because it is easier to learn to do it consistently this way, and to see what is working, and what is not. Shave. Then rinse, and apply aftershave. Nothing more. You do not need 5 different post shave steps. You may find you like to do them later, but all you really need after shaving is to rinse, and apply a good aftershave, and that will do for now.
2) Stick with your one setup for as long as you can, until the urge to try something different is totally overwhelming. Ideally a month. When you do try something else, only change one variable at a time.
3) (And this is VERY important). Do not worry about a "BBS" shave. Yes, that is exactly what I said. You will get there, or very close. But the harder you try, the longer and more unpleasant the path will be. For now, your have two goals, in this order: Comfort, and presentability. All you really need from a shave is to look presentable when you go out. This is a long way from a smooth shave. Yes, you want smoother, and you will get there, but be patient. Your main goal now is comfort. If you are getting razor burn, or bumps, back off. Do one less pass. Or don't go against the grain. Or even accross, if that is what it takes. If the only way you can get an irritation free shave is one pass with the grain, then that is ALL you should be doing. Only when you can consistently get a comfortable shave, that is as close as it seems your are going to get with the passes you are doing, should you change anything. Then add another pass, or start doing across or against the grain. Eventually, you will find the ideal number of passes, and directions for your face.
4) Know how your bread grows. It may not be all pointing down. And it almost always does have a direction of growth. So let it grow out a couple of days, and study it in the mirror, and by running your hands over it. This way, you can make sure you are actually going with the grain, when you think you are.
5) Really try not to use too much pressure. You may be annoyed because you feel like the razor is not cutting close enough. The answer is not more pressure. That only leads to burn.
6) Angle. Put the head of the razor against your skin, flat, so that the blade is not touching, with the handle straight out from your face. Lower the angle by bring the handle closer to your face, until the blade just makes contact, then just the tinest bit more. That is your shaving angle. If you do this while moving the razor over your face, you will feel when the blade starts to cut.
Just remember. Keep it simple and consistent, so what you are paying attention to is how you make your lather, and what you do with the razor on your face. You don't want anything else distracting you from paying attention to those things, and seeing what the result of the changes you make in those are.
And be patient. Things WILL click, and you will see your shaves improve. Just enjoy the process of shaving, and don't worry too much about the result. The less you worry about it, and the more you just enjoy the process, the sooner you will get the results you want.
Best of luck.
-Mo
I thought I would post a little advice for trying to overcome that frustration, or at least what worked for me. I am hardly an expert, but this is based on what others have told me, and as I say, it worked for me.
On starting into this, it is very easy to get very excited, and build up very high expectations. After all, we are always talking about how classic wet shaving revolutionized shaving for us, turning an unpleasant thing to be gotten through with into something truly enjoyable. And all that it true, but the thing that is easy for forget, starting out, is that it does not happen overnight for everyone. If you just started, and it did for you, congrats, and you can stop reading, this is not really for you. If you are like I was a week or two in, and starting to ask, "what's the big deal, why am I spending twice as much time on a shave half as good as I got with a Mach 3," then read on.
Step back, and have a little patience. As Scotto wisely said recently, to a frustrated newbie "breath." Just take it easy, do your best to enjoy, and the rest will come.
Here is my suggestions for what to do, when you keep working at things, and not improving. This has all been posted before, but perhaps it will help to post it again.
1) Pick one simple setup. The natural instinct, when things are not going well, is to blame the products, and go searching for something better. This is counterproductive. Everybody has their favorite DE, and some may be marginally better for some people. Same with creams. But if you are a newbie, and having trouble even getting a decent shave, this is not your problem, almost certainly. It is your technique. You may or may not want to hear that, but it is true. And the more you try to experiment with other things to improve your shave, the more you are distracting yourself from focusing on improving your technique, the one thing that will really work. So pick one razor, one blade, one brush, one or two creams or one or two soaps. It really does not matter that much which of any you pick, as long as it is one of the dozens that are recognized all over the forum as decent. Use as many flavors of the cream or soap you pick as you want, you just want one brand, or two similar ones, so that they lather the same.
You do not need to be fancy or complicated with your routine. Read Kyle's sticky on Pre-shave, and do a basic pre-shave routine, that is simple, and always consistent. Lather in a bowl, because it is easier to learn to do it consistently this way, and to see what is working, and what is not. Shave. Then rinse, and apply aftershave. Nothing more. You do not need 5 different post shave steps. You may find you like to do them later, but all you really need after shaving is to rinse, and apply a good aftershave, and that will do for now.
2) Stick with your one setup for as long as you can, until the urge to try something different is totally overwhelming. Ideally a month. When you do try something else, only change one variable at a time.
3) (And this is VERY important). Do not worry about a "BBS" shave. Yes, that is exactly what I said. You will get there, or very close. But the harder you try, the longer and more unpleasant the path will be. For now, your have two goals, in this order: Comfort, and presentability. All you really need from a shave is to look presentable when you go out. This is a long way from a smooth shave. Yes, you want smoother, and you will get there, but be patient. Your main goal now is comfort. If you are getting razor burn, or bumps, back off. Do one less pass. Or don't go against the grain. Or even accross, if that is what it takes. If the only way you can get an irritation free shave is one pass with the grain, then that is ALL you should be doing. Only when you can consistently get a comfortable shave, that is as close as it seems your are going to get with the passes you are doing, should you change anything. Then add another pass, or start doing across or against the grain. Eventually, you will find the ideal number of passes, and directions for your face.
4) Know how your bread grows. It may not be all pointing down. And it almost always does have a direction of growth. So let it grow out a couple of days, and study it in the mirror, and by running your hands over it. This way, you can make sure you are actually going with the grain, when you think you are.
5) Really try not to use too much pressure. You may be annoyed because you feel like the razor is not cutting close enough. The answer is not more pressure. That only leads to burn.
6) Angle. Put the head of the razor against your skin, flat, so that the blade is not touching, with the handle straight out from your face. Lower the angle by bring the handle closer to your face, until the blade just makes contact, then just the tinest bit more. That is your shaving angle. If you do this while moving the razor over your face, you will feel when the blade starts to cut.
Just remember. Keep it simple and consistent, so what you are paying attention to is how you make your lather, and what you do with the razor on your face. You don't want anything else distracting you from paying attention to those things, and seeing what the result of the changes you make in those are.
And be patient. Things WILL click, and you will see your shaves improve. Just enjoy the process of shaving, and don't worry too much about the result. The less you worry about it, and the more you just enjoy the process, the sooner you will get the results you want.
Best of luck.
-Mo
