a bad time
- Thread starter kidsam
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
Yes, i plan to be a keen practitioner of the blood sacrificial arts... for a little while xDPackage is en route, enjoy your shaves, be patient with yourself and above all remember that blood sacrifices to the shaving gods are sometimes required on the journey to a BBS
i must embrace my destiny
- Thread starter
- #43
Hey everyone, today 2 packages arrived today
One of them contained the shaving brush i had ordered (which had mostly positive reviews), but nonetheless is a cheap one, i will probably look to purchase a 2nd hand higher quality brush from other b&b members later on, (although this brush could well feel alot better once it's hydrated & lathered)
The package from keljian arrived today, containing the EJ89 razor, 5 each of derby, feather, and astra blades (i think i'll start with the astras, and try to stick with them for now) and an alum block
The razor is quite alot heavier than i thought it would be, it's probably a good thing, i don't have any experience to know yet, it looks very nice & clean & feels well made too
below is a picture of all the gear i have right now (everything to the left of the brush is courtesy of keljian)
i think i'll try shaving with the gear either tonight or tomorrow morning, i'll either post here, or i'll start a journal thread or something in an appropriate forum, i'll probably try using the palmolive stick first, with a face lather, and i'll maybe practice with the razor on some arm hair or something first
i also think i'll have to make some sort of chest or something to store everything in
One of them contained the shaving brush i had ordered (which had mostly positive reviews), but nonetheless is a cheap one, i will probably look to purchase a 2nd hand higher quality brush from other b&b members later on, (although this brush could well feel alot better once it's hydrated & lathered)
The package from keljian arrived today, containing the EJ89 razor, 5 each of derby, feather, and astra blades (i think i'll start with the astras, and try to stick with them for now) and an alum block
The razor is quite alot heavier than i thought it would be, it's probably a good thing, i don't have any experience to know yet, it looks very nice & clean & feels well made too
below is a picture of all the gear i have right now (everything to the left of the brush is courtesy of keljian)
i think i'll try shaving with the gear either tonight or tomorrow morning, i'll either post here, or i'll start a journal thread or something in an appropriate forum, i'll probably try using the palmolive stick first, with a face lather, and i'll maybe practice with the razor on some arm hair or something first
i also think i'll have to make some sort of chest or something to store everything in
- Thread starter
- #45
Just used it for the first time
some mixed feelings, mostly positive
first thing, i did 2 passes, one with the grain, one across, i didn't nick myself at all, aside from a very minor thing, didn't weep at all, was probably the top of a skin blemish that was cut off
My first slice, i could feel the razor pulling, and nicking the hairs, it wasnt too nice, i felt it might have been the soap, so i cleaned it off, and re-applied (this time bowl-lather instead of face lather), it worked quite a bit better (i will definately have to experiment with other soaps)
the sensation was rather peculiar, i could feel the texture of my face as it shaved the hair off it, almost as if i could feel the blade scraping against my skin- i think i'll have to just keep practising and find the right angle
anyway, one final note, i think i do need a better quality brush, the body shop one, i think irritated my face, it left my skin with a stinging sensation, which as far as i can tell is from the brush, and not the shaving
anyways, will try again, and update the thread, it's still definately better than an electric razor shave
some mixed feelings, mostly positive
first thing, i did 2 passes, one with the grain, one across, i didn't nick myself at all, aside from a very minor thing, didn't weep at all, was probably the top of a skin blemish that was cut off
My first slice, i could feel the razor pulling, and nicking the hairs, it wasnt too nice, i felt it might have been the soap, so i cleaned it off, and re-applied (this time bowl-lather instead of face lather), it worked quite a bit better (i will definately have to experiment with other soaps)
the sensation was rather peculiar, i could feel the texture of my face as it shaved the hair off it, almost as if i could feel the blade scraping against my skin- i think i'll have to just keep practising and find the right angle
anyway, one final note, i think i do need a better quality brush, the body shop one, i think irritated my face, it left my skin with a stinging sensation, which as far as i can tell is from the brush, and not the shaving
anyways, will try again, and update the thread, it's still definately better than an electric razor shave
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Good start! First shave without cuts is a great accomplishment.
Re the brush: highly recommend badger, and being that you are against those form of animal products, try the well liked muhle synthetic.
Remember you have a few things your are learning at the same time, how to lather, blade angles, direction of your beard, and this whole thing. Don't expect to love it from the get go.
Highly recommend you stick to bowl lathering rather than face lathering, I prefer it, and it is easier to tell whether you have enough in a bowl. The cream you are using isn't particularly forgiving either. I like using Taylor of old bond street, Jermyn st, but it is not cheap at $24-26 a tub (a tub lasts me 4-5 months).
Proraso green is a cheaper alternative that is 80% of the niceness that the TOBS is for me.
One last thing: most of the time when I don't have a comfortable shave it is due to poor lather: good work at identifying that this was the problem.
Re the brush: highly recommend badger, and being that you are against those form of animal products, try the well liked muhle synthetic.
Remember you have a few things your are learning at the same time, how to lather, blade angles, direction of your beard, and this whole thing. Don't expect to love it from the get go.
Highly recommend you stick to bowl lathering rather than face lathering, I prefer it, and it is easier to tell whether you have enough in a bowl. The cream you are using isn't particularly forgiving either. I like using Taylor of old bond street, Jermyn st, but it is not cheap at $24-26 a tub (a tub lasts me 4-5 months).
Proraso green is a cheaper alternative that is 80% of the niceness that the TOBS is for me.
One last thing: most of the time when I don't have a comfortable shave it is due to poor lather: good work at identifying that this was the problem.
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- Thread starter
- #47
is that the soap or the cream?
just looking up the soap comes up with this
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Taylor-O...?pt=AU_HairRemoval&hash=item1e88783178&_uhb=1
which looks like you need a bowl to go with it, and all their bowls are like $30+... for a tiny bowl :S
ironically, it would be cheaper to buy a proraso soap with in a bowl, than to buy a bowl from the shaver shop >.>
http://www.shaverhut.com.au/taylor-...rmyn-street-sensitive-shaving-cream-150g.html
You can lather in the lid in a pinch, but a cheap plastic bowl from a supermarket would do the trick
My trick is soak the brush for a moment in hot water, flick it 3-5 times to get most of the water out, 3-4 gentle swirls in the tub, then work the lather up in a bowl
You can lather in the lid in a pinch, but a cheap plastic bowl from a supermarket would do the trick
My trick is soak the brush for a moment in hot water, flick it 3-5 times to get most of the water out, 3-4 gentle swirls in the tub, then work the lather up in a bowl
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- Thread starter
- #49
i think i might order some, maybe a little more reading first
as for the technique, from what i hear, the body shop brush/other synthetic brushes don't hold water as well, so you have to use different techniques for them
just a second update, no razor bumps or obvious scratches/swelling present yet, hopefully will be the same tomorrow
i think i'll start a post in the mall/trading section as soon as i hit 50 posts for a shaving brush
I alternate these days between proraso and TOBS, brings down the overall cost.
If you end up with irritation, use the post shave balm. I use it when I really hack up my face (which is usually when I get overconfident) multiple times when I am at home. Just keep applying every time it dries. Not something I would do regularly, but during periods of heavy irritation, it works wonders.
If you end up with irritation, use the post shave balm. I use it when I really hack up my face (which is usually when I get overconfident) multiple times when I am at home. Just keep applying every time it dries. Not something I would do regularly, but during periods of heavy irritation, it works wonders.
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- Thread starter
- #51
Tonich from canada, i believe is sending me some of his proraso soaps, along with some other ones
as for the irritation, well its mostly subsided now, i think it's a non-issue after 20 minutes
also
i think you thought i was talking about the creams, the soaps only come in refil pucks, without any sort of container, and they arent offered any other way
i think the cream should be good though, just wanted to clear that up
Good going, kidsam!
Remember to practice: no pressure on the razor, try to keep the right angle at all times and go slooowly! No rush - it will probably take a good number of shaves before you you'll have your technique down, but you'll get there! Be patient!
Good luck!
Remember to practice: no pressure on the razor, try to keep the right angle at all times and go slooowly! No rush - it will probably take a good number of shaves before you you'll have your technique down, but you'll get there! Be patient!
Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #54
i think i have an advantage of having never used cartridge razor, so i haven't picked up any bad habits from them
anyway, just a next day update, still no skin irritation/razor bumps or lacerations obvious, if i don't break out with acne or something, it will be grand
- Thread starter
- #56
OK, so second shave today
i think today went much better, possibly because of the lather, and possibly because of the experience from day 1
today i used the fauldings cream, i think this contributed to the success, perhaps i didn't use enough soap yesterday, whereas today, i just followed "the size of an almond" thing i keep hearing about, which seems like it worked (i might try on sunday to do it with the palmolive stick, and take tomorrow+sat off)
it felt better lubricated, however towards the end i felt like the razor was getting gunked up, so i kept adding water (not sure if it was because of a dry lather, or just because i went back over and re-did some small flawed areas)
anyway, today i attempted a 3-pass shave, but only on the front of my face (as in cheeks, mouth, chin etc), and not the neck
i was also taking really long, sweeping, slow strokes, as yesterday, i'm not sure if this is a flawed technique, because when i've seen videos, they've been going ham, raking away at their face with the razor, lots of rapid fast strokes (maybe someone can comment?), either way, it seemed to turn out fine
today, with the body shop brush, i avoided pushing the bristles into my face, or trying to rub it around at all, but wather used it to just spread the lather on my face, with a sideways/slashing motion, and also have less irritation afterwards
no nicks again today, even though i think i was a bit daring trying the 3 pass shave, and against the grain, maybe a few more tries and i'll do it on my neck too
another thing, i think will warm all your hearts, this new hobby(?)/shaving thing, in the one or two weeks beforehand, while i was thinking about getting into it, and reading up about it, i also improved my hygeine and grooming alot, i used to not shower every day, and shave maybe once a week, i also had some minor acne (really not too noticable), and i would sometimes sleep in clothes from the day (depending on how buggered i was from work/studies)
anyway i've been getting my act together for atleast the last 2 weeks, showering every day, fresh clothes/sleeping clothes regularly, aswell as cleaning my face every day as a half arsed attempt to get rid of the small amount of acne i had (i really wasnt too worried about it), and for the most part, what i did have has been clearing up, hopefully i'll stick with it
anyway, back to the shave
i feel like the shave was very close (although, my experience is limited), the quality varied across my face, on the sides of my jaw, i'd almost call it baby butt smooth (although i won't), my neck was.. well, shaven (i only did one pass on neck), it's surprising how much difference the extra passes make also, and i also had some trouble around my chin, which is still almost as spiky as my neck
after the shave, i wiped everything off with a damp face washer, rubbed some witchhazel on my hands, and slapped it over my face and neck
once that dried, i rubbed the aftershave balm all over my face, then patted some of it off with my towell (didn't really like the idea of so much of this thick stuff drying on my skin, so i just dabbed some off) and that was that
in conclusion
today was more comfortable than yesterday, smoother, better lather, and more enjoyable
right now, i'm looking at buying one of the HJM black fiber synthetic brushes from this site http://connaughtshaving.com/21p8ro.html
if anyone cares to look through that sites catalog, and see if they can find stuff to recommend, it will shave me in shipping, i think i will have to try to aquire some nicer soaps than the supermarket ones i've been having (although i might buy the first one from an au seller to avoid waiting)
thanks for reading
edit: sorry, didn't realise how long this post was lol
i think today went much better, possibly because of the lather, and possibly because of the experience from day 1
today i used the fauldings cream, i think this contributed to the success, perhaps i didn't use enough soap yesterday, whereas today, i just followed "the size of an almond" thing i keep hearing about, which seems like it worked (i might try on sunday to do it with the palmolive stick, and take tomorrow+sat off)
it felt better lubricated, however towards the end i felt like the razor was getting gunked up, so i kept adding water (not sure if it was because of a dry lather, or just because i went back over and re-did some small flawed areas)
anyway, today i attempted a 3-pass shave, but only on the front of my face (as in cheeks, mouth, chin etc), and not the neck
i was also taking really long, sweeping, slow strokes, as yesterday, i'm not sure if this is a flawed technique, because when i've seen videos, they've been going ham, raking away at their face with the razor, lots of rapid fast strokes (maybe someone can comment?), either way, it seemed to turn out fine
today, with the body shop brush, i avoided pushing the bristles into my face, or trying to rub it around at all, but wather used it to just spread the lather on my face, with a sideways/slashing motion, and also have less irritation afterwards
no nicks again today, even though i think i was a bit daring trying the 3 pass shave, and against the grain, maybe a few more tries and i'll do it on my neck too
another thing, i think will warm all your hearts, this new hobby(?)/shaving thing, in the one or two weeks beforehand, while i was thinking about getting into it, and reading up about it, i also improved my hygeine and grooming alot, i used to not shower every day, and shave maybe once a week, i also had some minor acne (really not too noticable), and i would sometimes sleep in clothes from the day (depending on how buggered i was from work/studies)
anyway i've been getting my act together for atleast the last 2 weeks, showering every day, fresh clothes/sleeping clothes regularly, aswell as cleaning my face every day as a half arsed attempt to get rid of the small amount of acne i had (i really wasnt too worried about it), and for the most part, what i did have has been clearing up, hopefully i'll stick with it
anyway, back to the shave
i feel like the shave was very close (although, my experience is limited), the quality varied across my face, on the sides of my jaw, i'd almost call it baby butt smooth (although i won't
), my neck was.. well, shaven (i only did one pass on neck), it's surprising how much difference the extra passes make also, and i also had some trouble around my chin, which is still almost as spiky as my neckafter the shave, i wiped everything off with a damp face washer, rubbed some witchhazel on my hands, and slapped it over my face and neck
once that dried, i rubbed the aftershave balm all over my face, then patted some of it off with my towell (didn't really like the idea of so much of this thick stuff drying on my skin, so i just dabbed some off) and that was that
in conclusion
today was more comfortable than yesterday, smoother, better lather, and more enjoyable
right now, i'm looking at buying one of the HJM black fiber synthetic brushes from this site http://connaughtshaving.com/21p8ro.html
if anyone cares to look through that sites catalog, and see if they can find stuff to recommend, it will shave me in shipping, i think i will have to try to aquire some nicer soaps than the supermarket ones i've been having (although i might buy the first one from an au seller to avoid waiting)
thanks for reading
edit: sorry, didn't realise how long this post was lol
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- Thread starter
- #58
Hey all, a new update, 3rd DE shave
I took yesterday & day before off, just because, eh it's the weekend
anyways, today i tried using the palmolive shave stick again, i figured i might be better able to use it by now
so instead of face lathering, i kinda just twirled the brush over the tip of it for a while (i did it for significantly longer than the first time, thinking it may have been too diluted the first time)
anyhow, put it on the face, and started the shave
ended up doing 3 passes on everything but the chin/neck, and 2 on the chin/neck, i had a crack at a third pass, but it just didnt feel like it was going to happen, so i stopped before i hurt myself- i think when i get some non supermarket soaps, i'll give it another crack
i also found myself better able to navigate my chin & jawline
so yeah, once again, no nicks, or cuts to myself, still haven't had any lasting skin damage/breakouts/ingrowns etc caused by the shaving, which surprised me, i think so far it's much better on my skin than the electric shaver
i felt like the lather was quite thin once applied, not sure if it's due to the actual water-soap ratio, or if this brush isnt very good at it, and just applies it very thinly, i think having a brush thta i can face lather with will help me get a better idea of things, but eh
shave was fairly close, with exception of my neck, also still using long, slow, careful sweeps with the razor, i feel like a faster, more aggressive technique would just be more dangerous
I took yesterday & day before off, just because, eh it's the weekend
anyways, today i tried using the palmolive shave stick again, i figured i might be better able to use it by now
so instead of face lathering, i kinda just twirled the brush over the tip of it for a while (i did it for significantly longer than the first time, thinking it may have been too diluted the first time)
anyhow, put it on the face, and started the shave
ended up doing 3 passes on everything but the chin/neck, and 2 on the chin/neck, i had a crack at a third pass, but it just didnt feel like it was going to happen, so i stopped before i hurt myself- i think when i get some non supermarket soaps, i'll give it another crack
i also found myself better able to navigate my chin & jawline
so yeah, once again, no nicks, or cuts to myself, still haven't had any lasting skin damage/breakouts/ingrowns etc caused by the shaving, which surprised me, i think so far it's much better on my skin than the electric shaver
i felt like the lather was quite thin once applied, not sure if it's due to the actual water-soap ratio, or if this brush isnt very good at it, and just applies it very thinly, i think having a brush thta i can face lather with will help me get a better idea of things, but eh
shave was fairly close, with exception of my neck, also still using long, slow, careful sweeps with the razor, i feel like a faster, more aggressive technique would just be more dangerous
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