First DE Shave - No Blood, Mediocre Shave

[nehpets4627]

Fifth shave and another "best yet". Yesterday's shave (number four) was darn good and made today's easier. Only 2 full passes (WTG, ATG) and a similar amount of touch up. Still liking the King of Shave oil by itself four touch up as it allows me to see and feel where touch ups are needed. I spent a little more prep time per Kyle's instructions, but I don't feel the massage or towel step added much, especially since I didn't have much beard to start with and I was right out of the shower.

One question... does anyone mix non-shaving tasks (brushing teeth, applying deodorant, fixing hair) in between steps, especially while letting lather sit or splash/balm absorb? I enjoy the luxury and ritual of wetshave, but I've just started a new job with a bit longer commute so I'm also looking to save some time in the morning too.

 

[Luc]

Fifth shave and another "best yet". Yesterday's shave (number four) was darn good and made today's easier. Only 2 full passes (WTG, ATG) and a similar amount of touch up. Still liking the King of Shave oil by itself four touch up as it allows me to see and feel where touch ups are needed. I spent a little more prep time per Kyle's instructions, but I don't feel the massage or towel step added much, especially since I didn't have much beard to start with and I was right out of the shower.

One question... does anyone mix non-shaving tasks (brushing teeth, applying deodorant, fixing hair) in between steps, especially while letting lather sit or splash/balm absorb? I enjoy the luxury and ritual of wetshave, but I've just started a new job with a bit longer commute so I'm also looking to save some time in the morning too.

I know that some do, but I don't.

 

[nehpets4627]

Sixth shave yesterday morning. First that hasn't been "best yet", but still not bad at all. Main problem was I was in a hurry and did just WTG, ATG, then Touchup. Also tried the Arko soap that came free with my razor... not overly impressed. Not only does it require a lot of water to get a good lather, said lather dries very quickly, losing its slickness before getting through a single pass. I think this lead to some irritation and I'm very glad I had the King of Shave oil underneath.

Seventh shave this morning. Tried a super-lather with Proraso creme and Arko soap (mainly because I'd already pressed the Arko into my bowl) and still had the same drying problem. I don't mind adding watter and re-lathering between passes, but this stuff dries ON my face and pulls the moisture right out of my skin. Today was also my first shave with my Super Adjustable. I started out on 5 and 3 or 4 might have been a better choice. No major problems, but I skimmed over a blemish or two and they were lopped off cleanly, but stopped bleeding with cold water. The razor also slid sideways on the left side of my neck during touch-up, causing a shallow 3/4" straight cut that required styptic.... that one may have been caused by stopping the razor with blade on skin, or possibly turning my head/neck.

I'm going to take tomorrow (Sunday) off all together and let my face recover from 7 days straight of DE learning. I'll pick it back up on Monday morning. I had three different blade samplers arrive yesterday... one from RazorBladesAndMore.com, one mixed bag from B/S/T, and a few that were included as a bonus from the B&B member who sold me my Super Adjustable. I now have 17 different blades in various quantities to try. I think I'm going to go at least one more week, if not two, sticking with the Derby Extras I've been using this whole time, so as to not change too much too soon.

 

[Luc]

Sixth shave yesterday morning. First that hasn't been "best yet", but still not bad at all. Main problem was I was in a hurry and did just WTG, ATG, then Touchup. Also tried the Arko soap that came free with my razor... not overly impressed. Not only does it require a lot of water to get a good lather, said lather dries very quickly, losing its slickness before getting through a single pass. I think this lead to some irritation and I'm very glad I had the King of Shave oil underneath.

Seventh shave this morning. Tried a super-lather with Proraso creme and Arko soap (mainly because I'd already pressed the Arko into my bowl) and still had the same drying problem. I don't mind adding watter and re-lathering between passes, but this stuff dries ON my face and pulls the moisture right out of my skin. Today was also my first shave with my Super Adjustable. I started out on 5 and 3 or 4 might have been a better choice. No major problems, but I skimmed over a blemish or two and they were lopped off cleanly, but stopped bleeding with cold water. The razor also slid sideways on the left side of my neck during touch-up, causing a shallow 3/4" straight cut that required styptic.... that one may have been caused by stopping the razor with blade on skin, or possibly turning my head/neck.

I'm going to take tomorrow (Sunday) off all together and let my face recover from 7 days straight of DE learning. I'll pick it back up on Monday morning. I had three different blade samplers arrive yesterday... one from RazorBladesAndMore.com, one mixed bag from B/S/T, and a few that were included as a bonus from the B&B member who sold me my Super Adjustable. I now have 17 different blades in various quantities to try. I think I'm going to go at least one more week, if not two, sticking with the Derby Extras I've been using this whole time, so as to not change too much too soon.

All right, first, if you are in a hurry, the shave won't be good for sure. I would go XTG instead of ATG. I think it will reduce the chances of irritation.

second bit, new product (Arko). I cannot comment on the lather as I never used it myself. However, seeing the reviews here and being a Arko cream user in the past, I think you can get a decent lather out of it. When you get a new product, practice. Make a few bowls of lather to see how it works before your shave.

 

[nehpets4627]

I don't really have a problem making a good lather with the Arko, or at least what looks like a good lather on the brush and feels like a good lather at first application. The problem is that it dries very quickly, almost to a paste consistency. It does this both on my face and on the brush, usually by the time I'm roughly half way done with my first pass. Much more water and I can't see the lather maintaining any volume... though a thin slick lather that stays slick would be better.

The only thing I wonder is if I somehow damaged/dried the soap when I microwaved if for about 20 seconds to soften it enough to press into my bowl... though it still has the same softness it did when in stick form, so I don't think I did any harm to it.

 

[Go West Young Man]

You're screwed, bud. Arko is tallow based - microwaving causes it to burn, not melt.
Sorry, you'd be best to toss it and start over with another product.

A moment of silence for a fallen soldier.....

 

[nehpets4627]

Well, that makes sense. I knew it wouldn't melt the way VDH does, but I didn't know nuking it would actually damage the product. Oh well. I may end up ordering some more outright to try or I might get some more for free if/when I make another order from The Shaving Factory (bigger boar brush, more Derby blades, etc).

 

[nehpets4627]

Skipped shaving yesterday. Shave number eight this morning and somewhat of an epiphany. I had told myself to give the Derby blades a bit longer and let my technique develop before I dove into the sampler... but I caved and threw in a Gillette Sharp Edge (Yellow).

It was a completely different shave and probably approaching DFS. I went WTG, WTG, ATG, then touch-up, again lathering straight Bigelow/Proraso creme before each full pass and then reapplying only the King of Shave oil before touch-up. Much less tugging and "scratching" sound. Much smoother. More beard reduction on first WTG pass. Much less irritation. I don't think my technique magically developed that much overnight, so I have to attribute this at least mostly to the blade. I'm going to try to get through the week on 2 of these blades (3 shaves per blade hopefully), and then try something else. That said, it's going to be hard to abandon what, other than a couple of barber's shaves I've had while traveling, probably the best shave of my life.

I'm going to hold on to the 20 or so Derby blades I have left and re-visit them when my technique improves more and I've worked through more of the 17 different blades I have on hand. At the moment, however, I'm very happy with today's shave using the Gillette 7 o'clock Sharp Edge (Yellow) in my '70 P2 Gillette Super Adjustable (set at 3).

 

[mandoman]

Welcome to B&B and keep up the good work

 

[nehpets4627]

Shave number nine today, and day two on this 7 o'Clock Sharp Edge (Yellow). Basically identical prep and results as yesterday. The one glaring difference was I substituted a hot towel for a showe since I was leaving the house earlier than normal this morning... no apparent affect on the downstream steps or results. This really confirms for me that the blade made a big difference and the Derby blades aren't for me right at this moment. It also makes me more aprehensive to switch to a different brand next week, though I still have a lot of different blades in my sample pool that I need to try (though I expect some may be 1 or 2 and out).

This will also be the first blade I try to use until I see or feel a degredation in performance. I'm really starting to understand the feedback I'm getting from the blade, both tactile and auditory, so I think I might be ready to push a blade until it tells me not to. If I don't hear the blade telling me it's done, I'm sure my face will tell me on its behalf in the form of weepers and bumps.

 

[urr-lord]

blade choice makes a big difference.i like derby's,i get uniformly good shaves with them.dorco's drag .dollar store (american safety razor) blades seem to be in between.other members like them,they just don't work for me.
i think the blades interact differently with each razor.with some they work well ,not so with others.so if you get a different razor in the future blades that you are not enamored of now may turn into a star.
i use a superspeed mainly,a fatboy adjustable once in a while(since it was my dads).i prefer the superspeed since it seems to be more consistent in performance.
but keep it up.it is a fun little hobby that allows you to look better.

 

[nehpets4627]

Shave number 10 this morning, and number 3 on this particular 7 o'Clock Sharp Edge (Yellow). The blade maintained smoothness and sharpness, so I think I can confidently say these blades can handle 3 full shaves with no perceivable performance degradation. 3 shaves from a single blade should allow me a full week from 2 blades (I usually skip either Saturday or Sunday, depending on what I'm doing that day). If I can get a 4th shave out of a single blade I'm not sure if it will do me much good since I'll probably still keep it to a bi-weekly switch for simplicity. Beyond that, I'm not sure how I'll schedule blade changes... I probably won't push every blade to its limit just do I don't have to deal with blade changes mid-shave while groggy on a Monday morning.

Otherwise pretty much identical to yesterday (WTG, WTG, ATG), but I integrated my touch-up as part of my ATG pass. This eliminated the need to re-apply the King of Shave oil, though did require an occasional extra splash of water since my skin dries fairly quickly after a pass. No negative consequences to this adjustment and might even get a bit closer on the touch-ups. Also means I use about 1/2 as much King of Shave oil. Next week I'm going to try eliminating the King of Shave oil all together and see if I can tell a difference.

I also forgot to apply my usual Nivea Sensitive Balm this morning, but so far (1.5 hours after shaving) I'm not feeling any skin drying. Since the 7 o'Clock Yellow is providing a much smoother shave with less irritation, I'm also not in need of nearly as much healing from the Nivea. As my technique improves, I may be able to either eliminate the balm all together, or at least replace the Proraso AS Splash + Nivea Balm with just Proraso Liquid Creme AS... this would be fine by me as it's one less product and I'm not as enamored with the Proraso AS Splash scent as I am with the shaving creme and soap. It would be one less product I can find locally, but I'd still be getting the AS Splash online anyway, so it's pretty much a wash.

Overall I'm very happy with my progress, both in technique as well as adjusting/streamlining my products and process. I'll probably report back daily for the rest of this week, then maybe bi-weekly or weekly after that, unless I have another epiphany of some sort.

 

[Luc]

Shave number 10 this morning, and number 3 on this particular 7 o'Clock Sharp Edge (Yellow). The blade maintained smoothness and sharpness, so I think I can confidently say these blades can handle 3 full shaves with no perceivable performance degradation. 3 shaves from a single blade should allow me a full week from 2 blades (I usually skip either Saturday or Sunday, depending on what I'm doing that day). If I can get a 4th shave out of a single blade I'm not sure if it will do me much good since I'll probably still keep it to a bi-weekly switch for simplicity. Beyond that, I'm not sure how I'll schedule blade changes... I probably won't push every blade to its limit just do I don't have to deal with blade changes mid-shave while groggy on a Monday morning.

Otherwise pretty much identical to yesterday (WTG, WTG, ATG), but I integrated my touch-up as part of my ATG pass. This eliminated the need to re-apply the King of Shave oil, though did require an occasional extra splash of water since my skin dries fairly quickly after a pass. No negative consequences to this adjustment and might even get a bit closer on the touch-ups. Also means I use about 1/2 as much King of Shave oil. Next week I'm going to try eliminating the King of Shave oil all together and see if I can tell a difference.

I also forgot to apply my usual Nivea Sensitive Balm this morning, but so far (1.5 hours after shaving) I'm not feeling any skin drying. Since the 7 o'Clock Yellow is providing a much smoother shave with less irritation, I'm also not in need of nearly as much healing from the Nivea. As my technique improves, I may be able to either eliminate the balm all together, or at least replace the Proraso AS Splash + Nivea Balm with just Proraso Liquid Creme AS... this would be fine by me as it's one less product and I'm not as enamored with the Proraso AS Splash scent as I am with the shaving creme and soap. It would be one less product I can find locally, but I'd still be getting the AS Splash online anyway, so it's pretty much a wash.

Overall I'm very happy with my progress, both in technique as well as adjusting/streamlining my products and process. I'll probably report back daily for the rest of this week, then maybe bi-weekly or weekly after that, unless I have another epiphany of some sort.

Good work!

You can always use the blade to the limit. The trick is to change it as soon as it pulls. You can be in the middle of a pass. However, you can also play it safe, for what blades costs...

 

[nehpets4627]

I'm sitting at my desk at work and compulsively keep brushing my hand across my jawline and cheek. Apparently today's shave was better than I thought, because I have very little growth returning thus far. This may be my first 2-day shave, though I probably won't make that call until tomorrow.

I'm going to push this current blade to the limit just to see how far it can go, and then try to work out a replacement schedule... must be the MRO Planner coming out in me. I'm planning on doing the same with all the blades I sample, and keeping a log. This way I can settle on one or two blades that not only shave well, but hold up in-line with a convenient replacement schedule.

 

[nehpets4627]

Yesterday's shave was great, definitely the best yet, but still not quite the 2-say shave I'm hoping to work up to. I could have come in to work today without shaving, but it was still more growth than I would want to have if I was talking to a VP or C-level guy. If it were Friday, I probably would have just come on in without shaving.

That said, I did eliminate a pass today because there was less growth to begin with. I went WTG then ATG with touch-up. I eliminated the King of Shave oil all together with no effect on closeness, but perhaps at the cost of a bit of lingering redness on the upper lip... or I may have just tried too much ATG touch-up on the upper lip. Either way, I think I can live without the King of Shave once the bottle runs out... may also be a good excuse to try Proraso pre/post in its place.

This was the 4th shave on the 7 o'Clock Sharp Edge I put in on Monday morning. Still pretty much as smooth but possibly not quite as sharp. I'm going to push it and try again tomorrow, but only for experiment sake, and I'm prepared to change blades mid-shave if I feel tugging. If it's a slow decline in closeness like it was from shave 3 to 4, I'd say this might just be a 5 shave blade for me... I could pop one in on Monday morning and toss it out on Friday, with the last shave being by far the least critical. This would also let me chose a different "weekend blade", possibly one that ends up being smoother or cheaper but doesn't last as long.

I haven't decided what my next blade will be... another 7 o'Clock Sharp Edge? Maybe one of the Astra blades? Am I ready for a Personna Medical or Feather? Crystal? Lord? Dorco? KAI? Bluebird? German Wilkinson? Store Brand Personna? Israeli Personna? Red Personna? There's probably half a dozen more I can't think of right off... I have a lot to chose from and very little basis for that choice. I'm leaning toward and Astra, I don't know why and I'm not sure which one (Stainless or Platinum).

 

[nehpets4627]

Shave number 12. No new revelations in routine or technique... WTG/ATG/Touch-up with bowl-lathered Proraso, WH, Proraso AS Splash, and Nivea Balm. Since it's Friday I didn't get overly agressive with touchups, also partly because of the it being the 5th shave on the 7 o'Clock SharpEdge I started on Monday. Shave was still smooth and felt pretty much identical to yesterday, which is to say more than acceptable smoothness and closeness... UNTIL I did my AS splash. Notably more sting than the 4 prior shaves. Upper lip was quite red with 2 or 3 spots that looked like another 1/10mm of skin and they'd be weepers.

The redness had cleared up by the time I got to work (about 1 hour after finishing the shave). Comfort wise, the 7 o'Clock is done after 4 shaves. Closeness was as good as yesterday if not better. Even though this was the worst shave I got out of this blade it was better than any from a Derby and still far better than any cartridge shave I've ever had (other than one barber in Delhi, India who did wonders with an M3) in all regards. In practice, I'll probably make the 7 o'Clock SharpEdge a 3-shave blade allowing me to standardize on 2/week (knowing I can eek out a 4th if, for whatever reason, I shave on Saturday AND Sunday).

Tomorrow or Sunday (whenever I shave next) I start my focused blade sampling quest. I'm going to go 1-blade, 2-shaves with each blade type, then re-visit 4 or 5 finalists and test durability. This should let me get a feel for the shave characteristics of all 20 or so blades I have on hand within a month, and then find out which is the most ecconomical per/shave of those I like the most.

 

[Luc]

Shave number 12. No new revelations in routine or technique... WTG/ATG/Touch-up with bowl-lathered Proraso, WH, Proraso AS Splash, and Nivea Balm. Since it's Friday I didn't get overly agressive with touchups, also partly because of the it being the 5th shave on the 7 o'Clock SharpEdge I started on Monday. Shave was still smooth and felt pretty much identical to yesterday, which is to say more than acceptable smoothness and closeness... UNTIL I did my AS splash. Notably more sting than the 4 prior shaves. Upper lip was quite red with 2 or 3 spots that looked like another 1/10mm of skin and they'd be weepers.

The redness had cleared up by the time I got to work (about 1 hour after finishing the shave). Comfort wise, the 7 o'Clock is done after 4 shaves. Closeness was as good as yesterday if not better. Even though this was the worst shave I got out of this blade it was better than any from a Derby and still far better than any cartridge shave I've ever had (other than one barber in Delhi, India who did wonders with an M3) in all regards. In practice, I'll probably make the 7 o'Clock SharpEdge a 3-shave blade allowing me to standardize on 2/week (knowing I can eek out a 4th if, for whatever reason, I shave on Saturday AND Sunday).

Tomorrow or Sunday (whenever I shave next) I start my focused blade sampling quest. I'm going to go 1-blade, 2-shaves with each blade type, then re-visit 4 or 5 finalists and test durability. This should let me get a feel for the shave characteristics of all 20 or so blades I have on hand within a month, and then find out which is the most ecconomical per/shave of those I like the most.

Sounds like you're on the right track!

 

[nehpets4627]

Moving forward I'm going to report in my blade sampling/testing thread, mainly because this thread was about finding my basic technique and the other will be about finding my favorite blades.

Thanks again for all the help.