Two Questions....from a newbie

[nwiggers]

First off I have been shaving with my Merkur HD razor for about two weeks now. On the whole I am loving the quality of the shave I now get, but have a few questions in my pursuit of the ultimate shave:

1) I don't think I am getting enough of a lather (relative to the Manitc videos). I use a Simpson - DUKE 1 brush with Proraso soap and apply to my face in linear brush strokes (per the Simpson instructions), not a circular motion. I get a thin layer of soap on my face and really have to vigorously brush to get that amount. Anyone else have any trouble with this combination? Any thoughts?

2) No matter which direction I shave I get a horrible rash on a particular part of my neck, almost everytime I shave. Will the skin on that area ever "toughen up" so I will not get that rash? I use a pre-shave cream from Proraso to soften this area, but I don't know if that does anything for my skin?? Any thoughts??

[tim8557]

Scotto recently published a thread on lather that fixed my problems the first time I tried it. USE MORE SOAP OR CREAM to start with, less water (you can add small quantities of water as you build the lather) and you should see some spectacular results.

As far as the rash, try less pressure when making your passes. It's kind of like golf, let the club (blade) do the work. Try a different soap as possibly you are having a reaction to the soap you presntly use.

Good luck.

[chop-chop]

Welcome, nwiggers!

On the subject of getting a good lather, as has been posted by other members, it's usually a question of using a little more cream, and experimenting with the amount of water left in the brush. To produce a good lather, you'll probably find that you need to take more than 30 seconds of stirring/whipping to make a nice workable lather. Don't be afraid to re-wet your brush, and if your mixture seems too wet, maybe you can spill out excess water without losing everything.

Leisureguy has posted some great suggestions on razor angle that are very helpful. Just do a search on him and "listen". I was looking for his original post on the subject, but there's a reference in this thread:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7268&highlight=leisureguy+razor+angle

Here's to smooth shavin'!

chop-chop

[galpman]

Welcome, nwiggers!

On the subject of getting a good lather, as has been posted by other members, it's usually a question of using a little more cream, and experimenting with the amount of water left in the brush. To produce a good lather, you'll probably find that you need to take more than 30 seconds of stirring/whipping to make a nice workable lather. Don't be afraid to re-wet your brush, and if your mixture seems too wet, maybe you can spill out excess water without losing everything.

Leisureguy has posted some great suggestions on razor angle that are very helpful. Just do a search on him and "listen". I was looking for his original post on the subject, but there's a reference in this thread:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7268&highlight=leisureguy+razor+angle

Here's to smooth shavin'!

chop-chop

+1 Make sure you view Leasureguy's blog. That will be very helpful.:taz:

[Amyn]

Definitely try more cream. From personal experience it takes a bit more Proraso to get a good lather.

As for the circular motion not recommended by Simpson I would atleast give it a try one time to see if this gives you a better shave

Remember par for the course. Do not keep shaving the same area over and over.

Finally as your technique improves so will your results, and this definitely takes time

[Jim]

NW Welcom to B&B!

Are you building lather in a bowl first then lathering your face?

What blades are you using? Have you mapped out your beard?

[nwiggers]

Thank you all for your advice. To reply to Goosemeplease, I tried building lather in a bowl (trying to imitate the Mantic video), but the lather seemed to dissapear the more I "stirred"? So now I merely brush back and forth in the little green tub that the soap comes in.

As far as mapping my hair pattern, I have a general idea of what the pattern looks like. My neck has a swirling/circular pattern.

[xChris]

I concur with Jim's suggestion of lathering up in a bowl first. It may help to have it in front of you, and with a bigger area to whip up in. Your Simpson Duke [should] be able to take some gentle swirling motion within a bowl -- just the tips, like the instructions state.

I have a trouble area on my neck that can be hit or miss for me due to the way the hair grows out from it. I have to make sure that I reduce the beard as best as possible, keep light pressure, and not overdo the passes (promoting irritation). Remember the shave needs to be presentable as well as glassy smooth.

[wa_bacchus]

Personally, I'd say follow all the advice you are getting here.... And dump the proraso... Try a nice english cream and see how that works for you...

If you want something cheaper and faster, go to a health food store (or the natural section of your grocery store) and look for Kiss My Face Moisture Shave...

My personal experience with proraso is nothing but problems, even though most people on here seem to like it...

-S

[bridger]

All great suggestions, these guys know what they are talking about. One suggestion I would make if you try the others and they don't work is to lather directly on your face.

I started to do this a two years ago after 13 years of lathering in a mug and everything just seemed to fall into place. A couple of things to keep in mind however.

First, don't wory about ruining your brush, I have been using the same simpsons brush every day for the past 4 years. You don't have to baby it.

Second, try lathering for no less than two minutes. Work your neck, your chin, your cheeks all over. This will help to build the lather and stand the wiskers up. End with the paint brush action to smooth the lather out. Prorasso isn't the easiest to create lather with so you will have to work it longer.

Third, remember that the lather is held IN the brush. It took me a long time to realize this. I always thought that if I mixed my lather in a mug or a bowl then I should have all this lather in the mug once I took my brush out. Not so. It's in the brush and just because it doesn't look like a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone doesn't mean it isn't there. Especially with simpsons brushes.