Attention all Newbs! Listen Up--Watch your Variables!

[Ru4scuba?]

All,

After being a BBer for over a year, and a wetshaver for well beyond that, I've come to one simple conclusion to figuring out what works for you and your specific face.

WATCH YOUR VARIABLES!

This one piece of advice has guided me through trying all the new products on the market today.

So....what does it mean?

Well, if you're new to wetshaving and reading this you're likely getting bombarded with tons of advice, ideas of things to buy etc. The B/S/T seems a bit overwhelming...razors, blades, soaps, creams, brushes, aftershaves, milks, balms, Edts...where do I start? If you're in to straight razors....then you include strops, razors, hones, slurries, pasted paddles and a whole host of additional factors.

If you're not careful, you can quickly spiral into a very....very familiar pattern that many Newbs (including yours truly) go through. That pattern involves buying countless new products and immediately trying them out, putting them on the shelf the next day and moving on to product #2 without giving your face time to figure out if product #1 is a good thing or not!

Blades are the first item on this list. It may take a month or two (key time period here) to figure out which blades work for you...and which do not. I tried everything I could with Feathers/Crystals....but simply cannot shave with them without irritation! It took a couple of months for me to figure out that my face loved Israeli Red Packs.

Now...compound this blade problem with a different brush, soap, aftershave etc. If you change some (or all four) of these variables every day....and you're getting irritation full shaves...how can you truly know whats causing the problem?

Further, your routine is a variable in and of itself. Do you shave at night or day? Do you shower before your shave or not? Do you moisturize?

All of these things should be counted as a variable in the motto: watch your variables and dont vary too many at once!

The best advice I received when I started out was to pick a single routine and setup (this includes prep, shave and post shave routine) and use it for a month. After that month...change one variable (usually starts out with the blade but not always) and use that new item for a week or so to truly figure it out.

Truth be told...this site, the various awesome vendors and members etc. can actually hurt your ability to do this if you find you cannot overcome the various acquisition disorders that many new B&Bers are faced with. I MUST have a Tallow soap, I MUST have a FLOID aftershave, I MUST have a Silvertip Badger etc etc. The list goes on. Then, when these products arrive, you natually have to try them out as soon as possible and start your rotation....I mean all the other BBers have a rotation right?

Wrong....you should take it easy when you start. Some of those products may not be for you! Soaps contain essential oils that affect everyone's face differently. Same with aftershaves. I've spoke with some folks who've found certain badger/boar hairs tend to cause minor irritation. When you look at the plethora of product talked about on this site...its mind numbing....and potentially damaging to your ability to set up a good, solid baseline routine to build upon.

This advice also applies to whether you're shaving with str8s, DEs, injectors, cartidges, electrics or sharp sea shells....variables matter and will drastically impact your ability to have that great, zen-like shave we are all shooting for.

So...I've droned on enough, but again Happy Shaving and....

WATCH YOUR VARIABLES!

Editor's Note: I thought it might be helpful to edit this post and add a list of potential variables which might be affecting your shave outcomes (and irritation):

If you change any one of these (or...multiple as the post suggests) you could see a different shave outcome and possibly irritation.

This list is by no means all encompassing. I'm sure the quality BBers we have on here will likely chime in with variables of their own they have personally experienced helped/hurt their shave routine.

Time of day you shave
Method of prep (shower, no shower, pre shave product, Kyle's method seen here (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9745), no prep at all)
Razor
Blade
Brush
Soap/Cream
Quality of lather
Proper shaving of the grain (this varies per person...but a key variable)
Rinses between passes (or not)
Post shave routine (WWR/CWR, aftershave, milk, balm, moisturizer)
Facial routine later in the day from your shave (wash, moisturizer etc)

For straight users, this list would also have to include:
straight used
strop (and # of laps)
hone(s) used (and # of laps)

The ultimate YMMV is that each of us is different and have different shaving needs. Finding out what works for you and gives you that BBS shave, with no irritation and a great looking face truly is the Art of Shaving!

[Pumpkin]

Excellent advice Chris! :thumbup:

I too succumbed to (most of the) AD's early on...escpecially RAD. After a month of changing almost everything in my routine on a daily basis, I tried to settle in to a stricter routine. Once I did this, I actually appreciated the new stuff more as I could actually see and feel the differences they made to my shave.

[SpyvSpy]

Good advice. I lucked out without spending crazily and found my soaps,creams,blades and brushes that work best for me. Only things left on my to get list is some GFT soap and some Spanish fig & Nutmeg soap.

[xgunterx]

8<
I MUST have a Tallow soap, I MUST have a FLOID aftershave
8<


Hear! Hear! :tongue_sm


8<
Then, when these products arrive, you natually have to try them out as soon as possible
8<


Now be honest. How long did you wait to try the Floïd after waiting for 4 months? :tongue_sm

Serious though, keep this posting in your head when you're new because it is a good advise but requires lots of self discipline. :thumbup1:
I've been there too but luckily my AD was restricted to soaps so changing too quick was less dramatic than if I would have changed razors and blades every shave.

As a final note. To keep your settings for at least one month fixed is a good advise provided the new wet shaver invested in some research prior to buying his first kit.
Suppose one buys a Parker 90R (like I did :001_rolle) as a first razor with a Merkur blade (like I did :001_rolle) and some olive oil based soap, then he will be right back to his cartridge.
That reminds me of something. Is there a sticky or item in the wiki/faq as what would be a good starter setup? Because if you start with bad equipment then one month can prove to be a long time.

[Obsessed]

Good advice Chris!

[xivex]

Great post. As a fellow newbie, I can testify on the subject of ADs. Despite my ADs, I still managed to change only 1 variable at a time. I just try 1 new thing each time (blade, soap, cream) and keep everythingn else the exact same. It definitely helps to pinpoint any problems you have as you can easily identify what one new thing you changed that is most likely the problem (if there is a problem -- not always).

Thanks,

X

[vertigo12314]

This should be a sticky.

[baba]

Great stuff Scuba!! Really helpful.

[Crawford Montizano]

A month may be stretching a bit length to try a product, I'd say two weeks max with one set up, then start to experiment switching out something. Again YMMV on this so do what works for you.

[BlackBard]

This should be a sticky.

+1

The OP has given some exceptional advice in a very readable and understandable message. Great post.

[Omnichron]

excellent advice! I found that Crystals give me the best shave after trying a sampler sent by some wonderful person here.:blushing:

[DFrancis]

Great advice +2 on making it a sticky. I've calmed down a lot after a few months. I've found my blade (Astras) I've found my fave cream (KMF), I have 3 razors in a rotation and my cheap as heck Omega brush is wonderous.

[brentaar]

Good advice.

[michael.scheller]

you natually have to try them out as soon as possible and start your rotation....I mean all the other BBers have a rotation right?

Wrong

Well said Chris. Newbs (and I too was one of them) come to this board and think that one of the "magical" products will be the silver bullet to slay the beast. I tried variables initially but because I was in Iraq at the time, I had to choose and settle down.

For near on two years, I have used the same razor (Merkur Progress), the same blades (Derby's). For the last year the same brush (a custom Badger by Eskimo) and for the last six months the same soap (Tabac). The only true variable has been aftershaves. Using all of these as constants has allowed me to concentrate on prep, lathering, technique, grain of my beard, angles. I got into wet shaving to conserve cost and to reduce the irritation and burn beneath my jawline and this has worked to satisfy both goals.

When my 200 pack of Derby's run's out next year, I'll try a sampler but until then, I'm happy with my kit. My non-rotating, but ever so effective kit.

[California Cajun]

I understand what you're saying about being bombarded with advice. I was equipped, trained (studied an instructional video and watched countless shaving videos), eager, and ready, but my face still came out from my first straight razor shave looking like it came out of a Vegomatic. I'll probably have to skip tomorrow for healing, especially on the chin.

But I really want this after a lifetime of dissatisfaction with shaving. As long as I have a face I'll persevere and eventually figure this thing out.

[Ru4scuba?]

I understand what you're saying about being bombarded with advice. I was equipped, trained (studied an instructional video and watched countless shaving videos), eager, and ready, but my face still came out from my first straight razor shave looking like it came out of a Vegomatic. I'll probably have to skip tomorrow for healing, especially on the chin.

But I really want this after a lifetime of dissatisfaction with shaving. As long as I have a face I'll persevere and eventually figure this thing out.

Perseverance is key with the straight journey my friend....I can vouch for that!

[htownmmm]

Excellent post Chris!!!!! :thumbup1::thumbup1:


marty

[michiganlover]

Great post Chris!!

As a newbie, it really does help to limit your variables. :thumbup1:

You need to know what variable is causing your problems, and changing multiple variables at once means it's difficult to pinpoint where the problem lies.

[JPM]

Nice post. Good advice.

[TyJayden]

*Mental Note* This seems like very sound advice. Now to pick something to stick with.

[Ru4scuba?]

Thanks for all the kind comments...just trying to give back to the community I've learned so much from :smile:

Hopefully somebody can learn from the mistakes I've made. The hardest thing for me to do was to turn away from the B/S/T for a month and concentrate on technique.

[xgunterx]

8<
The hardest thing for me to do was to turn away from the B/S/T for a month and concentrate on technique.

It requires a lot of self-discipline to do just that. It is probably the most difficult thing when starting and being on B&B.
Especially when you're going through all the reviews and start wondering 'how would that shave?'.

[Pioneer]

A month may be stretching a bit length to try a product, I'd say two weeks max with one set up, then start to experiment switching out something. Again YMMV on this so do what works for you.

I agree. But this is good advice in general. Especially when it comes to razors - best to stick with one for a while in the beginning if nothing else than to get your basic form down, then move on to other razors.

[irishScott]

Speaking as a noob (jumped into DE about 3 weeks ago) who didn't read this thread straight off, I ran into this exact problem. Got recommendations up the ass, especially for blades, and switched from blade to blade almost daily for the first 5 days, before I'd even gotten something resembling decent technique.

After said business week of face carving I said screw it and settled on feathers (my beard isn't thick, but the hairs put steel wool to shame). Now, 2 weeks later (with the awesome aid of mantic59's youtube channel) I'm finally to the point where I can shave confidently and come away with 3-5 nicks that aren't even visible after an hour. I've decided to wait until I'm nick free to start changing up anything beyond the aftershave.

[California Cajun]

I was going to give myself a day off but even though my parents are no longer with us I could hear them tell me to get off my butt and do it.

We won't get in to how my face feels and looks, but I did achieve BBS results and more importantly figured out what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. It probably took 30 minutes. These lessons may have to be learned over again but I shaved all areas of my face and eventually got the hair off.

The focus this time was on concentration on what I was doing rather than the many tips and tricks I'd taken in while preparing for this momentous occasion (at least momentous for me).

I was not holding the razor properly. I found I had better control and it was easier to maintain the 30 degree angle holding two fingers on the spine (forefinger and middle finger) rather than just one. In some areas I needed to drop down to a 20 degree angle. I cut myself most often when I either held the blade more flat or more perpendicular than these two grades to my face. I made the mistake of cutting my finger switching hands because I failed to keep my hands dry during the shave.

But I did it. My face is on fire but I know I can do it and it's just a metter of learning and re-learning the things I achieved today.

I appreciate all the encouragement received since finding the forum and feel like all vendors from whom I purchased my supplies are great with customer service.

[Phog Allen]

Yes IrishScot, for the life of me I cannot understand why people tell newbs to avoid Feathers blades. The old Boy Scout rule applies in spades here; Always use a sharp knife (blade). And sharp they are. 99&#37; of DE nicks whilst learning have NOTHING to do with blades. Feathers or otherwise. It is technique pure and simple. After about one month of DE use, I had so few nicks the last number of years as to be unmeasurable. I learned to shave with a DE Gillette over thirty years ago (15 yrs. old) and was quickly seduced by the dark side of cartridge razors. I laboured under that yolk for over 20 years till I swung back over to the proper side of things. I always marveled at how smooth shaven my dad was when I was a kid and it became quickly obvious after a repatriation with the Gillette. I would not look back now. I also just as quickly realised that the state of DE blades in the U.S. was atrocious in the early 2000's when I jumped back in. After finding Feathers on the forums (thank you Joel) I knew there was someone making SHARP DE blades out there. I don't know how adept you are yet at using the DE but I always try to have a mental picture of the blade just flat or level or whatever against my skin. No rocking and rolling along. This actually keeps you from going crazy with too much pressure on the blade. Again, this is why I don't get the scare tactics with Feathers. It is precisely because many guys don't get the feel that the blade is sharp that they give themselves razor rash. They press harder to try to force the cut. No need with Feathers. Anyhow, it looks like you are well on your way. Remember, experiment, experiment, and experiment till you get a good regimen for YOUR needs and likes. Then experiment some more. Try to give each product an honest 3-5 uses before making any solid decisions. And the best thing I ever did for some products that seemed dodgy was put them away for a few weeks or months and revisit them. You would be surprised at how your opinion will vary.

Regards, Todd

Sorry. I sounded like I was contradicting the OP. I am not. I am only saying that once you get your basics down, then experiment a lot till you find your preferences.

[OldSaw]

Excellent advice. However, don't start with a 99 cent puck of Williams and be hell bent on making it work for you. Whatever you think of Williams is beside the point. I would recommend a high quality lathering product and stick with it until you have mastered the above mentioned variables.

[jpadilla88]

Solid advice!

[Ru4scuba?]

And the best thing I ever did for some products that seemed dodgy was put them away for a few weeks or months and revisit them. You would be surprised at how your opinion will vary.
[/I]

I think this is a key point. Once....and only once....the basics are down, experimentation is ok.

But again, I firmly believe Newbs should only experiment with one variable at a time til they get irritation free shaves.

WRT your point above...I did this with MWF and am glad I did. I can finally lather the damn stuff!

[Luc]

Great post Chris!!:thumbup1:

[oscarbowman]

Wise wise words.:thumbup1:

[PipeCop]

STICKY:thumbup1:

[internet]

Good advice!

[gorgehiker]

I almost fell into that trap as well. Before I did I found B&B, thank god. Saved me tons of time and money.

[mretzloff]

Wow, excellent thread! Good job, Chris.

[Chester]

The advice on variables is great. As much as I wanted to start off with brush lather and al the rest (and I made the mistake of trying to change razor, blade, technique and foam all at once for the first couple weeks), when I settled on one razor (a 40s superspeed) and one blade, I used barbasol for ten days while I did practice lather every day. One I had decent lather, I made that switch. After a couple weeks of that, I started rotating through a different blade every week or so. It's been working. After a couple months, my GF told me today that I had a BBS. I would not have rated it that way myself, but I did manage to get all my problem zones (under the nostrils and the line of the jaw) very cleanly. No weepers or cuts. It does take time, but the best lesson has been to be patient, and work on getting one thing right at a time.
Hope it helps,
-- Chet

[figaro_black]

Great post. Good to have in mind, especially since I'm expecting my very first pack of shaving blades that aren't Derbys. :)

[Ru4scuba?]

Great post. Good to have in mind, especially since I'm expecting my very first pack of shaving blades that aren't Derbys. :)

Just remember...when you use those blades not to change anything else for a week....thats the only way to see if the new "variable" works for you or not!

[rosborne]

:thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1: +4 on the Sticky

[Alex02]

I'm all about REMOVING the variables. When I started it was really hard for me to get a good lather with my cheap tweezerman brush and it was just making the entire process more complicated. After awhile I said screw it, I'm going to change as few things as slow as possible.

I used my regular can shave gel and learned how to properly shave with a safety razor. Once I learned how to do it right, changing blades hasn't yet made any noticible difference for me (Shark, Merkur, Derby, Astra, Red pack Israeli ones, Note: I haven't tried Feather blades yet).

Then, I moved onto making a lather and I tried Proraso shave cream and now shave soap. I basically just sat at the table with a bunch of bowels and experimented with different water content and techniques.

I did upgrade one thing quickly, my brush. I went from a tweezerman to a E&J Best Badger brush $43 Here (http://www.highlandmenscare.com/edwin-jagger-best-badger-shaving-brush-medium-with-stand-ebony.html) after reading a thread full of praise about it. AWESOME DECISION, it is softer, holds more warm water, creates a great lather on the face. I am now using Proraso shave soap and face lathering which works amazingly well this brush. This both saves time and is more satisfying.

[mattbikes1]

Great post! I have had great success in the two months I have been wet shaving and I have to attribute it mostly to sticking with one routine, one razor, one cream, and one brush. The one thing I have switched up would be the blades and I have only tried three different blades in the two months since I started. By sticking to a small list of variables I have been able to consistently figure out what is working and what is not. Usually it was bad angle, too much pressure, and too many passes, which I would have been hard pressed to identify had I been changing other variables regularly. Sure, I have still made some purchases. And I can't wait to try them out, but for now I want to get my technique down and this is surely the best and quickest way. This really is some of the best advice an experienced shaver could share and all novices should take note. Before long, you will find yourselves in a similar situation with many great, irritation free, BBS shaves under your belt and it will be due to this simple advice. Thanks to all of the experienced shavers that took the time to reinforce this idea over and over. Thanks again Chris for putting it out there where all of us new guys can be reminded of the importance of a good foundation.

[BlackBard]

I'm all about REMOVING the variables. When I started it was really hard for me to get a good lather with my cheap tweezerman brush and it was just making the entire process more complicated. After awhile I said screw it, I'm going to change as few things as slow as possible.

I used my regular can shave gel and learned how to properly shave with a safety razor. Once I learned how to do it right, changing blades hasn't yet made any noticible difference for me (Shark, Merkur, Derby, Astra, Red pack Israeli ones, Note: I haven't tried Feather blades yet).

Then, I moved onto making a lather and I tried Proraso shave cream and now shave soap. I basically just sat at the table with a bunch of bowels and experimented with different water content and techniques.

I did upgrade one thing quickly, my brush. I went from a tweezerman to a E&J Best Badger brush $43 Here (http://www.highlandmenscare.com/edwin-jagger-best-badger-shaving-brush-medium-with-stand-ebony.html) after reading a thread full of praise about it. AWESOME DECISION, it is softer, holds more warm water, creates a great lather on the face. I am now using Proraso shave soap and face lathering which works amazingly well this brush. This both saves time and is more satisfying.

Perfect. I would have recommended working on lather technique first, however, you did everything right. Change as few things a possible, learning takes time and be patient. Great brush choice, BTW. I have the EJ Best Badger, too. I think it is the best brush I have owned. And, it is priced right.

[stogieman]

this should be a sticky.

+1

[Obsessed]

Bump.

[thecoalition]

though it was written you should know at this point that you will still see posts of "OMG WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!????"
it's daily. i think my post count is so low for two years because i honestly just don't respond. if you can't use a search bar and a few minutes of time you don't deserve a member response imo.

good post though. too bad many will pass it up unless its stickied

[BlackBard]

though it was written you should know at this point that you will still see posts of "OMG WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!????"
it's daily. i think my post count is so low for two years because i honestly just don't respond. if you can't use a search bar and a few minutes of time you don't deserve a member response imo.

good post though. too bad many will pass it up unless its stickied

Sadly, too true. The more I visit B&B and see those "OMG WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!????" posts, the more I am disinclined to participate, at least in answering those posts. More reason why this thread should be a sticky, even if the clueless won't read it.

[Trendkill]

Excellent post, Scuba!

[Trigger]

This one is worth the bump.........

[Obsessed]

though it was written you should know at this point that you will still see posts of "OMG WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!????"
it's daily. i think my post count is so low for two years because i honestly just don't respond. if you can't use a search bar and a few minutes of time you don't deserve a member response imo.


Sadly, too true. The more I visit B&B and see those "OMG WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!????" posts, the more I am disinclined to participate, at least in answering those posts.

I think we can cut the newbies a little more slack than that. :lol:

Bump

[Ru4scuba?]

I think we can cut the newbies a little more slack than that. :lol:

Bump

I concur.

There is a learning process with all things....DE shaving....str8 shaving...and using B&B in general!

I know when I first logged onto the site, I asked alot of questions that had already been posted elsewhere...(I still do from time to time if I can't find it after searching for it).

There is nothing wrong with Newbs asking previously asked questions. It is more important to promote the hobby of gentlemen's wetshaving than to be miffed because a new guy is still learning how to use B&B, is excited about trying out something new, and hasn't searched for every single question he might have before putting a blade to his face.

If Im on here, and I see a question I can readily answer to help someone out, I'll launch even if I know the info exists elsewhere....often, if I have the time, I'll post the link to the previous sticky or post.

[OldSaw]

I think we can cut the newbies a little more slack than that. :lol:

Bump


I concur.

There is a learning process with all things....DE shaving....str8 shaving...and using B&B in general!

I know when I first logged onto the site, I asked alot of questions that had already been posted elsewhere...(I still do from time to time if I can't find it after searching for it).

There is nothing wrong with Newbs asking previously asked questions. It is more important to promote the hobby of gentlemen's wetshaving than to be miffed because a new guy is still learning how to use B&B, is excited about trying out something new, and hasn't searched for every single question he might have before putting a blade to his face.

If Im on here, and I see a question I can readily answer to help someone out, I'll launch even if I know the info exists elsewhere....often, if I have the time, I'll post the link to the previous sticky or post.

Good answers guys. This is something we all tire of from time to time, but we shouldn't shy away from taking our turn with a few newbies. You don't need to reply to every single one, just pick out one here and there that you would like to help and give them some good input and polite guidance to some of the great newbie advice threads.

[thecoalition]

though valid counters - i disagree with the logic that people are new to b&b as a completely plausible argument. The search bar has been around much longer than b&b my point is simply that many people pass it up because they have to put in the effort.
instead they create a new thread thats already been done before.
i am not arguing that new people should not post. i am simply saying it helps them more to find use the tools we provide on the forum.
that is why I love stcky posts. all the info necessary right there in your face. hence my original statement of needing to sticky this thread.
but im done - not trying to thread jack

[shmeegs]

Everyone has a style, technique, time that is all their own. No-one is the same. In other words, "We are all like snowflakes"

[BlackBard]

though valid counters - i disagree with the logic that people are new to b&b as a completely plausible argument. The search bar has been around much longer than b&b my point is simply that many people pass it up because they have to put in the effort.
instead they create a new thread thats already been done before.
i am not arguing that new people should not post. i am simply saying it helps them more to find use the tools we provide on the forum.
that is why I love stcky posts. all the info necessary right there in your face. hence my original statement of needing to sticky this thread.
but im done - not trying to thread jack

I agree with Rob. Learning requires participation, which means that the seeker should seek, not merely ask to be spoon fed. This thread is very sticky-worthy. It should be up there where the seeker can find it, not end up buried somewhere in the bowels of B&B's archives.

David