Day 3 - Not such a DE Disaster

The Good

Ditched the £5 can of goo for a 44p, yes that's 44p Palmolive shave stick. Lathered up the face with a wilkinson sword brush and immediately lathered myself from my ears to my shoulders in delight. Vowed never to use goo again

Getting to grips with the angles and pressure though still a bit to go on the chin and moustache.

Shave is getting much more even now, no longer resemble a patchwork quilt...

Razorburn is a thing of the past, just that blotchy bit by my adams apple that still troubles me.

No nicks

The Bad

After 2 passes wtg I still have a 2pm shadow.

Blade is catching on the hair after only 3 shaves

Questions

Would a better prep such as Kyle's prep help make my beard softer and get me a closer shave? (Not prepared to risk sharper blades until I am a bit more practiced)

How do I vary the lather thickness with a shave stick? Is it as simple as wetting the brush some more?

What's best to use on my skin after I shave? I just chuck on some aftershave at the moment, smells nice but sure it's not doing much for my skin.

Oh and a big thank you for all the helpful replies to my first post yesterday, most friendly welcome I've ever had

Thomas104 said:

The Good


Would a better prep such as Kyle's prep help make my beard softer and get me a closer shave? (Not prepared to risk sharper blades until I am a bit more practiced)

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Maybe. Leaving the lather on for a few minutes seems to work for me, too.

How do I vary the lather thickness with a shave stick? Is it as simple as wetting the brush some more?

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Pretty much.

What's best to use on my skin after I shave? I just chuck on some aftershave at the moment, smells nice but sure it's not doing much for my skin.

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I like to use an aftershave that contains witchhazel. You could just use straight witchhazel if you wanted to. I make my own aftershave out of about 75% witchhazel, 25% aloe vera gel, and 5% glycerin. Works wonderfully.

By the way, forget two WTG passes. Do the second pass XTG or oblique XTG. You'll find it removes a lot more stubble without much more irritation.

you might want to try an after shaving balm instead of after shave splash. that helped me when i first started. Ive never used a shaving stick, so I couldnt tell you. I have a tough beard, luckily its not sensitive, but Ive never used any beard prep. I usually take a hot shower, use face scrub like ST. Ives apricot scrub. I then use a hot towel after I make my lather. that works well for me. I also use the towel in between passes.

Thomas104 said:

Answers

Would a better prep such as Kyle's prep help make my beard softer and get me a closer shave? (Not prepared to risk sharper blades until I am a bit more practiced)

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A better prep will always help. You may want to try putting some hair conditioner on your beard in the shower (rinse it off after letting is sit on your whiskers a minute). I don't have time most mornings to do the full hot towel routine, but it does work well. If you have time, Kyle's prep is an excellent pre-shave treatment.

Thomas104 said:

How do I vary the lather thickness with a shave stick? Is it as simple as wetting the brush some more?

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The thickness of the lather is dependent on several variables: amount of soap, amount of water, amount of agitation, and temperature. The more soap and less water you have in your ratio, the thicker the lather. However, thicker isn't necessarily better. You can definitely have too little water in your lather. Watch Mantic59's videos and other posts on this site for lather technique. It takes a lot of practice to get the ratios correct. That is one reason many beginning wet shavers prefer a shaving cream. Shaving cream is a little more forgiving in the lather/water ratios.

Thomas104 said:

What's best to use on my skin after I shave? I just chuck on some aftershave at the moment, smells nice but sure it's not doing much for my skin.

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I favor after shave balms. I find Proraso is my daily go-to-product. I also like Coral Skin Food, TSD after shave milk (mentholated peppermint), and Nivea sensitive.