Hello Gentlemen,
I've decided to make a shave journal for my use in tracking success and failure as I learn, and thought I'd share it with you, should you have any comments as I go along. This entry is rather quick and cryptic. Note that the lathering techniques in use are those from joint B&B tutorials here. I will post these for a few weeks unless people would rather not see them here, undertstandable- no narcissistic bumping intended! Should anyone wish to journal with me, consider yourself invited! Here we go:
9-10-09, Morning
The shave:
VDH select, face lathering, new Derby blade, Old Spice aftershave/moisturizer combo. 3 pass shave with cleanup under jaw and at the jawline under the earlobes.
The Results:
A few nicks, and one prominent bleeder on the right anterior chin, requiring styptic for the first time. Some irritation on the neck, some later redness in the moustache area. Missed spots under the nose.
Overall impression:
Too dry of a shave, and definitely too rushed. This combination resulted in 3rd day performance from a first day blade.
For next time:
Prep the face with the brush and hot water, then proceed to lathering in a mug. Give more attention both to blade angle and to a lighter touch generally, perhaps returning to the starting position to get the blade angle correct.
2nd week of DE shaving. So far, best and closest shaves of a lifetime, including the head. However, in the second week I'm finding ingrown hairs and slight irritation. Time to give further consideration to the overall method and materials.
Current equipment rotation:
Merkur Classic 1904 razor
Derby blades
Van Der Hagen Select shave soap
Old Spice combination aftershave & moisturizer
Face lathering seems to be a good skin prep, however I'm not as satisfied with the resulting lather- I'd prefer a bit better protection during the shave. For the next run, I'll prep the face with the brush and hot water, then proceed to lathering in a mug.
Secondly, I think I should give more attention both to blade angle and to a lighter touch generally, perhaps returning to the starting position to get the blade angle correct.
Thirdly, I need to give further attention to the directions of beard growth in the various regions of the face, while also becoming more aware of its facets.
Finally, for the time being, I will leave off shaving the head until I'm able to get consistent good results on the face. The finer points of blades, soaps, & etc. may be different for shaving the head. I may also need to sacrifice BBS shaves while developing technique.
I will take a 24-48 hour rest for my skin before the next shave.
I've decided to make a shave journal for my use in tracking success and failure as I learn, and thought I'd share it with you, should you have any comments as I go along. This entry is rather quick and cryptic. Note that the lathering techniques in use are those from joint B&B tutorials here. I will post these for a few weeks unless people would rather not see them here, undertstandable- no narcissistic bumping intended! Should anyone wish to journal with me, consider yourself invited! Here we go:
9-10-09, Morning
The shave:
VDH select, face lathering, new Derby blade, Old Spice aftershave/moisturizer combo. 3 pass shave with cleanup under jaw and at the jawline under the earlobes.
The Results:
A few nicks, and one prominent bleeder on the right anterior chin, requiring styptic for the first time. Some irritation on the neck, some later redness in the moustache area. Missed spots under the nose.
Overall impression:
Too dry of a shave, and definitely too rushed. This combination resulted in 3rd day performance from a first day blade.
For next time:
Prep the face with the brush and hot water, then proceed to lathering in a mug. Give more attention both to blade angle and to a lighter touch generally, perhaps returning to the starting position to get the blade angle correct.
2nd week of DE shaving. So far, best and closest shaves of a lifetime, including the head. However, in the second week I'm finding ingrown hairs and slight irritation. Time to give further consideration to the overall method and materials.
Current equipment rotation:
Merkur Classic 1904 razor
Derby blades
Van Der Hagen Select shave soap
Old Spice combination aftershave & moisturizer
Face lathering seems to be a good skin prep, however I'm not as satisfied with the resulting lather- I'd prefer a bit better protection during the shave. For the next run, I'll prep the face with the brush and hot water, then proceed to lathering in a mug.
Secondly, I think I should give more attention both to blade angle and to a lighter touch generally, perhaps returning to the starting position to get the blade angle correct.
Thirdly, I need to give further attention to the directions of beard growth in the various regions of the face, while also becoming more aware of its facets.
Finally, for the time being, I will leave off shaving the head until I'm able to get consistent good results on the face. The finer points of blades, soaps, & etc. may be different for shaving the head. I may also need to sacrifice BBS shaves while developing technique.
I will take a 24-48 hour rest for my skin before the next shave.