Thanks for all the encouragement. I know I'm not the only guy trying to do this, and that there are some others who have also been there. Some have even succeeded! I appreciate the support because I like wetshaving (if only on the weekends - I save it for then because that way, I can consider it a "treat") and just want to get better at it. I just want to feel good and look good without hurting myself - something which I definitely believe is achievable.
I think I have to watch how much water I mix with the Proraso cream so that it doesn't become too runny. Before I got the Proraso, I used this stuff in a blue tube called Florena (made in Germany), which works pretty well and whips up all right, but it doesn't smell nice or have that cool eucalyptus freshness to it. I also found that my lather was too thick and clogged the razor's blade underneath so the edge wasn't properly exposed anymore - it tended to be kind of chalky and not shave well.
Something I didn't mention is that I find the odd rough spot here and there, even after a second pass against the grain. These are usually at the sides of my mouth, under my chin at the front, and along the bottom of my face at the jawline. I have tried to fix these up by doing a short-stroke "buffing" action on them (I learned this from one of the videos), but all I've found I've done is irritated my skin and made it red for two days afterward until it heals up again. I do wet the areas and put a tad of lather on them before doing this, but I think that it's probably still too much pressure on the razor and the very aggressive Feather blade that are causing this. I tend to feel (and I believe this is a natural, almost unconscious, response) that if the whiskers are not being cut properly on the first pass, then I really have to give 'er on the razor and lean into it to make it work better. I have to realize that this is wrong and retrain myself so that it becomes pleasure, not pain. I know it's a razor, not a gardening tool!
I think, also, that using that ultra-sharp Feather blade two days in a row is a bit tough on my skin. Maybe I'd be better off to rest it and give it some space in between. Yes, I agree, I've heard that the Feathers are very aggressive blades (as is the old Injector), but l truly believe it can give a good and safe shave if properly used, so I've got to keep working on it. My Quattro isn't as aggressive, so maybe I'll keep alternating it with the Injector, as I've been doing up to now.
You guys are also right on the angle. As much as I've tried to hold the thing properly, I notice that I hear a scraping sound while shaving with the Injector, which is maybe telling me that my angle is wrong and it's scraping, not cutting cleanly.
One more question before I close out: is it possible to get some sort of infection or disease from blade shaving? I would assume it would be possible if you weren't using a sanitized razor (i.e. bought it on eBay or at a flea market and just started using it as soon as you got it home, whereupon you cut yourself), or if you used old blades from an unsealed package whose origin was unknown. I don't know if AIDS can be passed on this way (as some of the local barbers told me as a scare tactic as to why they didn't shave customers anymore), but I might guess hepatitis or even some kind of strep infection like cellulitis is possible, through a cut with an unsterile blade. I've had the strep/cellulitis thing in my knees, and it was only from tiny little scratches in the skin from kneeling down a lot in my work. I heard just today about a guy at work getting an infection in his ear from a shaving cut over the weekend, and I'm wondering if it's possible, or if that's just bogus. Thanks.
I think I have to watch how much water I mix with the Proraso cream so that it doesn't become too runny. Before I got the Proraso, I used this stuff in a blue tube called Florena (made in Germany), which works pretty well and whips up all right, but it doesn't smell nice or have that cool eucalyptus freshness to it. I also found that my lather was too thick and clogged the razor's blade underneath so the edge wasn't properly exposed anymore - it tended to be kind of chalky and not shave well.
Something I didn't mention is that I find the odd rough spot here and there, even after a second pass against the grain. These are usually at the sides of my mouth, under my chin at the front, and along the bottom of my face at the jawline. I have tried to fix these up by doing a short-stroke "buffing" action on them (I learned this from one of the videos), but all I've found I've done is irritated my skin and made it red for two days afterward until it heals up again. I do wet the areas and put a tad of lather on them before doing this, but I think that it's probably still too much pressure on the razor and the very aggressive Feather blade that are causing this. I tend to feel (and I believe this is a natural, almost unconscious, response) that if the whiskers are not being cut properly on the first pass, then I really have to give 'er on the razor and lean into it to make it work better. I have to realize that this is wrong and retrain myself so that it becomes pleasure, not pain. I know it's a razor, not a gardening tool!
I think, also, that using that ultra-sharp Feather blade two days in a row is a bit tough on my skin. Maybe I'd be better off to rest it and give it some space in between. Yes, I agree, I've heard that the Feathers are very aggressive blades (as is the old Injector), but l truly believe it can give a good and safe shave if properly used, so I've got to keep working on it. My Quattro isn't as aggressive, so maybe I'll keep alternating it with the Injector, as I've been doing up to now.
You guys are also right on the angle. As much as I've tried to hold the thing properly, I notice that I hear a scraping sound while shaving with the Injector, which is maybe telling me that my angle is wrong and it's scraping, not cutting cleanly.
One more question before I close out: is it possible to get some sort of infection or disease from blade shaving? I would assume it would be possible if you weren't using a sanitized razor (i.e. bought it on eBay or at a flea market and just started using it as soon as you got it home, whereupon you cut yourself), or if you used old blades from an unsealed package whose origin was unknown. I don't know if AIDS can be passed on this way (as some of the local barbers told me as a scare tactic as to why they didn't shave customers anymore), but I might guess hepatitis or even some kind of strep infection like cellulitis is possible, through a cut with an unsterile blade. I've had the strep/cellulitis thing in my knees, and it was only from tiny little scratches in the skin from kneeling down a lot in my work. I heard just today about a guy at work getting an infection in his ear from a shaving cut over the weekend, and I'm wondering if it's possible, or if that's just bogus. Thanks.