several shaves

today was my 3rd shave this week. on thursday i mentioned that i wasn't getting a close shave. everyone had various reasons and encouraged me to keep on. friday was the same. used mach 3 yesterday. did it again today. in the middle of shaving i remembered what mantic said in his video. de shaving is about hair reduction NOT hair removal. that made the difference. once i remembered that, i eagerly did a 2nd pass. the end result was like thursday...there is no difference between using the cartridge and canned foam and 2 passes from a de shave. but someone had said i wanna make sure my face is used to de razor before i move on to 3 and 4 passes.

so in the end, i wasn't dissapointed. there was no pain. no cuts. no nicks. at one point i was sure i was adding pressure and had to stop myself. but it just seems as if the blade isn't cutting as much as i thought it would cut. BUT, i ain't complaining. the whole reason for the switch was to eliminate pain. so, i'm satisfied. now i'm wondering if i should try other blades for comparison. but i'll think about that later.

any other suggestions? i don't feel anything is wrong and after reading half a billion posts on here i've come to learn that the correct way to shave is whatever works for the individual. but as someone who's new to this, i just wanna know if you verterans have anything to pass on.

i still don't enjoy shaving and don't think i ever will, but so long as there is no pain, that's a good thing.

suppose i should tell you what i'm using
gillette tech
personna blade
vdh soap

I used to think the same thing as you... but I was wrong. I DO enjoy shaving now. I wonder if you're using different directional passes for your 2nd stroke? Unless you're getting razor burn on that 2nd pass... why wouldn't you go ahead and try for a 3rd pass? I think it's pretty obvious that if you're ascribing to the hair "reduction" method, and you're not getting all of it... you must need to reduce it even more!

Try the 3 stage reduction, that's what works best for me. 1st stage, with the grain... mostly downward on my face. 2nd stage, Cross the grain (CTG)... upward all over my face, then finally Against the Grain (ATG) mostly from my ears towards my nose on just my neck, chin and jaw line (my trouble spots). Don't forget the nice alcohol based aftershave (unless you very terribly dry skin perhaps)... I highly recommend Aqua Velva Ice Blue.

I agree! I use three passes and it works great and creates a really nice shave. I have to be careful because sometimes ATG can create problems on my neck, but overall the technique works for me.

Ironman06 said:

I used to think the same thing as you... but I was wrong. I DO enjoy shaving now. I wonder if you're using different directional passes for your 2nd stroke? Unless you're getting razor burn on that 2nd pass... why wouldn't you go ahead and try for a 3rd pass? I think it's pretty obvious that if you're ascribing to the hair "reduction" method, and you're not getting all of it... you must need to reduce it even more!

Try the 3 stage reduction, that's what works best for me. 1st stage, with the grain... mostly downward on my face. 2nd stage, Cross the grain (CTG)... upward all over my face, then finally Against the Grain (ATG) mostly from my ears towards my nose on just my neck, chin and jaw line (my trouble spots). Don't forget the nice alcohol based aftershave (unless you very terribly dry skin perhaps)... I highly recommend Aqua Velva Ice Blue.

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Since I have not followed this thread closely, maybe my take is way out of line, but I have to say that I believe that brush work and lather are the single most important way to get a good shave. If you can succeed in making great lather, you will get a good shave no matter what soap or razor you use. Here is my last two days experience.

I just came back from a trip where I bought a Geo. Trumper's Rose shaving soap. I had never used Trumper's before, so I carefully created a very rich lather (I always face lather) and got a fantastic shave. The shave was both exceptionally comfortable and close (BBS). I was so impressed that I thought I had found the Holy Grail of shaving soap.

Today I used my old Williams puck in a mug, making sure to get the best lather I could manage. My shave was almost as good this morning as it was yesterday. A little less comfortable, but still quite close.

Why? Brush work is the only answer. I think if you spend at least one minute, better if you spend up to two minutes lathering your face, you will find that brushing the lather into your beard will result in a superior shaving experience. YMMV.

praetorian2000 said:

now i'm wondering if i should try other blades for comparison. but i'll think about that later.

any other suggestions?

i still don't enjoy shaving and don't think i ever will, but so long as there is no pain, that's a good thing.

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Yes, definitely try other blades. I highly suggest getting a razor blade sampler pack from Westcoastshaving.com, Bullgooseshaving.com, or another online vendor. Blades work differently for different people.

I also recommend getting a shaving soap that you enjoy. Pick your favorite scent, and buy a soap from a well respected vendor. You may also want to try a shaving cream. The reviews section can help you pick a brand. To start, I recommend a shaving cream from Proraso, Nancy Boy, or Taylor of Old Bond Street (TOBS). You will not enjoy your shave if you don't have quality lather in a scent you enjoy. If you are not enjoying your shave, I suspect a sub-par lather.

Good luck, and welcome to B&B!