New to DE Shaving, but still not sure..

[cjc]

Hello All,

I just made the leap (2 mos ago) from cartridge shaving with a Gilette Sensor Excel to DE shaving:

Merkur HD
Proraso / Tayors Avocado
Sample pack of blades
Edwin Jagger Best Badger

I have to admit, I getting a bit discouraged. Between neck irritation, shaving time, and lack of closeness of shave, I can't help believe that I am totally missing something.

Has anyone actually determined that it is possible to get a better shave with a cartridge?

I appreciate any guidance that you may have.

cjc

[Angus Young]

Welcome aboard. Don't get discouraged. Make sure you are going with the grain on your first pass. Check your own face with your fingers to find out what WTG is for you. My stubble on my neck grows sideways so I have to do my first pass on the neck from left to right, not downwards. Your second pass should be across the grain. Some people will go against the grain on their third pass but I just go XTG the other way and I get good results.
Make sure you relather between passes and take time getting your angle right. It will take longer to shave at first but you will get quicker soon enough.

[Petar Milas]

well it could be better, but don't mention that in this forum...

i would help if you described us your routine...

irritation can be caused by many things, bad lather, bad preshave prep, wrong angle, pressure... and so on...

have you seen mantic videos? they are really helpfull...

[njpaddy]

Hello All,
Has anyone actually determined that it is possible to get a better shave with a cartridge?
cjc

I confess that I still break out the Sensor occasionally for my lower neck if it's too irritated. (Lathering is still my weak spot.) But I try to shave at night when I'm not rushed and can enjoy it and experiment. I am getting better with the DE and the enjoyment of wetshaving and benefits to my skin make it worthwhile to stick with it. Just as with the DE, the Sensor gave me some great shaves and some not so good shaves. However the shave with the DE is consistently better than those with my Quattro, which is now in a landfill where it belongs.

[jgjoneslaw]

It is definitely possible to have a better shave than with a cartridge. Which blades have you used in the sampler pack? I started out with the derby's and had your issue of neck irritation and it took four passes to get a decently close shave. Once I moved to 7 o'clock yellows and then bluebirds I was able to get a closer shave with two passes plus touch ups. So don't give up!

[cjc]

My routine thus far:

*Wash face with warm water and Zia for men facial cleaner (I do not shower first)
*Lather up with either Taylor's or Proraso using best badger brush
*Hot towel over the lather for about 2 minutes or so
*Rinse with warm water, reapply lather
*I usually try to shave with the grain, across the grain, with the grain, across the grain, for a total of 4 passes. I rinse my face with warm water and reapply lather with every pass.
*To finish up, I rinse again with warm water, then cool water, and apply Nivea shave balm.

Regarding razor blades, I have tried Merkur, Derby, Feathers, Personna (Red), Crystal. The Merkur's seem to be the most forgiving. I keep thinking that my problem lies with the preshave. When I shave, I can actually hear the razor cutting the stubble. If my beard was soft enough, would I still hear that?

Thank you again for the help.

cjc

[BruceK]

I haven't been at it very long, in fact not as long as you so I don't feel all that qualified to give you advice but I can offer some fellow noob support. I'm sure others with way more experience will weigh in with suggestions to help.

Just based on my own experience I know the neck irritation seemed to be due to applying too much pressure with the razor, going in the wrong direction, and trying to go too fast. All things I was doing at the outset, and all because I was trying too hard to get a close shave too soon. I realized I had to accept the result I got after each shave and move on working on technique and learning my face a little more each time.

You mentioned "shave time" as a factor. It helps if you don't add that pressure on yourself. If you're feeling rushed you're going to make mistakes. Try establishing your routine at night or at another time when you can give it your undivided attention. Don't think of it as taking too long to shave, think of it giving yourself time that you deserve.

Good luck.

[Petar Milas]

I think that you'll hear the cutting sounds no matter how well your preshave was, i enjoy it actually....
regarding to preshave, you may want to try some kind of preshave oil, you can buy sth from vendors, or you can make one yourself... , there are recipes on this website... i use preshave all the time, either T&H or proraso, or kyle's prep...

i guess your lather should be ok, since you're shaving for what? 2 months? and you're using good, easy to lather shave creams...

you may want to try alum block after the shave...

and as mentioned above, take your time and enjoy... don't bother yourself with shave time... my shave takes to about 45 minutes, and i love every second of it...

[cjc]

Thanks for the advice. Does shaving a night leave you "presentable" for the next business day?

[Petar Milas]

well depends on the quality of the shave, and your beard also...

i have no problem with that, i look fine the next day if i shave in the evening...

currently i'm experimenting a bit so i'm shaving every 2 or 3 days...

[njpaddy]

Maybe it's a result of 45 years of shaving the wrong way, but no matter what I use I always have to finish with ATG to get a decent shave. I use 1-2 WTG (long strokes), XTG, ATG, then some addl touch ups along chin line, jaw and upper lip. I'm still testing blades, lather and technique to find the best combo so I'm not looking for perfection, just slight improvements.

There's a youtube how to shave video titled GentlemansShop from someone who does not use ATG. There may be a few things you can try from that one. I wish it was as easy as he makes it look.

I don't really need to shave for work so shaving at night is good enough. Also much of it is grey so it takes a bit longer to show.

[BruceK]

Maybe it's a result of 45 years of shaving the wrong way, but no matter what I use I always have to finish with ATG to get a decent shave. I use 1-2 WTG (long strokes), XTG, ATG, then some addl touch ups along chin line, jaw and upper lip. I'm still testing blades, lather and technique to find the best combo so I'm not looking for perfection, just slight improvements.

There's a youtube how to shave video titled GentlemansShop from someone who does not use ATG. There may be a few things you can try from that one. I wish it was as easy as he makes it look.

I'm more or less the same way. I do need to do some ATG to get a smooth shave. It took about three weeks before my face was ready for it though. Changing to a different blade helped a lot too.

I've been shaving at night for the most part and yes, it's been more or less presentable. Less when I started, more recently. Also, since my technique and confidence have improved I've been transitioning to mornings.

[opliko]

My routine thus far:

*Wash face with warm water and Zia for men facial cleaner (I do not shower first)
*Lather up with either Taylor's or Proraso using best badger brush
*Hot towel over the lather for about 2 minutes or so
*Rinse with warm water, reapply lather
*I usually try to shave with the grain, across the grain, with the grain, across the grain, for a total of 4 passes. I rinse my face with warm water and reapply lather with every pass.
*To finish up, I rinse again with warm water, then cool water, and apply Nivea shave balm.

Regarding razor blades, I have tried Merkur, Derby, Feathers, Personna (Red), Crystal. The Merkur's seem to be the most forgiving. I keep thinking that my problem lies with the preshave. When I shave, I can actually hear the razor cutting the stubble. If my beard was soft enough, would I still hear that?

Thank you again for the help.

cjc

Try cutting out your second with the grain pass so you are doing WTG XTG XTG, and another thing you can try is not washing the face before you shave. Try one change at a time to see the effects.

Like others already said before me make sure there's no or little pressure on the neck, I get irritation too if I use too much pressure. Also as already stated make sure you know which way your beard grows. Initially I thought mine was N-S but I noticed it actually went E-W on my neck.

Dave

[JPM]

I'm pretty new, but I'm getting much better shaves with my DE than the Fusion 5 blade I was using. I got irritation and nicks at first, probably because I was trying 3 and 4 passes and too much pressure. Now I do one WTG and one ATG and a few minor touchups and the shaves have improved greatly.

I hope it works out for you.

[kingfisher]

I went back to a Sensor Excel this morning and had an incredibly close, comfortable two-pass shave. I've been working on DE for 6 months now, and I still got a better shave this morning with the Sensor.

Having said that, the shaves I get on a daily basis with my DE are better than most people's cartridge shaves. I'd say my DE shaves are in the 98th percentile in terms of quality when compared with the average Joe's cartridge shave.

But I can still get a BETTER shave with the Sensor Excel than I can get with my DE.

[cjc]

kingfisher:

Does it not seem totally ironic that you could get a better with the Sensor Excel? I guess I am just reluctant to go there. Maybe because I've invested a small fortune (ha!) on my shaving stuff. The funny thing is, the excel cartridges are really not that much money compared to the rest of the multi-blade cartridges.

cjc

[mdunn]

MUCH closer shave & less irritation for me.

[DougK]

Since I started wetshaving, I've gotten great shaves every morning no matter what razor I use as long as I use a good cream or soap, a quality brush, good lathering technique, and good razor technique.

I'll admit that I have only shaved occasionally with a cartridge razor since I started wetshaving rather than every day, but I suspect I'd have a lot fewer problems with skin irritation now than I did when I was using canned goo. The DE razor is more fun to use, though.

I've got a fair number of Trac II cartridges in the drawer to use up, I may have to experiment for a week and see what happens.

[shaven-haven]

Has anyone actually determined that it is possible to get a better shave with a cartridge?

I appreciate any guidance that you may have.

cjc

Hi cjc

I am also struggling with irritation, I do think I got better shaves with a cartridge (in my case Gillette Blue II), but I love the paraphernalia with DE shaving.

I can usually tell the reason why I get bad shaves, for example I managed to hack my neck to pieces on Saturday by using a crap blade and not having a good lather.

Switch blade today, and used TOBS Rose to get better lather and less problems.

The guys here will help out, usual thing is pressure, but also the fact that you and you alone are responsible for changing the razors angle.

For example using my Gillette Blue II, I would shave upwards on my neck all the way to my chin, but with a DE you have to appreciate that

1) The hair may grow in a different direction
2) The bit just below your chin is at a completely different angle to that at the bottom of your neck and if you just keep the same stroke all the way up, your going to do some damage or just not cut anything.

There's enough people on here who swear by DE and clearly believe it leaves their skin in a better condition.

I have just discovered Nuage Men Shaving Oil which I picked up in my local Sainsbury for 99p, it is very smooth, has menthol and leaves your skin feeling nice.

[L. Martino]

Hi there cjc,

I'm gonna suggest something that may or may not take care of your problems. This advice is what I found works best for me, and maybe the same will apply to you as well...........who knows.

I've found that no matter how good my prep, lather, and technique is, there are some razors that will just not give me a comfortable shave. Most superspeeds are like that for some reason, plus other more aggressive razors have the same result. It's only by trying many razors over the years that I found out what's up.

After two months your lather and technique should be pretty darn good. You should be getting consistantly close and comfortable shaves at this point. If not, then I'd consider trying a razor like a Tech or a Gillette adjustable set on a low number(like3). The good news is that you have lots of experience now, and should notice a difference right away when using a new razor.

Maybe buy or ask to borrow one of those two types, and see if that doesn't take care of any issues. I've never used the Merkur you own, but have heard it's a little on the aggressive side. This may be the cause of irritation if your face isn't suited for that.

Heh, this 'hobby' does take some tweaking to get right, but don't be discouraged. The rewards are worth the time and effort.

Martin