First Method Shave

**tokane929** · 12-08-2009, 05:02 PM

Just finished my first Method Shave.
I feel bad, and Charles, if you're reading, I am sorry. I'm a paramedic up in a busy city outside of Boston, and in the middle of a busy day, I curtly emailed Enchante regarding my order of the starter kit. I promptly received an apologetic letter back and realizing my rudeness i too apologized. Then I got an email I never expected.
"Once you get started, please give me a call so that I can personally assist you."
After all that, I was floored by the man's eagerness to help. But, I bring it to you all first. It is the holidays and I'm sure he has a lot of orders to fill.
By the way, it was in the mailbox when I got home...

So excited to open the box, working on about 14hrs growth. I have been wetshaving for the last 2 months without much luck. Definitely better than my electric, and that was better than the fusion/fusion gel. Still quite a bit of irritation and a few ingrown hairs. Started with a kit off of amazon, have upgraded a little bit with some improvement. Now I'm working with:
Simpson Chubby 1 Superbadger brush,
Merkur HD
Derby Blades
C&E Nomad Soap and Aftershave.

I've tried with the grain, across the grain. Gave up on against the grain when I started getting terrible acne along my cheekbones. I'm trying to use as little pressure as possible, but still I'm getting redness, irritation and a few ingrown hairs.

Method shave kit includes: Shave cloth, #2 cutting balm, #2 paste and a French vegetable soap.

First shave.
Started off very well. The cloth created a very thick, bouncy lather from the soap and few squirts of cutting balm. Add the paste right to the face and I had what looked like a very good mixture based off the shaving101.com video. First form and spread the mix, repeat first form, spread the mix. I did this about 3-4 times per "quadrant" (learning the terms). Even on the first form I could feel a little sting with the mix and/or shave.
Rinse, begin form 2. This went alright. Some slag from the soap. I've been practicing this form as my XTG before. Again, stretch the mix. 2 passes here.
3rd form. This was what worried me, but it was much easier than I thought. Again rinsed before, slag and added some cutting balm. The tough area was upper throat and chin, but all along the jawline, with a few small exceptions as well as the rest of my face and neck are cleaner than any attempt wetshaving.

Problems:
I think I should aim to be more like Mantic59's style, slow and precise, rather than Charles' video of quick and aggressive. I think I went a little too fast too early. I was bleeding pretty badly afterwards, face reddened and blotchy around the jaw. When I put some of the C&E Aftershave on, might as well been tobasco. My face was on fire.
Its been about 10min now, the fire is gone. This was definitely the closest shave I've ever had, but I really need to work on my technique. Tomorrow night, slower is the key.
In the future, when I know that this is something I'll want to invest in, I'll look at the Activator and aftershave from Enchante, as well as any suggestions you gentlemen have.

I will try to keep this updated at least these first few days until I can get a good system down, any input you guys have is greatly appreciated.

Tim

**Austin** · 12-08-2009, 05:11 PM

Welcome to B&B Tim. It sounds like a good start. Call Charles anytime. He will be happy to help you.

**msandoval858** · 12-08-2009, 07:51 PM

Definately slow down. The biggest misconception about Charles' shaving is that people think you have to cut like he does in the video. That video is really meant as his way of demonstrating the products capability to cut much faster than traditional soap and creams can. If you are new to the process, you need to learn how to get the mixing and cutting process down before you start trying to speed it up or do anything advanced with it.

You'll find that Charles is always more than willing to help and stands behind his system 100%. Give it some time, you'll find it to be well worth the investment.

**Zombasaur** · 12-08-2009, 07:59 PM

A quick note to maybe help you out. Don't rinse between forms. Keep whatever you have on your face and reapply the slag. The cutting balm will stay on your skin and provide cushion for later in your shave. And call Charles 2 or 3 times. He'll help you on any questions you have even faster than you can get an answer here!

**rickboone1** · 12-08-2009, 08:03 PM

You say Charles' style is quick and aggressive. Think about the video. "Floating the steel gentlemen, floating the steel..." Literally just barely floating that tool across your face like you're dragging a string.

**tokane929** · 12-09-2009, 01:38 AM

all good points. thanks guys. I'll give these a try.

**tsmba** · 12-09-2009, 06:40 AM

Take your time and experiment. Speed-shaving should NOT be a goal (we must learn to walk before we can fly). When I first started we-shaving, I picked up on technique fairly quickly. My biggest obstacle was overcoming 30+yrs of poor habits (something I still work on). When I began MS, I found I still had much to learn!

**snufflesdarkness** · 12-09-2009, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by Zombasaur

A quick note to maybe help you out. Don't rinse between forms. Keep whatever you have on your face and reapply the slag. The cutting balm will stay on your skin and provide cushion for later in your shave. And call Charles 2 or 3 times. He'll help you on any questions you have even faster than you can get an answer here!

Zombasaur caught a critical part of your shave which probably led to your cut. You rinsed between the forms. This is a habit from dry shaving which usually requires it. But the hydration of your skin is from initial mix with cube/round, and cutting balm. When you rinsed between the forms, you are essentially creating extremely high velocity environment for your skin. Which is opposite kind of environment you want with each pass. You want to slow down velocity of razor with each pass that reduces your beard. What happens as your mix is laying around, it will evaporate, and beauty of MS I learned from Charles is that you can "irrigate" the mix again and vice versa.

If you watch the first video on creating a mix with cloth, Charles uses the activator included with cube and cutting balm. Otherwise it was created for people who used brushes with less dense breach then shave master brushes to create the mix. I use activator as part of my mix with the cloth. Its useful, as I learned from Charles you can mix activator and cutting balm to final gloss shaving on your face.

Otherwise the aftershave balm is incredible for moisturize your face after a shave. Then I use aftershave splash like TH 1805 on top of it.

**xbostonirishx** · 12-09-2009, 07:49 PM

Welcome to B&B from another Boston B&Ber

**MacMelvyn** · 12-10-2009, 06:33 AM

Thanks for your time and feedback Tim,
Not a small thing in today's market-madness, AKA Christmas, Yule Tide, etc.
The queue at the PO yesterday snaked back all the way out of the shop!

I got the same starter-kit you did, a couple of months ago, but didn't make a good start by getting quite a wicked head-cold with ancillary cold-sores. It actually took until last week before really start testing the way.

There is no doubt in my mind that Charles' products have raised the bar a notch or two but as Charles is the first to say, this stuff needs learning.

The Shave Cloth is as cute as they come, I have not used a brush since I got it. The simple smell of the Citrus/Olive soap permeates down to parts that other, much more expensive products, don't seem to reach.

These are Bona-Fide products not much left to guesswork, the (only!) hitch is we have to learn and test individually the exact way forward. As Charles mentions in the video, it's not painting-by-numbers (I think Charles uses a better analogy!).

Á propos videos; Charles mentioned there will be more coming!

Well thanks again for the feedback Tim and the support mails, it's all such a help.

Expect my 2p's worth quite soon too.

All the best to the very best for now,

**tsmba** · 12-10-2009, 06:50 AM

I keep checking youtube for those new videos but nothing has come out. Last I checked, all the videos were gone.

**tokane929** · 12-10-2009, 07:18 AM

So I gave it about 36hrs before my 2nd shave. No work today, yay. Yesterday, fortunately we had a snowstorm, turning to sleet, to freezing rain. I say fortunately because I dealt with enough car accidents and getting my ambulance stuck enough to not notice my very tight, reddened and recovering face. Also, it wasn't a dry day so that had some saving grace.
This morning I had what maybe would account for a 5 o'clock shadow on my face, after 36 hours? Wow. I still had a small amount of irritation on my neck, tiny ingrown hairs and the such. I again started with copious amounts of hot water, let the cloth and round soak for about a minute and lathered up with a few squirts of cutting balm. I am really liking this cloth. While it doesn't have the elegance I've been expecting from my $160 brush, it creates an incredible lather; very thick, very hydrated, and it cost a fraction of my super badger brush. And the paste also I am a fan of. I can see how this 2oz. tub will last me a long time, it seems to take all that thick and foamy lather and condense it into a, like the video says, wet mask. This is similar to the "dry lathering" i was using based on Kyle's soap generation post.
I went much, much slower today. I didn't follow Charles' example of pass and stretch. I shaved totally, reapplied slag, which re-created the mask (I'm guessing because the paste was still on the skin) and redid the first form.
I had one issue with this, when I got to the neck, I noticed that I couldn't see where the mask was anymore, I'm guessing it was a little too dry and needed to be irrigated as one of you said.
2nd form, on the face it was great. Upper neck pretty good. Lower neck, not so much. Probably a combination of old irritation and new irritation.
Re-slag, add some cutting balm, reapply, again same mask generation. 3rd form. Upper face very good. Jaw line some irritation. Upper neck ok, some irritation. Lower neck I'm still doing N-S. Afterwards stretched and used a little slag to buff up some spots, mostly around my jaw line, which is always my issue. Rinsed heavily, and then rinsed again with hot water. I did not add in witch hazel this time, nor rinse with cold water. I just applied the C&E aftershave (much less burn this time) and air dried.
Overall much better. A couple nicks on my neck, just around my throat, not entirely sure how to cut there and the chin on the 3rd form. I end up cutting S-N on the throat and side to side on the chin. Still a good amount of irritation though, but I'm accounting the previous irritation and maybe a dry mix to that.

I think I might just get the activator and aftershave conditioner. This C&E Nomad a/s I have tends to burn every time, not just from method shaving. I hear a lot of talk about the activator as a glossing agent, I'm guessing from the video and your posts that with cutting balm for the 3rd form it further protects from what irritation I'm getting. The small bottle of cutting balm I don't think will last me long. Is there anything else I need?

**tsmba** · 12-10-2009, 01:30 PM

I use very little cutting balm....just a little for the initial mix. If you are "stretching the mix", you shouldn't have any coverage problems. I also took up the tip about not rinsing between passes and found it helpful. I use the mix created in the cloth for both form #1 passes. From then onward, I use a hand-mixed slag of primer and activator.

It took me some time to adjust to the forms, but it is time well-spent. I still use soaps and creams some days and have found that learning the forms helps my shaving no matter how I do it. As to irritation, I also had some at first. Doing the RMWS took me to a new degree of closeness, and my face had to adjust. Tweaking you mix and techniques can solve most problems. If not, a call to Charles or Jean will do the trick, they are excellent trouble-shooters!

**tokane929** · 12-10-2009, 01:49 PM

Thanks Tsmba, and everyone. I seem to see the same names come up in this forum, some other b&b threads and on the hydrolast page. Feels like I'm really talking to some experts here.
Tsmba, I think you're right, this is much, much closer than I was used to so that will account for a good amount of irritation. I'm going to probably do the first form in the morning before work, and take the weekend off, recharge and come back Sunday night fresh.
I did splurge a little bit. Even with the slight burn, this has been my best shave, and most enjoyable yet. Hope Charles has a good Christmas with the money I spent. Activator, Cutting balm, finishing balm, tonic and conditioner. Go big I suppose. I went with the Lime and Green tea for the scented options. The 2oz paste I have now should last a while. Until then, I'll remember to go slow. The video says not to take foam from the cloth again, but if it works for you I'll give it a shot for the 2nd pass.
Thanks again guys

**Zombasaur** · 12-10-2009, 06:14 PM

I was having burn on my 3rd quadrant also. Charles told me to watch the angle of my razor. As you pull the handle farther away from your skin, it drives the blade deeper into your skin, creating that burn. If you keep the razor handle closer to your skin, you will have the blade glide across your skin. You have the tendency to get burn on the 3rd quadrant due to the change in angle from 2nd to 3rd quadrant, so you might be pulling the razor too much.

**Bright (Satin) Futur** · 12-16-2009, 04:18 PM

Like the song, ' . . Slow down, you're goin' too fast. Try to make the morning (ritual) last . . ." No pressure. No stress. And don't for get to watch your blade angle to smooth out the rough parts under the chin.