Hello all,
I'm a fresh convert to the wonderful world of DE shaving.
Bare with me for a bit a background. Being in my late 20s, I was enslaved by the gillette corporation. First with the Sensor, then Mach 3 and recently the Fusion Power. The lather always came out of a can.
Last week, I went for a facial and the cute therapist convinced me that I wanted to buy Decleor's shaving oil. So I did. Having spent nearly 50 Euros on shaving-ware, I felt bad using my regular shaving gear. Having recently watched Mad Men's entire collection, I was all pumped up for a retrosexual change of persona. So I bought a Merkur Vision (yeah, the gaps are uneven, but I can't be bothered to send it back or attempt to fix it myself). I also invested in some cream from The Art of Shaving along with an Edwin Jagger's super badger brush and an antifog mirror. Then went scouring the internet for information (big thanks to all B&B contributors!).
First attempt was last Sunday. Noticed a bump the next day, but no cuts or nicks thus far. A lot of missed spots the first day, but it tended to improve. The trick, it seems is no pressure (can't be emphasized enough, especially with a monster like the Vision), good prep' and patience. My shaves take around 30 minutes. Whereas it previously barely took 4 minutes in total (no prep' whatsover!).
So...two years or so ago, I was meeting a friend to head to a party and he asked me if I was growing a mustache -- six-seven hours right after I had shaved. This prompted me to look carefully in the mirror and I realized that I had tree trunks for a mustache while the rest of my beard is patchy and non-uniform. So I added a minute every morning to shave ATG with my Mach 3, and as you might have guessed, it lead to ingrown hair. For a long time, I had no idea what those puss-filled things were. It got so bad that couldn't leave the house. I ended up at a doctor's office and he explained that it was nothing to be worried about and it would probably go away if I refrained from shaving ATG. So I did and my shaves were far from close, but at least I was infection free. That was back when I shaved with those gadgets.
After switching to DEs, and going against common sense and all the advice in this forum, I decided to add a 4th ATG pass this morning. Some skin irritation but this bloody mustache wouldn't disappear. Am I genetically doomed to have a greenish color around my mouth or will my shaves get closer as I gain more experience? I'm from North Africa. White skin, but curly hair. And I hear that I have Turkish ancestry (which might explain the unavoidable mustache shadow).
Also, I noticed that some around here use the gap unevenness of the Vision as a feature. Is it advisable? Like starting the 1st passes with the side that has the smallest or biggest gap and change it for subsequent ones. Or should I just ditch it and get a Merkur HD or Progress? I never shaved with a DE before so I can't judge the difference...but I really like the weight of the Vision. I have big hands and anything less than the Vision seems like it would feel too small. I feel the onset of RAD...help!
Sorry for the rambling.
I'm a fresh convert to the wonderful world of DE shaving.
Bare with me for a bit a background. Being in my late 20s, I was enslaved by the gillette corporation. First with the Sensor, then Mach 3 and recently the Fusion Power. The lather always came out of a can.
Last week, I went for a facial and the cute therapist convinced me that I wanted to buy Decleor's shaving oil. So I did. Having spent nearly 50 Euros on shaving-ware, I felt bad using my regular shaving gear. Having recently watched Mad Men's entire collection, I was all pumped up for a retrosexual change of persona. So I bought a Merkur Vision (yeah, the gaps are uneven, but I can't be bothered to send it back or attempt to fix it myself). I also invested in some cream from The Art of Shaving along with an Edwin Jagger's super badger brush and an antifog mirror. Then went scouring the internet for information (big thanks to all B&B contributors!).
First attempt was last Sunday. Noticed a bump the next day, but no cuts or nicks thus far. A lot of missed spots the first day, but it tended to improve. The trick, it seems is no pressure (can't be emphasized enough, especially with a monster like the Vision), good prep' and patience. My shaves take around 30 minutes. Whereas it previously barely took 4 minutes in total (no prep' whatsover!).
So...two years or so ago, I was meeting a friend to head to a party and he asked me if I was growing a mustache -- six-seven hours right after I had shaved. This prompted me to look carefully in the mirror and I realized that I had tree trunks for a mustache while the rest of my beard is patchy and non-uniform. So I added a minute every morning to shave ATG with my Mach 3, and as you might have guessed, it lead to ingrown hair. For a long time, I had no idea what those puss-filled things were. It got so bad that couldn't leave the house. I ended up at a doctor's office and he explained that it was nothing to be worried about and it would probably go away if I refrained from shaving ATG. So I did and my shaves were far from close, but at least I was infection free. That was back when I shaved with those gadgets.
After switching to DEs, and going against common sense and all the advice in this forum, I decided to add a 4th ATG pass this morning. Some skin irritation but this bloody mustache wouldn't disappear. Am I genetically doomed to have a greenish color around my mouth or will my shaves get closer as I gain more experience? I'm from North Africa. White skin, but curly hair. And I hear that I have Turkish ancestry (which might explain the unavoidable mustache shadow).
Also, I noticed that some around here use the gap unevenness of the Vision as a feature. Is it advisable? Like starting the 1st passes with the side that has the smallest or biggest gap and change it for subsequent ones. Or should I just ditch it and get a Merkur HD or Progress? I never shaved with a DE before so I can't judge the difference...but I really like the weight of the Vision. I have big hands and anything less than the Vision seems like it would feel too small. I feel the onset of RAD...help!
Sorry for the rambling.