New convert here, with the scars to prove it :)

Greetings everyone!

A close friend of mine got me on to DE shaving and I have been lurking for around 4 months now.

In that time the veterans here have provided me with all that I needed to get started. Special thanks to Mantic. You Youtube vids are great and you lather techniques seem spot on.

My setup is no-frills but covers the basics.
Col Conks Amber, C.O. Bigelowe shave cream, Parker 98R DE razor and Tweezerman badger hair brush. Oh, and an assortment of DE blades.

I have always been an every other day shaver and that has not changed with the DE. My beard is thick, but slow.

My past few weeks of shaves have been learning experiences, and nicks aside very pleasant. I am thinking my technique is getting better, but the bleeding has not stopped. I will continue tweeking this. I am slow and methodical. My neck is my Achilles heel.

Well, enough rambling.

Any advice is welcome. Thank you all. You have already contributed to converting a disposable shaver to DE. It is rare to find a community as dedicated as you folks.

Welcome to the B&B! Glad u decided to join up. The neck is probably the most difficult area for anyone starting out. I'm on my phone now or I'd drop more wisdom on ya but more gents will be along shortly to help you get sorted out!

Welcome to B&B. There are a lot "goodies" to experiment with in the wonderful world of DE shaving. Enjoy!

Welcome aboard.

My neck is a pain for me too. When you have a couple days worth of beard growth take a really good long look at the direction the hair goes on it. I had to adjust my passes to compensate for the fact that the hair on MY neck grows (more or less) left to right, not up and down. I dont know if thats your problem, but it was a big stepping stone for me to figure out.

Welcome to B&B! My neck was my problem area when I first started out as well. As Loric points out, finding the direction of growth in the neck area will make the process much easier. Have fun discovering what works best for you!

Loric said:

Welcome aboard.

My neck is a pain for me too. When you have a couple days worth of beard growth take a really good long look at the direction the hair goes on it. I had to adjust my passes to compensate for the fact that the hair on MY neck grows (more or less) left to right, not up and down. I dont know if thats your problem, but it was a big stepping stone for me to figure out.

Click to expand...

What passes do you use to do your neck? Theres a spot on my neck where the hair is either ingrown or growing to the side, while the rest grows down more or less.

Welcome to the B&B! Check out the tutorials and visit often.

Welcome to B&B!

Keep practicing your technique.

Welcome mate.

Welcome to B&B and happy shaving!

The neck is trouble for a lot of us here, myself included. I've mostly gotten it down, but ended up with three weepers today. Must have been off my game. But I'll refocus and do a better job tomorrow - I probably used too much pressure.

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome to B&B!

Keep in mind, no pressure and take your time!

Welcome to B&B!! Hope you like it here; remember to take your time and enjoy the experience.

Welcome to Badger & Blade!

Welcome to the group !!

Welcome aboard sir!

Welcome!

Welcome to B&B !!

Welcome - slow and steady wins the race on the neck.

Chewie095 said:

My past few weeks of shaves have been learning experiences, and nicks aside very pleasant. I am thinking my technique is getting better, but the bleeding has not stopped. I will continue tweeking this. I am slow and methodical. My neck is my Achilles heel.

Click to expand...

When I was a stripling many years ago, using my DE resulted in the same battle scars you speak of. When I returned to my DE this summer, I wondered if it would all be repeated. To my surprise and pleasure, this has not been the case.

Looking back on it, I think that my (natural) fear of the razor caused me to be slow and methodical -- to be "careful." Now, as a quinquagenarian, my theory is that I don't fear the razor, but feel comfortable with it against my skin. The razor and I work together, rather than against each other. So while my technique might be methodical, it's less slow, less thoughtful, less careful. And maybe that's why a bleeding nick visits me only a few times a year.

So I'd suggest that you relax, don't press the razor too hard, keep the blade straight against your stroke, not too fast, and not too slow. As they say in tennis, stroke with authority.