First DE Shave - No Blood, Mediocre Shave

I've been working on wet shaving and lathering techniques over the past few weeks while sticking with cartridge razors. I had my first DE shave this morning after some equipment arrived in the mail over the past few days (still waiting for a sampler pack from David at RazorBladesAndMore.com):

- Shaving Factory (Ming Shui) DE Razor
- Derby Blades
- Shaving Factory XS Boar Brush
- Target Home Porcelain Bowl
- Proraso (Bigelow) Creme
- Proraso Aftershave Splash
- Nivea Sensitive Balm

I showered for about 10 minutes, washing with Bigelow Mentha soap. The brush was soaking in warm/hot water while I was in the shower. I dried off while leaving my face wet, wetting again at the sink with warm water. I then squeezed out the brush and set to lathering some Proraso creme. I applied the lather and let it set on my face while I opened a Derby blade, inserted it in the razor, and tightened things down.

I began with a WTG pass, starting at the sideburns and working in, down to the jaw line. I stayed WTG above the lip and on the chin. I then went XTG across each jawline ridge and ATG up the neck. This is my traditional cartridge face map, knowing the directions my air grows.

I ended up with an extremely comfortable but mediocre shave. No nicks, cuts, or weepers and only one scratch on my neck from the end/corner of the blade. Since I didn't have anywhere to be today, I got brave and re-lathered and went ATG everywhere. Again, no nicks or cuts but a bit of upper-lip redness/irritation. I was probably subconsciously adding undue pressure as well, causing the upper lip redness. The resulting shave was closer, but still not cartridge close. I touched up a few spots, but figured I'd call it a day before I got frustrated and made a bloody mistake.

I know I have a lot of technique to develop, but I also think the Ming Shui + Derby combo might be overly mild, even for a complete beginner. I tried my best to maintain zero pressure, but the razor/blade combo was removing very little hair and not very closely at all. Under inspection, there is extremely little exposed blade. I played with the mechanism and found that a 1/4 turn loosening exposed more blade and shallowed the blade angle, but given the overall build quality I was afraid to make a pass like this in fear of it loosening further and causing a huge gash. The razor is also rather light, weighing in at only 50 grams, and balances about 20% of the way down the handle.

I know I should continue to develop my technique with minimal changes to other variables, but I've tracked down a good deal on a '70s Super Adjustable from a B&B member... I think this would be a better built, heavier razor with actual adjustment mechanism for me to dial in the amount of blade exposure I need for a real close shave. I think I'm going to bite and continue trying the Derby blades in that razor before I move to the sampler pack. If I can't get where I want with the Super Adjustable + Derby with the 8-9 blades I have left, then I'll move into the sampler and see where I get. Anyone see error in this line of thought?

A smooth, close (not necessarily BBS), and consistent shave is my end goal. I'm not adverse to investing to get there, but I'm hoping I have most of what I need to get there without any more major purchases, and would love it if the economy of DE blades could recoup the modest upfront cost.

Welcome to B&B!

Your beginning shave is a great success. All you have to do now is keep doing it. It will get better with practice, whether you upgrade your gear or not. Keep watching your results, vary angle and pressure as needed, and you will do just fine.

It is a good idea to try one of the known-good DE razors, just to make sure about your gear. Also, you may want two razors around. At least, you will gain a point of comparison.

You got a first DE shave without major harm. Good!

I don't go ATG on the upper lip. Across the grain there is good enough for me.

I'll try XTG on the upper lip as that's where I generally get the most redness/irritation regardless of the tool. In the past I've actually been more scared to go XTG on the upper lip in fear of slicing my lip, but I'll give it a try.

Congrats on the bloodless 1st attempt. Don't worry - the first few DE shaves are not going to be spectacular as you unlearn bad habits and learn new techniques.

Small strokes and proper blade angle are the key to getting effective shave passes. If, after a couple weeks in, you still think you're not getting a close enough shave, a different razor may be in order. Derbys are plenty sharp enough to get you a very smooth face.

I was trying long smooth strokes from top to bottom... maybe that's part of my problem. I'll shorten them up next go around. I may also need to rinse more often... In my haste to figure out my technique I noticed I'd shaved my whole right side without rinsing.

As for the Derby blades, I'm confident they can do the job. It's the Ming Shui razor I'm affraid may be a bit too mild. I'll be using it for at least another week since my Super Adjustable won't ship until tomorrow at the earliest.

nehpets4627 said:

I was trying long smooth strokes from top to bottom... maybe that's part of my problem. As for the Derby blades, I'm confident they can do the job. It's the Ming Shui razor I'm affraid may be a bit too mild. I'll be using it for at least another week since my Super Adjustable won't ship until tomorrow at the earliest.

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Long strokes are probably ambitious at this point. They work for carts, since the cart head swivels. If you do long strokes with a DE, well you can, but you have to change the angle as you go. That takes practice.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

I'm not much for razors others have used, but if you find that acceptable, good for you!

Personally, it took me about 3 weeks of acceptable shaves to learn how to handle my Merkur Futur. Now, I'm in love with it and it gives med BBS shaves.

Just keep going. You'll get there.

)
Perkus

Perkus said:

Thanks for sharing your experience!

I'm not much for razors others have used, but if you find that acceptable, good for you!

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Doesn't bother me a bit, especially after a disinfecting and polish.

Perkus said:

Personally, it took me about 3 weeks of acceptable shaves to learn how to handle my Merkur Futur. Now, I'm in love with it and it gives med BBS shaves.

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That's starting with a pretty aggressive razor to begin with though... I'm just not sure how close I can ever get with the Ming Shui, which is pretty similar to the Weishi razors.

Good work!

nehpets4627 said:

A smooth, close (not necessarily BBS), and consistent shave is my end goal. I'm not adverse to investing to get there, but I'm hoping I have most of what I need to get there without any more major purchases, and would love it if the economy of DE blades could recoup the modest upfront cost.

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Good, sound thinking. Go slow and with time everything will fall in line.

Second shave this morning. Used short strokes. Went WTG then ATG wit relather in-between, WTG and XTG across upper lip, XTG both passes on jawline. Still feel like I'm using more pressure than should be necessary. Used short strokes which was better and did maintain more consistent blade angle, but also made it feel like scraping at times, especially on the initial pass. I used a fresh blade to eliminate blade wear as a variable. Better than yesterday, but still not as good as my best M3 shaves, and not close enough to skip shaving tomorrow (every other day is my goal). Will keep plugging along but hope to have a Super Adjustable and blade sampler in hand by the end of the week, and maybe that will accelerate the progress, as the Ming Shui just feels light and entirely too mild.

Good Work!! It will take time to develop your technique with a DE, but I am sure that you will get awesome shaves with time.

I don't know if you have been told this before or not.......
Never stop the razor stroke with it resting against your skin. The razor must be moving at all times or you might find yourself grabbing for the styptic.
Congrats on the first DE shave.

Great first shave. And welcome to B&B.

The above gentlemen are correct in stating that it will take time to learn the exact technique that works for you. There will also be some skin adjustments over time that will result in you getting a closer shave.

Primarily, I would say that the reason your final product wasn't cartridge close was that you were probably concerned with nicking yourself and therefore used less than the recommended 30 degree angle. Therefore, while the blade was very gentle on your skin, you basically just shaved off the tips of the hairs, and didn't skim them from the surface of your face.

Good luck on continuing to develop your technique. I've been at this for a bit now, and I still have issues. Half the fun is seeing the goal get closer and closer as you get better and better.

Off to a great start and things will get better and better !! Welcome !!

Third shave this morning. Still improving with each try. More passes, less pressure, and added King of Shave Alpha Oil under the Proraso Creme I had been using. Went WTG, WTG, ATG, ATG, with a few XTG touch ups. One weeper at the corner of my lip, but it closed up with cold water. A little neck irritation and a little drying, but the latter is probably more weather related (in the midst of the ATL ice storm). The most drastic improvement has been that my Shaving Factory XS Boar is almost completely funk free after 3 shaves and 3 nights of dawn soap / drying-lather break-in.

I still feel the Shaving Factory (Ming Shui) razor is too mild, but I finally have a black handle Super Adjustable on its way and hopefully it will make it by this weekend. Should also have a blade sampler arriving whenever the next time the mail carrier decides to brave the ice, and picked up a larger mixed blade bag from the B/S/T section. I should have enough blades to last a year or more and around 14 different types of blades to try if I've counted right.

The strange thing I'm noticing is that even as my shave is getting closer, my beard seems to be MORE visible even when cut extremely close, almost as if dark hair is showing through from under the skin. I'm in my late 20's so I doubt DE shaving is darkening/thickening my beard this late in the game, especially after only 3 shaves.

Welcome to B&B! Your first shave is actually a great success. Your technique will improve in time and you will be getting the best shaves of your life!

Fourth shave this morning. Another modification to the routine... went WTG, WTG, ATG, then more focused touch-ups. I also re-applied the King of Shave oil but not lather before doing touch-ups... this helped greatly in being able to see and feel where touch-ups were necessary.

Still dealing with some slight irritation, but again, I still feel like this stems from the Ming Shui razor being too mild leading to applying more pressure to get the closeness I'm looking for. Also still getting some dryness, but once more, I'm in the middle of the ATL Ice Blizzard and we keep our heat around 68 degrees. I've got in the habit of applying Nivea Sensitive Balm right after my Proraso aftershave splash, then again roughly 15-20 min later (after getting dressed, right before walking out the door).

Your razor is fine - at worst you might need an extra pass to clean up stragglers, but it's plenty sharp enough to give you a great shave.

The problem is partly lack of technique (which will resolve itself over time) and the need to adjust your expectations downward during the learning phase (aim for irritation free shaves, closeness will come in time.)

Go West Young Man said:

Your razor is fine - at worst you might need an extra pass to clean up stragglers, but it's plenty sharp enough to give you a great shave.

The problem is partly lack of technique (which will resolve itself over time) and the need to adjust your expectations downward during the learning phase (aim for irritation free shaves, closeness will come in time.)

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I agree that my technique will develop over time. I also agree that the blade is more than likely fine. I just think the razor itself is too mild to take advantage of what is probably a fine blade.