Frustrated

Okay.Well i put in new shark blade today.It is fourth shave with shark.Man i got weepers and one cut looks like a little piece of skin real little where cut is.Burning a little today.I finished with cold rinse.Put on witch hazel then nivea sensitive ASB.Man i am beggining to doubt myself on this DE thing.But i have to keep going.I spent too much money to quit now.Shaves are pretty good but not all that great.I am trying hard to use no pressure.I have to shave everyday.I Notice that i am going over some places without cream because it looks like it didnt cut nothing.Trying not to do this because i know it is a no no.I probably could lather up 5 times and not get everything.But just wanted to let know how it went.Tomorrow is another day.

oh i forgot tried luc lather on face job.IT works with not too much clean up.

A noobie here too =).

Not an expert, but what many people have said is WORK ON YOUR ANGLE AND PREP....looking to the pics of the correct angle at the wiki will help a lot trust me....try another blade could be another tip, and make sure your face is wet......

I have never got any weepers, cut nicks, etc THANK GOD after 16 shaves, but some litttle irritation on my neck occurs half of the times....soo still work to do..... ANGLE!

GL buddy!

Have you used any blade besides Shark? I find them a little rough meself. You might want to look into a blade sampler if you haven't already. Sometimes it takes a little time to find the one that works best for you.
For myself, I find that angle is harder to get right than pressure...

Good Luck!

Jeff

Andy:

Stay with it, go slow and watch the angle of your razor. Focus on your technique and NO PRESSURE AT ALL. Let the weight of your razor do all the work.

You might also try going two passes with the grain (WTG) for a couple of weeks to practice and refine your technique. Re-read the Wikis and watch the related Mantic59s videos again several times as a refresher. Luc (one of our Mods) recommended locking your wrist which worked very well for me when I first started.

Remember, you are doing beard reduction, a little at a time. It took me a couple of weeks until I was able to pull it all together and get a decent shave with limited irritation. It will come to you. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Don

If you aren't cutting hair then you are holding your razor at the wrong angle.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24685

Or even better:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=130110

andybcumming said:

Okay.Well i put in new shark blade today.It is fourth shave with shark.Man i got weepers and one cut looks like a little piece of skin real little where cut is.Burning a little today.I finished with cold rinse.Put on witch hazel then nivea sensitive ASB.Man i am beggining to doubt myself on this DE thing.But i have to keep going.I spent too much money to quit now.Shaves are pretty good but not all that great.I am trying hard to use no pressure.I have to shave everyday.I Notice that i am going over some places without cream because it looks like it didnt cut nothing.Trying not to do this because i know it is a no no.I probably could lather up 5 times and not get everything.But just wanted to let know how it went.Tomorrow is another day.

Click to expand...

Andy, please hang in there, things will get better. I have never used shark blades but I have on occasion gotten blades that were just uncomfortable to use. Usually one side or the other will be bad but not both. When I get a blade like that, I just discard it and get a new one.

But of course, your problem may be solved by finding the proper angle. When I get weepers it is usually because the angle was a little too flat. Try looking at you razor angle while laying it on something flat.

It can be rough at first. My first couple of months were my "hamburger phase" (or should that be "hamburger face"?). You might consider doing a DE shave only 3 or 4 days a week, and use an electric shaver or something else on the off days. That helped me recover from the irritation I got from my first shaves.

I would also recommend short strokes, especially on the neck. It helps you adjust the angle as needed. Also, don't try against the grain (ATG) passes while you are getting started. Go with the grain while you are getting the hang of things.

I can see that you're getting frustrated. I would recommend the tutorials in the Shave Clinic & Newbie Check-In section, as well as Mantic59's videos on YouTube? DE shaving is not like cartridge shaving, and the old rules just do not apply.

Give us more detail on your razor, brush, experienc, etc. and I'm sure someone will be able to help.

Codfish

I used a Fatboy my freshman year in college and I don't think I ever escaped without blood loss. Forty-five years later I rarely loose a drop. Stay with it, in less than half a century, you too can be shaving in relative comfort.

On a more serious note, you will get there. Go slow, no pressure, proper prep, watch the how-to videos here, keep in touch, and keep the faith. Ya can do it, laddy!

Setup i have is edwin jagger DE89.I have 4 different kind of blades.Derby,feather,shark,Publix brand.Brush is parker black bristle badger and bigelow cream.I am sticking with sharks because a couple of people on here said to keep using to give blades a fair shot before counting them out.I notice the edwin jagger DE89 is hard to hold at the bottom i have the chrome one.I know i am not using presure because i am trying to hold with three fingers at the knot at bottom.I think it is just angle.Anybody here have the DE89 chrome and have a hard time holding at bottom.Maybe i need to Try another grip.Have a sample pack of blades coming from west coast.Lather looks pretty good too me.On the blades i have 5 of each.Used shark blade 3 times then threw away.Fist shave was sort of like this one but not as bad.Shave 2 was better and shave 3 was better.But put in new blade and seems like starting over.

Hey man, I'm a newb too, but I'm getting better! I am a little different, as my wife likes the beard (and so do I) so I only shave my neck. But even that alone, I have really enjoyed the wet shaving experience! I get my weepers now and then, and I've almost ruined a few shirts after not getting all of them cleaned up properly...

Keep at it, as it sounds like you truly want it! Make sure your lather and angle are appropriate, and make sure to try different blades! From what I've read it seems like the best blade/razor combination is different for everybody. I was sent a sample pack that I'm dying to try but want to get through my crappy CVS blades first.

Keep up the enthusiasm and you'll get to the point where you won't go back. Good luck!

I would suggest that you try holding it in a more natural manner. I believe that you are setting yourself up by trying to just hold a razor at the very tip. Choke up a bit and I think that you might have better results.

First off, calm down, it'll be OK!!!!
Now, just focus on one thing at a time, don't try to get a perfect shave every time, maybe go back to carts for a bit while focusing on good prep, lather and technique.

Hey stick with it!! I found that even with the three finger hold I was applying too much pressure. I found that I had to hold it on directly opposite sides of the handle...even going to a 2 finger hold to get the feeling of no pressure. I was holding the handle with pointer and thumb, and then hooking my middle finger around the front of the handle, allowing me to use the leverage to press the razor into my face.
Also even as a noob I could tell a blade was crappy for my face- Wally world wilkinsons, derbys, merkurs, etc. If it doesn't feel right put it on the side and save it for later. Then try another. I have good luck with ip reds so far.
Finally too thick lather forces you to press harder to get the blade to your skin resultng in crappy shaves, and too thin doesn't allow a slick protective coating, kinda like when the batter falls off your corn dog and it burns....How to tell a good lather? I think only experience. You have to make thin ones, thick ones, just right ones....eventually you'll get it.

Hey guys thanks for the tips I am going to keep at it.Maybe not tomorrow because face is just to tore up. Feels like a volcano erupted on my neck. But tomorrow is another day. Maybe next time won't get as many nicks and cuts.

Take it slow and take your time. Very good advices up here. Other than what was said, mmm, you might want to try a bit of witch hazel on your neck. It will probably speed up the healing process.

Good advice up above. The usual culprits for irritiaiton are too much pressure, blade angle, or blades. I put two fingers on the shaft of the razor and one finger on the knot. However, you can still use too much pressure with that grip so be aware. A few other points. First, make sure you are not using a chopping motion when you are shaving. Your strokes should be smooth. Second, never shave where you have no lather. That is an invitation to irritation. Finally, what result did you get with other blades such as Derby which are more forgiving?

On re-reading your post I noticed you said you feel that you are not cutting stubble off and that you feel you have to go over the same area up to five times. This seems to me to indicate that your blade angle is off. Here is a good post that will help you on blade angle.