Hi, my name is Chuck, from Houston, TX, and yesterday was my 3rd attempt at a proper wet shave. My wife got me into this, finding mantic59's YouTube vids for me. My current kit is:
Gillette Mach 3 w/matching cartridges (yeah, I know)
Godrej Lime
Cheap brush from WalMart
LUSH Tea Tree Water
LUSH Prince as AS balm
My 1st shave was after 6 days of not shaving, and it was heaven. Did Kyle's Prep, followed mantic59's instructions (beard reduction, WTG, XTG, XTG the other way, then ATG), tea tree water & Prince as my AS, and WOW! I couldn't believe how good my face felt, and how smooth. That shave lasted 2 days!
My 2nd shave, 3 days later, was not as good. I could feel stubble afterward, and my upper lip & chin felt the sting. The next day, I did a "maintenance" shave in the shower, just getting the worst areas, but I forgot all the lessons and just shaved the way I normally do, and there was definite irritation after.
Two days after that was shave #3. I had my "map" where I could see it, I tried to be deliberate about everything I did. But my 2nd pass (XTG) on my upper lip was INSTANTLY painful; that whole pass caused problems in my tricky spots. And it was only the 3rd shave on that cartridge - I usually get a few more shaves out of a cartridge. I did go ahead and do an ATG pass (I'm still hung up on getting the BBS shave, I know I should take what I can get at this stage), and the result was very smooth. But there were a dozen bloody spots. I did my AS like usual, except I waited a few hours to put on the Prince: I don't like the idea of putting a lotion on open cuts, no matter how "natural" it is.
I know I'm at the bottom of a BIG learning curve, and any advice/shared experience would be appreciated. Currently, I'm planning on putting in a new cartridge for my next shave, which won't be for 3-5 days (I want my face to heal up). I'm also getting some Witch Hazel today, to help with irritation; any suggestions on AS treatments, especially anything to help the face HEAL would be especially welcome.
My wife has indicated that I'll be getting a Merkur Classic long handle for my birthday (along with a full prep, straight razor shave & massage @ Gentlemen's Tonic!), and I'm researching a GOOD shaving brush (mine only paints the lather on, it won't raise a lather on my face). Until then, I'm just trying to burn through the things I've got - I hate to waste anything.
I've also got a bottle of Kiss My Face Lime, and a bar of Van Der Hagen glycerine soap, so I need to experiment with lather - I SUCK at making lather!
Even after my rough shave yesterday, a lot of my face feels good, smooth & not irritated. And I know it's going to be months getting this right. I'm REALLY ENJOYING learning all of this, and look forward to participating in the forums. Hopefully I can fill in some blanks about what can be bought in Houston, & where, for any fellow Houstonians here.
(Sorry for the long post - I'm a writer!)
Gillette Mach 3 w/matching cartridges (yeah, I know)
Godrej Lime
Cheap brush from WalMart
LUSH Tea Tree Water
LUSH Prince as AS balm
My 1st shave was after 6 days of not shaving, and it was heaven. Did Kyle's Prep, followed mantic59's instructions (beard reduction, WTG, XTG, XTG the other way, then ATG), tea tree water & Prince as my AS, and WOW! I couldn't believe how good my face felt, and how smooth. That shave lasted 2 days!
My 2nd shave, 3 days later, was not as good. I could feel stubble afterward, and my upper lip & chin felt the sting. The next day, I did a "maintenance" shave in the shower, just getting the worst areas, but I forgot all the lessons and just shaved the way I normally do, and there was definite irritation after.
Two days after that was shave #3. I had my "map" where I could see it, I tried to be deliberate about everything I did. But my 2nd pass (XTG) on my upper lip was INSTANTLY painful; that whole pass caused problems in my tricky spots. And it was only the 3rd shave on that cartridge - I usually get a few more shaves out of a cartridge. I did go ahead and do an ATG pass (I'm still hung up on getting the BBS shave, I know I should take what I can get at this stage), and the result was very smooth. But there were a dozen bloody spots. I did my AS like usual, except I waited a few hours to put on the Prince: I don't like the idea of putting a lotion on open cuts, no matter how "natural" it is.
I know I'm at the bottom of a BIG learning curve, and any advice/shared experience would be appreciated. Currently, I'm planning on putting in a new cartridge for my next shave, which won't be for 3-5 days (I want my face to heal up). I'm also getting some Witch Hazel today, to help with irritation; any suggestions on AS treatments, especially anything to help the face HEAL would be especially welcome.
My wife has indicated that I'll be getting a Merkur Classic long handle for my birthday (along with a full prep, straight razor shave & massage @ Gentlemen's Tonic!), and I'm researching a GOOD shaving brush (mine only paints the lather on, it won't raise a lather on my face). Until then, I'm just trying to burn through the things I've got - I hate to waste anything.
I've also got a bottle of Kiss My Face Lime, and a bar of Van Der Hagen glycerine soap, so I need to experiment with lather - I SUCK at making lather!
Even after my rough shave yesterday, a lot of my face feels good, smooth & not irritated. And I know it's going to be months getting this right. I'm REALLY ENJOYING learning all of this, and look forward to participating in the forums. Hopefully I can fill in some blanks about what can be bought in Houston, & where, for any fellow Houstonians here.
(Sorry for the long post - I'm a writer!)