30 minute shave. Help!

Last shave took me ten passes. WTG, WTG, WTG, XTG, XTG, XTG, XTG, XTG, ATG, ATG

Took me a half hour.

Any tips on shortening this time?

I am diligently following the direction of letting the razors weight do the work. Should I add a little pressure?

I got a great shave. Just want it to be faster.


p.s. It seems my beard has gotten coarser since I started DE shaving 3 weeks ago. I'm 20, so maybe its unrelated to DE shaving.

But I'm thinking it might be because the cartridge razor pulled the hairs and cut them deeper. Maybe because the DE doesn't cut them as deep, it allows a thicker root to grow?


BTW, I started with super-max platinum blades (hairs cut like butter on my first few shaves, harder to cut on the next five)

I ordered some feather blades to try. They cut a bit better, but not as much as I was expecting.

I hold tried holding a hot wet towel to my face before lathering. But the feather still didn't slice through the hairs smoothly.

When I apply lather to my face, I just brush it on. No rubbing or swirling. I tried scubbing my face with the brush once and had a terrible shave (skin was irritated by the brush then sliced by the razer).

Thanks

It sounds like you're doing way too many passes.

You just need one with, one across and one against. If it's not cutting, so you're doing more passes, work on your angle (if the angle is wrong the blade isn't touching your skin)

I have to know what kind or razor, blade, brush, cream/soap you are using

you should not be doing 10 passes! 2 or 3 is plenty! If it is taking that many passes to cut your beard there is something wrong with your technique. you might actually be using too little pressure? but probably your angle is off.

might help to list what you are using to shave with,.

Ten passes. That's a lot. I bet your blade angle is too shallow.

What equipment are you using?

As for your beard, DE shaving isn't going to change the underlying biology of how your facial hair grows. You're slicing whiskers at the shaft level, not the root.

The most I ever do is 5 and that is on a very rare occasion when I am going for the smoothest shave ever lol I almost always get a dfs from 3 passes. I always go wtg, wtg, atg. I hate going xtg

10 passes that is a lot sounds like you need to work on your technique theres a lot of videos on youtube you could check out

I would have to agree with the others. Check your angle and pay attention to the "feel" of the razor. If your angle is off it will just feel like you are sliding the razor over your skin with no drag. When you get the angle right there will be some drag to each stroke. Don't confuse drag with tug. By drag I mean the head of the razor will feel like it is slowing down. This is especially important on WTG passes. When I go XTG or ATG I go by the sound of the whiskers being cut.


D. Fox

Are you relathering in between passes? I certainly hope so.

You say you just paint the lather on ... you should try scrubbing it in a little bit to soften up the whiskers. You say your brush hurts? I'm guessing its a boar brush that hasn't broken in yet.

If nothing else, let the lather sit on your beard for a minute or two before you start applying the blade. That will help it to soften and moisturize the whiskers.

Another thing: pressing a towel briefly against your face may not be adequate prep for you. Try Kyle's Prep or something similar and see if that softens your whiskers more.

No matter what you do, make sure you leave the lather on for a few minutes prior to shaving so it can do its work. If your whiskers aren't soft and pliable, they will resist being cut.

dpm802 said:

I'm guessing its a boar brush that hasn't broken in yet.

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Or a lower, scratchy, grade of badger. No boar no matter how inexpensive that I've ever used has ever irritated my skin, of course I don't have his face either. A "pure" badger has bothered my skin- I face lather- and he indicated it bothered when he "scrubbed" his face/skin.

OP, you may try a full blown blade sampler too rather than buying random packs of blades. Just employ the shotgun approach and get a bunch at once.

As a recently signed up DE shaver, I understand where you are coming from. All the advice you need re prep and kit is here. I like you found myself attacking my face and they were not really passes. Plan. I did one pass, north south, and towelled dry. What does it feel like, where is it rough ? Did it again, out to in. Dry again, test. Then south north. Dry, test, then buffing the bits that are needed.

It comes, just stick at it !

There is another web site that suggests full prep then shave properly, in passes, with your cart to get the routine. I suppose that assumes you have been a cart shower butcher, you may well have a technique already though it sounds not likely based on your post.

As I say my De shaving is measured in months, after decades of carts, and I am sat here typing this with another fantastic shave, with very cheap kit too !

Persevere.

Something is wrong. I'd suggest telling every nuance of your gear and technique so the people here can help you.

I don't mess with "grains", last shave I did was the closest yet, I do top down x2, out to in x1, diagonally in x1, and spread lather and feel for stubble going ATG for any found. I swear, if there was 2 hairs that escaped the Merkurs bite, that was a lot. BBS, even on the neck, which gets me more... "relations" with the wife.

Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood SC + AS using up the last of my sampler.

Maybe you are taking "no pressure" too far. Maybe your angle is wrong. Let us know so we can help you.

Maybe it is your SC causing the irritation. Maybe you have an allergy to something. What are you using?

The brush should not be causing irritation. It is a brush, if you can't wash your face with a soft brush and soap there is something wrong.

The lack of using a brush is throwing off me figuring out what is wrong. Gotta get you back on the brush. Maybe you need a synthetic brush because you are allergic.

Hell, before I do 10 passes, I'd go back to the Mach3. Or the electric shaver.

franz said:

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No matter what you do, make sure you leave the lather on for a few minutes prior to shaving so it can do its work. If your whiskers aren't soft and pliable, they will resist being cut.

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+1!

Massaging in the lather with my fingertips, and then waiting 2 or 3 minutes to let the lather soften the beard up made a big difference for me. I was in too big of a hurry to start cutting.
You can maximize your time by brushing teeth, or doing something else while you let the lather rest.

You could try "Blade Buffing" in spots where you feel like you aren't getting close enough on the 3rd pass - just do short quick strokes over one spot a few times on the ATG pass. I have to use this technique to get acceptable closeness in some places, especially the mustache area. Otherwise I would probably be going in for another pass or two!

EasternBlocRock said:

You could try "Blade Buffing" in spots where you feel like you aren't getting close enough on the 3rd pass - just do short quick strokes over one spot a few times on the ATG pass. I have to use this technique to get acceptable closeness in some places, especially the mustache area. Otherwise I would probably be going in for another pass or two!

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Blade Buffing, sounds like what I am doing on my last pass. Didn't know it had a name. Good info.

Did you remember to put in a blade lol.
Seriously though, it could just be down to your technique as it stands today, bare with it and you'll notice the speed get better as time increases, and you have it down to a fine art.

keep in mind that you cannot be an expert straight away on the first few tries... It can take weeks before you get the perfect shave. Practice and reduce the number of passes to 3 maximum.

Last shave took me ten passes. WTG, WTG, WTG, XTG, XTG, XTG, XTG, XTG, ATG, ATG

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LOL! Way too many! If you are not pulling our collective leg, use the great advice in the above posts. If you are pulling our leg, good job!