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Conventional Wisdom

I have always questioned conventional wisdom. I am still sort of a DE newbie. I have been shaving for 50+ years and started with a DE and came back to it about 5 months ago. One of the things I questioned was the passes of NS, EW, SN to get a WTG, XTG, AGT shave. One reason I did that is that the hair on my neck seems to circle to compass. I was doing a WTG (NS), XTG (EW), and a XTG (WE). I got good shaves and little irritation and very few nicks. I thought that was as good as it gets and was actually quit happy with my results. Not BBS perhaps but certainly deep into DFS.

But then I thought about the NS/EW/SN concept (conventional) and decided to give it a try. I found that there is a reason it was conventional wisdom. The reason is: It works. I still follow the good prep rules, bowl lather (because I like warm lather) and get a BBS shave with no irritation. I do have two red bumps and we will have to see what happens there. They are on my left cheek (where I've never even nicked before) and a cold water splash stops the bleeding. Not sure if it's shaving related yet.

My main point though is for you guys just starting:

  • Yes do experiment and certainly map your face
  • Read the B&B stickies paying attention to the getting started stuff.
  • Don't look for great shaves at first, they'll come. Technique first.
  • Remember the 'conventional wisdom' to be found here. You may want to come back to it. I did.
Good luck and good shaving:biggrin1:
 
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Nice work- I am not a fan of statistics, but the conventional wisdom is just a gathering of data and it works for that reason. Most people seem to fall within the curve and end up benefiting from the experience of others.
 
The data set we're working off of here is pretty impressive - tens of thousands of people, each shaving 3-7 times per week for years, always experimenting and perfecting their routine. It's not surprising that the conclusions drawn have pretty wide-spread validity.
 
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