ANGLE ANGLE ANGLE ANGLE! Its all about the angle well partially

**Tippman** · 08-19-2011, 03:49 AM

Well I have been at DE shaving for several (3) months now. For quite a while I was getting really good shaves, then last week after my shave I rubbed the alum bar on my face and HOLY HELL did it burn!! It would have burned less if I would have rubbed gasoline on my face and light it on fire! Not to be deterred the next day I tried again. That was a really bad idea! MY face looked about like this:

and felt like this:

. So I decided stopped shaving for several days (about 5) and let my face heal up. My face hurt for a good 3 days after that.

Not to be deterred I decided that last night would be the night I tried again. The wife helped my decision along as she kept asking if I was going to grow "That damned ugly beard again?" So I stood in front of the mirror trying to figure out what I had been doing wrong. After a few minutes of holding the blade to my face I realized my Angle was too steep.

Jumped in the shower while the brush and the puck soaked. By the time I Got out I decided to cut out all the stops and made a little uberlather with some Proraso and some VDH Luxury. I went at it really slow and really paying attention to what I was doing. I did 3 passes 1 WTG and 2 XTG (Jaw to nose and then chin to ear)

When all was said and done I had one BBS shave on my hands. No nicks no cuts and no weepers. Now for the next test, Rubbing the Alum bar across my face. Not one little tingle of irritation was felt. So what have I learned? Just when you think you have the hang of this and start getting a little cocky, you start getting a little sloppy. When you start getting sloppy will bite you in the face.

**ackvil** · 08-19-2011, 05:46 AM

Excellent post. Blade angle and no pressure are the keys to a good, nick and irritation free shave. And I am glad to see you tried Uberlather, my favorite lather.

**ssultan** · 08-19-2011, 05:54 AM

Excellent indeed. Good to see progress...angle and pressure combined with some slick lather and you'll nail it every time :)

**plpenn** · 08-19-2011, 05:55 AM

Keep up the good work! Just don't get cocky because that's when you will really bleed! At least that's what I have been told.

**zano2** · 08-19-2011, 06:09 AM

Yup, get cocky...........get cut. At least that's what I have been told also.

**echotron** · 08-19-2011, 06:37 AM

I totally agree with this post .... ANGLE & NO PRESSURE ! I went from EJ DE89 to an Open Comb because I wasn't getting certain spots close enough (under chin area in front) and this worked better. Now, paying attention the ANGLE to really CUT whiskers and NOT SCRAPE, I'm getting Great results with the EJ DE89 ... No razor burn too!

I'm around 2 months in wet shaving and when I do it right, it is an AMAZING feeling - no irritation.

**Alraz** · 08-19-2011, 06:40 AM

You can use the angle to control the aggressiveness of your razor to a certain extent.

Al raz.

**KM-instructor** · 08-19-2011, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by Alraz

You can use the angle to control the aggressiveness of your razor to a certain extent.

Al raz.

Yeppers.

**Dennard** · 08-19-2011, 06:58 AM

Good advice.

**Jiddy** · 08-19-2011, 07:48 AM

Here here. Another interesting thing for me was branching out my soaps/creams. I'm around 4 months in, and had some of the worst shaves of my life with my favourite blades as I tried new soaps! Prob partly cos the lather wasn't up to scratch, and partly that the soap might not have been suitable for me! So I think sticking with what works for a while is a great idea, in addition to not getting sloppy!

I love that its still a learning curve, and challenging! "Just how little burn can I get my with my AS?"

**themiz** · 08-19-2011, 08:05 AM

This Happened to me recently
(As i'm New to shaving Let alone wet shaving)
Changed From Gillette 7 o' clock yellows to Lord Blades
technique was a tad bit aggressive.
It burned like Hell when i rubbed the alum block on my face..
My Face hurt for a whole day.

**Artistik** · 08-19-2011, 08:51 AM

Started using a Derby from my sampler in my EJ89 a few days ago. Really liking it. On day three I shaved while in a hurry. Never again. Several nics and a couple of weepers. Did not look forward to the alum and I was not surprised when it was applied (Yikes). Blade angle, no pressure and take your time. Relax and enjoy your shave.

**k2clones29** · 08-19-2011, 09:01 AM

Great post! I had the same experience when I first used an alum block as well. Your story made me reflect on my experience. Your lesson is well spoken!

**Eric V** · 08-19-2011, 02:13 PM

...a lesson well learned! Glad you took time off from shaving, and more glad you came back to a great shave. BTW, your passes, WTG, XTG, XTG, are perfect! Keep up the good work!