Bad prep. Bad shave.

I have a busy day today. Not particularly rushed or hectic, but I'll be on the go most of the day.

I shaved a few minutes ago and admittedly did a quick, half-hearted prep. Although I had a fresh blade in my R41, I could tell the shave suffered. I aborted after two passes and now my face feels vaguely sunburned.

I don't think I've ever been more aware of the effect of bad prep on a shave.

If I expect a busy morning I shave the night before. In your place I'd have turned my face into hamburger, not just a bit irritated. Just a thought.

Finn

Yowza. Subject line says it all.

I've been known to skimp a little on the prep, but only when I have time for a quick SAS shave. Still can be disastrous if I'm not careful...

I pushed through a shave on a new soap that I hadn't got the lather right. Lesson learned, I now pull the razor to my face only when I know I have good lather. It wasn't a bloodbath, but I did have some razorburn.

Ain't it funny that when you shortcut you get the same lousy results as you did before you started proper wet shaving? Seems to be a message there.

I have found that I now spend less time on my prep. I know this may sound like heresy but it works for me. When I returned to DE shaving a while back I probably spent 15 minutes on my prep alone. I used hot towels and massaged Proraso pre shave onto my face. I stopped doing that about a year ago and my shaves have not suffered.

When I am in a rush I do a cold water shave and use a shave stick. It takes me about 15 minutes from start to finish - cutting off about 10 minutes off my regular shave. Now if I am in a rush, my prep consists of washing my face in cool water, splashing some cool water on my face. In Florida the water is not really cool so I have Tupperware container filled with ice cubes. A few go into the water when I wash and the remainder I rub my hands with and then rub my face. I do that before lathering with each pass. If I am not in a rush I make my usual lather in my scuttle. The lather is warm but the use of cool water is something I do. I also apply pre-shave oil before my first pass.

There are times when I want a warm shave and at that time I use a hot towel for up to 30 seconds. I apply warm water to my face before each pass and once again use pre-shave oil before my first pass.

For me what I have discovered is that the only time I get a bad shave is when I rush shaving and either put too much pressure on the razor or get sloppy with the blade angle.

But, every one is different. Some find Kyle's prep vital to a good shave. I tried it and liked it - but it didn't make my shaves any better.

The most important thing is to find out what works best for you and to stick with it.

If you want to shave (no pun intended) a minute or two off of prep time, try shave sticks. I have Speick and Arko- both are excellent (edge to Speick because I love the smell)

ackvil said:

When I am in a rush I do a cold water shave and use a shave stick.

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oc_in_fw said:

If you want to shave (no pun intended) a minute or two off of prep time, try shave sticks. I have Speick and Arko- both are excellent (edge to Speick because I love the smell)

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I think I'll try a shave stick and cold water. I've heard several comments about the smell of Speick, so I'll find a source for that. I'll PM if I have a problem.

Thanks, gentlemen!

Jim:

Speick has a good shave stick as does Valobra and LaToja.

Click on the pic, and you'll learn the trick.

Codfish said:

I think I'll try a shave stick and cold water. I've heard several comments about the smell of Speick, so I'll find a source for that. I'll PM if I have a problem.

Thanks, gentlemen!

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Hello fellow Kinky fan. Here is a good tutorial:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/40-Tutorial-how-to-use-a-shaving-stick

Thanks for the tutorial. As usual, I was going to bull ahead and only read directions if I had to. Sweetie says it applies to driving, too. I'm now directions-compliant.