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Completed my first DE shave.

J

Jayblah

Hello all,

I completed my first wetshave approximately 30 minutes ago. Presumably, my wetshave experience was fairly good. I never truly shaved to begin with, so I can't accurately compare wetshaving to the newfangled Mach-10XT1000 shaving techniques so pervasive in the world.

Since I am new to this, I started with simple supplies and inexpensive materials that weren't too difficult to attain. My techniques derived mostly from reading this forum and watching Mantic's YouTube videos.

My gear:
Brush: Crabtree & Evelyn Best Badger
Razor: Merkur Heavy Duty
Blade: I used a Derby blade from my WCS sampler pack for my inaugural wetshave
Cream: Kiss My Face Moisture Shave Cool Mint
First aid: Styptic pencil

Note the absence of an aftershave; more on that later.

My face:

Unfortunately, I have acne prone skin at the ripe old age of 28. I follow a skincare regimen using two topical medications (Duac in the morning, Differin at night). Because of these medications, my skin in general feels very dry after washing. To combat this I put non-comedogenic lotion on my face in the morning after the Duac. I opted not to use any pre-shave or aftershave lotions because I would prefer to put as few chemicals on my face as possible due to my sensitivity. Further, I haven't seen any non-comedogenic aftershaves so I decided I would continue to use my lotion instead as a post-shave lubricant.

I have very faint, wispy, light hair on the majority of my "beard area." I can not grow a full mustache, and the sides of my cheeks/jaw have longer yet still wispy, thin hairs. Thankfully, it also takes its time growing, so after a shave, I'm good for a few days before the first new wisps emerge. The only place where my beard grows "thick and coarse" is on my chin and the underside of my jaw. Truthfully, my beard isn't much of a beard at all, even on the chin. Its actually pretty pathetic. :tongue:

My feeble attempt:

Pre-shave:
A long, hot shower. Scalding hot water inside my bowl with the brush resting in the water bristles down.

Lathering:
After finishing the shower, I began mixing a lather for a couple of minutes, beginning with an almond sized dollop of the shaving lotion. Unfortunately, the lather was excessively moist. It was bubbly and runny when applied to my face and did not form a thick cream. I had thought I was lathering well (the brush had firm peaks), but somehow I must've put too much water into the mix. I found this odd because effectively, the only moisture that was in that bowl when I placed the cream inside was from the brush. Any advice here? To remedy the runny lather, I added more shave cream until the consistency seemed right. I lathered my face for about a minute or so then grabbed my blade.

Shaving:
The first thing I noticed is the DE blade does not extend past the Merkur HD's bottom metal "brace." I imagine this is the reason you use a 30-degree angle. I was skeptical about how well the blade would cut with it being recessed in the razor's grip. I made about two passes on my jaw and my mustache with very little pressure using the two fingered grasp on the handle bottom. With the mustache area, I had to do some touch-up passes for the wisps of thin, light hair that I missed. I was too intimidated to make passes on my chin (which as I mentioned is the only place where my beard grows relatively dark and thick) and so I left that area unshaved for this first attempt. Thankfully, I ended the shave with nary a scratch and so my styptic pencil went unused.

Post-shave:
Unfortunately, my post shave calls for the topical application of Duac acne medication followed by an application of face lotion with an alpha-hydroxy acid. I was not able to heed the wetshaving method of ending the routine with aftershave. I rinsed out my brush, and flicked the moisture off it with two shakes in the shower. I placed it upright in the bowl and am allowing it to air dry.

Overall:
Previously, when I took a Mach 3 to my face with an aerosol shavecream, it was only to my mustache. I've never truly shaved beyond that so its difficult for me to critique the overall experience. The wetshave was not uncomfortable and I do not seem to have irritated skin after the shave, so all in all, this was a pleasant experience.

Questions:
1. How often must I change the blade?
2. Is there a better technique for the mustache? I found that using no pressure (which I rigidly adhered to out of fear of slashing up my face) and two passes was inadequate for removing the light wispy hair present on my upper lip area.
3. There seem to be about 10 or so bristles that are bent and splayed out to the side on my brush. Is this normal or did I apply to much force to the brush during the lathering process?

Thanks for reading this far and for any help!
 
First of all welcome to B&B!

I am sure some more experienced members will drop by soon to give you some solid advice. You seem to have a good starting kit though :wink:. One thing on the runny leather... I usually shake/squeeze my brush to get rid of access water and slowly add water as needed during the lather making process. It easy to add water but a lot harder to unadd it :biggrin:. Also I make lather in a bowl and then apply it on a wet face, which means that I have to go easy on the water while working in the bowl. I don't know the cream you use but keep trying, it'll take a few times, but you'll get the ratio right :wink:.
 
Welcome to the club!

Very nice story. You seem to have taken your time plowing through lots of posts, as you give a very well-informed impression. I'd like to comment on a couple of things:

The first thing I noticed is the DE blade does not extend past the Merkur HD's bottom metal "brace." I imagine this is the reason you use a 30-degree angle. I was skeptical about how well the blade would cut with it being recessed in the razor's grip.

These razors are designed to cut only within a narrow range of angles, unless you use more pressure. Check out http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24685
for more on that.

I made about two passes on my jaw and my mustache with very little pressure using the two fingered grasp on the handle bottom. With the mustache area, I had to do some touch-up passes for the wisps of thin, light hair that I missed. I was too intimidated to make passes on my chin (which as I mentioned is the only place where my beard grows relatively dark and thick) and so I left that area unshaved for this first attempt. Thankfully, I ended the shave with nary a scratch and so my styptic pencil went unused.

Using light pressure is a good idea in the beginning. Later, you will realize that pressure is a variable that can be played with, rather than a constant that needs to held at the smallest possible value. You can either do more passes WTG, XTG, and ATG and/or apply slightly more pressure. I would recommend you try holding the razor close to the head, instead of at the base of the handle. See how that feels like. However, don't do this right away. First, play around with what you are doing right now for a while until you get the hang of it. Then start changing things around.

Post-shave:
Unfortunately, my post shave calls for the topical application of Duac acne medication followed by an application of face lotion with an alpha-hydroxy acid. I was not able to heed the wetshaving method of ending the routine with aftershave.

There is no strict regimen. Use whatever is necessary to give you healthy skin.

1. How often must I change the blade?

Change the blade when it gets dull. You may find it easier, however, to simply change it after a fixed number of shaves, say four.

2. Is there a better technique for the mustache? I found that using no pressure (which I rigidly adhered to out of fear of slashing up my face) and two passes was inadequate for removing the light wispy hair present on my upper lip area.

see above about passes and pressure.

Keep at it. You are doing well. Best - MM
 
Welcome!
Heck, your starter kit was better than mine when I first started!

The KMF cream can also be used brushless. I find that I like to NOT lather it as much. It feels alot more slicker to me that way.
 
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