What's new

A Disheartened Newbie Checking-In

Hello all,

Firstly thankgod I have come across this superb forum, had a quick read over other people posts so thought I shall sign up and give you a few Q's that hopefully you can help me out on.:mellow:

Ok me & my new interest DE shaving came about a couple of months back after looking around for a classy razor as I like to own quality things and my fusion multi-blabe was not really cutting it in the bathroom cabinet! After doing a evening of You-Tubing around I was thinking OMG I have been missing out on all this and have to have a DE razor, badger brush etc etc so they quickly went on my Xmas list!! Then I guess most evenings upto xmas I was watching more and more videos, alot of geofatboys and a few others, and I was already looking into collection a few classics that I had found on eBay.

Ok xmas morning came, I had a lovely Edwin Jagger Chatsworth DE razor (very heavy solid piece, stunning quality) and also the matching Best Badger Brush, bowl etc etc, although my creams had not arrived so had to make do with some £2 supermarket cream that comes in a tube. But anyway today was the day I was looking forward to, my 1st shave with my new DE razor.

I preppped my face just like in the videos, although I have always (well I thought) been a dab hand at shaving with my old razor, hot shower, followed by a hot face towel, repeated for 3/4 times, made a lather up with my cheapo cream, got it nice and thick with nice peaks, got a nice cover on my face and started to use my DE razor which was fitted with a israeli blade I belive (white box,black design on box)

First pass DTG it felt ok but not as smooth as my old razor and felt like not much whisker was coming off, anyway I carried on and completed the 1st pass. re lather and across the grain 2nd pass, felt a bit better but not brilliant, and 3rd pass ATG was nasty and pulling alot, never happened to me before as bad as this with multi's. Always been able to get a good shave with no burn or cuts, maybe a touch (1 or 2 small lumps) of burn on the neck area if I shave daily but not that bad.

Ok after the shave I used a Alum bar and it hurt like hell!!! Applied a bit of proraso after shave sooth cream, but now my face is terrible, lots and lots of hot burn to my chin area, side of my mouth and my neck either side of my adams apple is nasty, this is not how I have had shaves before and it has got me a tad down in the dumps :sad: as I was so so looking forward to making this change away from the expensive multis, but now I'm wishing I had not binned my multi!! :sneaky2:

So guys my Q's are what have i been doing that bad to give myself such a raw shave that felt horrid and burns like hell, I used the weight of the razor and no real force, I thought the angle I was using was ok, I never cut myself, just burn and lots of it!

Hopefully you can give me some pointers as I'm not giving in this easy! Could it be the blade? Is there a right and wrong way to put a blade in? I dunno hopefully you can offer me some pointers.

Thanks for reading and looking forward to chatting to you guys :001_smile
 
Welcome to B&B, and welcome to the wacky world of DE shaving!

My introduction to the DE razor was not much better than yours. I had used the Gillette Sensor twin-blade since they first came out in the late '80s. I picked up a nice Gillette Slim Adjustable on Ebay, some Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood soap and their rebranded EJ Best Badger brush (when they still had a B&M store here in town), and some Gillette DE blades at a drugstore.

Man, I was ready to go, and go I did! Lathered up, set my razor on 3 (fairly mild blade exposure), and went to slicing off whiskers just like with the Sensor.

In a word: "Ouch!"

The multiblade heads pivot to match the contours of your face. The DE does not. Also, the flattish heads of the multis tend to keep the blades at a more-or-less optimal angle for shaving. Again, the DE does not.

Going from a multiblade razor to a single blade is much like going from an automatic gearbox to a manual. You are much more involved with the process.

Three lessons I have learned on B&B that really do work every time are to slow down, maintain a proper angle with the blade (approx 30 degrees) and to not try to remove all your stubble at once. Reduce the stubble with each pass.

I'd advise you to check out the various resources on the board, read the stickies, ask questions, and learn from others' mistakes.

And patience. There's a learning curve, but once you get the basics down, things get much better.

I'd also recommend going back to your multiblade for a day or two, just to give your face time to recover, but keep using the brush and cream.

Cheers!
 
Welcome to B&B, from another UK member!:thumbup1:

As has been said, the transition from carts to a DE is a learning curve, having to lose the bad habits that carts instill in you. No pressure is paramount! Let the weight of the razor do that for you. Your Chatsworth is a fine razor-I started with that also. And remember, the angle is just as important. The head of a DE doesn't swivel like a cart will so it's all down to you. Furthermore, I wouldn't aim for an ATG pass this early on. You may have done it with carts, but as you are finding out, get your technique down with the DE first. Do a WTG and XTG only to begin with. The ATG pass will come, irritation free in time. Get a blade sampler pack as brand acceptance varies between individuals. You need to find out which brand suits both your razor, AND YOU!
 
I think they beat me to the punch here....

It may take a while to get the hang of it but it will come. Stick with the WTG passes at first.

What kind of cream did you use? You may be allergic.....
 
Yes, I will take aother try in a few days time when the skin on my face recovers :sad: this is rather annoying as I'm a very image concious person, but I will not give up!! The cream I used was a cheapo Palmolive one which cost £1.99 from the supermarket, its weird stuff actually and this may be the problem as I have never used it before, I just picked it up to make do until my nice creams arrive through the post. I'm sat here feeling like I have rubbed a chilli pepper (with the seeds intact) over my face and neck! Hopefully it will soon die down. I will also check out Mantic59 vids, thanks for that,
 
Just an idea but the Palmolive soap stick retails in Supermarkets such as Tescos and also Superdrug. It is an excellent tallow based soap at a ridiculous price of around 7Op. I don't want to confuse you, never tried the cream, but this soap works wonderfully. Rub it over a wet face and neck, having dipped the tip in hot water, and use your wet and shaken bush to face lather, adding water to the brush at intervals by dipping that in the hot water too. That should eliminate any reaction possibility to the cream, not to mention a sure lather.
 
you used wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much pressure....

remember to take your time..
prep your beard properly.. *(you may even want to try a pre-shave oil... you can use vitamin E oil or even olive oil and let it set for 5-10 mins before lathering and shaving)..**( i lather my face and then strop my razor and make sure it is in shaving shape ***(i use a straight razor) and that seems to soften the whiskers just fine)
use NO pressure.... you are used to having to help those crappy disposables do their job by using hella pressure.... try using just enough pressure to barely keep the edge against your face.... pretend you are just wiping the lather off with the edge... not trying to cut the hair....

pressure is your enemy....

and this type of shaving is not something to do if you are in a hurry..... wake up 30mins earlier so you have time to perform the ritual without being hurried or harassed...

it gets better quickly... it is a fast learning curve...
 
I found that the "no pressure" advice was very literal. My first shave with a DE I used almost as much pressure as with the sensor, and my face burnt for hours afterwards. It was surprising.

I'm now practicing the fundamentals (angle and pressure) to great effect. I see (and feel) improvement from day to day. I hope you have a similar experience. I have no doubt that after a couple of weeks you can get to an irritation free shave.
 
I took a real cautious approach when I started. I stuck with canned goo at first and only used the DE razor on the easy parts of my face, avoiding the curved jaw line and neck, using the cartridge razor for these areas. As I got more comfortable with handling the DE, the no pressure, the angle, etc I was able to do the whole shave with a DE razor. Then I started with soaps and creams. It really didn't take long to make this progress and I never had big problems. The toughest for me was ATG on my neck, but over time, it seemed the skin must have gotten used to the blade or it toughened up or something. I still don't go "across" the neck, this just never worked for me.

I remember having some times when the razor seemed to "jump" or bounce across the face, I think that was due to having the cream too dry. Its been awhile though…….

Good luck.
 
Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your disappointing first shave, I see a lot of good advice and I'm sure you'll get there in the end.

What I can tell you is that Palmolive shaving cream is the best value for money cream for me and one of my favorites.

Good luck on your next shave.
 
It took me awhile to get use to the no pressure thing too. I would say go with the Palmolive Classic stick. What ever you do just stick with it!
 
Hey Jugger81

Welcome from another newbie, I am only 3 shaves in. Like you I JUST received my kit for the holidays.

I pretty much have the same issues as you, neck area red with some bumps, so you are NOT ALONE :).

I plan to stick with it, and follow the advice given here and keep paying attention to the basics, Pressure and blade angle.

The only thing I CAN say, is my 3rd shave was better than my first, and it seems to be getting better.

I even practiced with no soap and an EMPTY razor, just to learn how I can work with my facial angles and get the proper razor angles I want.

-Craig
 
You can read my entire shaving odyssey, from my first gear buy to my first ATG pass here:
(http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/256792-New-member-checking-in)
(http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/263567-My-first-ATG-pass!)

It was my 16th shave before I first attempted an ATG pass, and some would even consider that too soon. Some people on this forum have said to wait three months. Wet shaving is a joy and a hobby, so let it be about the journey... not the destination. Let it be about the process... not about the end-product. Give yourself a few weeks to get the muscle memory going and learn about your face. Heck, only do WTG passes at first! Starting wet shaving is like being born again; you crawl first, then you walk, then you run.
 
back in the 70s I used a DE, brush and soap and my experience sounded like your post. I finally gave up. This time around I had a little help with things like mapping the face, no pressure, etc., etc. Be patient, don't try to get a close shave, and just try to learn the process. In time, if you stick with it, I believe you will get better shaves with your Chatsworth than a multi-blade.
 
Hang in there. I'm not sure about the learning curve since I had spent a decade with electric razors before I started double edge. Try a different blade, use zero pressure, and give it a week or two before you do against the grain passes.

I know a lot of people say to slow down and take your time and I agree. In time you'll speed things up and that might only be a week or two.
 
Top Bottom