First DE shave was a success!!

**LouBarraza** · 03-10-2012, 11:13 PM

My DE razor arrived yesterday.A vintage Gillette 3 piece DE.It had some wear and minor surface rust on it,so I soaked it in some CLR overnight and headed to Sallys to buy a pack of Persona razors.I took it out of the CLR (which did a fantastic job of removing the surface rust) I took it to my mini buffing wheel and a little compound and buffed it to a nice shine(ill post before and after pics in a bit).I took the time to disinfect it in some alcohol and placed the razor blade in.I took a shower,but kept my face wet and loaded up my lather brush using some VDH soap and applied it to my face .This felt like the longest shave Ive ever done in my entire life since I am so use to the cartridge razors.I held the DE razor at an angle,not too much pressure,not with too little pressure.I used the razors weight and let the blade do the work.One thing is lots and lots of lubrication is KEY and taking your time.Each time I felt my face wasnt lubricated or wet enough,I applied a little more water or a little more lather.My first past I went with the grain doing the sides first(stretching the skin),then carefully my neck(again,gently,not too much pressure,just letting the razor "glide" and do the work) and then my chin area.I didnt do my upper lip because Im keeping the stasch for now.For second pass,I wet my face with warm water again,applied lather,and this time I went across the grain.No major knicks or cuts ,but there was a very very small area on my neck I slightly nicked (the addams apple area is where I have the most difficulty shaving and even knick that with a cartridge)and although it wasnt a "perfect" shave,I felt it was good enough and it was actually pretty close,actually closer than some of the cartridge shaves Ive been using.I followed with a face rinsing with cold water ,a splash of a new bottle of Aqua Vela Blue (suprisingly not that much of a sting),followed by some Lubriderm 3 in 1 lotion to moisturize.So far no irritation,maybe just a slight burn where I slightly knicked it,other than that,it went great.Whereas my usual shave with a cartridge takes me only 5 mins,this took me almost 20.Thankfully no one was home and the bathroom to myself.

Im sure as I get used to the DE,ill get a little bit faster,but I didnt want to push my luck today.

**djh** · 03-11-2012, 04:21 AM

Good work- you are off to a great start. If you continue to take it easy your shaves should only get better. Don't rush and enjoy the ritual- the results are well worth it.

**Oblique Human** · 03-11-2012, 07:47 AM

You have a good technique which you'll hone further no doubt. Best of luck.

**Rjacklin** · 03-11-2012, 08:33 AM

Welcome and congrats!

**camjr** · 03-11-2012, 08:53 AM

Speed will come. Focus on technique. Congrats!

**tech.addict** · 03-11-2012, 08:58 AM

Welcome to B&B :) .
You're one of the lucky guys to get great result on first DE shave!! Most people migrating from cartridge takes some time to adjust to DE. Congrats!!

**FL shaver** · 03-11-2012, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by camjr

Speed will come. Focus on technique. Congrats!

+1
Off to a great start, it seems. You will become more efficient with practice. Enjoy the process!

**bigshoe83** · 03-11-2012, 11:22 AM

the hardest part for me when switching over from overpriced cartridges to de was remembering to use my whole arm instead of my wrist. I seem to nick myself more when i start bending my wrist like you can when using a cartridge.

**dpmtherrien** · 03-11-2012, 02:31 PM

Congrats.

**beginish** · 03-11-2012, 04:17 PM

Congrats. It's great when the plan comes together.

**Pasha** · 03-11-2012, 04:54 PM

Congrats, getting a good shave is half the battle. Getting it consistently is the next step.

**JCinPA** · 03-11-2012, 07:32 PM

Nice job! Don't push for speed, just let it happen. One thing that will help is if you don't start collecting razors. Heresy, I know, but if you stick with that one for a couple months, you'll be doing a 10-15 minute shave in no time. I enjoy the process so I take 15 minutes, but a ten minute shave (3 passes) is easy for me now. Shaving after the shower helps with that.

**jbradley** · 03-11-2012, 07:36 PM

Welcome and congrats! It's already been said, but technique is the key. Take your time, enjoy the ride.
Johnnie

**the_edski** · 03-11-2012, 07:37 PM

congrats! the shaves just keep on getting better! I agree with above comments, don't rush, let the shave come to you and you will slowly cut down on the time.

**rxonmymind** · 03-11-2012, 09:08 PM

Ha-haaaaa! Congrats! Best shaves to you going forward!

**LouBarraza** · 03-12-2012, 01:27 PM

haha,thanks everyone
Did it a second time today,but took me less time.This time,I knicked a little tiny bit near my bottom lip where I had a slight bump(dont really want to call it a pimple)Again,a good enough shave but not "perfect".It reminds me of shaving with a Bic single blade disposable,but 100x better!Im using Personnas right now and seem to be working good,but wouldnt mind trying some other brands.
But I also noticed also that I dont get bumped up like I do with multi-blade cartridge nor very much irritation.Im thinking a pre shave would make the razor glide better.By the way ,I tosed my cans of Gillette shave gel in the garbage.I noticed the other day I started getting irritation from them,but with the VDH soap or Barbasol out of my hot lather machine,I dont get any at all.
Im getting there