Another newbie - just did my first DE/wetshave - looking for advice

[OnTheRoadToZen]

Hello! First of all, thanks for a great forum with tons of great information!

As the subject says, I'm completely new to wetshaving, and did my first wetshave today. It went... okay. Not great, but not horrible either. I sort of expected that, since it was my first time, and I'm writing this in the hope that you guys can guide me in the right direction for better shaves in the future!

Here's what I did: I took a hot shower, made a nice lather in a bowl, using my Arko stick (love the smell! it reminds me of Italy!). As far as I can tell, it was good lather. Thick, very creamy, stuck to my hand. My brush is an Omega pure badger brush, btw. Used the brush to get a nice layer of lather on my face. I then used my Lord L6 (yeah, I'm starting out with some quite cheap products, will aquire other razors in the near future!) and a BlueBird blade (a quite random choice), and did 1 pass WTG (more or less), re-lathered and did a second pass which was a little bit ATG, a little bit XTG. I think this second pass is what I did wrong. Also, I was a bit excited and impatient, and I think maybe I shaved too fast and didn't pay enough attention. After these two passes I figured it was "close enough", and finished with rinsing + nivea aftershave balm + old spice after shave.

The result: A few areas of my face are quite smooth, other areas are more like, uhm, "sandpaper smooth" (SPS?), with quite visible stubble. Nicked myself a couple of times, but nothing worse than when I first started with a gillette sensor excel 15+ years ago. Also, my face feels somewhat "rubbery", not silky smooth. Then again, I don't know really what to expect here, so that might be normal? Or not?

Anyhow, after my shave I watched some of mantic59's videos, and discovered that he recommends doing just 2 "down-passes" for at least a week, to really learn the technique, and then, after doing that for at least a week, start doing XTG or ATG after those two passes. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm also gonna shave slower the next time.

My big question is: should I also change other variables? I'm especially thinking of the blade. I think the BlueBird felt kinda not right, I felt some tugging and such, so I'm inclined to try other blades. I've bought a sample pack, so I have several brands to try - Derby, Astra, Shark, Wilkinson Sword, Lord Platinum, Treet & Gillette 7 o'clock. Should I try other blades right away, or do you recommend sticking with one blade until I get my technique right? To my inexperienced mind this seems a little like a chicken-or-the-egg-question, since I don't really know if the tugging was because my technique is bad, or because the blade wasn't right for me/my face. Or some other reason.

So, based on all this, do you guys have any recommendations/tips/advice for how I should proceed?
I'd really appreciate some input!
Feel free to ask if there is something I've forgotten to mention.
Thanks again for a great forum! I'm glad I have joined!

[Oblique Human]

Welcome to B&B!

made a nice lather in a bowl, using my Arko stick (love the smell! it reminds me of Italy!)

That truly is a first :)

The reason your face feels rubbery is because your skin will take some time to get used to the new shaving regimen you're exposing it too, the lather and the blade buffing, but normal sensation will resume within weeks.

You've assembled your shave kit with some evident thought. Its a good setup with the sampler pack. You stick with the blade for a couple weeks that gives you the smoothest shave. Try the Derby or Lord first, they should allow for some error. Leave the Gillette Yellows for when you're more confident in your technique.

Forget that 2 passes for 2 weeks advice. You should naturally proceed with caution since you are scraping a highly sharpened piece of metal against your skin, but you expand your range of strokes as you feel more comfortable. Could be 2 days or 2 months.

At the areas where you still feel stubble, before the next shave, try to feel with your knuckles how the grain is growing, which direction and whether in a straight pattern or a swirl. It will take some time to judge this but you need to shave WTG and XTG or ATG with that growth pattern to accomplish a good shave. But this will become second nature to you in time.

And last but not least, enjoy this new adventure.

[PugslyCat]

Welcome to B&B!

I usually recommend that people use a blade or two of each type in the sampler pack until they find one that they can live with for a couple of months, then stick with one brand of blades, one razor, and one soap while you get the kinks out of your shaving technique. Initially your technique is likely to be highly variable. By sticking to the same hardware and software you eliminate other variables until your technique has stabilized. After that, go back to the sampler pack and experiment with all the good stuff you can get your hands on.

Sticking to North to South passes only for a couple of weeks isn't really necessary, as long as you feel good about doing additional passes. If you have trouble with some spots, especially ATG passes on the neck, just stop doing them for a while.

Whenever you change something in your shave, always change just one thing. That way you know what works and what just bit you.

Always remember some particular combination of soap, brush, blade and razor that works for your and keep those items on hand. If you really get to messing up your shave, just revert to that known good state.

[CorAnd]

Hello! First of all, thanks for a great forum with tons of great information!

As the subject says, I'm completely new to wetshaving, and did my first wetshave today. It went... okay. Not great, but not horrible either. I sort of expected that, since it was my first time, and I'm writing this in the hope that you guys can guide me in the right direction for better shaves in the future!

Here's what I did: I took a hot shower, made a nice lather in a bowl, using my Arko stick (love the smell! it reminds me of Italy!). As far as I can tell, it was good lather. Thick, very creamy, stuck to my hand. My brush is an Omega pure badger brush, btw. Used the brush to get a nice layer of lather on my face. I then used my Lord L6 (yeah, I'm starting out with some quite cheap products, will aquire other razors in the near future!) and a BlueBird blade (a quite random choice), and did 1 pass WTG (more or less), re-lathered and did a second pass which was a little bit ATG, a little bit XTG. I think this second pass is what I did wrong. Also, I was a bit excited and impatient, and I think maybe I shaved too fast and didn't pay enough attention. After these two passes I figured it was "close enough", and finished with rinsing + nivea aftershave balm + old spice after shave.

The result: A few areas of my face are quite smooth, other areas are more like, uhm, "sandpaper smooth" (SPS?), with quite visible stubble. Nicked myself a couple of times, but nothing worse than when I first started with a gillette sensor excel 15+ years ago. Also, my face feels somewhat "rubbery", not silky smooth. Then again, I don't know really what to expect here, so that might be normal? Or not?

Anyhow, after my shave I watched some of mantic59's videos, and discovered that he recommends doing just 2 "down-passes" for at least a week, to really learn the technique, and then, after doing that for at least a week, start doing XTG or ATG after those two passes. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm also gonna shave slower the next time.

My big question is: should I also change other variables? I'm especially thinking of the blade. I think the BlueBird felt kinda not right, I felt some tugging and such, so I'm inclined to try other blades. I've bought a sample pack, so I have several brands to try - Derby, Astra, Shark, Wilkinson Sword, Lord Platinum, Treet & Gillette 7 o'clock. Should I try other blades right away, or do you recommend sticking with one blade until I get my technique right? To my inexperienced mind this seems a little like a chicken-or-the-egg-question, since I don't really know if the tugging was because my technique is bad, or because the blade wasn't right for me/my face. Or some other reason.

So, based on all this, do you guys have any recommendations/tips/advice for how I should proceed?
I'd really appreciate some input!
Feel free to ask if there is something I've forgotten to mention.
Thanks again for a great forum! I'm glad I have joined!

Hello and welcome. I've only been using a DE for a few months, but here is what I recommend.

Your prep seems fine, but I would also try this: use a gentle face wash while in the shower. Pick one that has some sort of alkali in it. The reason you prep the beard in the first place is to get it softer and to get the stubble to stand out a bit. Hot water will make cracks in the hair cuticle, which will THEN allow the hair inside the protective cuticle to be softened by hot water and moisterizers. Alkalines in your face wash will then make the cuticle swell and pull apart, allowing easier access to the hair follicle with whatever softening treatment you choose. A softer beard means less irritation, less passes, and a smoother shave. It will also negate the subconscience feeling of "needing" to dig in more when the razor is tugging, because, well, the razor won't tug in the first place.

After you do that, whip up your lather and gently swirl it directly on your face for a minute or so. Let that lather sit on your face and neck for at least 3 minutes.
This will really soften your whiskers, as the shaving soap/cream you're using to shave with is the best beard prep of all--it contains all the stubble softening and moisterizing skin goodies in it. And since you already took the hair protecting hard cuticle out of the equation, your stubble will be defenseless to the onslaught of your slick whisker softening shave cream.

After the 3 minutes, wipe off the lather with a hot wet towel. Then, bowl or face lather again and shave.


Remember, zero pressure and watch that blade angle. Stick with WTG. Add a XTG after you can consistently get comfortable shaves with just WTG. Forget ATG for now. If you could use an ATG, just do another XTG pass, but go the other way.


Here is an excellent post on blade angles from Nick Stevens. It's at the bottom of the page:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Blade_Angle

Stick with that blade for at least 5 shaves. Stick with the same soap, razor, AS....everything. If you feel you are allergic to something or some part of your process is giving you bad results, you can eliminate or change each variable one at a time until you find what the problem is. 90% of the time it is technique, I've found.

[linty1]

Welcome to B&B! Listening to your experience makes me excited to start too!

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to B&B !!

[Mad Man]

Welcome Zen,

all good advice; summarized?

* choose a setup and STICK to it; minimze the variables for at least a month. Derby's and Astras are OK to start with.
* map your beard and stay WTG, WTG and maybe a XTG until you feel comfortable going ATG
* ensure your lather is wet enough - leave it on for a couple of minutes and if it starts to dry and flake it aint wet enough (my lathers were not hydrated enough early on)
* practice your lather - religiously. Even at night, whip up a lather - try hand lathering (cup your hand) to get a nice tactile feel of the lather and gently add water until the lather "breaks" and goes all frothy and runny. It'll give you a great idea of how much water you can add and how it changes.
* technique is your deal-breaker right now more than equipment. Practice grip, blade angle, go slow and use your EARS to listen for the nice audio feedback of when the blade is engaging the whiskers
* choose a setup and stick to it; did we say that enough?
* remember to ENJOY yourself; it's OK to be less than BBS when learning a new skill. My worst wet shave is still an order of magnitude better than the slobs in my office.

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[mistervee123]

Wow. A ton of questions, but it's a good way to start. Check out the interactive shave tutorials at the top of the "newb" check in. They will provide a wealth of information.

[DC_MPA]

Love your avatar pic, welcome to B&B

[Whilliam]

FWIW, blades were the first variable I changed. From what I had read here on B&B, doing so promised the biggest change in face feel, and, indeed, this was so.

Switching from the Derby that came with my R41 to an Astra SP was like switching from sandpaper to silk.

Again, this was my experience, and, as they say, YMMV.

Bill
BOTOC

[OnTheRoadToZen]

Thanks a lot guys! Yeah, OK, I'll stick to one setup! Did my second shave tonight, and the only change was Lord blades instead of Bluebird, and I went slowly and paid much attention to blade angle. The Lord blade felt a bit better than my previous attempt with a Bluebird. And yeah, the "audio feedback" from the blade/razor is great! I got a much smoother shave this time, and no nicks or cuts! Yay! Also, my alum block came in the mail today, so I added that to the post-shave routine. Felt good! So I think I have setup fixed now, and I'll stick to it for a month at least.

There's really a lot of "mach3 muscle memory" to unlearn (my hands are automatically trying to do what they're used to do when shaving!), and new skills to learn, but so far I think I'm on the right track

And thanks for the warm welcome - the shaving communities I have experience with so far (B&B, reddit.com/r/wicked_edge) are extremely welcoming and friendly communities! Which of course is awesome. My father never was around to teach me about shaving, so I pretty much taught myself with the help of trial & error & the gillette marketing department - I suspect that might be the case for many people today. So I probably would never have started wetshaving if it wasn't for B&B, r/wicked_edge and similar sources of information. Again: thanks! I'm glad to be a part of this