Hello everyone - thought I'd post about my two first experiences.
First off - I am sold. Whatever I may say following this doesn't take away from the fact that I actually LOOK FORWARD to shaving now - something I have NEVER had in my entire years of shaving (over 20). I have always dreaded it and only done it when I start to look ridiculous (as my beard doesn't always grow in "fully", if you know what I mean). Anything that maybe comes off as negative is more an observation and is likely due to my total inexperience.
First, my setup (purchased from Amazon within the last week or so):
I also bought an assortment pack of blades, but I haven't dove into them yet.
My first shave was set about with some indecision and a little trepidation. I watched MANY of mantic59's videos, but that first time - you just don't know what to expect. Do I heat water in a kettle? Just use water from the sink (I should probably clean the sink, yeah, let's do that first - don't want to risk some weird infection)? How to lather? (hand/mug/face) On and on, as I'm sure you can imagine. Eventually used an electric kettle (wouldn't waste my time in the future, and didn't for the second shave). Once I sorted all that out, I dove right in. Decided on mug lathering, which worked out pretty well. Soaked the brush in the hot water in the sink for a few minutes to let it absorb the water. I did have about a week's growth, but I knew to take short passes - my brother is a wet shaver (hi Anthony) and reminded me that it's about beard reduction at first, not shaving. So with my brand new blade I set about the task.
I was surprised at how easily the beard came off. Yes, it was absolutely about reduction, not actually getting to perfectly smooth skin on the first pass. But it was almost effortless compared to cartridge shaving. I kept reminding myself to let the weight of the razor do the work, which helped a lot. I did many short passes with the grain, until the beard was evenly removed and I just looked "stubbly". Then I reapplied some lather, as I noticed that what was left had started to dry out and the razor wasn't gliding over my skin any more. Then I started a series of cross-grain passes, and was amazed at how quickly it could remove the stubble that was left. I did notice that "rounding the bend" from above the chin to below the chin was going to be my trouble spot for a while until I got more comfortable. Everything else was surprisingly easy. I did nick myself twice because I started going a little too quickly, but they were very small and actually stopped on their own before I even finished shaving. No pain at all, didn't even know I did them until I saw the little drop of blood. I got everything clean and, more importantly, EVEN looking (didn't want to look "patchy"), then washed my face off, patted it dry, and applied some Gabels and then a face moisturizer, as I realized the alcohol in the Gabels combined with living in the desert (hello Las Vegas) would probably dry my skin out something fierce.
Showed it to my girlfriend, which garnered her immediate approval.
Fast forward two days to yesterday - I knew that this time would be a fair bit faster (the first time took me about a half-hour total), since I had WAY less growth and more experience. Decided to forego the electric kettle and just use hot water from the sink. It worked just fine. Lathered up using the same method as before, and set to it. The stubble came off quite easily and quickly, and I think this shave probably took about 10 minutes, 15 tops. This time, in cavalier fashion, I decided to CAREFULLY try some "against the grain" passes, which went smoothly and really knocked the stubble down. No sign of ingrowns yet, but it's only been a day. I'll keep an eye out for them in the future. Not sure if I would go against the grain for EVERY shave for that reason, but I was really pleased at how it didn't rip up my skin like cartridge razors always do.
I did decide that I would discard the Derby blade after this second time, as it had fought valiantly through all that beard a few days earlier and made a good showing through this second shave. It was also starting to tug just a little bit. So the next shave will be again with only a day or two's growth (haven't decided if I need to shave today or not), hopefully that will be a good litmus test of how this will go in the future.
All in all, I am remarkably pleased. Shaving was something I did because I had to, not because I wanted to. Now it's become a pleasant experience that I actually look forward too. I'm excited to experiment and find my "master combo" that completes the total experience for me.
Thanks to everyone here at B&B for sharing their experiences and tips - I look forward to being a member of the community!
First off - I am sold. Whatever I may say following this doesn't take away from the fact that I actually LOOK FORWARD to shaving now - something I have NEVER had in my entire years of shaving (over 20). I have always dreaded it and only done it when I start to look ridiculous (as my beard doesn't always grow in "fully", if you know what I mean). Anything that maybe comes off as negative is more an observation and is likely due to my total inexperience.
First, my setup (purchased from Amazon within the last week or so):
- Edwin Jagger DE89lbl (came with 5-pack of Derby blades, all I've used so far)
- Parker badger brush
- Taylor of Old Bond Street sandalwood shave cream
- Gabels Old Bay Rum aftershave
I also bought an assortment pack of blades, but I haven't dove into them yet.
My first shave was set about with some indecision and a little trepidation. I watched MANY of mantic59's videos, but that first time - you just don't know what to expect. Do I heat water in a kettle? Just use water from the sink (I should probably clean the sink, yeah, let's do that first - don't want to risk some weird infection)? How to lather? (hand/mug/face) On and on, as I'm sure you can imagine. Eventually used an electric kettle (wouldn't waste my time in the future, and didn't for the second shave). Once I sorted all that out, I dove right in. Decided on mug lathering, which worked out pretty well. Soaked the brush in the hot water in the sink for a few minutes to let it absorb the water. I did have about a week's growth, but I knew to take short passes - my brother is a wet shaver (hi Anthony) and reminded me that it's about beard reduction at first, not shaving. So with my brand new blade I set about the task.
I was surprised at how easily the beard came off. Yes, it was absolutely about reduction, not actually getting to perfectly smooth skin on the first pass. But it was almost effortless compared to cartridge shaving. I kept reminding myself to let the weight of the razor do the work, which helped a lot. I did many short passes with the grain, until the beard was evenly removed and I just looked "stubbly". Then I reapplied some lather, as I noticed that what was left had started to dry out and the razor wasn't gliding over my skin any more. Then I started a series of cross-grain passes, and was amazed at how quickly it could remove the stubble that was left. I did notice that "rounding the bend" from above the chin to below the chin was going to be my trouble spot for a while until I got more comfortable. Everything else was surprisingly easy. I did nick myself twice because I started going a little too quickly, but they were very small and actually stopped on their own before I even finished shaving. No pain at all, didn't even know I did them until I saw the little drop of blood. I got everything clean and, more importantly, EVEN looking (didn't want to look "patchy"), then washed my face off, patted it dry, and applied some Gabels and then a face moisturizer, as I realized the alcohol in the Gabels combined with living in the desert (hello Las Vegas) would probably dry my skin out something fierce.
Showed it to my girlfriend, which garnered her immediate approval.
Fast forward two days to yesterday - I knew that this time would be a fair bit faster (the first time took me about a half-hour total), since I had WAY less growth and more experience. Decided to forego the electric kettle and just use hot water from the sink. It worked just fine. Lathered up using the same method as before, and set to it. The stubble came off quite easily and quickly, and I think this shave probably took about 10 minutes, 15 tops. This time, in cavalier fashion, I decided to CAREFULLY try some "against the grain" passes, which went smoothly and really knocked the stubble down. No sign of ingrowns yet, but it's only been a day. I'll keep an eye out for them in the future. Not sure if I would go against the grain for EVERY shave for that reason, but I was really pleased at how it didn't rip up my skin like cartridge razors always do.
I did decide that I would discard the Derby blade after this second time, as it had fought valiantly through all that beard a few days earlier and made a good showing through this second shave. It was also starting to tug just a little bit. So the next shave will be again with only a day or two's growth (haven't decided if I need to shave today or not), hopefully that will be a good litmus test of how this will go in the future.
All in all, I am remarkably pleased. Shaving was something I did because I had to, not because I wanted to. Now it's become a pleasant experience that I actually look forward too. I'm excited to experiment and find my "master combo" that completes the total experience for me.
Thanks to everyone here at B&B for sharing their experiences and tips - I look forward to being a member of the community!
If you'd like an aftershave that will have a bit more moisturizing properties and is available locally, consider something like Aqua Velva or Skin bracer (both with the added plus of menthol to keep you cool out there in Vegas.) If you're a fan of Bay Rum, Captain's Choice is loaded with moisturizers, so you might want to have a look at that.
