How do i improve technique ?

What is the technique and how do i improve it ?

I been shaving for about 4 weeks now. Last week i shaved a thin layer or skin off my face by doing passes WTG, XTG, XTG and ATG, achieved BBS and face was stinging. This week I did WTG and ATG pass and it wasnt clean enough for a BBS so then a i did a XTG, XTG (west to east) but my face wasnt stinging like last time. However, i noticed hairs were left in some parts of the face and had to go over them again, also felt a bit of a drag in some places sometimes which means blade change but what if its my technique ? Maybe last week i was applying slight pressure to make my face stinging after all those passes, i dunno, what if the blade is not touch my face ? can the blade be blunt or cant it because im getting a BBS with WTG, XTG, XTG, ATG (4 passes) or could it be the soap scum which builds up on the edges of the blade which i notice when it dries ?

Prep is: I wash my face with hot water and a face wash using hot water to rinse, then lather up using Taylor of Bond Street's Mr Taylors shaving cream (which barely has a whiff of a fragrence - almost nothing - waste of money) using a badger brush

or does it mean if i use a different brand of blade which is more sharper i wont need 4 passes just 2 passes will get me a BBS ?

I think you need to mention what blades and razor you have been using. They are key. I purchased a sample pack of blades off Amazon and have found some blades work and some don't. Likewise, I went with a Merkur 23C because I saw it suggested as a good newbie razor. I've also been selective with shave creams. For my skin, I have found the Body Shop Macs Root cream is really forgiving and just tried some lemon Palmolive from India (99¢ at an Indian variety store 5 minutes from my place).

As for technique, practice makes perfect. I studied a couple of the videos over at sharpologist.com and found those really helped. Good luck!

Forget BBS, just aim for a consistency in your shaves. It'll come in time, but the learning curve can be 6-12 months long, you have to be patient.

Ah, the chimerical BBS! Something I never try for. I do two careful and full passes with lots of lather each; I run my fingertips over my mug after the first pass to see which way the beard is growing. Lather up, and shave X or A this grain. Then another final fingertip exploration, and touch-up, getting the patches (often upper neck, under chin area) that I missed. I make sure I have enough lather on for this clean-up half-pass.

4 passes is rough. Let us know your razor and blade. General technique hints: really, if your razor has any heft at all, apply no pressure; let the razor do the work. Check your angle of attack, comparing say your cheek shave over several days with different angles. Remember that you are shaving your whiskers, not your face.

Be patient, banish BBS unless it just happens, drop a pass, fiddle with technique. Have fun.

It will simply come with time, so just carry on! I agree that trying for BBS at this stage is asking for irritation because the building blocks of prep, lather, angle, pressure need development.

Time, practice, and watch some videos on YouTube. You can do it!

I never really aimed for a BBS at the beginning - I only used the DE one day on the weekend as a treat and a little "me" time. It was still miles better than what I was getting with the electric and less irritation (after a while) too.

Now, though, I shave every day and get a DFS every time from 1.5 passes plus a tidy up.

Maybe just go for a great shave that doesn't hurt for now - as you get more and more used to it, you'll find that you get a closer and closer shave each time with the fewer passes.

jaffacake2014 said:

...what if the blade is not touch my face?

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Is your razor assembled correctly? You wouldn't be the first guy to put the base plate on upside down.

I'd also recommend skipping your ATG pass. It can be difficult in the best of circumstances. Try going WTG and XTG; don't go ATG until you have your technique down. You could try "shaving" without a blade in the razor to develop muscle memory.

The razor is Gillette Slim Adjustable TTO Safety Razor and the blade is a beginners Personna (blue, US). I have watched videos on youtube and sharpologist for long enough (studied them for several weeks before starting to shave). I cant stand the look on my face if it doesnt shave close just beneth the skin, dont like it when there grains of stubble are still showing after a one or two pass.

I do a 4 pass but have only gotten a true BBS one or two times, I don't try for it. I use TOBS Mr Taylor and it has a great scent, you might have some old stock that lost some scent. The technique is something you have to find yourself, I'd recommend shaving in a quite room and listen for the correct angle, you will know when you hear the whiskers being cut. Good luck

The three things you have to watch are your prep, blade angel and pressure.

Good prep is important, especially if you don't have it. Most people do ok in this area as long as you're using a good soap or cream. A nice hot shower will help lead to a better shave but it's not vital as a good washing of the face will suffice as well. I don't use pre-shave oils myself as I believe all you need is a good quality soap to get a good shave. This is the easiest part to get right and one of those things that you'll figure out if you're getting it wrong. Most people have no problem with the prep so the problem usually lies in the shave angle, pressure or both.

Likely your shave angle is off as this seems to be the hardest thing to master. When I started I was trying to find the proper degree of angle by trying to find 30 degrees and it just doesn't work that way. Every razor and every face is different so you have to find the best angle for you. Try this, shave in silence, put the cap of the razor to your face ans slowly lower the handle as you start your first pass. When it just starts cutting is what you want. Too shallow of an angle and you cut nothing (like you described above), too steep of an angle and it's scraping the blade on your face like scraping paint off a house. Once you get this down it's just muscle memory and great shaves seem to follow.

The next area of concern is pressure. Use no pressure except the weight of the razor to keep it on your face. No pressure really does mean no pressure. What happened to you last week is you likely used too much pressure to compensate for a bad shave angle. This will get you a very close shave at the expense of your face. It's easier to compensate by pushing harder to get a closer shave, after all this is what we did for years with all of the cart razors. We're not going to try and clear everything in one pass here but we're going to clear a bit each pass and do multiple passes to get a great shave. As long as you pay attention to using no pressure you usually will do fine here.

After you finish your third pass wet an alum block and rub it all over your face. It's a great learning tool and they only cost about six bucks. Where it stings like hell you used too much pressure or a bad angle. Where it feels great you did well. Rinse your face with some cold water and apply a nice after shave balm to help your face heal. You can switch to a splash if you'd like after you get your technique down but for now the balms will help you to heal faster. Focus on improving your technique on the trouble spots where the alum stings. It took me a while to get a sting free shave on my neck where I have some difficult hair growth.

The great shaves will come with time so don't go for perfection at first. It seems like one day it just clicks and you get a perfect shave and then perfect shaves from there on out. Don't chase it as it will come to you.

As far as blades go, I can get a good shave from just about any blade (except for the really cheap Chinese blades which are terrible). Use each blade for 2 or three shaves or until it starts majorly tugging then replace it. You can go more shaves once your technique is better. Once you are getting a pain free shave every time with no sting from the alum block then you should look into trying different blades, not before then. The difference for me between a really good blade and one that's not as good is the not as good one will sometimes pull slightly and it's a little easier to leave a little stubble behind in some of my trouble spots. Both do give me a great comfortable shave just one is a little easier to get perfection with. Most of the blades out there are better that the vintage blades our grandfathers used and will give you a decent shave. A lot of people who are new blame the blade when the problem is poor technique. Changing the blade brand frequently just slows down your learning. Only after getting my technique down could I start to really tell the differences between blades.

I do exactly what I've told you to do every time I try a new razor of experience a below average shave. Even the most experienced shavers have to go back to the basics every once in a while.

Good luck and let us know how you're progressing. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

A tourist in New York City paused to ask a native how to get to Carnegie Hall.

"Practice, practice, practice,.." was the reply.

what is the technique ?
I shave in the kitchen sink, its quiet there and i can hear the whiskers being cut, its a miniture crunching noise.

I think its time to throw the blade away i got zits, one of them is puss filled

jaffacake2014 said:

what is the technique ?
I shave in the kitchen sink, its quiet there and i can hear the whiskers being cut, its a miniture crunching noise.

I think its time to throw the blade away i got zits, one of them is puss filled

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Technique is using the proper angle and pressure. You have to get good with your razor and learn to shave without messing yourself up

To find your angle - "Put the cap of the razor to your face and slowly lower the handle as you start your first pass. When it just starts cutting is what you want. Too shallow of an angle and you cut nothing (like you described above), too steep of an angle and it's scraping the blade on your face like scraping paint off a house. Once you get this down it's just muscle memory and great shaves seem to follow."

Pressure - only the weight of the razor, don't push it into your face or you will get a terrible shave with ingrown hairs, zits and lots of irritation.

Change the blade about every two shaves.

Sorry about your zits man, especially the puss filled one.

Your technique will improve with time and practice. I don't believe that there is any "quick" way to improve technique. Just keep shaving the way you are now doing it, and the improvements will come along.

To echo some of the good advice given above, keep calm and carry on. Short strokes, light on the pressure, maybe stay away from ATG, and 2-3 passes at tops. And err on the side of more product, to assure a protective lather.

vitalsigns81 said:

To echo some of the good advice given above, keep calm and carry on. Short strokes, light on the pressure, maybe stay away from ATG, and 2-3 passes at tops. And err on the side of more product, to assure a protective lather.

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+1

Thank you for your replies with these very good and easy to remember suggestions, much appreciated

Lots of great advice!

It may help to focus on one item at a time. Dedicate this week to "no pressure." Next week can be "watch the blade angle." The following week can be "listen to the shave."

Don't judge the shave by the outcome... yet. Instead judge it by how well you focussed on that one item and what you learned. The purpose of this exercise is to begin to build some muscle memory. Once that memory is built, the dfs or bbs shaves will be effortless.

BTW. One week per item is a suggestion. If you feel the action is automatic after 3 or 4 days (or 3 weeks) then move on.

ok