First of all, I am so thankful the the immense wisdom and experience that is found on B&B. It was all invaluable as I journeyed into my first DE shave.
So, on Saturday, I filled the sink up with hot tab water and placed my bowl and Kingsley pure badger brush into the water for a good hot soak. I then proceeded to take a hot shower while the brush soaked. Once I completed my shower, I toweled off with the exception of my face. I then proceeded to drain the sink and refilled will fresh hot water. I took my Proraso green shave cream and swirled my brush in the Proraso container for approximately one minute to ensure I had enough soap. Then proceeded to my bowl to produce a good lather. It probably took about 2 - 3 minutes to get a nice rich lather, adding a few drops of water along the way (I have really hard water). I then began to put the lather on my face, which went very well. Then, the moment of truth and saying a little prayer, I took my new Razorock Mission razor with a Treet Silver blade and carefully positioned it at the correct angel and began my first pass. After the first couple of swipes, my nervousness began to diminish. Once my WTG pass was complete, I rinsed my face with hot tap water and reapplied lather for my second pass, which was XTG. Again, to my surprise, this pass went really well. I again, rinsed my face, and then "painted" my face for "clean up" pass. After painting my face, I then lightly squeezed the remaining lather from my brush and used my hand to find the rough spots on my face. Once rough spots were identified, I tried to clean up those areas as best as I could with out destroying my face. I rinsed my face with hot water and then followed up with a cold water rinse. I then turned to my Dickinson (blue bottle) witch hazel and felt some minor stinging in a few places. Once the which hazel dried, I applied Proraso AS splash (Green), which I absolutely love. To my surprise, I didn't have any nicks, bleeders or visual redness. However, as the day went on and my face became more oily, my face became more and more uncomfortable. I had to reapply witch hazel and AS a couple times through out the next two days to find comfort. Is this normal? I have had a "Don Johnson" beard for probably the last 15-20 years because I remember how uncomfortable my face would feel after shaving. This felt like the same discomfort that I had way back then. I'm not sure if I'm using the correct AS products or if this is fairly normal.
I decided to have my second DE shave last night. I followed pretty much the same steps as my first shave, with the exception of the shower. This time, I tried the "Kyle method", soaking my face with a wet hot wash clothe, lather my face and then applying the wet hot wash clothe again. The second shave went slightly better than my first. Again, no nicks, or visible razor burn. My face still feels uncomfortable as time goes on and oil starts to build. I have to rinse my face ever couple of hours to relieve the discomfort. Again, not sure if this is normal or is it my technique and/or AS products?
In both of my shaves, I was surprised at how much "pulling" I felt when shaving my upper lip and around my mouth. I'm not sure if that is because of the blade that I chose or my technique.
One thing for sure, I really enjoy the "process" of DE wet shaving. It really is quite the experience. I plan to continue on this journey for some time. I just hope I'll be able to identify the cause of the discomfort I have been feeling as the oil builds on my face.
Sorry for the long post and my rambling but I wanted to capture this moment for future reference.
So, on Saturday, I filled the sink up with hot tab water and placed my bowl and Kingsley pure badger brush into the water for a good hot soak. I then proceeded to take a hot shower while the brush soaked. Once I completed my shower, I toweled off with the exception of my face. I then proceeded to drain the sink and refilled will fresh hot water. I took my Proraso green shave cream and swirled my brush in the Proraso container for approximately one minute to ensure I had enough soap. Then proceeded to my bowl to produce a good lather. It probably took about 2 - 3 minutes to get a nice rich lather, adding a few drops of water along the way (I have really hard water). I then began to put the lather on my face, which went very well. Then, the moment of truth and saying a little prayer, I took my new Razorock Mission razor with a Treet Silver blade and carefully positioned it at the correct angel and began my first pass. After the first couple of swipes, my nervousness began to diminish. Once my WTG pass was complete, I rinsed my face with hot tap water and reapplied lather for my second pass, which was XTG. Again, to my surprise, this pass went really well. I again, rinsed my face, and then "painted" my face for "clean up" pass. After painting my face, I then lightly squeezed the remaining lather from my brush and used my hand to find the rough spots on my face. Once rough spots were identified, I tried to clean up those areas as best as I could with out destroying my face. I rinsed my face with hot water and then followed up with a cold water rinse. I then turned to my Dickinson (blue bottle) witch hazel and felt some minor stinging in a few places. Once the which hazel dried, I applied Proraso AS splash (Green), which I absolutely love. To my surprise, I didn't have any nicks, bleeders or visual redness. However, as the day went on and my face became more oily, my face became more and more uncomfortable. I had to reapply witch hazel and AS a couple times through out the next two days to find comfort. Is this normal? I have had a "Don Johnson" beard for probably the last 15-20 years because I remember how uncomfortable my face would feel after shaving. This felt like the same discomfort that I had way back then. I'm not sure if I'm using the correct AS products or if this is fairly normal.
I decided to have my second DE shave last night. I followed pretty much the same steps as my first shave, with the exception of the shower. This time, I tried the "Kyle method", soaking my face with a wet hot wash clothe, lather my face and then applying the wet hot wash clothe again. The second shave went slightly better than my first. Again, no nicks, or visible razor burn. My face still feels uncomfortable as time goes on and oil starts to build. I have to rinse my face ever couple of hours to relieve the discomfort. Again, not sure if this is normal or is it my technique and/or AS products?
In both of my shaves, I was surprised at how much "pulling" I felt when shaving my upper lip and around my mouth. I'm not sure if that is because of the blade that I chose or my technique.
One thing for sure, I really enjoy the "process" of DE wet shaving. It really is quite the experience. I plan to continue on this journey for some time. I just hope I'll be able to identify the cause of the discomfort I have been feeling as the oil builds on my face.
Sorry for the long post and my rambling but I wanted to capture this moment for future reference.
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