Three week break for healing- now 'Gun shy' to start again.

After several bloodbaths and only a couple of really good, relatively blood free shaves during my novice days, I decided to take a break from shaving and go along with "No Shave November." The end of the month is approaching and, instead of looking forward to 86ing the beard, I'm rather reluctant to try DE again. I had so many bad experiences that I just hate to go through it again.

As a fifth generation Texan, "Get Back On That Horse" is in my blood. Still, I'm more than a little gun shy in resuming.

I suppose I'll give another shot, though.

Well just double check your angle and make sure that that lather is like shiny coolwhip. Good Luck

The most important thing is preparation. Make sure your beard is properly hydrated, make a slick lather, not that thick lather other guys make to take photos. Add water gradually until you make a nice slick lather.

Then the no pressure thing you already know, no pressure, just let the razor's weight do the work, lock your wrist and use your elbow and shoulder to make the movements.

And the angle, start with the cap/doors flat against your skin and slowly lower the handle until you feel the edge of the blade engaging the whiskers, that's the right angle, the one that won't give you irritation.

Use short strokes, it's much easier to keep the right angle and avoid pressure.

Now get back on that horse, you'll be fine!

I guess I have to ask: "What's going on?" I'm new to DE wet shaving and have been at it for just over a month. I've had my issues! It just strikes me to hear someone sound so at a loss.

I deal with hard water(plus the lathering issues that go along with that), I've loaded a Feather blade into my Merkur HD crooked(talk about a blood bath), and I'm as bullheaded as they come(Hence, the bloodbath with the Feather. I just had to keep "pushing through!") All of that being said, I can't imagine going back to the old way of shaving(Or, was that the new way?).

If you could, just share a little bit about what you've been going through. If there's any advice or experience in my limited history here that might help, it would be my pleasure to share. Also, I'm sure there will be many others here with much more experience than I, that are eager to help.

Blade4vor said:

I guess I have to ask: "What's going on?" I'm new to DE wet shaving and have been at it for just over a month. I've had my issues! It just strikes me to hear someone sound so at a loss.

I deal with hard water(plus the lathering issues that go along with that), I've loaded a Feather blade into my Merkur HD crooked(talk about a blood bath), and I'm as bullheaded as they come(Hence, the bloodbath with the Feather. I just had to keep "pushing through!") All of that being said, I can't imagine going back to the old way of shaving(Or, was that the new way?).

If you could, just share a little bit about what you've been going through. If there's any advice or experience in my limited history here that might help, it would be my pleasure to share. Also, I'm sure there will be many others here with much more experience than I, that are eager to help.

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+1

Just jump on it. It's like riding a bike and it'll all come back to you and fall into place.

I have used a feather 3 times now. So far the only cut I got was the one on my finger from not paying attention when I grabbed the razor head.

I do go really slow and don't use any pressure at all.

It also feels like I use a different angle with the feather.

It's in an ikon slant. So far I haven't used it with my Merkur or EJ.

I have used it twice now with TH shave cream. The first time I was so scared I tried it with hydrolast.

Kenster said:

After several bloodbaths and only a couple of really good, relatively blood free shaves during my novice days, I decided to take a break from shaving and go along with "No Shave November." The end of the month is approaching and, instead of looking forward to 86ing the beard, I'm rather reluctant to try DE again. I had so many bad experiences that I just hate to go through it again.

As a fifth generation Texan, "Get Back On That Horse" is in my blood. Still, I'm more than a little gun shy in resuming.

I suppose I'll give another shot, though.

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What gear are you using and what is your prep? Maybe a blade that doesn't agree with you, maybe a lather not slick enough, maybe not enough prep, maybe to aggressive a razor with improper angle..... So many variables, it would help to know what you are having such bad luck with, and maybe we can help get you into some zen like shaves.

OP here. I use a 60s era Slim, Proraso Soap, Badger brush. I have a starter kit of blades but have stuck with Crystal Platinums to maintain some continuity in the training process. I change them out after the second use. My arsenal includes Feather, Derby Extra, Personna Red, and Astra. I intend to stay away from the Feathers.

My razor is adjustable and I've been keeping it on "One" most of the time. I did experiment, once, with a setting of "7" for WTG and "1" for ATG. It might have been a closer shave but I bled a lot. I don't think the setting had anything to do with the bleeding, though. It was mostly due to shaving over nicks and wounds from the previous shaves.

I typically shave right out of the shower. Someone has suggested that that might be part of the problem due to having the pores wide open after a hot shower. My thought was that showering first would soften the beard better, plus, I have shaved IN the shower for decades with my cartridge razors. I will say that the two times I got a near BBS with only the slightest of nicks was a mid afternoon shave NOT having just come out of the shower. Is that telling me something?

I have not used a pre-shave prep but am thinking about trying my bride's Noxema. I do not know if I'm getting a proper lather. I whip it up in a big soup cup and it seems really foamy but also tends to feel dry on my face pretty quickly. Too much air? More water?
I am going to try the glycerin route as soon as I can find some.

Post shave means styptic pencil and alum block. The Walmart styptic pencil just doesn't seem to do the job like pencils I have used in the past. Once all the bleeding stops, I rinse with cold water and splash some Aqua Velva on.

The big issue, I think, is technique, and I need to concentrate on that. I'm going to practice with an unloaded razor and work on the angle of attack with short strokes. Got to remember to NOT put any pressure on the razor. I have tough beard and, with my Mach 3, have always done a N-S, S-N, with some ATG along the chin line and going all four directions on my neck. Maybe I should be content with just going WTG (NS) and ATG (SN) and not worry about the XTG for the time being, though I KNOW that this will leave the chin line and neck pretty rough. It will be more than sufficient, cosmetically, and be acceptable kissably. (is that a word?)

I think the reason I got so discouraged is that I kept cutting the same spots, not giving them time to heal between shaves. The worst place was on the fatty part of my chin, an inch or so below my bottom lip. I took a really bad slice out that spot on my very first attempt at DE loaded with a Feather. ( I know, bad idea.) I'm not talking about a cut. I removed a slice of skin just like a cheese knife would shave off a slice of cheese. I waited several days before trying again but the brand new skin in that spot was easily cut. So, I continued to just reopen the same wounds that I had the night before.

In early November I had to travel for work and just took my electric razor. When I got home I decided to just go with 'No Shave November' and now have a full beard. Plenty of time for all the wounds to have healed. The beard comes off tomorrow. I'll remove most of it with the trimmer attachment on my electric.
I'm tempted to shave the rest with my Mach 3 for the first time before trying DE again, since the stubble will be quite thick after removing most of the beard.

So, that's my story. I am open to any and all guidance.

Cheers!

Ken

Ken,

How much time are you taking to shave? It sounds like you might be rushing it. Also what soap/cream do you use?

Prof. Moriarty said:

Ken,

How much time are you taking to shave? It sounds like you might be rushing it. Also what soap/cream do you use?

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I am using Proraso soap.

Kenster said:

I am using Proraso soap.

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That is a decent soap. How much time are you taking? You might be rushing. Take your time, no pressure. Personally I prefer a wetter rather than a dryer lather.

I was trying to take it slow. I do think my lather might have been on the dry side. I'll work on that as well as technique.

Kenster said:

I was trying to take it slow. I do think my lather might have been on the dry side. I'll work on that as well as technique.

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Don't give up mate. Maybe do a couple of practise lathers to ensure a better result next time. Good luck, and keep us updated.

When you get back to it, consider shaving WTG for a bit to get used to angle and pressure. A one pass shave is adequate for a good appearance; It's all I did for decades before I joined B&B.

Kenster said:

I was trying to take it slow. I do think my lather might have been on the dry side. I'll work on that as well as technique.

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Lather is part of prep which is one of the most important process for a good shave result.

I've learned that I like a more hydrated, thick, and slick lather. I try to make practice lathers in between shaves if time is there. Here's a link to making lather with soap from the Shavewiki: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_make_great_lather_from_a_soap

If your lather is drying out on your face, that can be a problem. It can cause the razor to drag and will definately increase the chances of cutting yourself. Also maybe a different blade. Personaly I really like feathers but they are not very forgiving. I have found lord platinums to be very mild and give a comfortable shave.

If you find you get better shaves not showering first, maybe a cold water rinse before your shave.

One other thought, if you can shave in the shower with a cart and no problems, try stretching your skin when you shave. The combination of more hydration and that carts are designed to stretch your skin, may be a key to helping you out. Slicker lather and a taught surface.

Take your time and I hope something stated here and above by some other knowledgable gentlemen will help you on your way.

The description of your lather really sounds as if that is the culprit. It should not be

and it seems really foamy

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. If you can show us a pic or two it might help. A common bit of advice thrown out all over these threads is to "Use more soap". It really is hard to go wrong with that. I go for a really thin coat of very dense wet lather. Foamy to me makes it sound as if there are air bubbles in it, and that will not be very slick.

In order to take that big slice out of your chin, it really sounds as if you were using too much downward pressure. It's a hard thing to describe and even harder to do until that "Ah Ha" moment. Try to imagine taking the lather off with the blade, but without the blade actually touching your skin. Can't really do it, but that imagery has helped me when I realized I was falling back into the old cart habits.

Now get back on that horse!

Part of DE shaving is mastering a skill. It takes time. Stick with it.

mswofford said:

When you get back to it, consider shaving WTG for a bit to get used to angle and pressure. A one pass shave is adequate for a good appearance; It's all I did for decades before I joined B&B.

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+1