First DE shave completed

Thanks everyone! I reverted to my cartridge this morning since I had to get ready for work and didn't get to take my time (and I certainly didn't want to rush my second DE shave). I look forward to the next one as I learn this new skill.

I do have a question, though - I used a Derby blade for that first shave, and the more I read on these forums, the more it sounds like those are not the most liked blades. While I agree I shouldn't change things around too much at first while I learn how to shave with a DE, would it make sense for me to change to a different blade (then stick with that for a good number of shaves), or stick with the Derby? I have quite a few in my sample pack, including Gillette Silver Blues.

FJC1 said:

I used a Derby blade for that first shave, and the more I read on these forums, the more it sounds like those are not the most liked blades. While I agree I shouldn't change things around too much at first while I learn how to shave with a DE, would it make sense for me to change to a different blade (then stick with that for a good number of shaves), or stick with the Derby? I have quite a few in my sample pack, including Gillette Silver Blues.

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The more you read these forums, the more you'll see "YMMV" (your mileage may vary) pinned on to almost any review of any product. Simply put, if it's working for you, I'd advise sticking with it for the nonce.
It's true, lots of people really don't like Derby blades. Others think they're fantastic, and I've seen quite a few threads recently of people who have revisited Derby blades after hating them for a long time...and finding them almost magical.

I flicked back and forth between different blades when I started based on the trending opinions and ultimately I think it was more my technique that made a difference in each of those shaves, not the razor blade itself. My starter pack of blades has been put away while I work through my bulk Astra SPs, and when I'm darn happy with every shave, I might start sifting through blades again to see if there's anything that I like more.
I'd suggest finding a blade that doesn't upset you (in this case, the Derby) and stick with it. When you're happy shaving and feel it's consistent, then perhaps start experimenting.

Welcome to B&B, brother!

TPL

Successful first shave. With practice comes skill, and with care and skill comes BBS shaves. It all comes together with time, and usually not very much time at all. Enjoy!

19TPL91 said:

The more you read these forums, the more you'll see "YMMV" (your mileage may vary) pinned on to almost any review of any product. Simply put, if it's working for you, I'd advise sticking with it for the nonce.
It's true, lots of people really don't like Derby blades. Others think they're fantastic, and I've seen quite a few threads recently of people who have revisited Derby blades after hating them for a long time...and finding them almost magical.

I flicked back and forth between different blades when I started based on the trending opinions and ultimately I think it was more my technique that made a difference in each of those shaves, not the razor blade itself. My starter pack of blades has been put away while I work through my bulk Astra SPs, and when I'm darn happy with every shave, I might start sifting through blades again to see if there's anything that I like more.
I'd suggest finding a blade that doesn't upset you (in this case, the Derby) and stick with it. When you're happy shaving and feel it's consistent, then perhaps start experimenting.

Welcome to B&B, brother!

TPL

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That's what I was trying to say, but you said it better.

Second DE shave in the books. Woke up a bit early this morning, so gave it a go before work. Used my new Proraso Red cream, and stuck with the Derby blade that was already in the razor from my first shave.

Went fine - no cuts/nicks/weepers. Shave was, again, acceptable - I did 4 passes on my cheeks. Again, not as smooth as my cartridge shaves with 4 passes - but I think my problem is I'm not getting the angle right on my ATG pass (so it's not cutting anything at all). I think that's especially true on my left cheek, as my shaving hand is blocking my view of the razor on those passes.

My neck - I did a verticle XTG, then a WTG pass. I then did sort of an angled pass - not ATG, but one that was a bit between XTG and ATG. I think I actually got my neck a little closer shave than I do with cartridges, which I dare not do more than a WTG/XTG on or I get terrible irritation/ingrowns.

Finished up by switching to a cartridge to shave my head (I'm no where near ready to try a DE on my skull).

It's going well, and should only get better as I get more experience!

Hello and welcome aboard!

Two more shaves done - shaved after work just because I wanted to. Went well, but I must have gotten a little ambitious on the neck or used a little pressure, as I had a few weepers on one side. Tried to get my cheeks BBS to match what I can do with a cartridge, and got close.

This morning I decided to swap the Derby for GSB blade, despite all the great advice on this site. Did so, and used some AOS Sandalwood cream. Shave went well, no cuts/weepers. I'm still going slow, but picking up the speed some - to the point that it's not a hardship to get a DE shave in prior to work. Thought I got to BBS on the cheeks, but by the time I got to work less than an hour later, I can feel stubble if I slide my hand ATG on my cheeks. Is this still a technique thing, or are single-blade shaves inherently a bit less close? Is there something to that "first blade pulls the hair up, blah blah" marketing stuff?

After 4 shaves (an admittedly low number), I'm finding I can pretty easily get socially acceptable shaves. I shave around 5am, get to work at 6am, and work a 10 hour day - by 4pm, I have pretty good shadow going by the end of the day.

FJC1 said:

Is there something to that "first blade pulls the hair up, blah blah" marketing stuff?

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Absolutely there is! But unfortunately, it's to the shaver's detriment. The first blade certainly does pull the hair up, but the subsequent blades cut the hair so short that the hair will retract under the surface of the skin which can lead to those nasty ingrown hairs. The DE, on the other hand, cuts the hair at the level of the skin and no deeper.

Glad to hear you're getting on well. Hang in there, and I've no doubt with time and technique you'll get those BBS shaves that you're after.

Food for thought: If you've got very fast growing whiskers and you're shaving every day, however, how much do you gain by chasing that BBS? I generally only shave WTG and XTG and my face feels incredibly smooth in both of those planes for that day, so anything closer isn't really necessary for me. I've only once achieved a BBS shave (only in some parts of my face) and although it was glorious, it wasn't long at all before I could start feeling stubble again. To that end, it's not something I feel I need to achieve.

TPL

19TPL91 said:

Food for thought: If you've got very fast growing whiskers and you're shaving every day, however, how much do you gain by chasing that BBS? I generally only shave WTG and XTG and my face feels incredibly smooth in both of those planes for that day, so anything closer isn't really necessary for me. I've only once achieved a BBS shave (only in some parts of my face) and although it was glorious, it wasn't long at all before I could start feeling stubble again. To that end, it's not something I feel I need to achieve.

TPL

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When I get a BBS shave (and it really is - I can slide my hand around in any direction on my cheeks and not feel any stubble resistance at all), then that good-looking/feeling shave will last me a long time. At lunch I'll still be amazed at how smooth my face feels. By the end of the workday, I can feel a small bit of stubble if I rub ATG - probably about what I'm feeling right now, only 2 hours after my DE shave this morning. Now - is that really an issue? Probably not. Most likely, I'm being overly critical and by the end of the day today, though I feel stubbly, I may look better than anyone else here who has a heavy beard growth.

I'm just trying to get to the point where I can say, "My DE shaves are as close as my cartridge shaves, with no more (hopefully less) irritation." Even if they take a little longer, I'm fine with that.

I know I'm rushing things here, having a whole four shaves under my belt. I just thought when I finished up this morning, "Wow, got a really close shave today!" and am surprised to feel it getting rough ATG already.

So - I'm over a week in to DE shaving. Just to compare, I used a cartridge the other day to do my face/neck:

1) Cheeks were amazingly smooth, doing 4 passes
2) Neck was not very smooth at all - I know from experience I can only do a WTG and one verticle XTG pass on my neck or I get horrible irritation.

This morning I did another DE shave with a fresh Gillette Silver Blue blade. Very acceptable shave, but not as smooth as the cartridge on my cheeks, despite the same 4 passes (WTG, XTGx2 directions, ATG). On my neck I did an XTG, WTG, and a very careful pass that is diagonal - not ATG, but a XTG that is a bit angled. Zero irritation, and while still a bit stubbly if I rub my hand ATG, it's a closer shave than I can get with the cartridge. (Note - 2 days ago I did the same and had a patch of very bad irritation on one side of my neck - I must have done something wrong on that shave, or the blade was getting old).

So - I'm getting better DE shaves on my neck at this point (in general), but the cheeks are still lacking a bit. Is this just technique, as in my angles are off? Or am I getting as good of a shave as I can expect with this "mild" 34C razor?

Honestly, I'd say just give it time. It seems some people here on B&B never achieve BBS, some get it at the tip of a hat.
One massive positive that you should be rejoicing is that shaving your neck with cartridges has gone from very unpleasant to none whatsoever. That right here is a big win, so congratulations!
If you'd really like to achieve BBS on your cheeks right now, then perhaps use a cartridge in conjunction with your DE. Lather up and do your normal passes and then finish with a cartridge on your cheeks to get that silky smooth feeling that lasts all day.
As you get more experienced and try a variety of razors and razor blades, you may find the BBS comes a lot more easily with just a DE. Good luck!

TPL

Really good shave today. Best yet. Had today off, and plenty of time, so went slowly. I think my angles were slightly off before, especially on the passes that were a little more awkward of an angle for my hand.

No irritation, BBS smooth on the cheeks. I think the stubble is coming back a little faster than with the cartridges, but I don't care if I can get this nice and smooth on my cheeks. Neck is a little stubbly, but it always is even with a cartridge, but is perfectly acceptable looks-wise.

That, and a healthy splash of Pinaud Clubman, and I'm feeling great this morning.

Congrats! Keep it up!

FJC1 said:

Really good shave today. Best yet. Had today off, and plenty of time, so went slowly. I think my angles were slightly off before, especially on the passes that were a little more awkward of an angle for my hand.

No irritation, BBS smooth on the cheeks. I think the stubble is coming back a little faster than with the cartridges, but I don't care if I can get this nice and smooth on my cheeks. Neck is a little stubbly, but it always is even with a cartridge, but is perfectly acceptable looks-wise.

That, and a healthy splash of Pinaud Clubman, and I'm feeling great this morning.

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Practice makes perfect

alex2363 said:

Practice makes perfect

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It certainly does - I'm nearly 3 weeks in now and I can easily get as good a shave with my current setup (34C with a Gillette Silver Blue blade) as I can with a cartridge. Probably better on my neck. It does take longer, but I enjoy the time it takes.

And learning to shave with the DE has improved my cartridge shaves, on the rare occasions I use a cartridge on my face. I've found by using the same techniques on my neck that I use with the DE (no pressure, light passes, never ATG) I can now get an irritation-free cartridge shave as well.

Though the DE shave is just more... satisfying.

(Still not brave enough to go at shaving my head with the DE - I think I could easily do it WTG, but I currently do my head with a cartridge and do a WTG then ATG for a billiard-ball-smooth dome shave).

Thanks everyone for the advice and the encouragement during this learning process!

Great work. It soon will become second nature to you.

FJC1 said:

It certainly does - I'm nearly 3 weeks in now and I can easily get as good a shave with my current setup (34C with a Gillette Silver Blue blade) as I can with a cartridge. Probably better on my neck. It does take longer, but I enjoy the time it takes.

And learning to shave with the DE has improved my cartridge shaves, on the rare occasions I use a cartridge on my face. I've found by using the same techniques on my neck that I use with the DE (no pressure, light passes, never ATG) I can now get an irritation-free cartridge shave as well.

Though the DE shave is just more... satisfying.

(Still not brave enough to go at shaving my head with the DE - I think I could easily do it WTG, but I currently do my head with a cartridge and do a WTG then ATG for a billiard-ball-smooth dome shave).

Thanks everyone for the advice and the encouragement during this learning process!

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Keep us posted@

Nice!