Questions from an Eager Beginner

Happy to be a part of the B&B community–– I have been learning a lot already and I can't wait to see where my wet shaving journey takes me.

Razor: Parker 99r
Blades: Shark Super Chrome
Cream: TOBS Rose
Brush: Escali Pure Badger
AS: Nivea (White Bottle)

I am brand new to wet shaving and I love it so much I decided to shave back to back days. The first day I got a couple of nicks but nothing major; I am focusing a lot more on honing my technique and trying to get the best angle on my very angled face. My second shave I did not cut myself but got TERRIBLE razor burn, but only on my cheeks (I suspect my lather today was not as good as it could have been). I did notice though that my brush seems to me irritating my face when applying the lather. I bowl lathered the first day but face lathered the second–is that a mistake with a newer brush? I am thinking of buying a boar brush because I can get a higher quality one for cheaper and I hope it will irritate my face less, but I do not know if that is actually the problem. My blade sampler pack should be coming soon, so I am also looking forward to trying some other blades. Advice?

I've been DE shaving for a few months and I can tell you that blade choice makes a big difference for me, so your blade sampler might be a big help. It's a bit of a trial and error game as far as I can tell - the trick is to not change more than one variable at a time and by experimenting you'll figure out what works for you. To some degree everyone's experience is unique which is one of the things that makes this interesting.

Besides blade choice, a couple other things you might want to watch for: shaving against the grain can cause problems for many and making too many passes, especially if you're prone to irritation. I mostly shave with the grain of my beard and sometimes across and never do more than two passes which gives me a nice close comfortable shave.

Welcome!
Is there a chance you apply too much pressure on the brush when lathering?
Also, just in case, soak it in water, lather with shampoo in a mug and let it in there for ~5 minutes. Then rinse it, just in case it has any kind of allergen on it.

Generally, the bristles on boar brushes are harder than the badger's. If you want to try, get an Omega 48 or 49. They're cheap and very good imho. Ymmv though.

As you're just starting, take a look at the wiki. The razor burn is usually a problem with either angle or too much pressure, or both. Here is the wiki article about angle and here are suggestions for different grips, which helps with excessive pressure.

Edit: Right now the most deciding factor about the quality of your shaves is your technique. I'd say to stay with a certain brand until your technique develops, and then start testing blades. It also might do you some good to stick with wtg passes for the time being.

I don't know about irration from a badger unless it's some kind of allergic reaction because they are just so soft. A boar will be a little rougher on your skin. Some people report irration dependent on the soap they use. It's really hard to tell at the beginning stages because there are so many variables as you know.

If you've been looking at other posts, less pressure! Even if your angle is not quite optimum, if you are not applying too much (any) pressure you should be OK. I've been at it for 4 months and the only time I got a hint of irritation is when I pushed a blade past its life... by applying pressure.
Give your skin a day off. Let the irritation go away.
Try not to change too many things. If you try a new brush, and a new blade, and attempt to improve your angle, how will you know which one made it Worse/Better ?
I waited a week before trying different blades. Once I found my favorite blade, I didn't change anything for another month - just perfecting the technique and developing muscle memory. Aside from one bout of irritation, not so much as a weeper.

Now I have a Xmas list for different brushes and creams and soaps. (Plus the few I purchased myself in the past couple of weeks).
Welcome to B&B and best of luck!

At this point, two shaves in, it's hard to say why you got razor burn. It could be pressure, angle, or lather issues. It could be the face lathering. It also could be a combination of factors (e.g., face lathering + poor lather + too much pressure). You really have to isolate things to find out.

If you want to find out if face lathering causes you problems, go back to bowl lathering for a week or so. Then, go back to face lathering. If the problem goes away with bowl lathering and returns with face lathering, then you might be on to a cause.

Do keep working on that technique. Good technique is the true key to great shaves, along with everything else.

Welcome to the forum !!

Welcome to B&B. Good answers above.

my biggest piece of advice for DE shaving is take your time. Some people may win awards for speed, but I prefer a leisurely pace. To me, it's no surprise that so many of the B&B folks like smoking pipes in addition to wet shaving, both require patience

I face lather with an omega boar. The omega 48/49 are great I've heard, I have a slightly smaller 10005. A new boar will take time to break-in, so it will be especially scrubby when it's new. Lots of great advice already on pressure and patience.

I think you'll be pleased with a boar. I use an Omega - broke in quickly and never smelled, as I've read others have. The irritation you're experiencing sounds like razor burn, which can have many causes. It could be thin lather, using pressure on your passes, touching up without reapplying lather, or simply too many passes. The good news is that all irritation heals. Best of luck, and enjoy your shaves!

Welcome to B&B !

Love my 3 boars!

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.

Plenty of good tips above.

Hello and welcome! Some great advice there. Something I found, personally, I was really eager to shave every day and did so initially - took a little while for me to find that my face doesn't like more than 6 passes per week - so I can do two shaves of 3 passes, or three shaves of 2 passes, etc. If you're coming out sore with a three pass daily shave, try dropping a pass and see how that goes. It could be that your face is still a bit aggravated from the previous day.

Hello and welcome to B&B!

Welcome aboard B&B