After many years of using an electric due to having a full beard and only needing to shave my cheeks and neck, I've gotten completely sick of the infernal device. It tugs and yanks out hairs and my face is left feeling like a bombed warehouse, full of stubble and irritation on my neck.
I have used cartridge razors in the past, and found them to be no more effective than the electric, and at the same time more expensive and time consuming. Something told me there had to be a better way. I decided to look into wet shaving as a result.
I did a lot of research over the past few days, looking here and at other forums, on Sharpologist and other shaving sites. I ended up getting an EJ Kelvin from Amazon, as I liked the head and the three piece setup in case I ever wanted to switch handles. Plus it was highly rated, and reasonably priced, so I felt safe in the purchase.
I initially decided not to go with cream or soap and instead use only shaving oil. The reason for this is because I want to be careful not to shave into my beard, and I felt an oil would allow me to see where I'm shaving, and also allow me to observe my technique. However, I can already tell I'm going to want to use at least a soap sometimes, so I've ordered a Plissoft brush and will be getting a puck of MWF (realizing that it can be a bit tough to lather, I've been reading suggestions on how to remedy that). I also got some Geo F. Trumper's lime skin food for an aftershave.
I did my first wet shave today, using the supplied Derby blades that came with the Kelvin (I've already ordered a sample pack to do some comparison shaving with). I decided to do a cold shave, as I usually run pretty hot as is and like the cool feel of the razor and the water, and also because my neck is especially prone to irritation and I read that cold water shaving helps mitigate that.
I clearly have a long way to go, lots of trial and error on this first pass, but luckily no nics or serious slips of the hand! I read some advice here that was of great help, keep more of the head of the razor on my face, use no pressure, and shave with the whole arm, not just the wrist. There were plenty of strokes where my angle was too sharp or too shallow and I could feel it, but there were some where the angle was just right and the razor glided smoothly down my face and I could feel the razor just grazing my skin. It felt amazing, even without any lather. My electric couldn't get that feeling in a million years.
I do think the cold water helped, as I had way less irritation on my neck, even after three passes (two with the grain, one across, and a few spots I tried against just to test it). And putting on the GFT afterwards was just wonderful. The smell was lovely and I could feel it moisturizing. While there were lots of spots where the shave wasn't closer than my electric, there were definitely a few that were, and I'd say my face feels smoother overall. I know I can get closer and better with practice. I need to work on my skin stretching/tightening.
I'm already sold on wet shaving. I love the experience of it, the feel of the razor in my hands, the feel of it on my face, the attention to detail and the zen-like focus I found that I had. My big question is what do you fellows with full beards do about lathering? I would love to lather, even with the cold shave, and I plan to play around with it, but do you have any good methods for making sure you don't ruin the lines of your facial hair?
Glad to be here!
I have used cartridge razors in the past, and found them to be no more effective than the electric, and at the same time more expensive and time consuming. Something told me there had to be a better way. I decided to look into wet shaving as a result.
I did a lot of research over the past few days, looking here and at other forums, on Sharpologist and other shaving sites. I ended up getting an EJ Kelvin from Amazon, as I liked the head and the three piece setup in case I ever wanted to switch handles. Plus it was highly rated, and reasonably priced, so I felt safe in the purchase.
I initially decided not to go with cream or soap and instead use only shaving oil. The reason for this is because I want to be careful not to shave into my beard, and I felt an oil would allow me to see where I'm shaving, and also allow me to observe my technique. However, I can already tell I'm going to want to use at least a soap sometimes, so I've ordered a Plissoft brush and will be getting a puck of MWF (realizing that it can be a bit tough to lather, I've been reading suggestions on how to remedy that). I also got some Geo F. Trumper's lime skin food for an aftershave.
I did my first wet shave today, using the supplied Derby blades that came with the Kelvin (I've already ordered a sample pack to do some comparison shaving with). I decided to do a cold shave, as I usually run pretty hot as is and like the cool feel of the razor and the water, and also because my neck is especially prone to irritation and I read that cold water shaving helps mitigate that.
I clearly have a long way to go, lots of trial and error on this first pass, but luckily no nics or serious slips of the hand! I read some advice here that was of great help, keep more of the head of the razor on my face, use no pressure, and shave with the whole arm, not just the wrist. There were plenty of strokes where my angle was too sharp or too shallow and I could feel it, but there were some where the angle was just right and the razor glided smoothly down my face and I could feel the razor just grazing my skin. It felt amazing, even without any lather. My electric couldn't get that feeling in a million years.
I do think the cold water helped, as I had way less irritation on my neck, even after three passes (two with the grain, one across, and a few spots I tried against just to test it). And putting on the GFT afterwards was just wonderful. The smell was lovely and I could feel it moisturizing. While there were lots of spots where the shave wasn't closer than my electric, there were definitely a few that were, and I'd say my face feels smoother overall. I know I can get closer and better with practice. I need to work on my skin stretching/tightening.
I'm already sold on wet shaving. I love the experience of it, the feel of the razor in my hands, the feel of it on my face, the attention to detail and the zen-like focus I found that I had. My big question is what do you fellows with full beards do about lathering? I would love to lather, even with the cold shave, and I plan to play around with it, but do you have any good methods for making sure you don't ruin the lines of your facial hair?
Glad to be here!
