New Blood Donor Here! New to DE

Hey everyone,
I've been shaving with cartridges for over 20 years- Gillette Sensor, Mach III and Profusion Pro Glide, using Edge sensitive skin shave gel. Like many others, I'm tired of plunking down $30 a month on cartridges. A friend of mine recently graduated barber school and started a career as a barber. We were talking about shaving and he strongly recommended DE shaving. So I took his advice and started with a Parker 96R razor and brush kit, Personna Blade, and Dreadnought shave cream. This morning was my first shave with the setup. Let's just say so far the results are mixed and it's going to take some work to get used to this. A few nicks around my mouth, which isn't so bad, but the same areas that suffer irritation with a cartridge (and I was pretty comfortable and happy with the Fusion ProGlide cartridges, except for the price), were a complete mess with the DE. Very irritated, some weepers, and not as close as I'd like.

My prep- took a hot shower, then right out to shave. Used American Crew Shave Oil (recommended by my friend) first, and then lathered up with Dreadnought Shave Cream using the brush. Went with the grain on first pass. Cheeks were fine, but around my mouth had some nicks, and my neck was a disaster. Tried to use no pressure, but I think the angles and corners and various directions my hair grows got me. My second pass - XTG - and that got my cheeks closer and my chin and around my mouth. No additional nicks, so I think I did better. Neck was still a problem. Third pass, ATG, cheeks and mouth and chin were fine. I don't think I added to the agony around my neck at this point. Bottom line, I'll have to be careful and practice. A little scared though since I also shave my head 3x a week and was hoping to use my DE for that as well.

I have to say, I'd been intrigued for a long time when looking in shops like The Art of Shaving, etc. The razors, bowls and brushes always looked so cool, so I have been considering this move for a while. I just need to have the patience to get good at it. I bought a variety pack of blades. Considering trying a different blade tomorrow. Or should I just get good with the same blade first?
Anyway, glad to be here!

Welcome to B&B

Good to hear your venture into "real" wet shaving was successful AND that you have decided to join us.

Do not be shy about joining in ANY of the conversations and meeting the members. We're all good friends here on B&B

Drop into the Shave Wiki and read over some of the shaving articles. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/ You will find a LOT of useful info in there.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame

Welcome to B&B.

The secret to a no nick shave, IMHO, is to use no pressure on the blade and use the correct angle when you use the razor. Both take some time to get right.

Let the weight of the razor do the work for you. I use two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. This ***t may help you. Finally, for blade angle, look here.

Thanks! The blade angle pics weren't displaying for some reason. I've watched a few videos though. Probably will watch some more. I think a big part of my problem was the lather may not have been rich enough. I need to work on that. Tomorrow is another day. May also try a blade that is described as more forgiving as well. Not sure yet.
Rick

Welcome aboard. I'd recommend staying with the same blade for a while. I just finished my first tuck all of derby blades. That way my shaves have gotten better, though the blade didn't change because I improved technique. If you change variables too often you can't gauge how things are going. Remember learning to shave like this is relearning a skill, so keep it simple for a while.

Welcome to B&B!

If you're drawing blood on the WTG pass I would definitely not recommend ATG yet. It does take a while to get the angle right. Because you were using carts it will probably take a little while to reduce the pressure as well. Hang in there.

I'd stick with the same blade unless you think the blade is horrible for your face/beard. Since the second and third pass went better it's probably not the blade.

Good luck.

Welcome, glad you joined. Slow down take your time be patient.

Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard.

Welcome to B&B!

I agree that, as long as it's working decently for you, stick with the blade you have for a little while. Maybe it will be your favorite, maybe not, but you have time to figure that out.

That said, if you want to try something else, go for it!

Try these for blade angle.

Don't fret it takes practice and patience.

I am also a head shaver and been doing it 2-3 times per week with a DE razor for the past couple months. The first time I butchered my head but after that it got easier and easier. You might find the head easier than the face because there isn't much soft tissue under the skin. Took me longer to get a good neck shave than a head shave.

Tips that worked best for me:

1. Keep your wrist stationary and only bend the elbow and shoulder.
2. Start with the top of the DE razor head flat and then pivot it down until the blade contacts (Don't start with the bar on your face/head and pivot up.
3. Don't give up it gets easier.

Welcome! Be patient - it definitely takes practice and time to hone your technique but it will be worth it. Getting the best shaves of my life but it took a couple of months to find the right combination and dial it all in. I'm still not perfect but getting better all the time.

Welcome aboard!

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

What Liquidtouch said. That's the way to set your DE shave angle.

Make sure your razor is all the way closed.

Best to stick with the same brand of blade and the same razor for at least the first couple of weeks. Avoid variables. Find a groove. Once you are a little more comfortable, THEN try a blade sampler pack or just switch brands. The Personna blue pack sold at Sallys Beauty Supply is a decent blade. The Personna med preps are very good too. The Israeli Personna red pack is great. I have seen some Personna brand blades in a white dispenser packaged in a blister pack that were pretty meh but they are not so crappy that I wanted to toss them in the can. Some very good blades are made overseas under the Gillette brand. The 7 Oclock greens I like very much and they are very common in the Middle East though I havent seen them in the far east or in Europe, or retail in the US. The legendary crazy sharp Feathers work very good in a mild-ish razor so if a razor seems too mild, try a Feather in it.

I am not familiar with your cream, but I am a big fan of two lathering products that are very very cheap. VDH Luxury soap, and Godrej Rich Lather cream, in the red tube. I was getting Godrej in Dubai for I think less than a buck a tube. VDH is available in most drugstores in the US, and even at walmart. The trick to using soap is to bloom it. This is letting hot water stand on the soap while your brush soaks in it, and you do other stuff. A 5 minute bloom and it just explodes with lather. Godrej is one of the slickest lathers I know, and it softens tough whiskers like nobody's business. Leaves the skin feeling moisturized. Maybe after a good week of shaves, pop in to the nearest walgreens, grab a couple of pucks of VDH, (Van Der Hagen, in Badgeranian) get you a microwave save mug of good size, drop in a puck and nuke it for about 25 seconds. You want it to JUUUUUUUST melt. If it boils over, you got a mess to clean up. If it isn't melted good, give it another 5 second zap, and another if needed, until it melts. Let it stand and cool. Now you have a nice layer of soap in your shave mug that isn't going anywhere. When you shave, don't forget to bloom with it. You might want to stick with what you are using for a few more shaves, though, as you get your actual shave technique together. Don't forget, start with the cap on your face and tilt the handle until the blade JUST starts to shave. Light light light pressure. WTG only, the first couple of weeks. Honestly, ATG really is not needed. Stretch the skin as you shave it. For closer, pull the skin up toward the roots. For less irritation, pull it any other direction that is convenient. Tight, flattened skin doesnt take cuts as readily as loose fluffy skin.

Later you might want to try a vintage Gillette adjustable. That way you can try any mildness setting from "I'm such a little sissy" to "I prefer to eat my rattlesnakes alive so I feel them kicking and biting all the way down.", without buying a whole bouquet of different razors.

Welcome and don't worry if you have a few bad shaves. I think that's actually the norm; it just helps you to learn faster. You'll be up and running in no time.

Welcome aboard!! Suggest you check out the wiki.

Also agree that using the correct angle and NO (absolutely none) pressure is the way to go!! Enjoy!!

ackvil said:

Welcome to B&B.

The secret to a no nick shave, IMHO, is to use no pressure on the blade and use the correct angle when you use the razor. Both take some time to get right.

Let the weight of the razor do the work for you. I use two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. This ***t may help you. Finally, for blade angle, look here.

Click to expand...

rickberk said:

Thanks! The blade angle pics weren't displaying for some reason. I've watched a few videos though. Probably will watch some more. I think a big part of my problem was the lather may not have been rich enough. I need to work on that. Tomorrow is another day. May also try a blade that is described as more forgiving as well. Not sure yet.
Rick

Click to expand...

ackvil said:

Try these for blade angle.

Click to expand...

Jim, your pics are not showing up either

Welcome B&B rickberk.

As s fellow newby to DE shaving may I suggest dropping the ATG pass and only using WTG & XTG. This plus a spot clean up pad really helped me. Also really watch your pressure, even when I thought I was being gentle I found I was applying to much pressure.

Welcome to the forum !!