Ok, I'm really, really trying. I am in the unenviable position of having used an electric all my life. I've never been shown how to shave with a cartridge, much less a DE. Having given up on getting a decent shave with an electric, I've gone straight to DE so I can do it "right".
And boy, do I suck at it.
The first shave was great, the second better. From there, it went downhill. I'm beginning to think that I was being more cautious at first, and wasn't getting a very good shave, but it was still better than the electric—so it seemed like I was doing well. As I began to try to consciously work on my technique, I started shredding my chin and neck. As we speak, after about a week and a half, I have a cut adam's apple, upper lip, and some burn on my neck. So the symptoms:
It seems that the "right" angle doesn't actually cut enough hair on my chin, neck and lip. I have to hit the same hair several times (as expected), but going against the grain to make any headway at all. My chin and neck suffer greatly for it. I'm trying not to use any pressure, but maybe I am doing it unconsciously, as not using any pressure is giving me just a slippery pass over the hair. I can hear it cutting (or scraping, though I'm using as low an angle as I can and still get a cut) but it doesn't seem to cause any reduction.
I'm using a Merkur HD, Merkur blades, Taylor's avocado, Proraso aftershave (newly). Even the Proraso burns like fire.
Should I give up on closeness for a few months? Should I use sharper blades? Duller? Maybe my lather is all wrong? I think I'm being slow enough, but I seem to be getting worse at this as I go!
Any advice for a poor, baby-faced newbie with a stubble problem? Thanks for the great forums! I've learned a lot. I'm just apparently not putting it into practice well. It is perhaps noteworthy that I even get razor burn from electrics sometimes, presumably from trying too hard to get closer. =)
Signed,
Frustrated from SF
And boy, do I suck at it.
The first shave was great, the second better. From there, it went downhill. I'm beginning to think that I was being more cautious at first, and wasn't getting a very good shave, but it was still better than the electric—so it seemed like I was doing well. As I began to try to consciously work on my technique, I started shredding my chin and neck. As we speak, after about a week and a half, I have a cut adam's apple, upper lip, and some burn on my neck. So the symptoms:
It seems that the "right" angle doesn't actually cut enough hair on my chin, neck and lip. I have to hit the same hair several times (as expected), but going against the grain to make any headway at all. My chin and neck suffer greatly for it. I'm trying not to use any pressure, but maybe I am doing it unconsciously, as not using any pressure is giving me just a slippery pass over the hair. I can hear it cutting (or scraping, though I'm using as low an angle as I can and still get a cut) but it doesn't seem to cause any reduction.
I'm using a Merkur HD, Merkur blades, Taylor's avocado, Proraso aftershave (newly). Even the Proraso burns like fire.
Should I give up on closeness for a few months? Should I use sharper blades? Duller? Maybe my lather is all wrong? I think I'm being slow enough, but I seem to be getting worse at this as I go!
Any advice for a poor, baby-faced newbie with a stubble problem? Thanks for the great forums! I've learned a lot. I'm just apparently not putting it into practice well. It is perhaps noteworthy that I even get razor burn from electrics sometimes, presumably from trying too hard to get closer. =)
Signed,
Frustrated from SF