This idea applies to me, and I suspect it might apply to others.
I've been using a merkur hd for about 5 months now.
When I used to shave with the disposable pivots and goo, shaving was just a chore, and I never really payed much attention to detail when I shaved. Get in, get out, and be done with it.
Learning to shave with a DE has increased my attention to detail exponentially, which is a good thing, but it can also be a negative if one isn't aware of it.
What I mean is, my shaves are EXTREMELY close, smooth, and irritation free lately, yet I still can point out imperfections (minuscule stubble here and there, on the neck perhaps)- imperfections that surely no one else will ever notice. The fact that I am even AWARE of these imperfections is simply because my shaving technique and skill have improved so much; I've been "forced" to pay close attention.
I think that a lot of times when guys complain that they aren't getting great shaves with their new DE,a lot of probably has to do with the heightened awareness and attention to detail (bad technique another story) and in reality, their shaves are actually much better than they were before.
Hell, I never had even heard of prep, for Chrise sake, let alone WTG, ATG, ad nauseum before I came on here. I was simply a hacker with a bic in one hand and a can of goo in the other. My shaves today blow the old ones away, no question about it.
So it's the old catch 22, but if one just acknowledges it for what it is, the attention to detail can be your friend instead of your enemy; you didn't "fail" if you didn't get EVERY SINGLE BIT of stubble knocked down to base skin level, rather, you are simply just aware of it now, that's all.
I've been using a merkur hd for about 5 months now.
When I used to shave with the disposable pivots and goo, shaving was just a chore, and I never really payed much attention to detail when I shaved. Get in, get out, and be done with it.
Learning to shave with a DE has increased my attention to detail exponentially, which is a good thing, but it can also be a negative if one isn't aware of it.
What I mean is, my shaves are EXTREMELY close, smooth, and irritation free lately, yet I still can point out imperfections (minuscule stubble here and there, on the neck perhaps)- imperfections that surely no one else will ever notice. The fact that I am even AWARE of these imperfections is simply because my shaving technique and skill have improved so much; I've been "forced" to pay close attention.
I think that a lot of times when guys complain that they aren't getting great shaves with their new DE,a lot of probably has to do with the heightened awareness and attention to detail (bad technique another story) and in reality, their shaves are actually much better than they were before.
Hell, I never had even heard of prep, for Chrise sake, let alone WTG, ATG, ad nauseum before I came on here. I was simply a hacker with a bic in one hand and a can of goo in the other. My shaves today blow the old ones away, no question about it.
So it's the old catch 22, but if one just acknowledges it for what it is, the attention to detail can be your friend instead of your enemy; you didn't "fail" if you didn't get EVERY SINGLE BIT of stubble knocked down to base skin level, rather, you are simply just aware of it now, that's all.
